CRZ Supercharged * 2020 revival *

[rjk]

No amount of banter could convince me on the black rear cumberband on the CRZ rear. And as for someone mentioned the civic type r, yes but the integra is lower, longer(?) And better handling for it.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

K20 is tall and no batteries y0.

Running man you bought the subject up!

No amount of banter could convince me on the black rear cumberband on the CRZ rear.

The glass you look through?

 

[silversurfer]

So what would you do? S/C the CRZ and have a truly unique affordable hot hatch or buy something else completely?

If you absolutely love the car and want to push it to the limits then sure but purely from the maths side of it then no its not worth it.
Its a nice light car I can see why but I'd rather get something RWD and explore the handling dynamics in that direction more then just power/weight

 

[Jonnycoupe]

175bhp and 20kW

Shown at SEMA 2010. A HPD built raced aswell.

 

[Blackhawk47]

Nath, I think you've already decided.

I would say go for it but you need to work out if/when you come to sell the car would it add any value to it/what would you be able to sell it for.

Surely only then can you decide if it is good value or not?

 

[shauncr91]

Do it, I'm sure it'll be a blast. I wouldn't get too held up on if it's worth it financially unless it's completely ridiculous money for the gains (And I don't think it is).

 

[wesimmo]

TBF, pretty much anyone who modifies their car, especially when you have to pay someone else to do the work, isn't looking at the decision rationally, you can nearly always buy something "better" out the box for less money.

But in my case i didn't want something else, I wanted my Golf and my DC2 but just a bit faster, so spent money on it i'd never get back, but i loved those cars and they gave me great fun.

My dad used to tut at me, until i stacked up his golfing holidays, membership and equipment versus my cars and track days.

 

[godinman]

Nobody done an electric motor upgrade yet?

 

[Jonnycoupe]

It's the batteries you upgrade. Motor is kinda fixed unless you do a bespoke motor and stator and deal with additional depth.

Seems 25bhp is the limit for the Honda motor before you start risking demagnetisation. Several ways to up the power on the Insight 1. Not much done on CRZ as still in warranty and limited demand.

 

[86JR]

Not really^
When I move house I am buying a cheap EP3, to attend trackdays as that is what my friends up there are all about now that it is impossible to drive fast on the public highway due to safety vans etc.
There isn't anything else other than a Clio 172 which I don't fit in which is as capable standard for under £3k for trackdays. And when you mod it there isn't anything else N/A that lets you get 250hp out of it for not too much money. And if you supercharge it you are looking at 300hp which is all you need in a chuckable fwd hatchback and not that much expense if you do the labour and mapping between 3-4 of you in a Unit in a weekend!

 

[robinbanks]

I think you should do it. You enjoy the car (you seem a real fan) when it comes to selling you might have a shock as I would think that it will hold its value better.the only bad thing I read about the car is it lack of power from a 1.6 (Honda need to go back to crx days. VTEC Yo)

 

[bJN]

Without reading through all the waffle: do it. You love the car to bits (as do I every time I see it in a post!) and you'll love it all the more with the extra grunt!

 

[Jonnycoupe]

I think you should do it. You enjoy the car (you seem a real fan) when it comes to selling you might have a shock as I would think that it will hold its value better.the only bad thing I read about the car is it lack of power from a 1.6 (Honda need to go back to crx days. VTEC Yo)

I was thinking about the CRZ last night in context of other downsizing cars.

Best one I can think of is the Fiesta or Focus. The 1.0T has got similar power but Im not sure how much more the extra turbo parts and direction injection costs over the Honda IMA parts. The ford products take quite a jump in retail moving from the old 1.6 to the new 1.0T. I dont know how much of that is powertrain material costs or trim walking.

The Civic R18 engine is a real gem and should have got into the car as the 1.5 LEA is a bit old now as its from the L13 lump that really was for shopping cars.

Guess its all about costs as the Civic Hybrid has more batteries 15kW and cylinder on demand to shut 3 cylinders off along with a HV aircon compressor to run AC with engine off, unlike the Insight 2 and CRZ.

None of these latest engines are the old screamers of old. The VTEC enages at light throttle to minimise pumping losses etc etc blah blah rather than high load to give you a B series type race car cam profile and significant jumps in power.

Looking forward to the earth dreams 1.6T and Type R 2.0 unit thats for sure!

 

[Yaayuh!]

Any news on a new CRZ on the horizon? Something to take into account maybe.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Mugen Euro has developed a highly-tuned version of the Honda CR-Z that aims to deliver up to 200PS and 215Nm of torque by boosting the hybrid's petrol-electric powertrain

The goal of the project was to prove hybrid cars can be exciting to drive, by producing "Civic Type R-like" performance from the hybrid coupe while remaining sympathetic to the original Honda direction for the CR-Z.
"We wanted a car that has genuine performance available at the touch of a button, but can perform just like a standard CR-Z and offer good fuel economy when the driver wishes," says Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro. "For that reason we've kept the three driving modes, so the driver can select 'eco' or 'normal' to switch to economy and low emissions for the daily drive, but press the Mugen button for the full-blown 'weekend warrior' settings!"


The car retains both the Honda IMA electric motor and the original 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, which has been rebuilt to Mugen specification with bespoke upgraded and strengthened internal components.
"When we first approached this programme, we considered what to do with the Honda IMA system, and the answer was immediate and obvious - utilise it and build on it," explains Whittamore.
The addition of centrifugal forced-induction under the bonnet helps the Honda CR-Z Mugen deliver over 50 percent more power and torque from the Honda's petrol-electric drive train.
http://www.netcarshow.com/Honda-CR-Z_Mugen_Concept-2011-wallpaper.jpg 2011 Honda CR-Z Mugen Concept


In order to give a fully integrated and smooth power delivery, Mugen Euro has developed the Mugen iCF system, the Mugen acronym for Integrated Centrifugal Forced-induction, which allows all the elements of the electro-mechanical system, including the forced-induction system, IMA motor and petrol engine, to work in harmony.

"The idea was to use the significant advantage of the early torque provided by the Honda IMA electric motor, then increase the torque available from the engine progressively," says Whittamore.
The iCF, along with an electronics upgrade, allowed Mugen to very neatly map the IMA to the extra power and torque of the engine, giving a smooth, integrated and powerful driving experience.

"I have to say that when any of us have jumped into the Honda CR-Z Mugen it has delighted us all," says Whittamore. "It's exactly what we were looking for. And the real beauty is that it can still be driven in the way customers of the standard CR-Z would recognise."

The Honda CR-Z Mugen needed to be visually different enough to attract attention, yet subtle enough to be aesthetically pleasing. Mugen also wanted to demonstrate the high quality of its parts, offering a solution that enhances and integrates with the original CR-Z styling, in line with the Mugen philosophy of custom parts with original manufacturer standards of quality and fitment.

Additions to the exterior of the car include Mugen front and rear under spoilers, side skirts, rear wing and 17-inch lightweight forged alloy Mugen GP wheels. Carbon fibre bonnet and doors not only reduce the overall weight of the car but enhance the sporty look, while the eye-catching Brilliant Orange Metallic paint provides the finishing touch.

The interior of the car continues the sporty theme, with lightweight Recaro sport seats and Mugen accessories, including a weighted gear knob and carbon rear view mirror cover. The assist meters display and record water and oil temperatures and oil pressure. These dials are able to display these in finer detail than the OEM read-outs and allow the driver to more easily see sudden changes or fluctuations under hard driving conditions. They can also be used to warn the driver if any of the values fall outside the customisable pre-set parameters.

How is the increase in power achieved?

Mugen took advantage of the torque given by the electric motor at low rpm and built on that, boosting induction using a supercharger to provide torque after the electric motor peaked, resulting in a flatter and longer torque curve. This means that more torque is available throughout the rev range.
Although the electric motor contributes less than 20 PS to the overall power, it does this almost instantly by generating its maximum torque between 1,000 and 1,500 rpm. However, where in the standard car this causes the peak torque to occur at less than 25 percent of the engine range, with the Mugen iCF the performance does not drop off at this point - as the power/torque graph for the 'stage 1' engine shows.

Early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-62mph times around that of the Civic Type R's official time of 6.6 seconds. With up to a further 15 percent increase in power to come over this 'stage 1' engine and with approximately 50kg reduced from the chassis, overall performance is on course to meet Mugen's original Type R targets.

How does the Honda CR-Z Mugen differ from the standard Honda CR-Z?

Mugen stripped and rebuilt the engine to enhance durability and reliability under increased loads and added supercharged forced induction to provide more horsepower and a flatter ascending torque curve.

 

[Spie]

These kind of posts always end this way. It's almost always pointless as the only thing that really matters is what Nath wants in a car and most of you don't know him well enough.

The reason the CRZ has been such a good car is that it ticks 3 very important boxes for Nath.

1 - It's different and looks very cool.

2 - It's very economical (fuel, road tax, insurance).

3 - It's utterly reliable.

It's actually much more than that because it's quite nippy and comfortable too. It's an excellent package.

Nearly everything suggested in this thread fails at least one of those tests and quite a few are not comfortable at all. Take the GT86 for example. I was seriously thinking of buying one of these cars as a daily runaround and was so disappointed with the way it drove. Put it on a track with double the power and it makes sense, but on the road with a peaky engine, hard suspension and cheap interior finish and it's a disaster.

An S2000 would be even more ridiculous. Whilst I appreciate the cult following of this car it doesn't stack up at all to Nath's requirements at all.

370Z's, Celica's etc, again don't stack up to his wish list.

If you want more power Nath, supercharge the CRZ. That car is a perfect fit for you. If you don't then save your money and have a few awesome holidays with your girlfriend that you will remember for the rest of your life.

 

[DeanT77]

Screw it, dooooo iiiiiiit.

The only problem I would have is that for that money I would want the end power number to start with a 4.

 

[rjk]

Any news on a new CRZ on the horizon? Something to take into account maybe.

nothing. Honda have removed the current ZF1 CRZ from sale in this region due to lack of demand. It is still on sale in other markets.

 

[rossk26]

Father has spoken

/thread

 

[Maccy]

Just do it Nath, you only live once.