The Z-Ride has been put to the test

I have been driving the new K20a ITR Civic around for a few days now. It definitely has ups and downs. Firstly, I’ll list the things that are wrong or that I don’t like:

• It really needs to be dyno tuned. Overall, the base ITR map worked pretty nicely, but when I cruise on the highway at around 100kmh (@ approximately 3000rpm), my a/f ratio is lean (around 15.8 to 16.2). When I slam the car all the way up to 8000rpm, though, it runs at a beautiful 12.0 to 13.0.
• The car rattles something fierce while idling. I’m thinking that it will simmer down eventually. When driving, though, it doesn’t shake nearly at all.
• My battery box in the trunk rattles and the sound is obnoxious. I’m thinking that it is just two pieces of metal rubbing against one another, and that should be a fairly easy fix.
• I’m worried about the vibrations damaging my head unit by knocking the laser out of place. I’ll have to ask Tim.
• My GPS is really screwy right now and I can’t figure out why. I think it is one of two reasons:
  • After having the battery disconnected for over a week, it fell out of calibration and needs to be recalibrated.
  • The vibration of the car will not allow my receiver to stay syncronized with the GPS satellites.
• I have a Cherry Coke bottle for a radiator runoff container right now. The new one, which is essentially just a milk carton, will be coming in this week.
• My immobiliser light is contstantly on, but there is an easy fix for it.
• I’m still throwing a CEL, but that is because the dash harness of the car is made for an automatic.
• The gears are incredibly close together, so it is sometimes difficult to shift into 5^th and 6^th without accidentally shifting into 3^rd and 4^th, respectively.
• The gears are quite short, so low rpms are really not possible. Even when I’m in 6^th on the highway doing 100kmh, I’m still revving around 3000rpm. That will take some getting used to.

Many of those problems can (and will) be fixed in the near future. While I’m experiencing a couple problems, I think that the good things outweigh them:

• The car accelerates like nothing else I’ve ever been in.
• The helical limited slip differential (LSD) is incredible and really helps at high rpms.
• The sound of the VTEC switch is completely unique and I love it.
• It is definitely a car that will attract attention.
• Once I get the lexan plate put in under the hood (to serve as a rain catch), people will be able to look directly in and see the beautiful red “DOHC i-VTEC” without having to even lift the hood.

Overall, I’m happy with it, but I expected (illogically) for it to be perfect the first time. I should know by now that any time custom work is done on a car, it is a process. I’m thinking that this was a really good decision as the possibilities are endless now. The next goals are all related to dampening the vibrations.

|:| Zach |:|