The Honda Civic Type R is all about good handling, so to make it even better in that department, here are the best Honda Civic aero upgrades we could think of.
For the whole lifespan of the Honda Civic Type R, from the inception of the lineage with the EK9 back in 1997 to the FL5 of the present day, advanced aerodynamics have been a crucial part of the cars’ performance appeal. This has manifested itself in diverse forms over the generations; in the early days, it was a case of subtle lip spoilers and tasteful tailgate extensions, whereas the zenith of the ostentatious aero arrived with the FK8 and its massive wings, flics, canards and vents. But whichever era of CTR flicks your switch, there’s a wealth of choice on the aftermarket to allow you to improve that aero even further. Here’s a round-up of the very best available, starting with the nineties models and coming right up to the present day.
Best Honda Civic Aero Upgrades
EK9 – Tegiwa carbon rear spoiler
RRP: £533.51 (around $650 depending on exchange rates and postage)
Unless you’re building an out-and-out track car (or, indeed, show car), you don’t want to be slathering your EK9 in outrageously oversized aerodynamic add-ons. The body has a simple and elegant profile, and it’s not the right move to ruin that delicacy by coming in all heavy-handed. So this rear spoiler from Tegiwa is just the job, striking the perfect balance between form and function; hand-made from Grade A carbon fiber, it follows the OEM lines but amplifies the proportions a little, providing improved aero benefits while also looking spot-on. It’s got a UV-resistant coating to stop it fading, and comes with a carbon base plate that means it’s an easy straight swap for the stock item.
EP3 – Seibon carbon rear spoiler
RRP: $990 / £867 (exc. VAT)
This is another good example of accentuating and improving what’s already there rather than going ostentatiously off-piste. The EP3 came with a subtle and functional rear spoiler in stock form, and the Seibon item is essentially a facsimile of that but made in lighter, stronger materials and with added functional aero detail.
Seibon Carbon is a company with decades of experience in working with carbon fiber, and this experience shows in the quality. This particular spoiler, which they call ‘MG-style’, fits on the stock mounting points, and has an adjustable blade. It’s crafted to have a consistent weave, and it comes fully finished so there’s no need to paint or lacquer.
FN2 – Maxton Design front splitter
RRP: £159. Car and wing not available in the US.
The FN2 was a bit of a design classic right from the off, taking the mechanicals of the EP3 and repackaging them in something that looked a bit like a spaceship, with its full-width lights and triangular exhausts. And it only takes a light touch to aesthetically improve the styling, such as with this subtle but impressive front splitter from Maxton Design.
This is their ‘GP’ model (other designs are available), which is part of Maxton Design’s ‘Street Plus’ collection. Designed using 3D-scanning technology to ensure a perfect fit, it’s made from ABS plastic so it’s tough enough to resist the odd speedbump scrape – and it’s available in either a gloss black or textured finish, depending on how OEM+ you want to go.
FN2 – Tegiwa carbon rear spoiler blade
RRP: £400. Not available in the US.
The back end of the FN2 is something of a head-scratcher when it comes to upgraded aero add-ons. It’s already a bit of a weird design, as the tailgate is horizontally bisected through the rear windows – so where do you put the spoiler, and how big do you go? What a lot of people do is opt for the Mugen-style wing, which is quite tall and very cool – but only if you’ve made other mods, it looks a bit wacky if you bolt one onto an otherwise standard car. Besides, if everyone’s going for that wing, you don’t want to follow the herd, do you? (Don’t tell Jules we said that!)
So we’d recommend the carbon fiber rear blade from Tegiwa. This is a tasteful lip spoiler, made from Grade A carbon fiber, that they claim will provide genuine aero benefits. Plus there’s no drilling required – you just bond it on with double-sided 3M tape, so you’ll have it fitted before your mug of coffee’s gone cold.
FK2 – Mugen aero rear bumper
RRP: £1432.39. Car not available in the US.
The FK2 was the generation of Type R with which the aerodynamics started to get very serious – and very visible. And there’s all sorts you can do to amplify the effects even further, starting with this, the aero rear bumper from Mugen.
It’s well documented that Mugen are proper brainboxes when it comes to Honda tuning; indeed, the outfit was founded by Hirotoshi Honda in 1973 as an official Honda tuning concern. And this rear bumper means business: with its integrated diffuser, it increases the venturi effect to make genuine downforce improvements.
It’s a straight swap for the stock rear bumper – although it’s worth noting that it only has one exhaust outlet, so you’ll need to be running a Mugen exhaust system (or similar single-outlet option) too.
FK8 – Honda carbon rear spoiler
RRP: $1280 (carbon center only) / £1756.63
Well, we thought the FK2 was outrageous, but then the FK8 came along and blew it out of the water with its zany angles and details. It really did (and still does) look like a BTCC race car with the stickers removed. And if that’s the line of thinking you’re keen to follow, then get a load of the carbon rear spoiler upgrade.
This is actually a genuine Honda part, which replaces the blade of the spoiler with a tastefully finished carbon fiber one that incorporates a neat red polyester weave to complement those bright red Type R badges and seats. The total weight saving over the stock item is around 1kg – and hey, it all adds up, doesn’t it?
FK8 – Mugen carbon rear wing
RRP: $6718.53 / £5463.57
We’re back with Mugen for the FK8, and this is a really outrageous piece of design. Computer analysis of wing height, angle and cross-sectional shape has all been number-crunched in order to perfect the efficiency of this spoiler, with oodles of real-world testing on track. It’s been designed specifically to increase rear downforce (which is adjustable across four settings) without increasing the car’s overall drag. So this is a serious piece of kit, genuine race car tech – and the price reflects that. An upgrade for those who are very committed to optimizing their lap times.
FK8 – Spoon Sports aero rear bumper
RRP: $1604.55 / £1304.84
Spoon Sports know a thing or two about race cars. They’ve been specializing in Honda tuning and racing since the 1980s, and everything they learn on track gets funneled directly into their products.
The item we have here is an aero rear bumper for the FK8, and its design owes its profile to countless hours of R&D and CFD analysis. It’s a full replacement bumper with a diffuser section along with an integrated resin grille in the center to reduce the ‘parachute’ effect, while grilles either side alleviate pressure from the wheel wells, thus creating more downforce through the pressure difference. It’s all very clever and, because it’s developed by Spoon Sports, you know the results are proven.
FL5 – APR carbon rear wing
It’s notable how the styling of the FL5 was toned down after the crazy-looking FK2 and FK8 that came before it – but where Honda have toned things down, you can always tone them right back up again. And this rear wing from APR is just the thing to do that.
As with all of their GT Series wings, it features a low-drag aerofoil shape to the blade, constructed from pre-preg carbon fiber with aircraft-grade billet aluminum pedestals. The GTC-300 wing is a mighty 13” high and 67” wide, so it’s a substantial piece of kit – but it also bolts right into the standard factory spoiler holes, so there’s no drilling required and it’s totally reversible.
FL5 – APR carbon front airdam and lip
There’s a lot you can do to give your FL5 a bit more front end too, and once again APR are the guys for this. Their carbon fiber front airdam and lip combo not only looks extremely stylish, but is engineered to reduce lift, increase front-end stability, and thus improve grip through high-speed cornering.
The cunningly integrated splitter design works to create a high-pressure area above the protruding surface, further reducing lift, all of which should keep your FL5 Civic Type R properly pinned to the road.
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