For most people, the Honda Civic is just a good little car that’s great for folks who are learning how to drive. In reality, however, the Civic can be much more than that, and in fact, the Civic can be a powerful and speedy sedan. That’s exactly what the 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition is, and for 2021, it’s lost some weight. 

How much weight the 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition lost

Like Motor Trend talked about, when it comes to performance, one of the most important things to consider is weight. The smaller anything is in a car, the less effort the engine or the brakes or anything else will have to put into doing its job.

That being said, while the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition did lose some weight, it didn’t lose a lot. In total, Honda managed to shave about 50 pounds off the car. 

For comparison, the regular Civic Type R comes in at about 3,100 pounds, so losing 50 pounds doesn’t seem like a big deal. However, as Motor Trend wrote, while it’s important for a high-performance car to lose weight, it also matters where it’s losing weight. 

That’s because while a pound is a pound, weight can also affect how a car handles, and where that weight is can affect a car’s handling by a lot. It has to do with factors like where the car’s center of gravity is, or how much unsprung weight it has.

Changing those factors can have a bigger impact on a car’s performance than it seems, and that’s exactly what’s happened with the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition. 

50 pounds lighter, but significantly faster

As Motor Trend explained, Honda managed to shave 28 pounds by removing sound deadening material that was around the car, as well as removing its rear wiper and its cargo hatch.

These removals lowered the car’s center of gravity, but Honda didn’t stop there. Honda also installed wheels and tires that were, overall, 22 pounds lighter than before. Since those pounds came from the wheels, it reduced the car’s unsprung weight significantly. 

As a result of Honda’s strategic weight loss, the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition handled significantly better than the regular Type R did despite having the same engine, according to Motor Trend. The test drivers drove a regular Type R as well as the 2021 Type R Limited Edition, and the differences were massive. 

Compared to the regular Type R, the test driver said that the 2021 Type R Limited Edition felt, “like it has 30 more horsepower and twice the tire.” On top of that, not only did the 2021 Type R Limited Edition feel more powerful and stable around corners, but it also braked better than the regular Type R did. 

What else the 2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition offers

Overall, compared to the regular Type R, the Type R Limited Edition doesn’t add that much else despite its $6,500 premium on the already premium trim of the Civic.

In total, the 2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition will cost almost $45,000, and not only that, but it’ll be very exclusive for North American customers. Motor Trend wrote that Honda is only shipping 600 of these cars to North America, so it will be a relatively rare car. 

That being said, it is undoubtedly faster than the regular Type R, despite having the same 2.0-liter turbocharged 306-hp engine. Plus, the loss of the sound deadening material didn’t affect the noise levels in the cabin too harshly.