507 BHP Civic FN2 Type-R Turbo

This turbocharged Honda Civic Type R is a reliable daily driver, but it turns into a supercar destroyer when the boost kicks in!

By Aria Goshi - March 19, 2021

In Need of More Torque

As wonderful as Honda engines are in naturally aspirated form, for many, taking their performance to the next level involved forced induction. And that was certainly the case for the owner of this FN2 Honda Civic Type R. As an enthusiast of hot hatchbacks, one of this writer's biggest woes was seeing these FN2s and knowing I could never have one. And this turbocharged build shows us exactly what we've been missing out on.

Photos: Fast Car

Forced Induction

For the first few years of his ownership of the Type R, Tim Desmond was in a constant state of adding mods to it. And understandably, so. But he eventually found himself underwhelmed by a lack of power and torque from the Civic. And that's when he decided to embark on a journey toward forced induction.

>>Join in the conversation on this FN2 Civic Type R right here in the S2Ki forum.

Supercharger

After having upgraded the motor with a set of cams, he decided to quench his thirst for more grunt with the addition of a CT Engineering supercharger kit. The blower added a significant amount of boost, pushing the mill up to about 330 horsepower. But it wasn't long until Desmond was left wanting even more.

>>Join in the conversation on this FN2 Civic Type R right here in the S2Ki forum.

Turbocharger

Desmond knew that in order to achieve 500+ horsepower, he had to go the turbocharging route. The issue was that, at the time, no aftermarket turbo kit existed for this Honda. But his persistence eventually paid off, as TDi-North agreed to develop a turbo kit for the FN2 Type R.

>>Join in the conversation on this FN2 Civic Type R right here in the S2Ki forum.

Limited to 400 lb-ft

The shop also built the engine up with forged internals to make sure the block could handle all the added boost. And with the introduction of 22 PSI, the hot hatchback was capable of 507 horsepower. To avoid potential damage to the transmission, the torque was limited to 400 lb-ft, which is still more than double the stock unit.

>>Join in the conversation on this FN2 Civic Type R right here in the S2Ki forum.

Supercar Killer

To help the FWD beast handle the power properly, a custom coilover suspension is at work, along with a ‘Fast Road’ geometry setup by TDi-North. The efficient power delivery has turned an ordinary Civic Type R into a scary sleeper, putting high-performance cars like BMW M3s, Audis, and even supercars to shame on a daily basis.

>>Join in the conversation on this FN2 Civic Type R right here in the S2Ki forum.

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