The Maroon Missile of Akina…Or Not…
RKM Integra Type R ’01- (Test done online)
From the outside, this looks like a normal Intgera Type R, painted in the colour of iodine. Or crap. Whichever you want. There isn’t much spectacular about the specs, either. It has just under 350hp, just under 500PP and weighs just over a ton. It’s also sitting on the very normal sport hard rubber instead of the usual RKM sport soft and is a FF. So we should know what that means.
But surprisingly, it defies the typical understeering stereotypes. It still runs wide a little bit, but being a FF car with hardly the best weight distribution, you’d expect that. What you don’t expect though, is for the back to try and come round. IN A FF. Nor do you expect the sharpness from the steering, the immediate response from the front end, the enthusiastic feel when you corner. I haven’t driven a front engine, front wheel drive car that’s so lively! I'm going through the S-curves of Suzuka East, a section of corners almost renown for showing up understeer. But in this, there isn't hint of it. Just a lot of tail out goodness. And don’t think it has been ‘rigged’ with ballast at +50 to get the arse out. There’s no added fat here. It's just the work of an amazing setting. But that’s not the most surprising thing about this.
What’s the most surprising thing here is that everything, everything apart from the brake balance were originally sourced from other RKM settings. They were all just grafted on. You’ll recognise the diff settings from the Volvo C30RS, the suspension is a compromise setup between the Crimson R and Intgera Type R. The gearbox was tuned in the same style as the NSX Evo R and the entire tune was cobbled together by someone with exactly zero knowledge or theory on the subject of tuning. Me. In fact, 3/4 of the tune was made from other RKM bits, just turned into a Frankenstein by me and then given life by Roj. A car made like that really shouldn’t drive well.
But the end result of this coupling was amazing. People praise the Integra for being a FF NSX, and they aren’t wrong. But what this is, is a FF NSX in performance, and MX-5 in spirit. The two best feelings a car could give a driver, confidence and enthusiasm, mixed with some proper performance, bottled in an unassuming exterior. This is what a fast Honda should be like. Yes, it does make a crap of its tyres after a lap or two, yes, it’s a bit tricky to handle when it isn’t all sideways, but it’s all down to how you drive it. That is everything in a car like this. A car tuned in a different style requires a different driving method. I still haven’t quite got the hang of it yet. The best method of cornering in this that I’ve come up with is throwing the nose into a turn while keeping a bit of the brakes applied, holding the car in a sideways angle. It works. Sort of. It’s not the fastest method, but it is the most fun way of cornering in this. This isn’t just a car now, it’s another lesson in driving. It tries to get you to learn how to get the arse out in a FF and hold it there.
But not so fast with the seal of approval just yet though. You see, I had this tuned on sport hard tyres for a very good reason. The underground sport of Touge. I wanted a car which I puts fun above winning as a priority but still good enough to stick to the big guns of this little-known world. Now, I knew from the very beginning that this brown splatter wouldn’t have a hope in keeping up with the top racers there as it’s me who’s driving, but I wanted to see how good it was on computer generated tracks. So I loaded up one of my personal favourites, and brought out my 525PP punch bag. The Nissan R35. It is the very same one that I sent flying in its review. So, now that it’s back from the menders, let’s see if it can prove itself worthy of its badge in a time attack against my humble Honda.
*Note- Because of the sheer length and number of corners on this track, I’ll do the lap report in sections*
Honda first. 3…2…1…GO…!!
Down to the first sector, the high speed section, there’s hints of understeer here and there, and it’s an area where the Integra doesn’t fair quite well. It doesn’t matter how much oversteer you can coax into a FF, it’ll still be controlled by physics. And physics say that in high speed turns, you’ll run wide and crap up your lap time before you’ve even properly begun. I wrestled it through, the understeer coming and going, slowly getting on my nerves.
Sector two, the low speed section. Which is where the ‘teggy should slide. But I can’t risk kicking the tail out here though, not on a time attack. That decision cost me, I couldn’t get on the power as soon as I wanted to as the understeer would get me.
Last section, a mix of the above. The Integra performs remarkable well here, surprisingly. It can get its power down with only a hint of wheelspin, the tyres seem to finally be warm enough to provide the grip the car needs and it flies through the last corner and across the line! In 03.05.627, not bad……but what time did the Nissan do it in as it crosses the line…now!
Ah…crap. But hey, 2.5 seconds isn’t that bad considering that the R35 is 4WD and has 100hp more. And bear in mind, the 2.5 second loss was against a
R35.
Whoops…Anyywayyys, moving on from that mild disappointment, summing up this Integra. It does pretty much what I hoped it would do. It's almost tuned according to my little belief. A fast car that's not fun isn't half as good as a slower one which is. And this is one representation of that. Not tuned to be victorious first and foremost, but rather to be fun first, and victorious hopefully.
* The Integra has won it's first Touge race on its debut (though it was because the opponent forfeit)
** Test track is Toscana Tarmac, 'Mt. Akina', created by SolidSnake7735.
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Not my most serious review ever, but I leave the serious stuff for RJ cuz I don't like to joke around with him. RJ is scary
Read the tutorials found in the Photomode thread and learn some photography lessons when in that subforum then if you're a whole lot better than me, maybe I'd give the whole G.T.R thread to ya.
I know, I just felt like crashing it 
