[VIDEO] 2017 Honda Civic Type R Sets Record on the Nurburgring

Posted by Michael in Cars, Technology, Video

Much quicker lap time than the previous model.

Kelly Pleskot reports: Honda has kept good on its promise to slay the Nürburgring with its new hot hatch. The 2017 Honda Civic Type R clocked a time of 7 minutes, 43.80 seconds on the Nordschleife, setting a new record for a front-wheel-drive production car.

The time represents a big improvement over the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S, which lapped the Nürburgring in a record-breaking 7 minutes, 49.21 seconds last year. The new Civic Type R is also around 7 seconds quicker than the previous-generation model.

Ryuichi Kijima, lead chassis engineer for the Type R, explained some key adjustments Honda made to the new version to achieve a better lap time. “The cornering speed achieved in the new Type R is higher because the car features a wider track and tires, a longer wheelbase, a new multi-link suspension in the rear and optimized aerodynamics that improve stability,” Kijima said in a press release. “For example, drivers typically enter the corner after Metzgesfeld at around 150 km/h (93 mph). Even at this medium-speed corner, the speed is around 10 km/h (6 mph) higher due to the new Type R’s excellent stability. So, with improved cornering performance, we can increase the speed throughout the lap, helping the new Type R to achieve a much quicker lap time.”

Honda broke the record on April 3 with a pre-production Type R deemed technically representative of the production version. The model was equipped with street legal, track-focused tires and … (read more)