For many of us who drive an EP3, we are proud to say that it's the King Motorsports example that inspired us to own and build one up in the first place. Debuted at SEMA 2003, this is the EP3 that more than a decade later still inspires EP3 builds all over the world. This 7th gen Civic was built by King Motorsports for American Honda.





The Nighthawk Black Pearl EP3 was based on the US-spec model and fitted with top shelf performance and body parts that showed what was possible to create from the relatively egg-shaped, minivan outline of the stock 02-05 Civic Si. In order to fit the Mugen front lip, the USDM bumper cover and rebar were replaced with JDM spec versions, which create more of a snub-nose effect in the front. The bumper was finished off with a carbon fiber radiator duct. The stock grille was replaced with a Mugen grille with JDM red badge and driver-side flared opening to allow for additional cooling to reach the Mugen air box. The iconic Mugen hood includes functioning engine bay ventilation.



The rear USDM bumper was also replaced with a shortened JDM version that allowed for the fitment of the Type-R rear lower valence. Type-R side skirts complete the lower body parts. An Mugen adjustable wing was modified for the USDM hatch and pulls out the body line in just the right places.

The changes on the pure performance side were even more significant. A DC5R motor, 6-speed transmission, Mugen ECU, the legendary Mugen twin loop exhaust... the build list goes on and on and is just incredible. It's no wonder the car has appeared in the pages of Car & Driver, Road & Track, Boost and was featured on Speed TV.

Here is the "press release" for the car:

Using Honda performance specialist Mugen's vast array of aftermarket high-performance parts, King Motorsports (the sole authorized North American distributor for Mugen Co., Ltd) has created the ultimate street performance Civic Si that maximizes the potential throughout every corner of the vehicle. Making its world debut at SEMA, the King Motorsports/Mugen Civic Si has a K20 DC5R engine and 6-speed transmission with a limited slip differential. The modified engine produces 240-horsepower.

Powertrain Modifications:
Japan Domestic Market (JDM) K20A DC5R engine
JDM DC5R six-speed close ratio transmission with limited slip
Mugen cold airbox
JDM DC5R exhaust manifold and down pipe
Mugen stainless steel twin-loop cat-back exhaust
Mugen ECU
Mugen low temp thermostat
Mugen hi-pressure radiator cap
Mugen reserve tank covers

Suspension Modifications:
Mugen N-1 coil-over adjustable suspension
Mugen 25mm rear stabilizer bar
JDM Civic Type-R front stabilizer bar
5 lug conversion with RSX Type-S brakes front and rear
Mugen Micro Mesh brake line set
Mugen MF-10 forged wheels 17x8 +45 bronze
Bridgestone S0-3 225/45 ZR 17 Tires
Rear adjustable upper control arms

Exterior Modifications:
JDM Civic Type-R front and rear bumpers
JDM Civic Type-R side skirt kit
JDM Civic Type-R rear bumper valance
Mugen carbon fiber aero hood
Mugen front spoiler
Mugen sport grill kit
Mugen carbon fiber radiator duct kit
Mugen adjustable rear wing

Interior Modifications:
Prototype Mugen digital guage cluster mounted in carbon fiber inset
Mugen S-1 bucket seat with Mugen seat rail kits
Mugen Sports Pedal Set
Mugen Race II steering wheel with Mugen hub adapter


If you are ever in Wisconsin, stop by the King Motorsports facility to see the EP3 in the showroom! Here are a few pics I took of it in summer 2010-- the EP3 is getting a quick detail and wax the day before Dyno Day 2010.

** Visit the King Motorsports online store for performance and aero parts for the 02-05 Civic Si (EP3) **

** This was sent in by Perry W... Thanks Perry! **

Gotta send a big thanks to Scott and the guys at King for their help picking out new rims for my 2002 Civic Si hatchback (EP3).

Because the 02-03 model Si has a 4x100 bolt pattern, wheel options are limited. Scott pointed me to Volk and Enkei -- but ultimately I had my heart set on the rarity and heritage of the forged Mugen rims.

My ideal Mugen rim (for my bolt pattern) was long out of stock: the Mugen MF-8. Those would have been awesome. But just as ideal would be the MF-8's big brother: the Mugen MF-10 (10 spokes instead of 8, with a deeper "webbing" where the spokes converge around the center). King has limited number of these -- in stock and on sale -- so I snatched a set up.

But there was a catch. In order to mount these beautiful new rims, I would have to convert my Si from a 4-lug bolt pattern to a 5-lug bolt pattern (the MF-10s are a 5x114 bolt pattern). More on this later.

First let's talk about these magestic MF-10s.

The set of MF-10s arrived a few days later from King: 16"x7" +43, in bronze, complete with valve stems and black center caps. They look terrific and have a semi-machined lip that reminds me of the fine workmanship that goes into the Mugen shift knobs. The spokes of the MF-10 have a matte texture that offset the lip. These rims are a work of art and perfection. You can fall into a JDM-induced trance staring into the rich bronze color.  I love these rims so much I even recorded The World's First Mugen MF-10 Unboxing Video for YouTube.

I couldn't wait to get these on my car. But I would have to. I had to do that 5-lug conversion, all by myself. In my garage. I live roughly 2000 miles from King's shop. So driving out there wasn't an option. I don't really trust any of the shops out here yet. So it was up to me.

At this point I should stop to say that I have absolutely ZERO experience with suspensions. I think I might have rotated tires once. The most technical thing I ever did to the exterior was install side skirts, a wing, a short-ram air intake. Easy stuff.

I kept replaying the two comments Scott had given me:

The encouraging: "Just do a 5-lug conversion. It's not that bad."

Then the more ominous: "There's definitely a lot involved for the conversion. It's not for the faint of heart."

So I started by planning. I bought myself a shop manual, read every forum thread I could find about the 5-lug swap. I bought a bunch of tools, a breaker bar, fluids, ball joint puller etc. I was stocking up and studying nearly every night!

The 5-lug came from a donor car in Tennessee -- a 2003 RSX Type-S (DC5). The DC5 shares many of the same parts as my EP3, so the swap is possible and has been done by many EP3 owners. Because the donor car was a Type-S (not the base model), I had the benefit of getting much larger front calipers & rotors as a bonus. But that bonus was offset by the need for new axles (to fit the larger Type-S splines).

Here's a picture of the donor RSX parts before they were shipped to me:

Assembling all my tools and parts took about 3 weeks. Lots of mail order, and help from Big Mike and Jude. Jude's advice was something about using beer and copious amounts of swearing. That turned out to be good advice.

The actual install happened over 2 weeks, nights and weekends... I lost half a week when I realized the ball joint puller I had purchased was inadequate for the job. And had to hire a mobile mechanic to help me with a stuck axle (lesson learned: get a "BFH," bigger floor jack, bigger jack stands).

Picture of the work in progress. You can see the original 4-lug assemblies still on the car. On the floor is the new 5-lug, a fresh socket set, and an old rim (bronze C8).

A picture of the stock EP3 front rotor next to the larger RSX Type-S replacement:

New replacement axles from an RSX Type-S:

My tires are dismounted from my C8's and re-mounted to the MF-10 set! The de-throned old rims shrink back in shame.

Conversion is complete now, and my shiny MF-10s finally mounted on the car. Look closely to see my smiling face in the reflections!!