Misha Charoudin at the Ring in a stock FL5

[Gansan]

+R and Long hold VSC button definitely works, pedal dance does too but also takes the whatever brake torque vectoring and some brake assisted front LSD action out.

Its still baffling to me that Honda sells a performance oriented "track capable" car with inadequate cooling...

This question actually came up in one of the Japanese language interviews with project leader Hideki Kakinuma. The interviewer asked why not just open up the grille even more than it is for more cooling, and he said when they do that it increases aero lift at the front end and so they were trying to strike a balance.

Maybe they should have put a big splitter a la FK8 and canards on the front and make the grille and hood vent even larger. Bring on the Lexus grille!

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[CTR]

Honda really should’ve improved cooling with the FL5. It was the biggest issue on the FK8 and they chose to do… almost nothing.

I had an Elantra N before my FL5 and that car had zero issues on track. If I ever bought another FWD car to daily/track it would honestly be an EN.

They did multiple things and it has been improved significantly from the FK8. Even the facelift FK8 was an improvement over the 17-19 MY.

There's only so much they could do without adding an oil cooler and larger radiator/intercooler. These would all increase the cost, complexity, and weight of the car. While I know Audi and BMW are ok building 4000lb sports cars, most of us would be disappointed if this car weighed 100 lbs more just to have an extra lap or two of cooling capability during a 90° tracking day. This seems like an edge case for most owners.

Most people wouldn't be caught dead tracking or driving an Elantra N due to how ugly it is. You'll have plenty of opportunities to snatch a used one up in a few years for a fraction of the price.

 

[TurboZed-R]

It's a civic with go fast parts and heritage. It's not a race car. Formula one drivers have problems with brakes over heating and engines running too hot also..... what makes anyone think a 48k car will be track ready out of the box? As an enthusiast I also don't see a problem with adding cooling bits to achieve your version of perfection. If you want a track ready weapon that involves 0 personal prep buy a Porsche.

 

[Robo7]

Most people wouldn't be caught dead tracking or driving an Elantra N due to how ugly it is.

Honestly this. I know car reviewers love the EN as the best performance car for the money, but they all also mention how awkward it looks. The CTR is such an engaging, good looking vehicle. Savagegeese, TheTopher, Tedward, Raiti’s Rides all bought a CTR after reviewing one. There may be a reviewer that bought an EN, but I don’t follow any. Its looks are holding it back.

On the overheating thing, I agree the FL5 is totally adequate for all but the most hardcore of owners who are actually running the car close to it’s limits at length on the track. A lot of those same hardcore owners are also tuning their cars for more power which then unsurprisingly requires upgraded cooling.

 

[superporpoise]

They did multiple things and it has been improved significantly from the FK8. Even the facelift FK8 was an improvement over the 17-19 MY.

There's only so much they could do without adding an oil cooler and larger radiator/intercooler. These would all increase the cost, complexity, and weight of the car. While I know Audi and BMW are ok building 4000lb sports cars, most of us would be disappointed if this car weighed 100 lbs more just to have an extra lap or two of cooling capability during a 90° tracking day. This seems like an edge case for most owners.

Most people wouldn't be caught dead tracking or driving an Elantra N due to how ugly it is. You'll have plenty of opportunities to snatch a used one up in a few years for a fraction of the price.

First of all, I love both the Elantra N and FL5. Both great FWD cars.

That said, the Elantra N weighs about the same as the FL5 (with a heavy-ass steel hood at that), doesn’t overheat as easily, and costs like $12K less. My point is that if Honda is going to charge $47K for this car I really think they need to do better.

I do feel like a lot of people downplaying the Elantra N have not owned or tracked both cars. I have and while the Type R has the superior chassis, seats, and gearbox, the EN has better steering feel, a better LSD to my taste, and again better stock cooling. It also sounds great for what it is, which made more of a difference to me than I expected.

And they’re really not far off as far as FWD thrills on track. The FL5 is faster manual to manual, but it should be — it has more power and 265 width tires. I think if some of y’all downplaying the EN gave it a real chance on track you would understand why it’s so good. Yeah it’s ugly, but it’s a great car.

 

[CTR]

Yeah it’s ugly, but it’s a great car.

To a lot of us how the car looks is almost as important as how it performs as a track car. Realistically the only people overheating this car are driving on very hot days or driving at the limit of what the car is capable of. A lot of them have a tune and thicker core intercooler that is causing more overheating than stock…

I’d also wager a lot of money that per capita the K20C holds up better in 10 years compared to whatever hopped up engine Hyundai has in the Elantra N. Their reputation is not stellar when it comes to replacing long blocks under warranty.

 

[WOPSiWOT]

They did multiple things and it has been improved significantly from the FK8. Even the facelift FK8 was an improvement over the 17-19 MY.

There's only so much they could do without adding an oil cooler and larger radiator/intercooler. These would all increase the cost, complexity, and weight of the car. While I know Audi and BMW are ok building 4000lb sports cars, most of us would be disappointed if this car weighed 100 lbs more just to have an extra lap or two of cooling capability during a 90° tracking day. This seems like an edge case for most owners.

Most people wouldn't be caught dead tracking or driving an Elantra N due to how ugly it is. You'll have plenty of opportunities to snatch a used one up in a few years for a fraction of the price.

So ugly.

 

[MooMoo]

I agree about the looks, its a deal breaker for me. This is not my track car only (if it was I would care a lot less about the looks) I gotta look at it every day. The LCI N does look better, its a big improvement. Also I have seen them in track spec and really helps it. If I wanted a fwd track car thats what I would buy, no way I would pay 12k more for a type R just to beat it up at the track and potentially have more cooling problems. That said as daily or dual duty the type R has it beat. The interior is way more special, the transmission is better, 2 big things for a daily.
The thing is though if I was going to get a track car I would probably go for something else, rwd, smaller, no need for 4 doors, etc

 

[Robo7]

First of all, I love both the Elantra N and FL5. Both great FWD cars.

That said, the Elantra N weighs about the same as the FL5 (with a heavy-ass steel hood at that), doesn’t overheat as easily, and costs like $12K less. My point is that if Honda is going to charge $47K for this car I really think they need to do better.

I do feel like a lot of people downplaying the Elantra N have not owned or tracked both cars. I have and while the Type R has the superior chassis, seats, and gearbox, the EN has better steering feel, a better LSD to my taste, and again better stock cooling. It also sounds great for what it is, which made more of a difference to me than I expected.

And they’re really not far off as far as FWD thrills on track. The FL5 is faster manual to manual, but it should be — it has more power and 265 width tires. I think if some of y’all downplaying the EN gave it a real chance on track you would understand why it’s so good. Yeah it’s ugly, but it’s a great car.

I don’t see anyone on here downplaying the EN as a capable car. I’ve never driven one, but the EN is getting rave reviews and I think most will acknowledge it as a truly great track car. The problem with it is that it doesn’t have a single attractive angle from which to view it and it’s a Hyundai which still doesn’t have the reputation for reliability, nor a Motorsport legacy like Honda. With time Hyundai may be able to address those deficiencies. I’m just not at all interested in owning a car that offends my eyes so the car is not for me. Like James from Throttle House said though, I will gladly high five anyone who does buy one.

 

[BigBird]

I don’t see anyone on here downplaying the EN as a capable car. I’ve never driven one, but the EN is getting rave reviews and I think most will acknowledge it as a truly great track car. The problem with it is that it doesn’t have a single attractive angle from which to view it and it’s a Hyundai which still doesn’t have the reputation for reliability, nor a Motorsport legacy like Honda. With time Hyundai may be able to address those deficiencies. I’m just not at all interested in owning a car that offends my eyes so the car is not for me. Like James from Throttle House said though, I will gladly high five anyone who does buy one.

The EN has been winning every series it competes in over the last 4 years. Having a German engineering team really took them to the next level. The EN has a specific reinforced chassis, and the best programming for track duty. So many combinations you can do. Multiple individual modes. Full TC off on the fly, adjustable rear camber, etc. And well it's the best sounding 4 banger turbo from the factory,

The Elantra has things that a true track car should have. When I came to the FL5, I was a bit disappointed in the lack of electronic configurations and how limited it is for track duty.

 

[Dazzling2394]

Dumb question - but those hazards coming off/on some manual intervention, or the upcoming vehicle collision avoidance?

 

[madbikes]

Dumb question - but those hazards coming off/on some manual intervention, or the upcoming vehicle collision avoidance?

It is a Europe/Japan thing. Under heavy braking, the emergency turn signals flashes.

 

[Djseto]

I ran my FL5 last weekend at VIR. It was roughly 80f outside. I ran (9) 25-30 min sessions over two days at a pace that was top 3 in the intermediate group. All OEM except brake fluids, pads, and tires. I remove the hood rain protector and ran the heat. Zero cooling issues all weekend.

 

[BigBird]

I ran my FL5 last weekend at VIR. It was roughly 80f outside. I ran (9) 25-30 min sessions over two days at a pace that was top 3 in the intermediate group. All OEM except brake fluids, pads, and tires. I remove the hood rain protector and ran the heat. Zero cooling issues all weekend.

what's a top 3 Intermediate pace?

 

[Djseto]

2:17 with traffic. Don’t think I got one good hot lap all weekend where I didn’t have to wait or go around traffic.

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