So, the DC2 then.

DreXeL

DreXeL

DreXeL

Man of Honour
Man of Honour
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
12,264
Location
Cotswolds
Don't know a huge amount about them, but here's the impression I get:

- Fantastic chassis
- Quite 'raw'
- Sedate and 'normal' out of Vtec, 8k of screaming fun when you hit Vtec, yo.
- Honda reliability
- Performance roughly on par with a UK Scoob when moving?

How much of that is right, are there any issues to look out for, and what sort of an example will I get for around 4.5k?
 
164bhp/tonne so it'll see off most hothatches etc. :)

Not a great motorway cruiser though due to gearing. Might have to think twice if you do a lot of motorway driving IMO.

Damn nice though, will hold its value well.
4.5k will get one, a 96-98 with reasonable miles.
There was an edition with 16" wheels I think, they look good.
 
Get a JDM.

They look 100x better from the front than a UKDM. What they were thinking when they redesigned the front end with those 4 lights, I don't know!
 
97 with > 100k.

SH a must, obviously.

Keep an eye out for tired gearbox.

Noisy, hard, but fun.

JDM nicer but silly insurance.
 
For the money I'd go with an import. You will get more for your money if you do the importing yourself too. The import is also slightly more powerful and far better looking.
If you want something you can drive around normally most of the time, but boot the hell out of round some backroads/track then the DC2 teg is a good choice. No need to worry about breakdowns, rotors flying off and hitting someone in the face, rear end going all over the place etc.
Depends how good a driver you are, but you might be able to drive the teg harder than you could the rex.
 
Won't the insurance be more on a JDM though?

Theres a couple of low mileage ones on autorader right now. Bargains seem to be appearing, my brother is considering one right now.
 
here are the main differences between a 96spec and a 98 spec JDM car

1. HID lights on 98 Spec (added weight, but improved night visibility)

2. The most siginficant change are the wheels

96 Spec 195/55/15 4 stud

98 Spec 215/45/16 5 stud (rare tyres....)

3. Brake Discs enlarged

96 spec has 262mm
98 spec has 282mm


4. Front Suspension - Modified to increase cornering speeds after extensive testing on the circuit.

96 Spec

Spring rate (KGf/MM) 4.4
Damper (KGf) (Full) 245
(short) 161
Anti Roll Bar (inches) 0.94

98 Spec

Spring rate (KGf/MM) 4.5
Damper (KGf) (Full) 231
(short) 142
Anti Roll Bar (inches) 0.98

5. Rear Suspension

96 Spec

Spring rate (KGf/MM) 4.4
Damper (KGf) (Full) 118
(short) 70
Anti Roll Bar (inches) 0.87

98 Spec

Spring rate (KGf/MM) 4.5
Damper (KGf) (Full) 100
(short) 59
Anti Roll Bar (inches) 0.91

This seems to indicate that Honda decided to increase the stiffnes of the spring slightly but decrease the dampening of the shocks. Also the anti roll bars were thickened. Perhaps someone who knows more about this can explain.....

6. The 98 spec engine was equiped with an all stainless steel manifold giving the engine more torque at lower revs.

96 Spec - 200 ps @ 8000 rpm
18.5kgm @ 7200 rpm

98 Spec - 200 ps @ 8000 rpm
19kgm @ 6200 rpm

7. Other Specs

96 Spec
Height (inches) 52
Rear Track (inches) 57.9
Weight 1060kgs
ABS Option
Airbag Option

98 Spec
Height (inches) 52.4
Rear Track (inches) 58.5
Weight 1100kgs
ABS Standard
Airbag Standard

8. Engine Internals (Enlargement of the thrust bearings, Ports, and Valve Seals) were machined by hand until late 96 spec engines. When it came to improving this process further it took to long by hand, so the engineers were replaced by machines.......

Late 96 spec and 98 spec engine internals were machined by specialist machines that produced work that was so good it was impossible to match by hand.....

9.

Gear Ratios

96 Spec

1st - 3.230
2nd - 2.105
3rd - 1.458
4th - 1.107
5th - 0.848

Final 4.4


98 spec

1st - 3.230
2nd - 2.105
3rd - 1.458
4th - 1.034
5th - 0.787

Final 4.785

This all means that 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear are shorter in the 98 Spec (due to the closer ration of the Final drive), but 4th and 5th are wider for top speed...... (i.e. 4th and 5th in the 96 Spec are closer for acceleration, which is why the 96 Spec pull the 98 Spec back in 4th gear in the 1/4 mile)

10. Braking test from about 95 mph

96 Spec (non ABS) - 269.7 ft

98 Spec (ABS and larger discs) - 230.3 ft
 
Last edited:
D4VE said:
Won't the insurance be more on a JDM though?

Theres a couple of low mileage ones on autorader right now. Bargains seem to be appearing, my brother is considering one right now.
Click to expand...

I thought the same. I phoned sky insurance who said my insurance would be cheaper since it was a JDM (its a 96spec) although im not sure all insurance com[panys see it like that
 
Was definately considering going with a JDM due to the looks, insurance doesn't bother me as it can't be any more than the Rex.
 
DreXeL said:
Was definately considering going with a JDM due to the looks, insurance doesn't bother me as it can't be any more than the Rex.
Click to expand...

Youd be suprised. Integra's are fairly out of scale when it comes to insurance i have found, more JDM impreza level than RX7FD :(
 
TheDome said:
I thought the same. I phoned sky insurance who said my insurance would be cheaper since it was a JDM (its a 96spec) although im not sure all insurance com[panys see it like that
Click to expand...

Maybe the JDM isn't as desireable to theives as they will want to nick a UK car to sell the UK parts on.
 
Jez said:
Youd be suprised. Integra's are fairly out of scale when it comes to insurance i have found, more JDM impreza level than RX7FD :(
Click to expand...

Really? Even with all the mods on the Rex (they are all fully declared)?
 
D4VE said:
Maybe the JDM isn't as desireable to theives as they will want to nick a UK car to sell the UK parts on.
Click to expand...

yeah possibly but bar body panels at the front of the car they are all the same in terms of everything else......no idea tbh
 
DreXeL said:
Really? Even with all the mods on the Rex (they are all fully declared)?
Click to expand...


Yeah he is right there is something about Hondas that insurances companys dont like......again no idea what it is though. Im sure i can insure a stock RX7 cheaper than a teg for some reason.
 
DreXeL said:
Really? Even with all the mods on the Rex (they are all fully declared)?
Click to expand...

Obviously the best way is to run quotes, but certainly for me RX7FD's come in considerably cheaper than JDM ITR's. Strange i know, there just seems to be a few random cars which no-one wants to touch.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom