10000 miles of ITS experience

[neuronbob]

TL DR : I really love the driving experience in this car.



It’s been a long while since I posted here as I’m mostly in the Faceplant group nowadays.

I finally hit 10k miles last week. It took me 17 months because I cycle through my other cars in the warm season, and my office is only 3 miles from home.



No mechanical issues



No leaky coolant tank

I had the steering recall done two weeks ago at 9900 miles. Motorcars Acura had me in and out within an hour, on my way to work. I was having none of the binding others have mentioned, and there was no change in the steering with the new part.

One pesky dash rattle since about 5k miles, I’ve elected not to have it touched since I don’t want worse noises later. It’s obviously some screw that dropped out.



Cosmetic issues with driver’s side front illuminated sill plate and accessory carbon fiber rear spoiler, both in process of replacement under warranty.



Things I love:

The steering is just how I like it—sharp and responsive.



Shifter is magical. Is it my NSX or S2000? No. But it’s really close.



Car is tossable. I’m gobstopped that it doesn’t weigh that much more than my NSX. I can drive it harder than my NSX. That reflects relative lack of talent on my part with the NSX , which I’m still mastering nine years after purchase.



In short: I LOVE DRIVING THIS CAR.



The physical volume button on the touchscreen. THANK YOU



The touchscreen. THANK YOU! The True Touch on other Acuras sucks. Touchscreen on this car is awesome, responsive, predictable.



The hatch area: I haven’t met anything reasonable that I can’t carry yet.



THANK YOU for making rev match optional. I tried it on and off. Having it on, which I did for the first few months, made me a lazier driver . I’m old, so I prefer without. I might use it now for a road trip or something.



Things I tolerate:

I don’t have a particular issue with the seats. I know people complain about them, but for normal driving they are fine, and I am comfortable in them.



The piano black console has held up well, even to my wife’s purse zipper and bangles on the passenger side. I meant to PPF it but never got to it.



Road noise. I mean…I’m used to it since I’ve driven Honda products for 35 years and they ALL have tire noise, but man…with snow tires on, it can get pretty loud. I’m not complaining too hard, this is meant to be a light, sporty car and this goes with the territory.

I’m always at the gas station. Man, does this thing have a tiny fuel tank. As always, whatever the Ohio/Midwest winter blend is absolutely kills fuel economy. Again, I’m not complaining, if I’d wanted fuel economy, I’d have purchased a Tesla instead so I would have to worry about fuel.

Things I don’t like:

I STILL dislike the “Chiclet” volume and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. (Young ones and non-Americans: go Google Chiclet Gum. These buttons look and sound like Chiclet Gum pieces) Would have preferred a slick scroll wheel like on other Acuras. Please change this. Eww.



I really wish we had a button inside the car to pop the hatch. In the year of our Lord 2024, I should not have to get out of the car and walk to the back to pop the hatch. Please fix. It’s so 1982.



Imma say it again. MEMORY SEATS dammit. When I take my car in for service and they move the seat…ugh. Please fix and make retroactive, the longer I have the car, the more annoying that gets.


Things IDGAF about:

I have never once looked at the roofliner of my ITS and said, “wow, I sure miss a sunroof”.



Also, since I have snow tires, I have never once said “wow, this car sure could use AWD”. I mean, it could, but I prefer this car be super-light in an age where even non-EVs are 5-6k pounds, and regular sedans have gone back to well over 4k pounds. A car like this is a breath of fresh air in a world of heavy cars.

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[optronix]

I remember you got your car about a week before I got mine. I'm right at the 10k mark myself too. Great to hear it has staying power for you, especially considering the other gems in your garage. I pretty much feel the same way about the car, still love driving it and looking at it. Personally I don't really have many gripes, all of its idiosyncrasies barely register with me. I don't disagree it should have memory seats, or better seat design in general as they are far too aesthetically bland for a sports car but the microsuede keeps me from sliding around on backroads and autocross, and I don't have any complaints in the comfort department. If I do end up tracking the car more frequently it is almost a necessary upgrade though.

Road noise is loud but acceptable for me, and I've been semi-fortunate with the interior buzzes and rattles; I know some folks have complained about this. For me though the "wastegate" noise is almost intolerable (tons of threads about it already, just a very annoying engine noise. If you don't hear it, don't go looking for it! Trust me...). Definitely the biggest complaint I have about the car, and it hasn't gotten better and I've resigned myself to the fact it's here for good. Could be worse; I don't believe it's harmful in any way. Could definitely be better though.

The only other true "complaint" I'd have with the car though is just the front-wheel drive platform. All wheel drive would be no better- in fact, as you point out, the added weight surely would make it worse. FWD is fun in its own way, and this particular car is executed better than any other FWDer out there- but it's wearing thin on me personally. A lot of that has to do with the modifications I've done to the car. MINIMAL mods make a significant impact- all I've done are +45 offset wheels and mild lowering springs (Eibach Pro-kit). The torque steer is worse with that setup, and I still have yet to do more necessary modifications to get it back to a point where the understeer doesn't piss me off- namely, adjustable lower ball joints to compensate for the added camber in the rear (or possibly coilovers with adjustable front camber plates; I may end up going that route).

But even when I get it dialed in better than it sits right now, it's still front-wheel drive. The only thing truly keeping it from being a "best of all time" type of driver's car for me. I really, truly miss rear wheel drive... it's good enough to have lasted this long before I started pining for my old P cars or BMWs, but that's hitting me pretty hard right now. To be clear, I don't want to get rid of this car- I still think it's actually a forever car for me (barring significant life cycle refresh or a PMC edition) due to its practicality as a daily driver... but for me personally, it can't quite hit every checkbox on my list of what I need out of a sports car and I will very likely add to the garage in due time.

But it comes closer than anything else out there, especially at the price. Still a great car a year and a half in.

 

[whtciv2k]

I agree with you with everything but the awd part. That would make this a completely different car, add weight, amongst other things. They already have awd cars. This one was designed to be fwd only and it does a splendid job of it. Don’t get me wrong I hear you, but again, would no longer be an “Integra” it would be a completely new model.

 

[PizzaGuy]

I’m also around the 10k mark, and I still love the car. It continues to be everything I wanted out of the car when I first bought it, which is a fun car with an awesome driving experience and enough practicality to fit my dad life. I don’t think any of my feelings about the car have changed much after all this time.

 

[RMA]

Love the red! I’ve had mine since Feb 9th & have 12600 miles there about. The trunk doesn’t bother me but then again I do like older cars too.

 

[neuronbob]

I agree with you with everything but the awd part. That would make this a completely different car, add weight, amongst other things. They already have awd cars. This one was designed to be fwd only and it does a splendid job of it. Don’t get me wrong I hear you, but again, would no longer be an “Integra” it would be a completely new model.

100% agree. SH-AWD would add a minimum of 250 pounds to the Integra, taking away one of its attractions for me. The other AWD systems made by Honda are not really great for assertive driving like SH-AWD is.

I remember you got your car about a week before I got mine. I'm right at the 10k mark myself too. Great to hear it has staying power for you, especially considering the other gems in your garage. I pretty much feel the same way about the car, still love driving it and looking at it. Personally I don't really have many gripes, all of its idiosyncrasies barely register with me. I don't disagree it should have memory seats, or better seat design in general as they are far too aesthetically bland for a sports car but the microsuede keeps me from sliding around on backroads and autocross, and I don't have any complaints in the comfort department. If I do end up tracking the car more frequently it is almost a necessary upgrade though.

Road noise is loud but acceptable for me, and I've been semi-fortunate with the interior buzzes and rattles; I know some folks have complained about this. For me though the "wastegate" noise is almost intolerable (tons of threads about it already, just a very annoying engine noise. If you don't hear it, don't go looking for it! Trust me...). Definitely the biggest complaint I have about the car, and it hasn't gotten better and I've resigned myself to the fact it's here for good. Could be worse; I don't believe it's harmful in any way. Could definitely be better though.

The only other true "complaint" I'd have with the car though is just the front-wheel drive platform. All wheel drive would be no better- in fact, as you point out, the added weight surely would make it worse. FWD is fun in its own way, and this particular car is executed better than any other FWDer out there- but it's wearing thin on me personally. A lot of that has to do with the modifications I've done to the car. MINIMAL mods make a significant impact- all I've done are +45 offset wheels and mild lowering springs (Eibach Pro-kit). The torque steer is worse with that setup, and I still have yet to do more necessary modifications to get it back to a point where the understeer doesn't piss me off- namely, adjustable lower ball joints to compensate for the added camber in the rear (or possibly coilovers with adjustable front camber plates; I may end up going that route).

But even when I get it dialed in better than it sits right now, it's still front-wheel drive. The only thing truly keeping it from being a "best of all time" type of driver's car for me. I really, truly miss rear wheel drive... it's good enough to have lasted this long before I started pining for my old P cars or BMWs, but that's hitting me pretty hard right now. To be clear, I don't want to get rid of this car- I still think it's actually a forever car for me (barring significant life cycle refresh or a PMC edition) due to its practicality as a daily driver... but for me personally, it can't quite hit every checkbox on my list of what I need out of a sports car and I will very likely add to the garage in due time.

But it comes closer than anything else out there, especially at the price. Still a great car a year and a half in.

I haven’t heard any watergate noise, honestly, and I haven’t had the buzzing noise others have spoken of, so far. I can hear a little bit of blowoff sound with the windows down.

I haven’t felt the need to modify this car at all. I’ve gotten all my modding jollies off with my NSX, which I’m always playing with a little. If I were going to do anything, it might be an exhaust. Suspension is already just right for me. Wheel spin in 1st and 2nd…yup, high power FWD car. It’s hilarious.

I’m lucky in that I have three RWD cars to choose from if I have the need.

This is unlikely to be a “forever” car as I get tired of daily drivers about every two years. However, we’ll see…and I’m going to enjoy this car as long as I’ve got it.

 

[austinrw]

only thing I really don't like about my ITS is the road noise, such a nice sound system (imo) that gets tainted by road noise on the highway. I will most likely look into sound deadening the car to dampen the annoying frequencies and probably go for a smaller wheel (currently have stock with all seasonal continental tires)

I kind of wish it had ventilated seats for the summer though but its no biggie. Would rather have heated seats for the winter over ventilated seats

 

[evanescent03]

TL DR : I really love the driving experience in this car.

I am at like 12,xxx mi on my car after 12months of ownership. I bought it the weekend before Christmas 2024. Only car I've kept this long over the past decade* has been Camaro SS1LE and boy do I miss that car.

anyways. My ITS has run great. I have it on DWS and couldnt ask for any more in a street sports commuter. So fun on the back roads i take to work. 24-27mpg which is acceptable. Fast enough to be fun but also not fats enough to go right to jail (glad i resisted an M8 comp recently lol). Super practical with the hatch.

My kids wish the car had:
- more bass in the system (our Yukon and F250 both have better systems
- rear seat vents

I wish:
- I had a more interesting color but it still looks good in white
- it had more aggressive seats
- more engine noise
- i wanted to track it … something about it (muted engine sound? FWDedness?) just does feel like a track worthy car. I know it holds its own there but doesn’t feel right to me (previously tracked 2024 M3CS, 2024 Z06, 2022 GT4, 2019 SS1LE).

Ive decided that I’m very happy with it as a daily and will just have to add a sports car for the track. This car is fantastic at everything but track duty. No perfect car exists but this one is pretty darn good.

enjoy the cars in good health, gentlemen (and ladies ??)

matt

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I am at like 12,xxx mi on my car after 12months of ownership. I bought it the weekend before Christmas 2024. Only car I've kept this long over the past decade* has been Camaro SS1LE and boy do I miss that car.

anyways. My ITS has run great. I have it on DWS and couldnt ask for any more in a street sports commuter. So fun on the back roads i take to work. 24-27mpg which is acceptable. Fast enough to be fun but also not fats enough to go right to jail (glad i resisted an M8 comp recently lol). Super practical with the hatch.

My kids wish the car had:
- more bass in the system (our Yukon and F250 both have better systems
- rear seat vents

I wish:
- I had a more interesting color but it still looks good in white
- it had more aggressive seats
- more engine noise
- i wanted to track it … something about it (muted engine sound? FWDedness?) just does feel like a track worthy car. I know it holds its own there but doesn’t feel right to me (previously tracked 2024 M3CS, 2024 Z06, 2022 GT4, 2019 SS1LE).

Ive decided that I’m very happy with it as a daily and will just have to add a sports car for the track. This car is fantastic at everything but track duty. No perfect car exists but this one is pretty darn good.

enjoy the cars in good health, gentlemen (and ladies ??)

matt

Couldn't disagree more on tracking it. It's certainly way too quiet but most drivers need to hear tire noise anyway. If your street tires are not screaming at every corner entry, you're not going fast enough.

I've driven the recent vettes, they're way too insulated and bland, especially the steering and brake feel. Arguably the most important feel is the brake feel, and they get that VERY wrong. The ss1le is a fast car, but it's porkishly heavy and the windows are too small to fit a helmet through, so as a track car it's basically out. For a hot lap okay, but the lack of being able to extract a driver in the event of an accident is a hard pass. I haven't driven the m3cs on track, but given its weight and layout I'm confident on equivalent tires the its and m3 would run about the same times with typically average or HPDE drivers, especially as the laps go on. The m3 is a much better luxury car though. Even known as the most rough BMW, it's still 5 times more kush than a tlx and 20x than an Integra. It's hard to put into words how far behind in tech and build quality acura/its is compared to the G80.

The gt4 is a much better car, but its layout means that extracting the last 10% the car has to offer will take a lot of effort and mental energy. The its you can hit 95% of its limits on track with a few laps of driving if you have the experience. Mastering that last 5% won't be as hard as mastering the last 10% in the gt4.

As far as balance at the limit, the its will walk away from all the mentioned cars. Those cars are ALL heavy, fast, and designed to understeer at the limit to keep wealthy white men in their 60s from snapping the car around when racing down on-ramps. The its is very, very prone to oversteer and has a very good balance when standing on the brakes for rotation. It's a great car to drive on track.

... On the street, not so much. It's stiff, rough, unrefined, lacks a lot of build quality, and just can't compete in the luxury car segment.

I'm 4500miles in and have basically stopped driving it now. It's not quite fitting the bill anymore and I probably should have bought an rs5 or m3. If this was a dual duty and primarily track car, I'd have more use for it, but as it stands it's just too cheap and dinky as a primarily street car. Driving this car with the windows open, no stereo, and no one else in the car is ideal... Anything else and there are just too many better options out there.

Go drive it on track. That's the one area it legitimately does well in. Next year I'll have it out with my friend's Gt4rs for some dogfighting. This year he only had his 830whp stang out, but I clocked over 4 seconds faster than it. I bet it can be competitive with the 4rs on the same tires, at least with respective drivers.

 

[evanescent03]

Go drive it on track. That's the one area it legitimately does well in. Next year I'll have it out with my friend's Gt4rs for some dogfighting. This year he only had his 830whp stang out, but I clocked over 4 seconds faster than it. I bet it can be competitive with the 4rs on the same tires, at least with respective drivers.

Very subjective stuff here …

I’ve driven FL5 on track which is darn close to the ITS. It’s effective but just not fun for me. You’d have to be a LOT better than a 4RS driver to be anywhere close to them.

i agree that getting near the limits on these FWD cars is easier but I enjoy having to do work to squeeze the lap times out. And ultimately, despite the FL5 being “good,” it just wasn’t fun for me. I’m pretty sure ITS would be the same.. if I tracked it for a full weekend or more I’d definitely want a set of track pads and tires but I’m hesitant to make that investment. I’ve mutilated many street tires and also have partially used track pads for more cars than I’m willing to admit (sold the car before finishing the pads).

again. This is a highly subjective viewpoint and I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything. For me, the car isn’t a track car. Z06 was a weapon but I was no where near the limit and it did lack brake feel (power and sound made up for it) … GT4 low torque kinda bothered me but it as an overall really sweet car until I put over axle pipes on it and ruined the sound. m3cs was fast but no brake feel and sounded like crap to me (but the adjustable carbon buckets were my all time favorite seats).

ITS remains my favorite daily … M3 was my previous favorite but I feel more connected to the drive in the ITS, enjoy its manual trans and lighter weight tossabiity while being about 1/2 price is amazing. The harshness and lack of luxury don’t bother me. I drove an X5 M50i for a bit which was soft, more luxurious and a great daily but got boring fast. ITS is it for me, especially if I add a subwoofer for the kids lol. I’ve had several pretty darn sweet cars and I’ve found that there is no such thing as a perfect car. ITS is good at many things but still lacks some drama imo. That said, I have no plans to get rid of it. I love it.

 

[optronix]

The its you can hit 95% of its limits on track with a few laps of driving if you have the experience.

^This, right here. This is the most concise reason I'd agree wholeheartedly that the ITS is an amazing track car and arguably "better" than any of the cars previously mentioned for that purpose.

Very subjective stuff here …

Subjective indeed. It's pretty clear you like big, heavy, numb cars on track... with the weird exception of the GT4, which is not in the same category as any of the other cars brought up in this thread and is therefore incomparable in my mind. I've driven a similar variety of cars on track and the ITS absolutely stands out in being just as @Victorofhavoc states, so easily accessible to the vast majority of drivers, to the point that it's an exceptional track car and far more enjoyable than any of those other cars besides the GT4... but I'll also agree that the GT4 can be a tad bit frustrating in a track setting because most drivers aren't going to scratch the surface of its capabilities until they're old and gray with many dozens of track days behind them.

With the ITS, you can go out and have a blast as a novice, don't need to do a thing to it (pads and fluid if you're doing it a lot or are a fast driver), and drive it to work the next day. It may not set lap records, but most folks will be surprised at just how well it keeps up and/or puts to shame most drivers in perceived "better track cars".

Saying it "isn't a track car" is off base IMHO, and I think most who have the relevant track experience would agree. Just had to double down on that because I also couldn't disagree more.

 

[neuronbob]

I’d say the ITS is a street car that can be used on the track. As I implied earlier in the thread, this car is easier to drive close to the limit than my NSX. I haven’t had my ITS on a track yet, but in assertive street driving, it’s ready to dance. It’s certainly an entertaining daily driver.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

I’d say the ITS is a street car that can be used on the track. As I implied earlier in the thread, this car is easier to drive close to the limit than my NSX. I haven’t had my ITS on a track yet, but in assertive street driving, it’s ready to dance. It’s certainly an entertaining daily driver.

Old nsx or new? I haven't driven the new one, but I hear it's nothing like the old one and very heavy on the nannies. The old one was fantastic and felt wonderful. It was very easy to ride up to the limit and keep it there, until it snapped...then it sucked tyring to get it back in line. Worse than a 911 or an s2000 snapping, actually.

I have over 2000 laps in fwd cars on track, and nearly 20000 laps across a large swath of cars, from a 911 gt3R (not the street rs, but the actual racecar base), z06, 911gts, cayman gts, gt350R, and others to full on racecars including a Ford test mule, tcr car, and my own personal TT car. The its is closer to a track capable car than most other sports cars out there. Definitely closer than any vette, mustang, or camaro, and about as close as a Porsche gt3rs. It's no lotus exige by any means, but it's very capable and the steering and brake feedback are incredibly close to a gt car.

Faster doesn't always make for better, especially when I see novices jump into cars like this that do 10:1 power to weight. I can guarantee even the its is more power than 95% of enthusiasts can handle on track.

It's not a perfect car on track either... The wheels are too large, the weight too high, the balance too far forward, the dampening in sport+ is too high, the throttle response is too tied to "engine", the clutch is a soft dull rubber band, the gates for the shifter are too narrow (but the throws are great), but absolutely worst of all is that the pedal dance disables part of the useful data in the gauge cluster. In general I don't like manufacturers cheaping out with digital clusters everywhere, but this one is one of the worst systems out there. So is the infotainment though... The whole electronics part of this car feels like an after thought from 2014, but that does not affect its driving dynamics or trackability.

 

[evanescent03]

Saying it "isn't a track car" is off base IMHO, and I think most who have the relevant track experience would agree. Just had to double down on that because I also couldn't disagree more.

If I said the ITS “isn’t a track car” then forgive me. I think it’s a perfectly adequate package for some reliable and quick laps with I’d imagine a good amount of aftermarket support for components. I just don’t think it’s the best option for me with the goal of having fun. Being too approachable leaves less room for learning the car and feeling like it’s on the edge and I think that’s what I don’t care for. Two of my good friends track their CTRs (which I consider the same basic car as ITS for our purposes here) so I absolutely respect the platform for what it can do in an unsuspecting package.

Heavy and numb are NOT actually things I enjoy about the cars I’ve had, btw. the M3CS was not much fun and I only tracked in one day (stock pads evaporated and I was left with backing plates and scored rotors). It was fast but very isolated and boring. I really like the sound of a nice engine/exhaust bc it adds drama but the sound also helps know what the car is doing (revs, gear selection etc). The torquey and loud V8 in the Camaro (along with the Recaros, heavier feel of the clutch and shifter and mechanical grip) and flat plane crank in the Z06 were a big part of why I liked those cars. Chassis in both is also very good. The SS1LE is widely loved in the tracking community including Randy Pobst who has echoed my sentiments about the car. The Z06 lacked some lightness and steering/brake feel but it had good precision and the sounds made it very exciting to drive, not to mention the speeds it was capable of, nutty. It’s the drama factor that I’m drawn to. Some people want a nicely approachable car, some would prefer the axe murderer (C63 AMG reference to old Jeremy Clarkson top gear episode). I prefer more drama for the track. Thats the reason I go, smiling while going WOT and hearing a symphony, threshold braking to see my passenger’s eyes pop out and getting the car to rotate through the turns. I’m still looking for my perfect track car, btw. Haven’t found it yet.

I hope everyone enjoys their car the final days of 2024! drive safely.

 

[evanescent03]

I have over 2000 laps in fwd cars on track, and nearly 20000 laps across a large swath of cars, …..The its is closer to a track capable car than most other sports cars out there. Definitely closer than any vette, mustang, or camaro, and about as close as a Porsche gt3rs. …

Hey there! You seem to have a ton of experience and certainly more than I do. I do think it’s odd to say the its is closer to a track capable car than any Camaro, Vette, Mustang though. Putting it even with a 3RS is wild.

When you say track capable, do you mean from a reliability standpoint or from a braking/suspension setup or what?

If I were to take the ITS on track I would add some trackpads, fresh dot 4 fluid and some 200ish treadwear tires. If I decided to continue taking it, I’d put some better seats in the car and possibly a street-track alignment. Other cars have only needed those basic things as well. I’m just wondering what makes you think the ITS is so much more track capable than those other cars, bc I feel like it’s the same stuff. Genuinely curious what you’re looking at to put it at near 3RS level.

I’ve tried to take cars directly from the showroom to the track before and always found myself overheating the brakes and/or tires. Even on the GT4 and M3CS which I was hoping would stand up to the abuse. Of course some of the issues are me being hard on consumables (I am NOT a self proclaimed hot shoe.. I’m average at BEST but I do push hard and do my best to hustle around the circuit).

anyways - just hoping for clarification on the track capable stuff….

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