Honda Accord I4 vs V6

gyusher

Coming home today I had to get after my 4 cyl coupe while merging onto interstate and I loved it. I was going about 50 and she went like gangbusters. At 6K she felt like it kicked down a gear. Her sound changed then at 7K shifted to the next gear. I kept my foot in it till I hit aprox 115 or so. She was still pulling hard and sounded wonderful doing it. I think these 4 cyl Accords love to be rode hard.

I know the V6 is quicker etc. but I can't imagine being dissapointed with the 4. I sure don't expect it to run with a 70 plus horsepower advantage but I'm certainly not dissapointed in the least. Quite the opposite. I'm gaining a new found respect for this car. . .

thegraduate

If you were on public roads, I sure hope you mean km/h.

w_sheikh

Hello ,
I recently have purchased a Honda Accord coupe (08) and am very happy with it but I hear the the engine noise inside the cabin. Is this Normal?? I mean, I could hear here the pistons when I am standing at a red light. But I only hear this noise at night when it is quite (When its late, after 12AM. When there is no traffic noise).

w_sheikh

I recently purchased a 2008 V6 Honda accord and am quite happy with it. I only had the car for 5 days when someone stole my rims and tires off my car while it was standing in my driveway. Well instead of getting the original honda 18" rims I got the 19" PDS-10 HFP Alloy Wheel Painted Finish aftermarket rims. They look really really nice but the recomended tire size for the rims is 245 45 19. Because these tires are low profile tires the ride of the car is pritty rough so could I replace these tires with 245 55 19 and still have enough clearance so the tires won't hit the tire well? I have been noticing a noise I hear inside the cabin when I am driving late at night (When there are less cars on the road). I only hear this noise when I stop at a stop sign or a red light. It sounds like the pistons. I am not sure if this is normal or what.

stephen987

What do you mean when you say it "sounds like the pistons"? Can you describe the sound? Is it a knock, a squeak, a thump?

bvdj84

WoW! So someone came onto your driveway, and took your rims? What did they leave the car on, its bare axels? That is horrible. But, I am sure if you were to leave your car in a big town, with the keys in it, or just unlocked, on a street, someone would be in it so quick to steal it. They have done police work with Honda's. That is sad, Sorry that happened to you. Now, with lower profile rims, you are going to get even more road noise, I had road noise with my 06 Accord, with my michelins. It wasn't bad, but it was there.

Well the Accord is not so isolated that you cannot hear anything, and the accord has never been like this. If you wanted that, than a toyota, or lexus would be better at that. I really like being able to hear a good motor quietly. I feel the accord does a good job at this, some feel its too much road noise. I like to feel someone apart of the outside. Some feel that this is the Accords flaw, but I feel it keeps the driver intune enough to the outside, I don't think I would want it so quiet.

bug4

I think you hit the nail on head -- this car will perform, but not until you bury your foot and get the tachometer above 4k. I think the I4 lacks sufficient low end torque. Yes, it drives and will get you to and from work and is sufficient by any standard. But, personally, after driving my 08 I4 EX-L for one year, I believe Honda screwed up making this car so much bigger and heavier. I can't stand the weight to power ratio, particularly when mated to the 4-speed automatic transmission. I'd happily buy this car with MT, but would never buy another I4 AT.

gyusher

I sure hope you mean km

Nope. . .MPH. . .

That said however it was very brief and I was the only car on the road at the time. The reason for hammering it was turning onto an off ramp. Same ramp I was entering on. . .

I remember the good old days when 70 was the limit and everyone drove 90 plus. I remember 4 and 5 hour stretches of over 130mph. Not the same today with wore out roads and more and more traffic.

effers

I4 MT drivers: is there much difference comparing the 5sp with the 6sp (on V6)? 90% highway/10% city

ljgbjg

Why are people so terrified of going 100 or more? In today's cars it is nothing.
So he hit 115 for a minute or two? And then backed down. So what.

ljgbjg

Good for you! I had my S2000 up to 152 once. That is fast. When 90 feels like crawling? I see nothing wrong with running it up there every so often , provided road and traffic conditions permit.

dpmeersman

Living in the Northeast there are few roads that would permit these speeds. I've seen no more than 90 mph with my 08 V6. I recall you mentioning you were a lawyer. I don't know what area of the law you specialize in but lets take a look at a worse case scenario:
While traveling at 115 mph you experience a blowout, loose control of the car and jump a median and wipe out a family of five traveling in the opposite direction. Occupants of all vehicles are dead and your spouse is not with you. Upon examining your vehicles black box it is determined that you were traveling 50 mph in excess of the posted speed limit. Your insurance company won't pay out due to the reckless nature they have determined you were driving. Your spouse now left without your source of income and bearing the mental burden that your one or two minutes of thrill seeking on public roadways resulted in the tragic lose of five innocent lives, also has to sell most of what the two of you had acquired together to pay legal and damage fees to remaining members of that family that never made it to their destination.
If in your response you find legal reasons that the insurance company would have to assume the damage costs your wife is still left with the burden that you were responsible for ending an entire families existence. I'll punch it now and then, and when travelling out in the Montana and Wyoming areas I have seen 100 mph with absolutely no other cars on the road and that was many years ago when I was younger and reflex times were quite a bit better. I like the feeling of the 6 cyl providing the power I need to get out of situations I don't want to be in, but other than that, as you can see by the dire scenario I painted above, I think to far ahead about the possibilities of my actions and that usually keeps me in a safe if unexciting but ultimately responsible place in life.

thegraduate

Why are people so terrified of going 100 or more? In today's cars it is nothing.
So he hit 115 for a minute or two?

For an attorney, you don't seem too concerned with legal limits. Try blowing a tire at 90+.

My insurance would probably double if I got a ticket going in the triple-digits, that is if I wasn't arrested. I've never had a ticket or caused an accident and my insurance is still outrageous, simply because people my age tend to have that happen more than others because they drive with little regard for the law, others' safety, and their own.

Sure, cars today can go 130+ in 4-cylinder form, much less V6; that doesn't mean our roadways and most other drivers are prepared for other vehicles traveling at that speed.

He said there were no other cars, and I'll take his word for it. All I know is that the one time I've driven way over the legal limit (my grandfather was being taken for emergency surgery, and my grandmother was at the hospital alone, called me hysterical), it was midnight on the nose, with only a car about every mile or so. Still, it didn't seem to matter that there was only one; they had no problem getting in my lane despite constantly flashing my lights, having my flashers on, and blowing my horn. A 60 MPH car moving into a 95 MPH car's lane can cause problems in a hurry.

*Steps off soapbox*

Drive how you want to, but please, if you live in central AL, give me a heads up on what color your car is so I can see you coming and get out of your way!

graphicguy

w....WOW....that's terrible about getting your tires stolen. Did they put the car on blocks? Or, just leave it sitting on the axles? What did the police say?

The real problem with getting different size wheels and tires is it negatively affects how the car will handle....sometimes dangerously so.

You're car was designed to use the exact size of wheel tire that came on it. Anything else will throw everything off. Best bet is to replace your wheels/tires with the exact same size as what came from the factory.

As others asked, what kind of noise are you hearing? What makes you think it's the pistons?

ljgbjg

Ah, but your scenario would not happen - you totally ignored my comment -

"I see nothing wrong with running it up there every so often , provided road and traffic conditions permit."

When I say road and traffic conditions permit, I mean clear and dry, interstate, and NO other cars on the road. And regardless of where you live there are those occasions and locations where those conditions exist for a quick run up. Early morning is a good time. I am familiar with many NY and PA Interstates and there are many occasions you can "run it up" safely - you are talking about 30 seconds!

Everything else you say about my spouse's loss of income etc. would be irrelevant if something were to happen to me alone - she would be well taken care of with retirement plan benefits and life insurance, thank you very much.

"I'll punch it now and then, and when travelling out in the Montana and Wyoming areas I have seen 100 mph with absolutely no other cars on the road and that was many years ago when I was younger and reflex times were quite a bit better."

I can assure you dp, if you have seen 100 MPH many years ago and haven't recently, you do NOT punch it every now and then :P "Punch" your '08 at 75 and you'll see 100+ before you know it.

You are a very conservative driver - nothing wrong with that or to be ashamed of - just admit it. Today's cars will do 100 in the blink of an eye, if "punched", and beyond. 40-50 years ago? No - - hitting 100 in a family sedan was darn near impossible.

ljgbjg

Two things -

"For an attorney, you don't seem too concerned with legal limits. Try blowing a tire at 90+."

Well, attorneys are risk takers so the legal limit thing is no big deal. As for blowing a tire? I would NEVER attempt speeds my tires were not capable of - and the tires on our cars are equipped to handle those speeds; tires do NOT blow out on cars any more unless there is a serious problem with them - badly underinflated causing enormous heat build up, a cut, etc. I inspect my tires before I ever go out and would never do what I have done without proper tires, and the car itself near new or having been completely inspected on the rack.

"Drive how you want to, but please, if you live in central AL, give me a heads up on what color your car is so I can see you coming and get out of your way!"

No worries there - I did the 152 in SC and only once on I77. I have cruised at 100 in PA on I -380 at night with no other cars on the road in our 2000 Accord V6.
I am no where near you. The biggest worry? Road debris and animals. You have NO control over that, and at 100+ taking evasive maneuvers for either COULD kill you.

Again, I was not endorsing this all the time - I said a "run up" to those speeds when road and traffic conditions permitted was OK. Cruising at those speeds and coming up from behind another car? Absolutely not, which it sounds like YOU did. THAT is dangerous - you cannot predict what the other driver will do when they notice you - they may panic!

pat

Let's move on now. If the conversation about illegal speed limits needs to continue, please take it off line. Thanks.

thegraduate

I've read more than one post around here where people talk about their engines really loosening up after 10,000 miles or so... Is that the case with V6 models too?

stephen987

Well, I assume that you're referring to "loosening up" as in breaking in, revving more freely, getting slightly better fuel economy, etc.

My '02 V6 automatic still seems a little tight at 76k, but the last couple of tanks seem to be getting a little better. It revs pretty smoothly, though I'd really rather have a manual trans so I could milk it better. I finally cracked 30 mpg for a tank of 90% freeway driving (Macon, GA to Chattanooga, TN and back) last weekend. Caveats: a good bit of the freeway portion (25-30%) was below the 70 mph limit. In town it's still hovering around 22.

thegraduate

Heading to Chattanooga though, your hills more than make up for your lower speed when it comes to balancing out your fuel economy.

Sounds good to me, especially since the car was rated 20/28 under the old system!

dpmeersman

Those numbers are near identical to my 08 V6 with 13,000 miles on it. Considering it's increase in size & weight VCM must be doing something to keep me on par with yours.

stephen987

Grad,

Yes, and no. The approach into Chattanooga isn't all that hilly coming up I-75. Nothing like what I remember on I-59. (Last time I took that route into Chattanooga, I hit snow just after Fort Payne, on the climb toward South Pittsburg, at about 2am).

Perhaps I should be pleased with the mileage on the V6. But frankly the car has never lit my fire the way that a four-cylinder stick shift Accord does. There's an appealing honesty to the I4/manual combo. Perhaps that's why I let my wife drive the Accord most of the time while I take her Civic EX (5 speed, close to 140k).

ljgbjg

Anywhooooo....glad you enjoyed your I4. Honda makes the best 4 bangers in the world, IMHO, the 2.2 in the S2000 , and the 2.0 before that being unbelievable. They run like sewing machines at high RPMs.

stephen987

Those numbers are near identical to my 08 V6 with 13,000 miles on it. Considering it's increase in size & weight VCM must be doing something to keep me on par with yours.

Maybe so. But I think we might find that the seventh-generation ('03-07) Accord V6 would beat both of us, in mpg and acceleration.

More to the point, I don't think my car compares well with yours. The '03 and later V6s, including your '08, are in a completely different league from the earlier cars. My '02 is only 200 hp--that's just 10 more than the I4 version of the '08 EX. And my car is pretty close in weight to an '08 EX I4 too, despite my car's slimmer footprint. So the '08 EX I4 should have roughly comparable acceleration to my car (0-60 in the mid to high 7s, I'd estimate). And my car was EPA rated at 20/28 under the old system--18/26 under the new one, compared to 21/31 for the '08 EX I4.

lilengineerboy

I think you hit the nail on head -- this car will perform, but not until you bury your foot and get the tachometer above 4k. I think the I4 lacks sufficient low end torque. Yes, it drives and will get you to and from work and is sufficient by any standard

I have an '07 Accord EX 4cyl 5spd manual and for all the things I dislike about it, power really isn't one of them. The majority of the time, its just me in the car and it feels spirited enough to transport me around at any rate I feel desire. Adding in a second adult and small child inhibits progress considerably. The car spends the overwhelming majority of its time on the highway, and 4th or 3rd are just a flinch of the foot and a flick of the wrist away. It doesn't feel "sporty" but it feels adequate.

The V6 is a faster car. I have driven them for work on a number of occasions and the car is quick. My car's average fuel economy over the last 8000 miles is 31.8 mpg, On highway trips it gets 34-36. My '07 is the previous generation relative to the 08s but like I said, with one person on board, the I4 has been fine.

thegraduate

Tests from the same publication show the 190hp 2.4L to hit 60 in the low 8s, while the 200hp 3.0L did it in the mid-upper 7s (I remember runs of 7.6 and 7.7). There is a 30 lb-ft torque difference you have to remember!

dolfan1

We do need to remember that for some people, for various reasons, manual trannies are not a viable option. If my wife could drive one I may have considered the 4, but I like the power when I want it and often 4cyl and auto trannies aren't going to provide enough power to satisfy some.

ljgbjg

I "punched" my '08 VCM V6 Sedan today at 75 - hit 100 in 10 secs.

bvdj84

You were driving at 75, the floored it to 100, it took 10 sec to get there from 75?

ljgbjg

That is what it appeared to take - I hit it and the stopwatch on my watch at the same time. I know - actually seems like a long time.

Anyone see any official times? Remember this will be different than a 1/4 mile type test - the car has to downshift(takes time) and then run up through the gears.

With 0-60 of 7.1 and 15.5 in the 1/4 and a top speed of 91.8 that would seem about right. Accordinng to Edmunds that means it took 8.4 seconds to go from 60 to 91.8.so 10 to 100 from 75? Yeah...a dog.

stephen987

That does seem too long. I haven't done the test, but I'm pretty sure my '02 (200 lbs lighter, but also 68 bhp weaker) will beat that, even with just a four-speed auto.

thegraduate

06 Accord V6 0-100 MPH

It appears to take about 7 seconds. To be fair, like with your story, I don't know the specifics. Load, engine load (accessories, etc), hills, and other factors (fuel octane?) could be different from each other.

ljgbjg

Ahhh...but that is a 2006. I had a 2004 coupe and IMHO it was quicker than the '08 sedan (a LOT lighter). The VCM also emasculates the engine in mid range torque..

Based on Edmunds' numbers I do not believe my numbers are off.
With 0-60 of 7.1 and 15.5/91.8 in the 1/4 that would seem about right.
That means it took 8.4 seconds to go from 60 to 91.8.(without waiiting for a downshift) so 10 secs. for 75-100? Along with another shift? Yeah - 10 secs seems right..

thegraduate

Wasn't disagreeing at all; just providing some extra anecdotal evidence.

ljgbjg

Oh no - sorry - I didn't take it that way either!

Actually two ways to look at it - someone commented negatively about someone else accelerating to 115 on a public highway, and I commented on how short a time it took these days to do that, so I tried it with our '08. 10 secs is that great comparatively, but still a very short burst of speed to get there. There are certainly opportunities to do that just about anywhere, with no traffic and clear dry road.

carzzz

08 Accord I4 auto

shifts manually from 0-200km/hr

Disclaimer: This stunt should never be perform on regular road and always put on the seat-belt!

thegraduate

Appears to go from 75-100 MPH (120-160km/h) in about 11 sec.

dolfan1

What is that yellow light blinking?

thegraduate

In some other countries, an alarm goes off when you go "over speed."

Maybe that?

gyusher

I haven't 'timed' it but my 4 banger is strongest from 50-70. Great acceleration at that speed. Matter of fact I 'punch' it every now and again just to feel how strong that 4 cyl is when operating at its peak effeciency.

One of these days I'll take my stop watch with me. Like I've said before she isn't a drag star but very stout all things considered. What makes it so nice is that its about 200% of what I expected it to be when I made the decision to buy the 4 vs the V6.

It bears repeating "I'm certainly not dissapointed" not by a long shot.

bvdj84

Well, I am thinking that when I do get the new Accord, I am going to go ahead and get the V6/Navi accord. Only because I am going to treat myself. Or I will look at the Acura TSX.

carzzz

I think so too!

rogerb34

Lower maintenance costs, better mpg from the I4. The V6 is performance just exceeded by the 300 hp Mustang GT with far better reliability, engineering and MPG. Major difference V6 to I4 is the timing belt replacement V6 at 105k miles or 7 years. The engine is interference so heads up. I plan belt replacement at 10 years because miles will be less than 40k and climate is moderate SCa.

cman7

My understanding is that the I4 has no timing belt replacement ?

stephen987

Correct. Gen 7/8 I4 has no timing belt, therefore no replacement.

bvdj84

See, If I get an Accord, I will definitely opt for the V6, might as well, little mileage difference, I would. Though the 4cyl is totally good all on its own. But, it depends on what your used to and what you want. I have never driven an Accord V6, but with lease deals quite good, get the whole package. But, if it was not for the economy, there is no way Honda/Acura offer deals they are offering.

SELou

I'm trying to understand the differences in the 177 vs 190 hp engines. What did Honda do to the 177hp engine to up its hp rating? The 190hp engine is called a higher revving engine in their literature, which is supported by the higher redline on the 190hp version. I'm not sure I want to buy an engine that revs higher to get slightly higher hp. Higher revving engines generally have shorter lives and burn more fuel for the same mileage. Are the rpm's at 70mph the same on both engines? The torques are almost identical. From a practical standpoint, what are we getting for the extra 13hp?

bvdj84

There is little difference. The engines are the same, rather just programmed differently. The 190hp engine would be more on par with the weight of the car, but people often stated that there was little difference. One thing to do, would be to drive both cars and see for yourself. The 190hp is stated to get 31mpg on the highway, 3mpg's less than before. I would imagine the 177hp would only get so much better, if not about the same. According to the website, you will see no difference in mileage. That does not surprise me, as 177hp would have to try ever so slightly harder to keep up, but the differences are quite minimal. Though they state higher revving, yes, it is probably tuned for better performance, a bit more torque, but that does not always been it will do worse.

Try both cars out, I think you will find that there is little difference. This is a Honda engine, this is the same engine used in the 201hp Acura TSX. They use a 4cyl also in the small SUV Acura. Either way, I am sure your engine will do just fine, with years of performance. In order to keep cost down they offered a less tweaked engine. But, remember this is a Honda, they make their engines very well.

jwms

We test drove the L4 and EX L V6

The L4 would have met our needs but we purchased the V6.

The V 6 is very responsive, smooth and gets up to speed before you know it. In addition it moves when you need it to in fast traffic. Fun to drive especially for someone who has driven SUVs and Trucks for the past 20 years.

Gas mileage was not a concern for us.

bvdj84

The V6 does not get much worse than the 4cyl, I would probably opt for the V6. I think I will on my next Accord. Though the 4cyl is plenty enough for normal driving and a little fun. It really is tough. But, I want a loaded Accord next, so the V6 will be nice.