Yahoo Autos 2018 Honda Accord Sport 2.0T Manual at Lightning Lap 2018
Lap Time: 3:18.4
Class: LL1 | Base Price: $31,205 | As-Tested Price: $31,205
Power and Weight: 252 hp • 3290 lb • 13.1 lb/hp
Tires: Goodyear Eagle Touring, 235/40R-19
If you haven’t noticed, most 10Best cars find their way to Lightning Lap. After 32 titles, the Honda Accord is long overdue for a run on this fierce circuit. How well can the Sport 2.0T turn 252 horsepower, a manual gearbox, all-season tires, and zero track-grade equipment into a hot lap? Better than you’d think.
The Accord barrels into Horse Shoe’s braking zone at 122.3 mph. By turn-in, the brake rotors are grumbling and the pedal has gone to putty. The brake system’s warning light is on before we make it out of NASCAR; for the rest of the lap, we’ll be braking early. The open differential makes getting back on the power a waiting game, but the Accord still shreds the Climbing Esses with a higher average speed than the Audi RS3 and exits Hog Pen faster than the Subaru BRZ tS.
Each hot lap uses up almost one millimeter of front-brake-pad material, meaning a set lasts less than 10 laps. Fitted with new rubber and pads, running DOT 4 (instead of DOT 3) brake fluid in the interest of safety, and with stability control fully disabled, the Accord turned an astounding 3:18.4. That’s 1.3 seconds quicker than a 2017 Subaru BRZ Performance Package. How a car performs at VIR doesn’t count in 10Best scoring, but deepening respect can only help.
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