It doesn't take long to realize that the Honda CRZ has grown ever so popular in Malaysia. On a good day, if you drive around Kuala Lumpur for a day, there's a good chance for someone to see at least five Honda CRZs on the road. Dubbed as the successor of the ever popular and lightweight Honda CRX, it inherits the same basic shape and full glass hatch that was a major feature of the Honda CRX.
But unlike the Honda CRX, the CRZ is a hybrid. Being one of the first hybrid cars to really hit mass popularity, it's not exactly the kind of car that Honda would expect it's consumers to turn it into a tuning platform. On top of that, the CRZ doesn't exactly come with the potent engine like the CRX. Instead of possessing a 1.6 liter twin cam high revving motor, it came with a 1.5 liter single cam with a DC brushless electric motor that adds 14 horsepower.
However, despite that lack of muscle, the CRZ is known to be a very agile car due to its size and chassis dynamics. It is also found especially in smaller and tighter circuits, the CRZ can be very quick in tight corners. Therefore, the handling potential is too great to ignore. Thus, explains why there are some tuners how have tried to make the car go faster. While some may resort to forced induction with a bolt-on turbo, others have swapped out the 1.5 liter motor with a K series from either an Integra DC5 or a Civic Type R.
For this Honda CRZ, the owner Andy decided to go for a supercharger set up. It may be normal to find a Honda with a bolt on supercharger under the hood but it is not done a lot in Malaysia. One reason is that lots of mechanics are not exactly familiar with the supercharger which is usually overshadowed by the turbocharger. In Andy's case, he has ran a few turbocharged cars in the past. This time around, he decided to go for the supercharger for the linear torque that usually comes with this set up.
Under the hood, the block and internals remain stock. For the supercharger set up, the CRZ is running a Rotrex C30-74 centrifugal supercharger which runs on a drive ratio of 9.49:1. Other items that are installed in the set up is a custom exhaust manifold with a J's Racing 50RR exhaust system, GE8 camshafts and GE8 intake manifold. The set up is tuned with a Hondata Flash Pro. As of now, the car is only running just above 0.3 bars of boost due to some unsolved issues with the car.
While the motor is still being fine tuned, Andy made sure the exterior of his car is kept clean and tasteful. First thing you'll see that it is sporting a C-West aerokit with and a J's Racing GT-Wing. The CRZ is currently running on lightweight 17 inch Wedsport TC105N wheels wrapped with grippy Yokohama Advan AD08R tires on the asphalt. For the suspension, the stock springs and struts were replaced with a set of Cusco adjustable coilovers. J's Racing front and rear strut bars and a custom X-bar with also fitted for added chassis rigidity.
Despite being produced and marketed as an urban commuter, it is still possible to have the CRZ to be built and tuned to be a fun car to drive. On top of that, with the right set up, it is also possible to have this car make a different impression from what a stock CRZ would convey. Especially for the ones that are built to be subtly aggressive. In a way, it reminds us of why it's predecessor, the CRX became such a hit among tuners all around. It may still need some work that's needed to be done, but one can see that this blown CRZ has a huge amount of untapped potential.
TUNING MENU
Owner: Andy
Model: 2010 Honda CRZ ZF1
Location: Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.
ENGINE:
1.5L SOHC LEA Inline-4,
GE8 Intake Manifold,
GE8 Camshafts,
Custom Exhaust Manifold,
J's Racing 50RR Titanium Exhaust,
Spoon Throttle Body,
Forged Racing Radiator,
Rotrex C30-74 Supercharger,
Cusco Oil Cooler,
Hondata Flash Pro,
DRIVETRAIN:
6-speed manual,
Ogura Super Single Clutch,
Buddy Club Short Shifter,
Spoon LSD,
SUSPENSION, CHASSIS, AND BRAKES:
Cusco Coilovers,
J's Racing Strut Bars (F and R)
X-Bar,
Spoon Anti-Roll Bar,
Spoon Monoblock 4-pot Front Calipers,
Brembo 300mm Front Rotors,
Steel Braided Hoses,
WHEELS AND TIRES:
Wedsport TC105N 17 x 8jj Offset +38 (all round)
Yokohama Advan AD08R 215/45/17 (all round)
EXTERIOR:
C-West Front Bumper,
C-West Side Skirt,
J's Racing GT Wing,
Blue Hydro Side Mirrors,
INTERIOR:
Recaro Wildcat Edition II Full Bucket Seats (Driver Side),
Defi Advance Gauges,
Clarion Double Din,
BONUS IMAGES
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