Feature: The J's Racing CRX - Juiceboxforyou

Most people in the Honda scene all over the world know this car, its just one of those cars that has been passed around and talked about for years on forum’s and such via photos. After a long and healthy career tearing up race circuits in Japan, this car is now fortunate enough to reside in the extremely capable hands of the Tuning Factory. And where better to shoot this N/A monster than in the workshop that famously maintains it.

This car has the most amazing history of a track car hailing all the way from the land of the rising sun and now the people of Ireland get to witness this amazing spectacle as it sets record times on our home soil.

On arrival we were greeted with a warm welcome and told we basically had the run of their large workshop. This car is so pleasing to the eyes with its full J’s Racing wide arched aero kit covered in that stunning yellow pearl paint job.

Sometimes when trying to achieve perfect aerodynamics, cooling and down force on a track car the result can often be a little strange looking and over the top.Not with this little EF8’s appearance as it is spot on and looks incredible. The J’s Racing vented carbon bonnet reducing weight and allowing hot air to escape.

The huge J’s Racing dry carbon GT wing playing a crucial part in the lightweight cars down force. And the J’s Racing carbon wing mirrors and carbon rear diffuser all contributing to the function of this CR-X. Also helping keep the weight down is the polycarbonate windows and shedding a few more kg’s is the fiberglass boot lid.

When tuning cars half the battle is gaining useable power, the other half is lightening the load creating a much higher power to weight ratio. This is what really creates speed on the track, something which the Tuning Factory have truly perfected.

The power which the car receives all comes from a fully built B18c motor. Built by the Tuning Factory comprising of mostly Toda performance parts. Since the cars arrival from Japan to Ireland it has received a complete engine overhaul and has been tuned to meet the high standards of the Tuning Factory. The car must be able to produce immense performance whilst trying to maintain a certain amount of reliability especially when driven to the level of this Hondas pilot over the past couple of years Barry Babbitt. Barry put this car through its paces on many occasions in the likes of Mondello’s Time attack and really revealed the true work and dedication that the Tuning Factory have put into this car.

Whilst watching this car hurtle around the track you will not be able to ignore the sound of raw power being emitted through the full J’s Racing manifold and custom built exhaust system. The sound of vtec from the J’s racing tsuchinoko intake is amazing as you watch this car come out of Dunlop corner in Mondello. You will witness these sounds up through every gear as it races up through the Mfactory close ratio straight cut box which again has been fully customized by the guys at Tuning Factory.

Stepping inside the car you instantly get the feeling that this car means business, not an item left original anywhere. For the drivers pleasure a red Bride fixed bucket seat with the unmistakable green Takata harness. And a suede Momo steering wheel attached to the completely custom dash. This dash looks amazing with its digital screen and clocks. Every button and instrument put in an ideal location and labeled for when things get a little hectic on board.

Keeping things tidy, a dry-cell battery and the brain of the car, the J’s Racing ECU have been bolted to the passenger footwell. Funnily enough the car retains the original factory door cards. Most people would expect either custom or carbon replacements but the cards them selves are pretty light and retain a small element of creature comforts inside the little Honda.

Helping with the rigidity of the car is the six point FIA approved roll cage. The cage helps prevent body flex and movement when the car is being thrown around the track. Andy from the Tuning Factory was telling me of how the programmed ECU from J’s Racing is probably the best non-mappable ECU you could choose for your Honda, with great power and torque gains right through the rev range. Further back in the car is an ATL fuel cell mounted neatly in the boot well. By removing the original fuel tank and installing the track ready ATL a lot of weight is saved and allowing for just the right amount of go-juice to be put on-board.

The wheel and tyre package on this car is amazing, a set of slick tyres wrapped around the incredibly light and stunning Rays CE28 rims. And if one set wasn’t mouth watering enough they have a second set, both finished in that famous Volk Racing bronze. Lurking behind these delicious wheels are standard brake calipers with J’s Racing grooved discs and competition pads. I think its quite astonishing that with all the uprated parts on this car and the speed it unleashes that the brakes are pretty much stock. Track cars usually show off the biggest brake sets on the market, but not in this case. The braking power here is remarkable and well up to the standard of the most expensive pieces of kit there is.

Another key element to this to this track cars success is the grip and handling. Without a doubt one of the most nimble and well balanced I have come across. The reason behind this astonishing handling is thanks to, first of all the fully custom and adjustable Crux coilovers. These are an extremely hard suspension set and ideal for track use. Crux are used by many tuning company’s across the world, more so in Japan but are a rarity to find in road cars that hit our shores. The J’s Racing Crux coil over kit has been developed with racing manufacturer Crux Engineering to ensure the highest level of circuit suspension.

The second attribute to the handling are the fully rose jointed geometry components made by RS Race Series Performance products. Some of these components include control arms, toe adjusters, strengthened tension rods and all bushings throughout the car. These high performance parts add a great deal more strength to the car and also cope better under the stress and strain of track racing.

The guys at the Tuning Factory commented on how safety was a big concern for them on the drivers part which is why they have made sure that this CR-X is always up to date when it comes to safety. The last helping in grip comes from the contact with the tarmac, the tyres. The car is raced on Hankook F Series  slicks providing bucket loads of grip.

Its been an honour to write about a car with this amount of history and more to come. To know where this car has been an where it originated from. This little CR-X has probably done more travelling than most people I know with car only back from an International race meet in Bushy Park Raceway in Barbados.

I have always admired and respected the track cars that come from Japan and watch these track legends online so was nice to finally get to see one up close and personal. I sincerely think that the Tuning Factory have done a superb job in making this car there own and creating one of the fastest track cars Ireland has seen.