Throtl’s RWD K20 Turbo Civic Drag Races Supercharged B18 FWD Civic, It Ends In Disappointment

Classic Honda Civics from the 1990s and 2000s remain some of the most popular cars to customize. And despite their reputation, we think they’re awesome and can make great racecar projects as well. However, the guys over at Throtl did the unthinkable and changed the one thing which defines the Civic by doing a RWD conversion.

Completely changing the way a powertrain works can sometimes be done by manufacturers, especially when they want to compete in rallying. However, unlike say Ford, Lancia, or Renault, Honda has never built anything like this RWD Civic.

This type of weirdly wonderful content can only come from a collaboration between Hoonigan and Throtl, two of the most entertaining YouTube channels around. The latter are kind of JDM experts and recently brought out a Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX to dyno-battle the 2JZ Ford F-150 Lightning in the context of Fast and Furious movie cars.

Throtl is a performance parts supplier, and you could say this is a fantastic showcase car. Those round headlights belong to a 1999 Honda Civic EK9. Owner Mickey had it drenched in carbon fiber parts. However, the hood is not as special as what’s underneath.

The K20A2 engine came out of an Acura RSX Type S and now sits longitudinally, sending power to the rear wheels. It’s also hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox from the Honda S2000, which makes you wonder why they didn’t just use a full S2000 powertrain. Not that I’m complaining. The K20’s valve covers, headers, and Garrett GT3071R turbo are all looking spectacular.

How do you tell if a RWD Honda is faster than a FWD Honda?

YOu do a drag race, of course, which is what Hoonigan’s This vs. That series is all about. ‘That’, in this case, is another Civic. The 1994 Honda Civic EG not only has different headlights, but an entirely different layout under the hood.

It’s running the famous B18C1 from the Integra GSX, stroked to a 1.9-liter and supercharged until it makes 400 horsepower, 50 more than the RWD Civic. So where Throtl’s car is a fantasy, this is one of the cleanest setups possible, something every VTEC fan secretly wants.

As much as I idolize Throtl for making the RWD K20 setup, I have to agree that the B18 Civic is just as wild. That shaft-driven supercharger kit is unlike anything else, just like that little water-to-air intercooler to the side.

As epic as the Civics are, they’re a bit disappointing when it comes to actual racing. The belt on that special supercharger keeps coming off, while the RWD car completely loses power at the beginning of the final race.

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