Close-Up: FEEL’S FD2 Type-R

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It’s no secret that the Japanese tuning philosophy is to achieve the maximum with the minimum.  While we can see this practiced throughout all the major tuners, I wouldn’t be too far off in saying we witness it most in the Honda field.  The majority of Honda tuners in Japan are so specific to not disturb the chassis by overpowering, and work closely with what the manufacturer has already offered.  While, typically, FEEL’S would fall into that category just nicely, their FD2 Type R you see pictured above may be pushing the boundaries of that philosophy just a bit.  Aesthetically, the minimalism has vanished; the use of aftermarket aero abundant.  I would argue though, that although a bit extreme on the exterior, the car is a shining example of perfect balance.  Let’s take a closer look at this build at my first stop on my all Japan mega tuning adventure; Honda Twincam.  Click past the break for more.

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This placard was on the wall behind the parking stalls.  Side note: the curbs in Japan are huge.  My car would never make it into one of these parking spots.  I should have taken a picture of them.

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Since we departed to FEEL’S about an hour after I landed (Haneda at 5am -_-) the place was actually still closed.  The owner was there, along with a few employees, and they had no problem with us wandering around aimlessly.  Not a bad place to visit 2 hours after arriving eh?  I’d like to mention that I’ve always thought the shop’s ‘H’ logo looks like a 3 year old drew it – which is awesome.

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A shot that gives you a good idea of the curvature of the front fenders.   FEEL’S vented carbon hood and carbon headlight plugs add a touch of aggressiveness and subtract some unwanted kilograms.  You can see inside the gusseted trunk panel and FEEL’S bucket seat.  It’s worth mentioning that the entire chassis has been spot-welded for added rigidity.  Oh, did you happen to notice the…

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…side mirrors?  One of the more unique features of this car I thought.  Very cool.  I was thinking that they could possibly be custom-fitted motorcylce mirrors…

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Close up of the FEEL’S front bumper, front grill and iconic Type R badge.  Underneath the carbon hood lies the built 2.35 liter K20A that churns out an impressive 295hp.  An ATS 1.5-way LSD and a Feel’s copper-mixture clutch are responsible for transferring the power to the asphalt.  This car knocks on the door of sub 1.00 minute times around Tsukuba – there’s no doubt that this car is fast.

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Nice shot of the FEEL’s wide fenders.  You can see the curve I mentioned briefly before from a different angle here.  The line flows well with the rest of the car and the width allows the large 18×9.5″ wheels to fit snugly inside.  I also like the FEEL’s badge on the side, just above the skirt.

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Close up shot of the AME (a.k.a. Enkei) Tracers wrapped in Hancook Ventus.   APP 6-pot front calipers mated to project-mu slotted rotors make up the brunt of the stopping force; not to mention the anodized blue looks pretty too!

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The cockpit doesn’t leave much to the imagination.  This is, after all, a full on race car.  The sequential transmission and passenger mounted fire extinguisher reassures us of this fact.   You can see on the passenger side dash the ports used for tuning.  Easy access to the ECU provides the option for quick, track-side updates to fuel curves and tuning changes.

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A couple close up shots of the dash and custom block off panels.  Any panel that was removed or replaced with a different switch was backed with custom cut carbon fiber.  Each panel was cut flush with the dash, or mounted in the back giving it the most clean look achievable – JDM tip #1.

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A shot from the back of the GT wing that let’s you know just one more time who is responsible for this.  You know, in case you missed the giant decal on the side.

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Parked in the back of the somewhat generous sized garage for Tokyo was this customer FD2-R, but in black flavor.  Star points if you can name the wheels.  Anyone?

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So there you have it.  I’ll let you be the judge as to which category this falls into; minimum or maximum?  To wrap it up I’ll leave you with this nice black and white picture.  The picture is black and white because my white balance was going nuts inside the garage; I have no idea what type of lights they were using, but it was confusing my camera more than a Stanley Kubrick film confuses, well…everyone.  Most of the color shots came out with a yellow hue, this one in particular, so I just desaturated it.  Call me lazy; or a genius.  I prefer the latter.  Hope you enjoyed the FEEL’s walk around.  Thanks for visiting and stay tuned.

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