SPEX

Years Represented: 1995 & 1998

Class: Compact

Type: Coupe

Country: Japan  Host: GT1, GT2, GT3, GT4 & GT5

GT2 Prices: 16,000 (GSR), $25,160 (Type R)
GT4 Prices: 16,860 (used Type R)
GT5 Prices: 21,920 ('01 Type R)

GT5 Mileage: 19,372.5

Length: 172.4" // Width: 67.3" // Height: 52.7"
Wheelbase: 101.2"
Overhang: @5'11"
Track: 58.3" [F] 57.8" [R]
Ground Clearance: 4.50" to 5.11" (later cars are lower)

---------------EXTERIOR-------------

I think I'm in love! It happened quickly and without warning, and now I know the meaning of the term ‘falling’ in love, because that's what happened. All this occured out of the blue!

After my initial courtship with my new lover, I had insomnia; couldn't stop thinking about her all nite. The way we grooved together was like a perfect match. She's a cool lady, too. So far, she's been able to handle any curve I've thrown without getting bitchy, unlike my last girlfriend. ;) And the best thing is, I don't have to buy any gifts for her! No chocolates for Valentine's day, no crummy cards, I don't have to compose any faggy sonnets, either; for my dear treats me well already. She rewards me....and all she ever asks for is the occasional new set of Michelin Pilot tires...stronger brakes, maybe some iridium-tipped spark plugs and a thinner head gasket...but even without these upgrades, the Acura GS-R exalts and.....

....Yeah, of COURSE I was talking about a car, what did YOU think, sicko? But the part about the insomnia was true. I actually did wind up not sleeping as I relived some  Integra moments.

So let's get one thing straight here: assuming somebody has the NTSC/North American version of Gran Turismo 2 (and not the Asian or PAL versions) the Acura dealer in GT2 offers GS-Rs, and what are supposed to be superior Type Rs as well, but our Type Rs aren't as good as theirs. The NTSC/American version of GT2 features Acura Integra Type Rs, which aren't as radical as the Honda Type Rs found in Asian or PAL versions.

There are some important differences: The Acura's wing is smaller than the Honda's. It also has circular (rather than rectangular) headlamps. Power between the Honda and Acura versions is apparently the same, though...stock or fully upgraded. The Honda Integra Type R exists in the GT2 NTSC/American game, but it's only at some license tests that we'll get to drive it. It's also possible to extract it via GameShark. Mugen & Spoon Type Rs can be won, but many just want the Honda version. Those who have GT3, GT4, or GT5 can have it both ways, since Honda and Acura Integra Type Rs can be found in these games. GT4 has new and used versions of both, but by the time GT5 made its debut, new Integras were long gone, replaced by the RSX in America, probably some other models in other parts of the world.  

Lots of Integras abound in my town, and it seems half of them have that ‘unfinished’ look. Know what I mean?  Primer paint that never gets glossed over with a more colorful coat, ridiculously giant wings that rarely generate useful downforce, side skirts and air dams that are cracked, since the owner never bothered to think about the fact that there are POTHOLES and these things called CURBS on the streets...areas where a car with low ground-clearance won't survive!  Two years ago I was in Washington DC with a couple folks. We were going to a rave club and couldn't find it. For almost an hour I rode in the back seat of his Integra, which had low-profile tires, a wing, and (of course) super stiff shocks & coils on a lowered suspension. I know this since every time we hit a bump it went WHAP! right in my ear. And in my spine. Needless to say, I...uh, didn't dance much that nite. It's amazing I didn't puke.

Though it's not suited for most public roads (especially in DC!), tweaked-up Acuras do fine at the tracks. Any of the six versions in GT2 are ready for action from day one. Or perhaps day 5 or 6, assuming you've made enough cash to buy the affordable $16,000 car. GT3 has only new versions for sale, costing upwards of $25,000, and in GT4 there are both new and used Type Rs, which means some of them are nicely affordable again very early in one's career.

In GT5 there are several Integras for sale, but they might be difficult to locate, since these are now mostly used cars. There is only one Acura ('01 Type R) which is currently the focus of this review, but there are Honda versions as well from the years '95, '98, '99, '03, and '04. That last car (the '04 Type R) is Premium. There is also an Integra touring car, but it is from the used car lot, and therefore difficult to find. In GT5 (unlike earlier games) one cannot use an Integra without cheating until late in the game, during the Expert Hall / Japanese Championship. Any race an Integra could have done fairly in earlier games (FF Challenge, some Compact Car races, Clubman Cup, etc.) will now be over-dogged by the Integra in this game. This is why I'm writing about this car several years after GT5's release. Since there are no NA Cup races, and the Integra cannot accept turbos, we cannot even enter a higher-powered version of our 1.8 to dominate.    

.An Integra can be raced on its stock suspension for most any free or B license race, and in many cases it'll be simply cheating. Sport suspension parts only add to the fun. Put a semi-racing suspension under there and, well...let's just say I don't want to add any nocturnal emissions to my insomnia. ;) Before I drove this car, I was concerned that there would be loads of understeer. There is almost six feet of overhang...about three up front and three in the rear. Well, unlike a lot of Civics and some other front-drives, Integras understeer--but mildly so, especially if the driver chooses good racing lines. Integras of any kind are very controllable in any game, even with stock parts.

Bottom line is these are easily some of the best front-drives available, as we shall see.

Like any typical modern Honda high-performance engine, this 1.8 features lots of revs at our disposal, and an appropriately high redline area as well.

GT2

There are two engines in GT2: one for the GS-Rs and one for Type Rs. The 170 hp GS-R starts off with a 7,750 rpm tach, and the 195 hp Type R engine gets 8,000. Modifying the GS-R gives us more redline area...which gets boosted to 9,000 rpm with engine balancing & port / polish. The Type R motor can be tuned regularly in three stages, but will also accept 2 turbos.

Oddly, with turbos we get an 8,000 rpm redline at best, but with Stage 3 NA tuning, it can go all the way to 8,750 with a 10,000 rpm rev limit! In GT2, the Type R motor can get 288 NA-tuned horsepower @ 8,900 rpm at the most, or 368 @ 8,600 with a turbo. Obviously, this means automatic trannys are bad when matched with the turbo, since revs will never climb high enough to make peak.

Speaking of transmissions, here's a really BIG Gran Turismo 2 mistake...a juicy one! The '95 and '98 GS-Rs both have screwy gearboxes. 3rd is geared at 1.360 and 4th at 1.340. What does this mean? It means there is virtually no difference between 3rd and 4th gear in a stock GS-R gearbox! When I was testing the GS-R, I kept wondering why all the sudden it would go from 3rd to 5th gear, which is like going from redline to the high 4,000s...a full 2,000 rpm below the torque curve. What happened was I kept hitting the upshift button twice and winding up in 5th. MAJOR oversight. Unacceptable. GT2 Type Rs don't have this programming error, it's only the GS-Rs.

So far as track testing goes, all tests turned out average, which doesn't represent the kick-ass racing career it's possible to have in an Integra at all, but the reason these cars kick ass can be mostly found in the next section. Real-life Integras can churn out 6-ish 0 to 60 mph runs, and when I dropped the clutch with higher revs in my virtual car, I got similar results.