Sorry for the long delay. Since this garage implements the "1 review = 1 tune" policy, I'll be putting the review of the Golf in another post so that you can keep track of the reviews easier. As promised, here is one of the cars that I will be reviewing in this garage.
RKM Civic Type R Turbo Review
I'm actually looking forward to testing this tune because of the game physics in GT5. The game has made FF cars competitive, giving them the grip and handling that they deserve since GT4 and being able to give even some well-tuned RWDs and AWDs a run for their money. I have to be honest, this is quite an expensive tune for a car that can function both as a family sedan and an autocross racer on the weekends. There is a bit of a problem, though. The tune page says the car will have 401hp after the setup, but when I set up my Civic, the engine power only tops at around 389. That's a 20hp loss, which is pretty significant for any car. I think the oil change is supposed to be included in the tune, but since it isn't, I didn't change the car's oil.
First impressions:
High RPM Turbo fitted in a front-wheel drive car, hmmm... to be honest, I had a bad feeling about this. Add to that the engine generates around 400hp, we all know in real life that 400hp is the limit of most FFs, anything more than that and you get nothing but wheelspin at 2nd gear. In spite of that, I'm still looking forward to how the car will perform. I like the bodywork though; the aero parts, wheels and the carbon hood look good on the Civic. Gives it a race-ready feel, if you know what I'm saying. Out to the test track!
Track: Trial Mountain Circuit / Forward
Arcade Mode - Time Trial
I like the sound of the exhaust. It may give a "ricer" expression to most people, but that's just how a tuned Civic sounds. High pitch. No growl. Smooth exhaust. Before I started to do a test run, I knew I had to test out the overall handling and feel of the car. As soon as I get to control the car, I tried to trail-brake the last S-curve of the track, but got off the racing line and it was pretty hard to get back without losing a lot of speed. Sector 1, the high-speed uphill. Same story; trail-braked, got off the racing line and lost a lot of speed. I knew then that I had to brake early into corners. So I did, and I cleared the first mountain suprisingly smooth. The car has nice accel-off turning, and managing the throttle throughout the tunnel was easy. I floored it just as I was about to clear the tunnel and I can feel the wheelspin trying its best to accelerate the car, with success. Next up is the square corner-like turn. Since I know trail-braking doesn't quite work for this car, I braked early, slow down just enough to turn the car smoothly while managing the throttle. I punched it on the exit, I felt the wheelspin again. I saw the tire meter in the HUD that the outer drive wheel was spinning, not the inner drive wheel. That made me happy, because the differential was set up so well to compensate for the turbo. I cleared the rest of the track with a bit of a challenge. One more issue I have with the car is the acceleration. A quick change in the elevation of the track can cause wheelspin while accelerating, even at 4th gear. The car had erratic acceleration, which I found quite uncomfortable. I found this out at the second mountain in the long straight. I tackled the long sweeper with relative ease, and the car accelerated out of the corner very smoothly, as I had expected. Knowing the car's behavior, I had no problem with the third mountain. Once again, as I exited the corner before the downhill, the outer drive wheel began to spin. Excellent. The high-speed S-curve, the last part of the course, was tricky. But I managed to get a 175 kph exit speed on the last corner. After that, I tested its standing-start ability. Stop-start was smooth, until the turbo kicks in and makes the front wheels spin like crazy. I tried a jump start, managing the throttle was quite hard, again because of the turbo. Then I tested the car's braking ability again. The brakes are both good and bad. It can make the car stop on a dime, but you can't trail-brake. I did some more laps with the car and set the fastest time that I can, 1:34.006.
Pros:
- Power upgrades made this car pretty fast
- Corner exit is smooth because of LSD setup
Cons:
- Trail-brake this car and it will eat grass/gravel/guard rail etc.
- Erratic acceleration at bumpy courses because of High RPM Turbo
Recommendations:
- Re-tune brakes and suspension to give the car better handling
- Swap High RPM Turbo for Mid RPM Turbo for better overall balance of the car
Rating based on review:
8/10
A bit?! Had I done the testing in the PD cup, in a race, I'm pretty certain I would have been bounced off the track or into the R35 that leads the pack. Which, actually, would be quite fun.
The brakes probabably do need a slight tweak so it bites harder. Considering the settings are over a year old, the suspension probably does need a good looking at anyway. 👍
not you though, you managed to kill me from every angle, not the same corner 
That's new. 
