Right then,
I went to Harv's earlier to collect a couple of OEM bits for my Teg.
Fortunately I had been in touch with someone who lives local to Harv that owns an Fd2 as I have been pondering them yet again, so I popped by en route. His brother was also there, he has bought a blue FD2 and had it wrapped in black.
The guy with the white one also owns the Evo 8 you can see in white - it is an MRFQ320 running 400/400 - he actually sold it today, he prefers the FD2. Say no more.
I didn't expect a drive in either tbh, and was thankful when I was given the keys.
First one, the black one.
Now this one is in OEM guise, except for the wheels and it has flashpro which had been mapped to a Gruppe M which was now on the white one.
Initial thoughts were, the suspension was very hard on normal roads, I have heard this is the case though and many change the suspension. That being said, the car pulled very well, the interior was a nice place to be in as I remembered, it sounded nice in stock form.
I drove it around for a bit and on to a dually, I planted it, and although fast it was noticeably slower than my Teg, not massively but I would say that a remap would be recommended along with an air induction. I think it was a torque thing. It did handle nicely though, but the ride as mentioned was very firm indeed. The interior was all black which was nice.
I hopped out pleasantly surprised, knowing that I would definitely change the suspension, and would consider mapping
On to the white one then.
This one is sat on standard springs, with the popular Koni 'yellow' rear dampers rather than the OEM ones, it also has the Gruppe M, and Toda catback.
I noticed immediately that this was less crashy and bumpy, which confirmed to me that I would definitely change the suspension. As for the sound, it was beautiful, I am a big fan of how my DC5 sounds with the FEELs, and twin loop, this noise was a little different but tastefully nice. In an ideal world if I were to get an FD2 I would love to hear how the Feels sounds with a toda/mugen, that would come at a cost of £2500 though, possibly more.
Anyway, on to the same route as the black one for my little drive, this one seemed more eager, comparing it to my DC5 it seemed pretty similar, what was noticeable was the FD's final drive, it seemed to accelerate quicker but needed a little more torque (IMO) again this would be resolved via flashpro which is the FD2's version of Kpro. I got some pretty high speeds in it once we hopped on to the private airfield, and I have to say it seemed a little more planted than I would imagine my DC5 to be on the same stretch.
There we have it, I know the DC5 is a very good car, but I think the FD2 offers that little bit more, I say this stock for stock it is proven better, but even with mild mods it is very close to my DC5 in the performance stakes this is more than likely down to the 5.1 FD, drive by wire and RRC intake as stock, and I would also say it handles better than my DC5 on eibachs.
In summary, yes I would have an FD2, I think I would need to get one that would be at Stage one, maybe less the manifold for noise, but certainly with a cat back and air induction, as for suspension, there is not a lot of options out there. There are AST, and Ohlins, I have spoke to Nitron who are in the process of building an FD2 set.
As for the colour choice, It would be a toss up between a white one and a blue one, ironically enough I saw a silver one on the M4 on the way home, and although nice, I don't think silver is for me (IF I WAS TO GET ONE!) I was a big fan of the all black interior of the black one, and I think I would prefer that to the red/black that was in the FD2.
I would have to get a lowered seat rail in an FD2, to get the same feel for things as I do in the DC5, there is a lot more visibility in the FD2 compared to a DC5, and it certainly feels more modern there is no doubt about it.
The FD2 should have a nice momo steering wheel though
And maybe Recaros
As for looks, I have to say side by side the DC5 wins hands down, that being said the FD2 is not an ugly car by any stretch of the imagination.
Some pics