FL5 Civic Type R at C&D Lightning Lap 2023 -- lap time beats FK8 by 1.9 seconds!

[Cornercarver]

I love CTRs too, but I had to LOL when you wrote R8 and Ferrari.

You're right, that is funny mentioning them in the same sentence.
What was I thinking? ...the Honda is so much better overall.

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[Ministry]

There are issues with using a Lightning lap figure as a reason to buy a car. The day was very cool which can be a big advantage, especially on a fast track like VIR but I am not aware of the temps when the FK8 was tested. Also 265 tires on 9.5" rims are usually going to beat 245s on 8.5" rims so this is not really a head to head comparison.

I am one of the few (10% or less ?) who bought my FK8 for track use as well as street use. Most of us who track the car use 265 or even wider tires and most of us have made some mods to help with cooling. Certainly, the FL5 is more "civilized" than the FK8 and if that is what you want from a car, fine but don't complain about the price. As for track use, I would rather spend my money on brake pads and tires and just keep my FK8.

I'm sure there's a lot of cars in the lightning lap that can benefit from a tire/wheel swap or other $3500+ worth of modifications.

 

[Y82OneTwoSix]

Thank you, that should be a blast. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
No classic tracks here in AZ like Leguna Seca, Sebring or VIR or Road America, etc.
Some great roads, though.

If you haven't already been over this way, there is a great road course only ~3.5 hours away from your area therefore you might want to head over to the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway which is located near Desert Center, Ca. and just off of I-10 and is about 1.5 hours East of Palm Springs.

Lots of turns, wide track and a very well maintained track surface therefore suggest that you would enjoy yourself immensely but suggest that you take some snacks, food, water, etc. as it lacks many food and beverage amenities but it does have cabins to rent for overnight stays.

When it comes to the Sebring International Raceway, what an outstanding amount of automotive racing history especially when it comes to endurance racing and of course is one of America's oldest race tracks.

Back in October 2015 I was invited to test drive Ford's new GT350 4-seat Track Pack cars along with their 2-seat GT350R models and had a terrific time at Sebring and can't explain just how exciting it was to get some seat time on this very old and historic race track.

Having said that and unless things have changed, be prepared to experience a very rough and bumpy road surface which includes driving on both pavement and concrete surfaces but that may have changed by now.

If you get a chance to head over that way in order to experience Sebring, I certainly encourage you to take in one of their HPDE's whether you drive your own vehicle or a HP vehicle belonging to someone else as it will be something that you will never forget.

 

[Cornercarver]

If you haven't already been over this way, there is a great road course only ~3.5 hours away from your area therefore you might want to head over to the Chuckwalla Valley Raceway which is located near Desert Center, Ca. and just off of I-10 and is about 1.5 hours East of Palm Springs.

Lots of turns, wide track and a very well maintained track surface therefore suggest that you would enjoy yourself immensely but suggest that you take some snacks, food, water, etc. as it lacks many food and beverage amenities but it does have cabins to rent for overnight stays.

When it comes to the Sebring International Raceway, what an outstanding amount of automotive racing history especially when it comes to endurance racing and of course is one of America's oldest race tracks.

Back in October 2015 I was invited to test drive Ford's new GT350 4-seat Track Pack cars along with their 2-seat GT350R models and had a terrific time at Sebring and can't explain just how exciting it was to get some seat time on this very old and historic race track.

Having said that and unless things have changed, be prepared to experience a very rough and bumpy road surface which includes driving on both pavement and concrete surfaces but that may have changed by now.

If you get a chance to head over that way in order to experience Sebring, I certainly encourage you to take in one of their HPDE's whether you drive your own vehicle or a HP vehicle belonging to someone else as it will be something that you will never forget.

Thank you. Chuckwalla sounds doable - I have driven to Palm Springs before, so this is a more reasonable trip. Thank you for the heads up on this and Sebring.

 

[VarmintCong]

I love CTRs too, but I had to LOL when you wrote R8 and Ferrari.

How about a 2005 NSX? Those are like $150-200k.

 

[Dave B]

I'm sure there's a lot of cars in the lightning lap that can benefit from a tire/wheel swap or other $3500+ worth of modifications.

That is my point. Lightning lap times are taken in different conditions and the cars come equiped with a variety of options and a huge variety of tires etc. Some can definitely benefit from better tires and wheels while others already have them. (Witness the cars tested with Trofeo R tires). The premise of this thread is that the FL5 is a better car than the FK8 due to having a lower lap time. The FL5 is a better car for some but not because on that day, in those ambient temps and on those tires, it was faster than an FK8 on a different day in different temps and on different tires. As Corner Carver has said, they are both good cars with significantly different flavours so buy the one you like not because of a Lightning Lap number.

 

[Y82OneTwoSix]

How about a 2005 NSX? Those are like $150-200k.

You can add various models of the 2020 GT350R's and 2022 GT500 CFTP vehicles to that list which are selling well above MSRP.

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