Is it me or am I just imagining it.
My Honda Civic 1.6 se VTEC has now done 20000 in 2 years and it seems to be running great.
When it was new it seemed to suffer from engine roar which gradually receded after a few thousand miles, it also was not as smooth as it is now.
In fact I have lately been tempted to take it into the nether regions of the tachometer just to see what it will realy do but that would realy be out of character for me as rarely go over 60mph, that is apart from giving it an Italian tune up which for me means doing 70mph on a good stretch and geting the engine hot.
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mal, sounds to me that you have been too kind to your engine, in fact it has probably just got run in!. vtec engines are designed to be revved to the red line all the real go is over 5k revs. If you want a car that has the torque of a diesel but with out the rattle that can drive in top gear at 35mph get a vag product with the 1.8t engine, at this speed the engine is at max torque around 1950rpm, more suited to your character perhaps?
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I admire these engines, beautiful quality and so quick when in the right power band.
I do question their suitability for UK roads though, to get the best out of them you need to be in third all the time.
And strangely enough they are so often run by folks who comment they drive as sensibly as you do mal.
MM
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Hmmmmm... Have you driven a new standard Honda Civic Vtec lately MM? I own one and I don't have to drive around in third gear to make progress. Indeed the car is so responsive I have to be very careful to observe the speed limits.
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Godfrey,
I wasn't saying these engines aren't good, more that they all have a "family feel" whereby the power comes in very high in the rev ranges.
Of course they will keep pace with normal traffic in top but if you are wanting to exploit the power available (and I was thinking of mixed country/main roads) you will often need to drop two gears to get into the powerband.
You might be right that I haven't experienced the latest variants, my opinion is based on 1991-1998 Civics and Preludes.
MM
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MM I first tried a Honda Vtec five years ago and I didn't find the power delivery to my liking. When the new model Civic came out I tried it and I found it very driveable so I bought one! My Civic will pull in fifth if one say has to slow down on a motorway. Regarding Mal's original post I can only think he has been driving it too gently to run it in properly.
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Godfrey,
I think you make a fair point about the latest versions being tuned for a more sensible power curve.
If I get one on my books it may be in three or four years time, I'll post then and let you know what I think.
Glad you enjoy yours.
MM
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If you want a car that has the torque of a diesel"
Completey agree with the sentiment, (but then I would say that - having one)
but not the "drive in top gear at 35mph" bit.
I would never reduce my safety margins so much, in order to "prove" some esoteric point.
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What is your point Trevor ? That the car doesn't have maximum torque at those revs ? Because if it does then your comment about safety margins is pointless.
And the only person talking about proving esoteric points is yourself.
I wish you would adopt a less condescending, less agressive, less absolute and more open attitude in the Backroom. If you are an instructor, then I would assume that you had grasped the basic principles of both teaching and learning - both are usually more successful when approached with an open mind and tolerant attitude.
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Thanks Mark - I\'ve felt exactly that for MANY months...Neil
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Ok, so I've been too kind to my engine, I hope in doing so in my style of driving that I have prolonged the life of my car.
I know all about the damage that can be done by labouring the engine at low speeds and I can assure you I do use my gears sensibly.
Yes you can say I am a sensible driver but I just do not see the point in getting to my destination ASAP just for the sake of it. I will go with the flow of the traffic if conditions dictate because it can be frustating for other drivers who for whatever reason want to get there ASAP, but they will have to overtake me if they want to break the speed limit.
Obviously I have on a number of occasions had to put my foot down to get me out of trouble.
Anyway apologies Dave for the non techy stuff but would anyone on the forum not like to buy a car off me.
Regards Mal.
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Anyway apologies Dave for the non techy stuff but would anyone on the forum not like to buy a car off me.
I considered it a tech question, so left it here. Besides, after my earlier mistake in Discussion, do you honestly think I'm going to go anywhere near my special buttons until I've re-read the manual?
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Today just for the hell of it I decided to \"open up\" the throttle and take the rev counter needle up the scale a bit.
This as some will know is totally uncharacteristic of my style of driving as I normally never put my foot down or break speed limits.
Guess what- I actually enjoyed it.I never realised how much power the VTEC engine has, I could actually feel the VTEC cutting in especially in 3rd gear, just as well i didn\'t go for the VTI or I might have turned into a latent boy racer!!.
Anyway after filling up with fuel and noticing the increase in consumption I have decided to revert back to my normal sedate style of driving.
Fun while it lasted though.
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You may have seen my ramblings about poor petrol consumption from my Civic VTEC 1.6. It also appears to be quieter at 12,000 miles that it used to be, (although my wife says I'm getting deafer). I'm convinced that it isn't yet run in.(the car). Most of the time I'm at 4,000 rpm (75 ish?)for half an hour each way each day.
Running it up to the red would mean keeping it in third or driving at over 100 which is not practicable, let alone legal
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