New Canadian EP3 SiR Owner - TONS of Pics! 56K = DIE!

[CDM 98 ITR]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to say hello, and introduce myself!

I've been an avid Honda guy for the good part of 12 years now, and have really enjoyed the cars and communities I've come across. Now pushing into my 30's, I've had the opportunity to own a few, with my most recent being this neat little 2003 SiR HFP I picked up off a member on this site. I'm really enjoying the car thus far, and look forward to contributing to this site from time to time. My passion lies in circuit racing, and I'm sure this little car will see its fair share of laps. Now on to some pics, past and present, just so you guys know where I'm coming from ... automotive speaking that is :msmile:

After a few swapped hatchbacks, I ran into this car. To date, this is my favorite vehicle I have ever owned. Anything i could say about it would be an understatement. On the street, and more importantly, on the track, this car was amazing. I'm an idiot for selling it, and will regret it for the rest of my life!

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/itr-meet-14.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Goodnight-2.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Interior.jpg

After only 2 years, and maybe 4000Kms of mileage if I'm being generous, I felt I needed a daily driver. The Type R was a tad impractical for daily use (which it was never intended to be) and I was tired of the paranoia seeing that these cars should never be left unattended. So enter this car ... big, heavy, fast, beast of a car. In the end, ended up not being for me.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/First-STI-Photo.jpg

Daily whip and track whore together:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/TypeR-and-STI-1.jpg

Ended up selling them both, but had lots of fun! Needed to get rid of extra expense, and focus on a house. How boring :mfrown: So for a season, I had to resort to taking pics of friends at the track and going to car shows ... talk about depressing ...

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/SRT-1.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Skyline-Splash.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Civic-Si-2.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Type-R-2.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/Type-R-One.jpg

So enter the little EP3! As soon as the house was taken care of, I needed something affordable, practical, and track worthy. Always been a fan of the EP3 body style, and the torsional rigidity of the body. Seemed like a good platform to work with. Not much done to the car yet as i just got it, but HFP Suspension & body kit, the wheels/tires, Hawk brakes, good fluids, camber adjusters, intake, ect ... are the short list. Plan to re-actively modify as needed through track feedback. Haven't got the opportunity to take good pics yet, but here she is in the garage =)

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/EP3-Three.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r180/ryanwhytephotos/EP3-One.jpg

That's it for now, but hope to see you guys on the forum!

[chiwhitesi]

beautiful cars man

welcome

[JCEM]

Welcome. Did you buy the EP from buddy up in Barrie (I forget his screen name)?

[Kerby]

you sold an ITR??? :twitch:

nice ep3 though! and welcome.:mcool:

[MugenReplica]

Finally somebody who puts some meat on their rims!! None of that nancy pansy stretched tire and horrible rear camber crap! Very nice pick up! Welcome to the boards!!

[CDM 98 ITR]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

JCEM: Yes, I bought the car off "EP03" (I think?). His name was Matt, and he was from Barrie.

Kirby: Yes, I did sell the ITR. As I stated, it was such a bad decision I will regret it for the rest of my days! Hell of a car!

MugenReplica: Amen to that! My views on the whole "stance" look closely mirror yours. If the mod doesn't result in more G's around a corner, I'm not interested. These RPF1s are only 9lbs, and the Azenis (205/50/15) grip like a mother****** Plus, a 15" tire brings my consumables cost down for the track season. Win win!

[Kerby]

are there many EP3's in canada? I remember when i took a long road trip with the wife and were driving around in Montreal everyone was eyeing my car and at every stop light people were askin me what it was....
maybe the CT plate was playing tricks on them.

[CDM 98 ITR]

are there many EP3's in canada? I remember when i took a long road trip with the wife and were driving around in Montreal everyone was eyeing my car and at every stop light people were askin me what it was....
maybe the CT plate was playing tricks on them.

Not very many at all from what I've seen over the years, and next to none running competitively on the circuit. It's funny, I hadn't recalled the last time I had seen one on the road until my drive home from picking the car up ... what do i pass but a VBP on the highway, LOL. Go figure! But yes, people around here generally have no idea what it is. Which is a statistic I'm completely OK with!

[KaeDu]

Welcome! I love the color scheme and the VBP color (I have the same). I know that you cut down on cost and weight one the wheels you went with, but doesn't that also cut down on the contact patch size? I like the look but I also think that 15" is a bit on the small side for performance and appearance. I am a beginner in auto-x cross (messed around once in a parking lot with cones and a stop watch) and looking for feedback (I don't mean to thread jack or get off topic).

[CDM 98 ITR]

Welcome! I love the color scheme and the VBP color (I have the same). I know that you cut down on cost and weight one the wheels you went with, but doesn't that also cut down on the contact patch size? I like the look but I also think that 15" is a bit on the small side for performance and appearance. I am a beginner in auto-x cross (messed around once in a parking lot with cones and a stop watch) and looking for feedback (I don't mean to thread jack or get off topic).

Thanks for the kind words.

Regarding the wheel size, keep in mind that the OEM specification tire size for our cars is a 195/60/15. By going with a 205/50, you have essentially increased your contact path (although not by much) by widening the contact path slightly (tire design dependent as well). The 50 series tire will rotate more often than a 60 series due to a smaller overall diameter, but this also slightly shortens your gearing. Regarding the overall size, the 15x7 RPF1 is 0.5" wider than our OEM rims, which provides ample width to accomodate a 205 tire, and provides sufficient reinforcement for the sidewall. Keeping with a 15" wheel also keeps optimal rotational inertia, and considering the RPF1 is a light weight wheel (only 9lbs vs probably 40-50% more for the OEM wheels), you've just shaved pounds off your overall weight. I've got forged Rays Engineering Lugnuts on there as well which further aid in weight savings. As for appearence, I agree a 16" wheel would look more aggressive, but you can't argue the cost savings and selection of 205/50/15 tires!

[JCEM]

JCEM: Yes, I bought the car off "EP03" (I think?). His name was Matt, and he was from Barrie.



I remember his for sale thread, the car looked super-clean. Nice pick up for you.
Any idea what he ended up getting?

[EP03]

I remember his for sale thread, the car looked super-clean. Nice pick up for you.
Any idea what he ended up getting?

I got an '04 Accord...how exciting! I commute now and this car wasn't worth putting through that punishment. If I can't treat it well, then I shouldn't have it, so I passed it on to Ryan who would cherish it like I did. I miss this car everyday as it was a total blast, but my benefit is that my g/f has one, so if I ever want to take a spin again, I know where to borrow one!

Great pics Ryan, glad it's treating you well and your enjoying it. Definitely keep me posted on when you head to the track. I know of some dates coming up, so let me know and I'll email you them. Oh, and MORE PICS!

[sp00n sp0rts]

nice cars man.. like your ep3 by the way.. God Speed.. welcome!

[kyoo]

nice cars!

[Mugen_Power]

solid intro,

i know few people from Teknotik as well, i'm always on JDMrides.ca

your EP3 looks great.

[JCEM]

I got an '04 Accord...how exciting! I commute now and this car wasn't worth putting through that punishment. If I can't treat it well, then I shouldn't have it, so I passed it on to Ryan who would cherish it like I did.

Well, congrats on finding a good home for her. And I can't say anything about the Accord considering what I drive...

[lilflx]

welcome to ephatch ryan,
wow from your intro, im already interested in how you will build this car for circuit racing. Just wondering, which race track do you normally go?

[shanewdude]

:welcome: fellow Canadian! Good find, very clean looking car. I like the wheels too... speaking of which, I think the 16" stock wheels for the '04 EP3 are around 19 lbs, so at 9 the RPF1's are way lighter.

[CDM 98 ITR]

Thanks so much for the welcome, guys. Much appreciated. Seems like a great group!

Matt: Thanks for everything, and I will see you on the tarmac! Keep it touch.

lilflx: I'm usually at Shannonville or Dunnville, but I did do one at Cayuga last year as well. In terms of how I will modify the car for the circuit, I have no idea! I generally let the car tell me what it needs as my skills develop and I get accustomed to the way the car rotates in the corners, and delivers power throughout the track. It already has the HFP suspension (which feels very similar to the Type R suspension) a 21mm rear swaybar, Hawk HPS pads (which I'll switch out the fronts for HP+), ATE and MOTUL fluids, light weight wheels and sticky tires, so I'm already well equipped. Perhaps the only proactive thing i will do is to shed some more weight by removing the rear seats and spare tire for track days. The only issue I'm having with the car right now is that the front seat is wayyyy to high! I'm only 5"10 and my head hits the roof in my optimal seating position. I will probably invest in a bucket seat that I can swap in for track days, and a rail that can drop down my driving position a few inches so my helmet clears. Stupid sunroof! Taking up all my head space ...

Glad to see so many locals on the site too!

[EP03]

Let me know if you need a seat/base. I can order Sparco from the performance shop I used to work at. I'll order at cost, so just let me know when. I had issues with helmet fitment too. Those front seats have no remedy for going lower unfortunately.

Love the idea for HP+ pads (let me know about those too). Thats what I was going to do this year if I had kept it.

As always, keep me update on her. I'll watch the site to, but looking forward to watching her progress. It went from daily commuter to Solo2 class winner in my ownership, so it will be cool to see it go to Solo1 now!

[aspect]

Looking good. Welcome to the HFP kit crew always nice to see it in another color. Def interested in your mod development.

[Jukka]

Welcome. Good to see Matt's car got passed on to some one who will enjoy it.

[&REY]

Welcome to ephatch! Can't wait to see what you do to it!

[willy_akino]

hope you love your ep3!! its sexy with the hfp

[cody_sir]

were you from in canada

[Slip_Angle]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

JCEM: Yes, I bought the car off "EP03" (I think?). His name was Matt, and he was from Barrie.

Kirby: Yes, I did sell the ITR. As I stated, it was such a bad decision I will regret it for the rest of my days! Hell of a car!

MugenReplica: Amen to that! My views on the whole "stance" look closely mirror yours. If the mod doesn't result in more G's around a corner, I'm not interested. These RPF1s are only 9lbs, and the Azenis (205/50/15) grip like a mother****** Plus, a 15" tire brings my consumables cost down for the track season. Win win!

Nice purchase! Car looks fantastic. I too have the HFP suspension.. It's really good. I love light wheels. A few years back I ran 15 inch Konig Heliums but I was worried they would break at autocross. They held up fine but on the track I read they can come apart break from brake heat. No issues with the RF1's though. Are those Azenis the 615K or the originals? If they're getting worn down and you want even more grip there are a large number of options now... Dunlop Z1's, Kumho XS, Bridgestone RE-11...etc etc..

[Slip_Angle]

^Grip? as if an EP3 had enough power to worry about such nonsense.

My Dyno says otherwise....

232whp
202wtq

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

Well, hopefully i get to have another go at it with my ep3, this time with a different driver ;P Stance and Performance can work together, im currently on 17x8.5 (18lbs) - i know they are no enkies but i love the stance- rims and planning to wrap 235/40/17 (front) 215/45/17 (rear) star specs soon :) grip wont be an issue anymore :P

Hopefully we'll see each other on the track....ps. by any chance did i spot you out on Rathburn this morning? or was that another blue ep3 with black rims and hfp kit :p

[CDM 98 ITR]

Hey guys,

My apologies for not replying ... hadn't checked back on this thread for a while!

Thanks for all the comments, and kind words.

Slip: The tires are just the normal RT615. I'm really familiar with the tires, and the way they perform on the track, so it was a obvious choice for me. I'll have to check out the RE11 when I need tires next time around, and will probably go for something a bit wider too. I had heard that about the Konigs as well, so luck that you didn't have to go through any BS with yours. The amount of stress put on wheels on the circuit is immense, so it's better safe than sorry!

Hajdoki: Hope to see a fellow EP3 owner out on the track too! I haven't been able to get out at all this year because of MAJOR issues with the car, but now that the end is in sight, I'll be rolling by the end of this month. Hope to pick up as many lapping days as I can during the rest of the season. And that might have been me you saw (can't remember), but I roll waaaay North of there =)

Keep in touch, guys. The car is going through a major transformation as we speak, so there will be lots to update =)

Peace!