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Comments
(1)16" wheels standard on all models with 4- wheel disc brakes
(2)At least a modest boost in HP - 160 for the
4 cylinder and 215-220 for the V6
(3)An available manual 5-speed tranny for the
V6
(4)A smoother 4-speed auto - in fact a 5-speed auto would be most desirable
(5)Larger interior room, particularly the back seat
(6)A larger trunk, perhaps in the 16 cube range
(7)A bit more attitude in the exterior design although not nearly as important as any of the above
All of the engines can be made to fit in the Accord chassis, from the 1.6 liter 4 right up to the 3.2 liter V6. Again, in every market but this one, there tend to be a lot of engine choices we never see.
The only thing different is that there is an SE model besides the LX, DX and EX.
and check on ebay for some good torque wrenches.
a friend just found a snap-on one for 100 bucks on ebay and apparently if new it would have been 250.
GM: the contract is actually for V6s, not 4s, or at least that's what I've read in the trades. And the numbers are pretty modest, well within the capacity of the Ohio factories.
Crank direction: this can be changed without changing the basic architecture of the engine. Yes, they have been contrarian about this up to now, and yes, it is changing, but this is not a huge engineering feat...playing with engines is what Honda does. [This is still an ENGINE company that happened to get in the car business...something they remind themselves about quite often.]
Displacement vs real differences: the four cylinder family, and most of the V6s, share lots of common characteristics and parts. They can be machined on a common line. The differences tend to be in the heads [and intake and exhaust details], and the simple expedient of varying stroke and bore by small amounts. The engine in the CR-V is the blueprint for the next-gen Accord 4 cyl, but as I said, it also has a 2 liter that is used in other markets in the Accord and in Civic-based applications - the CR-V is still a Civic platform underneath.
The only engine that is a bit odd-ball [leaving aside the NSX] at the moment on the passenger-car side is the 3.5 in the RL, but that will change when the next-gen RL arrives...which some would say is already way overdue, but that is another discussion.
I read all the buff books, Automotive News, the Detroit News, Autoweek, etc. It's not unusual for one source to say definitively that the truth is A, and have someone else just as emphatically insist it is B. So until the metal actually appears, one always has to apply some common sense to all of this, especially with Honda, which likes to play its cards closer to the vest than just about any other mass manufacturer. One aspect of applying common sense with Honda is that they ALWAYS have more hp up their corporate sleeve...none of their engines, with the exception of the super-high-revving 4s in the Type Rs and S2000, are stressed to their full potential. With Honda, it's always a question of tradeoffs between what the market needs, what competitors are doing, what the emission regs require, and whether or not a particular car is deemed suitable for premium gas [Acura brand: yes...most Hondas: no].
All of their engines are on the way to being redone over the next 1-3 years, but the re-do is mostly at the top end [heads and fuel systems]; their goal is to make more hp and meet the 2004 worldwide emission regs with something in their pockets to spare. Then will come Direct Injection, then much heavier use of hybrids. They are unenthusiastic about diesels, but are doing what they have to in order to be competitive in the EU, where you diesel or die. In general, they behave just like an engine company that just happens to make cars...
http://www.thehollywoodextra.com/accord/accord.html
Terry
http://www.europeanhonda.demon.nl/avancier.htm
And if you look closely, you'll see the resemblance to the "spy" picture of the 03 Accord.
Any help will be appreciated!
Personally, I do a lot of mixed city/highway driving with both winter and summer extremes so I do the severe schedule. Here in Boston that 7500 service runs about $90. My dealer uses a Honda printed handout that matches up to the manual for what they do.
Good Luck.
So 270 hp in the Accord sounds like a far-stretch.
Also, there's more than one way to accelerate. The engine probably doesn't even need that much power to give the Altima some competition.
But let's face it, folks - sticks are falling out of favor with the driving public. Any Honda exec who pushed for a V-6 / 5-speed option for the Accord would be putting his career on the line. Sad to say, this really doesn't make much business sense, as much as some of us would like to see it.
But if it's 170...pfft, Honda can do that. The 3.0 V-6 from the NSX was capable of making 252hp...and that was 10 years ago.
hood? What do we need all this power for? Last time I looked,
the speed limit was 65 MPH. It is o.k. if you are trying out
for the Indianapolis 500, but to go and get groceries at the corner
grocery store? I have 200 HP in my Accord EX V6, and let me
tell you, it is MORE THAN enough power. Enough with the
HORSEPOWER wars, already.
-- Don
Honestly, I don't think these midsize sedans even need V-6 engines.
As far as what you are describing about putting the car in reverse....doesn't sound abnormal to me. But it sounds to me like you should've bought a manual tranny.