2017 has been a very busy year for the Intima Brakes Honda Civic EP3 Type R.
With simple bolt on engine modifications, coilover suspension and Intima brake pads, each visit to the race track wasn’t just about bettering lap times but also pushing the limits of our track compounds.
The Intima SR compound has long been the mainstream favourite for performance street driving with casual track use. It is a very predictable and dependable compound pulling up any vehicle quickly on demand whilst keeping noise and dust to a minimal.
With the street friendly ceramic compound installed in the Civic, several intense hotlaps were easily achievable out on track before needing a cool down.
Wakefield Park Raceway in NSW has been the testing ground this year and with the SR brake pads equipped front and rear, the current best time for our EP3 is 1:09.2 (Natsoft) – we believe this time to also be the record for a street registered EP3 around this track!
In September 2017, it was time to take on a new battleground and so the Civic was entered into Class 3 for Honda Nationals at Winton Raceway in Victoria.
The track focused Intima Type-D pads were installed up front for better fade resistance on the longer 3km track.
First time on Winton tarmac for both driver and vehicle, a best time of 1:39.7 via Natsoft was a great outcome placing the full weight EP3 5th out of a very competitive 17 car field.
Where the Type-D compound intentionally lacks initial bite, the driver is rewarded with relentless and strong progressive stopping power lap after lap.
The front brake setup on the EP3 Type R is very basic consisting of the factory single piston calipers, factory brake lines, 300mm slotted rotors and factory sized brake pads which have a relatively small contact area – this setup is also shared with the S2000, DC5 Type R and FN2 Civic Type R.
By simply installing Intima brake pads, the car was transformed dramatically by inspiring confidence in the driver to dive deeper and push harder.
When it’s time for you to choose the right Intima compound for your Honda, the formula is simple.
If your car sees the street more than it does the track, the flexible SR full ceramic compound is for you.
Otherwise for the confidence and dependable stopping power required for the track, opt for the Type-D.