The Type R badge attracts a cult following, and I’m having so much fun in the Civic that it’s difficult not to be converted. I’ve been dipping into the civictype-r.co.uk forum to vicariously revel in the excitement with which other owners discuss their cars.
The forum is full of useful snippets, including one on suitable oil for the Type R. Given that I cover 500 miles a week, I like to have a bottle close at hand, and it turns out that there’s a recommended oil type for the turbocharged 2.0 i-VTEC engine above and beyond the 0W-20-grade lubricant specified.
Honda has got into bed with Castrol to produce Edge Professional H, which is “co-engineered” between the car company and lubricant maker.
We put the 306bhp Honda Civic Type R through its paces on the road and track
Is this just a marketing gimmick to encourage passionate Honda folk to buy Castrol products? My cynical journalist head says possibly, so I asked Castrol for more info. The company hadn’t got back to me by the time we went to press, so I’ll report back at a later date.
Either way, the marketing worked, because I dutifully ordered a litre of Edge Professional H online from Cox Motor Parts in Morecambe. Great service; it arrived in Twickenham less than 24 hours later.
So does using the specified oil make a difference to the Civic’s manners? Some owners on the forum reckon it is more responsive. I’m not convinced I can sense a difference. It’s difficult to tell with so many outside variables impacting on every drive, but on the other hand, there’s a satisfaction in knowing you’ve done right by your car and hopefully increased the engine’s prospects of a long and healthy life.
An oil-related note: I don’t get on with the Type R’s dipstick, with its orange marker at the business end. It’s much harder to read than a strip of metal with two nicks in it to show high and low levels. The oil seems to pool at the bottom of the grooved section. Or am I being the dipstick?
Honda Civic Type R
Mileage 3959; Price £32,295; Price as tested £32,820; Economy 32.3mpg; Faults None; Expenses Oil £13.71
Previous Honda Civic Type R reports
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