Very nice build! I am going to follow this with a lot of reading pleasure.

 

How is your regen with the final drive swap?

 

It doesn’t feel much different from what I remember. It might be slightly more aggressive but due to how much else has changed it’s hard to tell. But what I do know is that it usually regenerates so much that after a short highway stint it doesn’t want to regenerate at all on an offramp, relying on only brakes and engine braking, most likely since the power from the supercharger must be recharging it so quick.

 

Nice!
"...saw a kid drop his scooter to cover his ears as I blasted by." gave me a good chuckle.

 

Is the regeneration working as before when you lift off the throttle or is there less regen?

Some other threads here suggest it reduces or diminishes almost completely when the final drive was swapped

It still works just fine. Otherwise the battery would be completely flat by now. It might also be due to the supercharger. Sometimes however it does confuse the car so it tells me to upshift even though I’m in 6th gear.

EDIT:
Regen doesn't work as intended. It only works in 1st gear. I am working on a solution to this problem.

 

Is the regeneration working as before when you lift off the throttle or is there less regen?

Some other threads here suggest it reduces or diminishes almost completely when the final drive was swapped

 

Cool thanks. There is an older post from a member who put a 4.6 fd i think and lost regen when lifting off thw throttle and had very little when braking so basically the engine was the only thing keeping the hybrid battery charged and another more recently where the owner had a tranny built and lost regen, which led some of us to think the fd was accidentally changed.

 

Gnarly rig. Bet it seriously rips! no expense spared sounds accurate lol. I believe that supercharger kit was offered here as a dealership option at some point, not a lot of people got it, and now it seems more difficult to find. Extra points for sure on the C-West gauges too.

 

Thank you! The supercharger kit was sourced by King Motorsports through a Honda dealer they know so it's not impossible to find, But what can make things difficult are Honda parts departments that immediately deny that the part number is valid which happened to me twice (for the HPD suspension) so I had to insist they were legit. The other problem is getting the supercharger maintained at a dealer. One dealer refused to touch it, another considered it but didn't give me a definitive answer, and finally a third dealer was willing to perform the maintenance.

Everything I've purchased for the supercharger kit is still available with the exception of the Mugen exhaust. The C-West gauges can still be purchased through C-West as it's even listed on their website. I bought mine through Kamispeed a couple years back but they haven't restocked them so you might need to go through an importer in order to get them again.

In a couple months I'll be ordering some very expensive limited edition seats made from carbon fiber and alcantara. They're so limited that when I asked about them from the US source they said I needed proof of purchase of a pecial vehicle in order to buy them but my source in Japan can get them for me without that involved. Stay tuned for that.

 

First time poster, long time lurker. I have a 2016 with a Greddy turbo and stock exhaust. Even though it's not available, I'm wondering how loud the Mugen exhaust is, especially at WOT. The stock exhaust actually sounds really good when getting on it, and it's not too loud. I'm 53 and don't want to be a cop magnet, but I would like to have a less restrictive exhaust.

My CR-Z 6MT does 198whp/188wtq with just the Greddy turbo, two-step colder plugs, and a proper tune; everything else is OEM except for the sticky tires and rims. I'd like to compare tuning notes sometime (I'm using the HPD supercharger ignition tables), but I really can't devote that much time to discussion right now due to pressing family issues.

Thank you.

 

It’s almost deafening. I’m not exaggerating much because if I floor it in 2nd gear, particularly low revs, absolutely everybody on the sidewalk will spin on a swivel to see what the hell is so loud. And revving it in a garage or dealer service drive will make most people leap out of their seats (which I have witnessed more than once) and all of the techs with nothing to do will emerge from the service bays to see what rolled in. Do keep in mind though that mine also has a J’s circuit converter manifold, deleting the catalytic converters, so that may make it louder than your application if you kept a cat. The other thing that makes it seem louder is just how boomy it is at highway speeds. Cruising at 70+ is absolutely unbearable without my earplugs which I now carry for that purpose. At that speed I must also speak up quite a bit to talk to a somwhat upset and uncomfortable passenger.

You may say the Mugen exhaust is not available but King Motorsports just might have at least one more in stock, which is how I obtained mine, so if you really want it you could shoot them a message or an email. But making it work with a turbo might not work if your exhaust is routed differently.

 

This’ll be my first post on the forum. This is also only the beginning of the modifications this car will go through so I might update once the next upgrades are made.

View attachment 62848

MODS PRIOR TO SUPERCHARGING:

• HPD Suspension
• Mugen NR17, Formula Silver, +48
• Maroya Brake Cooling Panels

View attachment 62847

SUPERCHARGER MODS:

• HPD supercharger kit
• Rotrex Traction Oil
• Spoon Sports baffled oil pan
• HKS LA (Light Action) clutch and flywheel kit
• MFactory helical limited slip differential
• MFactory 4.928 final drive
• C-West CFRP gauge pod cluster
• 60mm ProSport Premium EVO gauges (wideband, oil pressure, boost)
• Zeitronix ECA-2 kit w/ 52mm gauge and carbon cauge pod (forgot who made the pod)
• Mugen stainless steel cat-back sports exhaust system
• J’s Racing stainless manifold test pipe (circuit converter)
• FEEL’S carbon fiber ECU case
• KTuner Flash Pro V1.2

View attachment 62840

I had left it in the hands of King Motorsports to do all the work. After the modifications done it feels and sounds like a completely different car. I could rave all day about the quality of King’s work on it and the level of detail they put into the car.

View attachment 62839

OBJECTIVES OF SUPERCHARGING:
Turn the CR-Z into its ultimate form with as many parts from Japan as possible with no expense spared. Make the car go, stop and handle on the track while staying useable every day of the year in all climates and temperatures. And make it capable of using high octane fuel and E85.

View attachment 62842

CHALLENGES:
Many companies have stopped producing certain parts for these cars, such as Mugen and FEEL’S, so some parts had to be substituted or changed. Ordering from Japan can also be a huge hassle due to long shipping times by sea or expensive shipping by air. This was compounded due to the coronavirus pandemic where the oil pan was stuck in transit for over a month and a half when EMS temporarily halted operations.

View attachment 62841

BENEFITS OF SUPERCHARGING:
At the wheels it makes 182 horsepower on 93 octane and 192 horsepower on E85. It’s now comically loud for a tiny four cylinder. Due to the damn near straight piped exhaust it screams, pops and bangs everywhere it goes. One time I saw a kid drop his scooter to cover his ears as I blasted by. An unexpected benefit was now the hybrid battery charges extremely quickly and holds a high level of charge almost all the time. The differential is an enormous help because even in 1st and 2nd gear at full throttle the car struggles for traction. If it were open diff it’d be an uncontrollable mess in low speed corners.

View attachment 62843

DRAWBACKS OF SUPERCHARGING:
The exhaust is unbearably boomy at low RPM, below VTEC. It’s so loud that on long trips at 65mph+ I have resorted to using the earplugs I use at shooting ranges to protect my hearing. KTuner also doesn’t allow flex fuel capabilities, so I must jump the junction box so the fuel pump spits all of the remaining fuel into a bucket before I flip the fuel map. Also, If you upshift just under 4k revs it has a one second rev hang that’s super annoying so it’s difficult to make smooth shifts. Due to the nasty salty northern roads I had to coat the Mugen cat-back exhaust to prevent

View attachment 62844

SIDE NOTE:
Along the way of ordering parts from Japan the most surprising find was the Mugen cat-back exhaust. While techically I got it from King Motorsports it’s still produced in Japan. However, the built quality is off the charts. Ever wonder why Mugen parts are so expensive? They make every other welder look like a CHUMP. Each weld aside from the hangar welds are almost jewelry-level craftsmanship. My father, an engineer for 40 years and in charge of welding at several companies, has no idea how they managed to do what they did. Mugen laser engraves the production date, engine designation, part number, lot number and their logo... twice, on four pieces; two on the resonator and two on the muffler. Absolutely stunning to say the least. I really wish I didn’t have to put a coat over it.

View attachment 62845
View attachment 62846

your engine is stock??

 

Yes. All engine internals are stock. The only change to the engine, if it matters, was replacing the oil pan with a Spoon Sports baffled oil pan to prevent loss of oil pressure during hard cornering. From what I understand is any further changes wouldn’t net much of a benefit. A smaller supercharger pulley would increase boost but also heat and would not increase power, so adding forged internals to handle more boost wouldn’t be necessary.

 

damn. just right out of the gate with the HPD kit and some serious supporting mods.

LOVE IT

 

UPDATE!
Here’s a spoiler of what’s yet to come:
Mugen MS-R full bucket seats
Mugen CR-Z floor mats
Custom 4-point roll bar
Black HPI 4-point harnesses
Back Yard Special seat belt anchors
… and fixing the IMA system.

Already managed to score the full bucket seat set from Mugen a few months ago, comes with rails and adaptors. The other side sold out before I could get it, but looking at the kit it seems I can order the pieces from Recaro through my importer.

Spoiler pic (it’s a lot more comfortable than I expected!):

 

Super nice pick up on the seat 👌 I've only ever seen them in the Mugen Catalog from Japan, I don't recall ever seeing anyone in the U.S with them, so even one is really impressive!

 

Thank you. Those seats are not cheap!
That picture’s actually featuring the MS-Z, the semi-bucket seat. The eyelets for the harness are different, so is the bolstering, and they can recline while the full bucket seat is fixed in place.

 

This one was an impulse buy because it was one of the last ones available in Japan. It will only be temporary until I can afford another few major components, then be decomissioned and used as a garage decoration. But it will be installed this week. But what is it? Stay tuned for that.

 

that color is a shame to paint over. I think it looks pretty cool as-is.

 

I’m getting a lot of positive reactions to the color. So I am considering it for a later use.

 

I like the low profile look without the risers.

 

Here’s a clip: CR-Z, supercharged, cat delete, Mugen exhaust

Remember; HPD supercharger, E85, J’s Racing Circuit Converter and Mugen Sports Exhaust System. Might record more if requested.

 

How do you like the HPD Suspension? Eventually I'd to get something that's decent for a daily and while being solid for track days as well.

 

It’s quite stellar. I recommend it! It’s affordable too. I like them so much that if I got new units I’d still keep them around, especially the springs! On the autocross tracks above 40mph it really wants to swing the back around while braking due to the rear springs being stiffer than the front, so I don’t feel the need for any rear sway bar. Before you do decide, keep in mind it does tell you to disassemble and recycle some parts from the original suspension. Instead of that I just bought all new stuff because disassembling a strut on a spring compressor is pretty damn scary, and fresh parts are better than worn parts. I think buying the kit and all the parts from the website will be a decent amount under $2000.

Also, I do remember having to wait like a month and a half to get just the HPD parts which was years before the pandemic. So you might be waiting a while too.

Talking to people in Japan, there are three top suspension companies:
Aragosta
Öhlins
Bilstein

It seems that Bilstein has discontinued CR-Z stuff, Öhlins CR-Z suspension was Japan exclusive and also might be discontinued (it was built to order so you might have a chance), but Aragosta probably still makes them. However, you will be paying almost $3000. Those three are best of the best and Öhlins and Aragosta are all fully adjustable while the HPD suspension is not.

Here are the instructions in case you do like the HPD idea: https://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/crz/2014/hpdsuspension.pdf

 

Over to you to gather/collate every scrap of info...

 

The Mugen wing is now painted black. It’ll be installed next week! The shop was very surprised with it. They said the paint it came with was very good. And it came with a bunch of stuff not common with the cheap garbage they usually see, like jigs for drilling holes and a bunch of specially molded cushions for each cover plate going around the brackets. They’re pretty excited to put it on!

Ordered some extra parts for other systems from Japan too. Will post when they arrive. It has to do with exterior lighting.

 

yikes

 

It’s alright man. I build it for me, not for you.

 

 

Apparently the only company that made an OE style replacement steering wheel was Lecce. They made all sorts of colors and finishes. But I checked their website and it looks like it’s completely wiped from the internet. That really sucks! But it is a reminder that the CR-Z’s days of parts availability are numbered.

I checked Buyee, and I kid you not, one of the first listings for steering wheels had a used D-shaped carbon Lecce wheel! It was just under $200 too, way cheaper than it was new! I snagged that thing immediately. It seems that the guys who listed it didn’t know it was a Lecce wheel and listed it as an OE wheel. Anyhow, I was super lucky!

 

Apparently the only company that made an OE style replacement steering wheel was Lecce.

there's another one in the UK I think... but cost is almost double what the Lecce was

 

The Mugen rear wing is now installed! Everyone really likes it. Even the bodyshop that installed it said it was impressive. They were especially blown away by the jigs it came with. Normally cheap kits come with paper jigs that they just have to sorta guess with. But this one included plastic jigs that are perfectly formed to the tailgate. They said they’re the best jigs they’ve ever seen.

Unfortunately they lost the caution label in the process. But I’m contacting some sticker companies to have them replicate one and send me some extras.

Lighting wasn’t super great yesterday but here’s what it looks like now:

Here are the jigs mentioned earlier:

 

According to previous postings on this forum the rear is not adjustable at all without replacing the rear beam. There are no adjustments and a few members to resolve an issue with the rear ended up replacing the rear beam. Good luck getting what you want but 4 wheel alignment on this car is not possible.

Since you rally maybe what you are attempting makes sense but for normal drivers all that will do (if you can) is wear tires.

Do some reading on Toe and all the other alignment settings and what they do and why.

 

I'm well aware of how hub shimming works on cars. (for those unaware, see this video)

I got the idea that the CRZ rear is not shimmable by replacing my rear hubs, and having my rear axle torn apart and out of the car a couple times.

There simply is no place to install a shim on the CRZ's rear axle.

The rear hub is installed on a tapered "axle" stub and held on by the axle nut and tapered bearings. To adjust rear toe independently, you need to bend the axle. You can alter the toe relative to the opposite wheel by loosening the mounting bolts and shimmying it back and forth a little then tightening the bolts again.
View attachment 64525

Well… shoot.

However, I’m not giving up yet. I also wanted to add much more negative camber in the front beyond what just Camber bolts do. I found a possible solution from a company in Japan that made a top strut mount for the GE8, which our cars are heavily based on. It has an interesting way of mounting through a “service hole” under the fender or something.

https://www.tryforce.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/610031_4.pdf

Based on this installation PDF, and the similarities of the ZF1/2 and GE8’s, do you think it’s possible to mount this to a CR-Z?

 

One of the best things happened to the car today. My dad backed is motorcycle into the fender! It happened to smack right into the crease, and it scratched to the bare metal. Normally I’d be really pissed, but this gives me an excuse to order the FEEL’S fenders. He’s willing to compensate the amount an insurance company would pay to repair just the one side. So if it costs more then I’ll pay the difference. And if all goes well, I could save up for some Yokohama A008P tires and mount the Mugen M7V2 wheels I’ve been keeping in the basement for almost two years. All in all, really convenient progress!

 

Got together with a friend to install the Laile Beatrush panel. It took us a while to figure out how the rear bracket mounted. We found a forum post from like nine years ago of another user who installed it. Turns out the hooks they give you go through the subframe! After we cleared that up we got it on. Ripped out the lower fender liners because they were stretched out, although the instructions tell you to leave them in. In the near future I’m going to pay a local dealer to equip the front fog lights with the OEM fog light parts kit and put new lower fender liners in.