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2023 Honda Civic Type R Hits the Dyno, Makes More Power and Torque Than Advertised

Honda tuner Hondata is currently working on performance mods for the FL5. Based on the 11th generation of the Civic, the most powerful Civic Type R entitled to wear license plates features the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder lump of the FK8, although modified for more power and torque.
2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing 10 photos
Photo: Hondata on YouTube
2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing2023 Honda Civic Type R dyno testing
Over in Japan and Europe, it makes 330 metric horsepower. American customers are treated to 315 mechanical horsepower and 310 pound-foot (420 Nm) of torque delivered between 2,600 and 4,000 revolutions per minute. Most of those resources are channeled to the front wheels by a close-ratio manual tranny, which is complemented by a helical-type LSD.

The question is, how many of those resources actually get to the front wheel hubs? Hondata is much obliged to answer that question with a series of dyno runs that reveal 11 more horsepower and 25 more pound-foot of torque compared to the 2017 Civic Type R previously tested on this dyno.

More specifically, the FK8 developed 316 horsepower and 334 pound-foot (just under 453 Nm) versus 327 horsepower and 359 pound-foot (just under 487 Nm) for the FL5. “There’s going to be a lot more video content and a lot more data to come,” said Hondata co-founder Doug Macmillan.

Doug added that quite a bit of torque is delivered 400 revolutions per minute earlier, which explains why the FL5 is a bit quicker off the line. Of course, tires and suspension setup have a lot to do with zero-to-60 times. Equipped as standard with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber boots, the all-new Civic Type R uses dual-axis MacPherson struts up front, a multi-link rear end, adaptive dampers, and stabilizer bars for the front and rear axles.

19 by 9.5-inch wheels finished in matte black are standard as well, together with a tire repair kit rather than a full-size or space-saver spare. Tipping the scales at 3,188 pounds (make that 1,446 kilograms), the FL5 features a weight distribution of 62 percent in the front and 38 percent aft.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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