Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

RonaH · May 2002

Thanks for the feedback on the Civic brakes. There was a review I read on Microsoft Carpoint website and the reviewer said that the stopping distance left a lot to be desired. I know the crash test resutls are all excellent for the Civic and that and Honda reliability were two of the things that made me consider a Civic for my daughter. Safety is my primary concern, followed by reliability.

dabimmer · May 2002

One of the main attractions leading me to purchase the Civic
was the braking ability of this car. I have had the EX for 7 months
and have been greatly pleased by the stopping power and the great
control in stopping with its brakes. I have been greatly surprised and
pleased with the Firestones but probably will get Yokahamas when it
comes time to replace them. Just my 2 cents.

jjpcat · May 2002

For anyone who thought Civic (and other Honda cars) has great braking power, could you show me a single professional comparison test in which Honda's car ends up in the better half in term of stopping distance? As a guy who has owned 3 Honda cars, I am sad to say I have never spoted one such test, at least not within the past 10 years among all major car magazines. In quite some cases, Honda ended at the dead last.

However, some people like the modulation of Honda's brake. A linear modulation could make a less powerful brake feels more powerful than it is. I once did the back-to-back test on a IS300 and a 328. I felt more secure with 328 (because of its modulation), even though IS300 has a shorter stopping distance. Another example is with the new G35. It's said it beats any other sedans on the road in the stopping distance department. But people complaimed how touchy the brake was. But, this modulation thing COULD be quite subjective.

Finally, it seems to be widely agreed that Honda's brake lasts a long time.

tlindeman · May 2002

I was a little concerned about the braking ability of my Civic when I bought it. In a couple of circumstances, hard braking caused the front wheels to lock up and skid...took awhile to stop the thing. After three months I jettisoned the awful 14" Firestone F390's and installed a set of 15" EX wheels and 1956015 Yokohama Avid touring tires (same diameter as 14" but wider and lower profile). The result is nothing short of spectacular. Not only is handling and ride greatly improved but braking is MUCH better...the tires really bite in and STOP! No more skidding...tires can make a big difference.

firephoenix777 · May 2002

i have a 2001 civic ex coupe. one day, i filled up the tank and drove from Santa Barbara to San Francisco (home). the gas light came on after 310 miles (highway). i kept on driving and after another 80-90 miles (highway), i arrived home, non-stop. the next day, i went the fill up the gas. surprisingly, it takes only 10.2-3 gallons to fill it up. so i was getting about 37-38 mpg. considering i was going at an average speed of 90+ mph (couldn't resist when driving on a straight I-5), i think this car has pretty good gas mileage. however, something might be wrong with the gas light cuz after driving 80-90 miles after the light came on, i still have about 3 gallons in the tank. so does that mean the light came on when it still has 4-5 gallons in the tank? under normal driving (town and highway), i went to fill up right after the light came and it takes about 10 gallons to fill it up. maybe the gas light was messed up during that trip from Santa Barbara.

firephoenix777 · May 2002

regarding the brakes, i think they suck. my complain is that i need to step on the brake real hard to really slow or stop the car down. i used to have a car that has disc brakes in all 4 wheels and it stops quicker than a civic (maybe it's due to civic's lighter weight or different tire size?). i mean i don't need to press down the brake pad as much on my previous car than on the civic. my coworker told me that 4 disc brakes wouldn't really matter cuz for the civic, 80% of the braking forces is applied on the front brake, which is a disc brake. is that true?

bjk2001 · May 2002

I think when you drive at constant high speed. Gas in the gastank will shift toward the back of the tank. Gas level will not be as level as city driving. Depends on the gas tank design gas light may come on early. I notice when my gas level is low and I park my Honda Odyssey on a slope depends on front or back facing up, gas tank light will come on or off.

Civic Brake.
I am not sure whether Civic applied 80% of brake force on the front brake or not. But I will assume since its a Front wheel drive car and also weight distribution front is heavier than the rear, based on physics more brake force should apply to the front drive wheel.

firephoenix777 · May 2002

anybody knows what the top speed of a 2001 civic ex is? and where i can find the top speed information of any cars?

pleasantsa · May 2002

for the info on the leg room in the 97 vs. 98 Accord. I got a 97 Accord SE today and I'm so psyched! I still miss my 96 Civic (totaled), but this car is sweet. Maybe I can be a Civic club member emeritus.

)

flavolvo · May 2002

Have been driving my new LX sedan (automatic)for about a month now. Overall, I have been very pleased - like the peppy engine response, quiet interior & comfortable seats. The trunk is huge for a compact (about the same size as the 94-97 generation Accords). I really like the open airy cabin up front. I rode in a new Sentra recently and compared to my Civic it seemed cramped inside.
My only minor complaint is with the suspension - it feels too bouncy jouncy on rippled pavement. I would prefer a firmer suspension. I really am satisfied with the car overall.

dtownfb · May 2002

Very interesting discussion on brakes here. Also makes me wonder about people's braking habits. First off, all car feel differently when they brake. Some have pedal modulation, some stop smooth and short, some stop quickly but can give you a pain in the neck while doing it. The comparison tests only tell you the shortest stopping distance after a series of panic stops. This test only reflects the one in a one hundred thousand stops that the average driver makes (yes, I made up this stat). What is important, is you the drive must learn how your car behaves. You have to learn the capability of your car. And don't forget those tests, don't consider YOUR driving habits. If you follow simple common sense like don't foolow to close to th car in front of you, try to anticpate other drivers' actions, try to look ahead in the road, watch your speeds in certain situations etc. it doesn't matter if the Civic takes 5 feet longer to stop then another car. You, the driver, of the car must adjust for this.

This should be fun checking out this board after lunch.

backy · May 2002

Unfortunately, not everyone follows common sense when driving. For them (and the people they are tailgating), those 5 extra feet could avoid a lot of trouble.

bsme1991 · May 2002

Five year ownership cost based on 15,000 mi/year including financing, fuel, maintenance, and repairs. Zip code 97005:

Focus SVT $28,164
RSX 2D 5M $27,069
Celica GT 2D 5M $25,001
Civic Si side air bags $24,718
Accord LX 4D 2.3L 5M $24,557
Elantra GLS 2L 5M $23,559
Focus LX 4D 5M $23,496
Civic EX 4D 5M side air bags $22,402
Sentra GXE 4D 5M $22,309
Civic EX 4D 5M $22,261
Civic LX 4D 5M $20,954
http://applications.edmunds.com/products/tco/TCOintroController

gasguzz · May 2002

The Civs brakes are adequate. I can feel them bite but it's the tires that break adhesion.
The wife's minivan has GY-Eagles and she has yet to have the ABS engage.
It's a no-brainer, there are numerous here who've taken the plunge and swapped out the Firesucks.

sojersey_steve · May 2002

Does someone know of any on-line parts web pages? Are there any Town Hall discussions here already regarding cost and whether or not to self install things like keyless entry on an 2002 LX. Links and recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks.

jrct9454 · May 2002

Do a Google search for Honda parts, and pick the ones you like - there are several out there, almost all of them authorized dealers who maintain good websites and competitive prices.

bjk2001 · May 2002

H and A accessories has good instruction,

http://www.handa-accessories.com/civic/civickeyless01.pdf

other webstie selling them too:

http://www.fairhondapartsforyou.com/index.html

http://partscheap.com/index.htm

regards,

Ben

osum02 · May 2002

I've always read and heard that Honda makes the best 5 speed manual transmission in the auto industry. A lot of the auto analysts have made comments such as buttery smooth, super slick, short throws between shifts. I've read recently that the 7th generation Civic's 5 speed manuals are even better and smoother with a "click-stop" feel. Does anyone find this to be true? Also does an automatic trans. reduce the power you get and conversely a stick shift draw more power and performance from the engine? Years ago I was told a 5 speed manual trans. is more reliable and will last a lot longer than a automatic trans. Does anyone know if this is still true? Thanks for any comments you can make about this subject!

jrct9454 · May 2002

The current gen Honda manual is excellent, though I'm not sure I would go so far as to say it sets come kind of new standard.

Automatics in this class of car by definition are going to rob some performance; with a torque converter automatic, you need lots of torque for the effect to go away, and these engines don't have it. So sure, there is some performance loss - how important that is to you is a matter of taste and nothing could be more personal - there is no right answer.

CVTs are probably the wave of the future for all automatics, but especially when combined with engines of less than 3 liters of displacement. The latest CVTs do not cut performance at all, and in fact can be faster and more economical than a manual trans with the same engine [see the new Audi A4 as exhibit A].

As for reliability, the days are long gone when you could generalize that a manual transmission and clutch combined were going to give a longer trouble-free life than a good automatic. In the Civic, they are pretty much equal in the sense of giving you 100k miles without making some major repair, and that tends to be true for Toyota [Corolla, Camry] as well. Because of some supplier quality problems, the V6 Accords have had some hiccups that affected a small percentage of cars, but not enough to make the generalization different.

So: performance differences are still there in this class of car, but long-term reliability differences are not. Buy what makes you feel right - in our market, automatics tend to be easier to sell at resale time, but even that is less the case with Civics than with nearly every other car on the road. Once you move into the next class [Accord/Camry], the market for manuals, especially on resales, is much smaller.

sojersey_steve · May 2002

Thanks for the links and suggestions.

firephoenix777 · May 2002

anybody knows where i can find an aftermarket armrest for both driver and front passenger in a 2001 civic.

tlindeman · May 2002

firephoenix777...good luck! I completed an exhaustive search for an aftermarket company who might have an armrest for our cars and came up dry. Husco, the largest maker of aftermarket "sliding" armrests informed me that they had no plans to produce one at this time due to the low number of interest inquiries...even though their website said it was under development and to "check back in 30-60 days" (which they removed after I complained that they shouldn't be announcing it was under development when they told me they had no plans to introduce one!) I find it hard to believe that with the hundreds of thousands of 7th generation Civics sold their isn't a large potential market here...expecially considering the absolutely useless stub connected to the seat that Honda calls an armrest. That thing is 3" too short to be useful and just gets in the way of the seatbelt...what are these engineers thinking?

nwng · May 2002

Sorry, I just can't help myself. When you are driving at high speed,(really high speed), does the soda in your 7-11 big gulp flow towards one side of the cup?

firephoenix777 · May 2002

i guess the gas won't shift to the back during high speed. however, i think it's because the final part of my trip was on an upward slope, so i guess the gas "shifted" to the back of the tank, causing the light to come on earlier.......

bjk2001 · May 2002

Why don't you try it out yourself? LOL. You could fill soda in your 7-11 big gulp to the rim don't overfill it, then put your big gulp on top of the dashboard. make sure not spill any of them. Then drive you car to see if there is any soda spill out of your big gulp? Make sure you put some paper towel under it in case any soda spill.

nwng · May 2002

1) I did not say to fill the cup up to the rim, actually you don't have to do that to see if the soda is flowing to one side of the cup during "high speed driving". On the other hand, if you fill it to the rim, the soda will spill regardless of speed. I do not understand why you want to fill to the rim.

2)firephoenix asked if anything will happen to the gas in the gas tank during CONSTANT high speed driving, and my understanding is different than yours, which is it didn't matter thus my example of the big gulp.

3) If you still think the gas will flow to the back of the tank, ask any physics teacher.

It did happen to me once when I parked on a steep hill with very little gas in the tank and the car won't start. Had to put the car in neutral and roll down the hill, then the car started. Won't make that mistake again.

vbhalla · May 2002

Hi does anybody remmeber a posted note by someone quoting it for 14988...do let me know the # of that message..thanks

rileyyh · May 2002

Hi y'all! I just purchased my first car, the civic hybrid and I'm sooooo happy! It is just a cool and very capable car. I am eager to go driving, I find it very fun. I've test drove so many cars today but I still found the civic hybrid to be my favorite from the protege5, new altima, and the xterra. My parents wanted me to test drive the Rav4 because they thought it looked nice but I didn't want to so I got my silverish blue civic hybrid. I feel bad though because during my test drive of the car I purchased, I wanted to see how it would respond to a hard press on the gas and so I just made it go 60mph as fast as it would off a start on the sport mode and then shifted up to drive mode. If this car is as reliable as other Hondas, I think I will be very satisfied. I don't know how factual this is but the salesguy said that according to the books, this car is prospected to go 220,000 or even 300,000 miles. I think that's a stretch but any car that passes 100,000 without any major problems is a great car to me.

riley

jrct9454 · May 2002

Here in NorCalif, some dealers are advertising EX automatics for $15.7k, so you can do the math - manuals are indeed under $15k, though rather harder to find. And this is May - a bit deeper into the model year, and the dealer incentives will probably drive the price down another notch or two...

bjk2001 · May 2002

Civic Ex 4 Dr Auto without Side Air bag is selling @ $14,988 in So Cal. We got ours last month.

jjpcat · May 2002

I did some experience this past weekend. I inflated the tires in my 2001 Civic LX to 41psi (cold tire), well above the Honda's recommendation of 30psi and just below the max allowed by the Firestone FR690 (44psi). I noticed the ride quality is improved a bit (less bouncy when hitting the potholes or some other small irregularities). But it didn't help when riding over speed bumps.

This puzzles me. I thought the common sense is that the over-inflated tires produce more bouncy ride. Any explanations?

dardson1 · May 2002

I have yet to do any shopping. I'm looking for a new car for my 79 yeer old mother. Oddly enough, she hates a slow car(in town driving only). Otherwise, she wants a no-brainer coupe or sedan, cheap as possible, and totally dependable. The Civic seems to fit the bill althought the smallish engine is a concern. I'm a bit confused by the various HP numbers and transaxle configurations on the Civic. On Sunday I prowled the Honda and Mazda lots and it seems a basic Accord is very little more than a Civic or Protege. The Accord looks like a more substantial car than either although they had a rather plain looking Civic LX coupe that seemed like a buy. Any thoughts before I go try them out?

britton2 · May 2002

You might want to take a look at a Corolla too - more horsepower than the Civic - dependable (as are Hondas) better powertrain warranty (this was true on the '01's - I assume this applies to the '03's)I have driven nothing but Hondas and Toyotas for the past 22 years - good luck

jrct9454 · May 2002

...our '03 Corolla actually performs a bit better than either the Civic or Accord 4, and has a trunk that is almost as big as an Accord. It is the perfect choice, in my opinion, for the uses you describe.

alpha01 · May 2002

I think that more important than the added hp of the Corolla vs. the Civic LX, is the torque difference, which is noticeable around town. If your mother wants fast, or at least gutsy, she'll be disappointed with the Accord DX and its 135 hp, though the 150 hp/152 lb ft LX would give her what she wants, its more expensive than you can get the Civic/Corolla for (perhaps thats blatantly obvious though..sorry).
~alpha

isellhondas · May 2002

Who hates a slow car....why am I scared?

Civic or Corolla, both good choices.

A lot of older folks like the mushier ride of Corollas and Camrys a bit better than Hondas.

Have her drive both of them.

bjk2001 · May 2002

Dardson1:

You better take your 79 yrs old mom to the dealership and ask her to test drive Civic, Corolla, Accord. Don't just look at HP and Torque. That's misleading. Also car size, wt, tranny, also depends on the engine performance, at what useful RPM does it perform better? Just HP or Torque numbers don't mean anything. Granted its not good old American V8. Civic has enough power to get your mom going, also it is good on gas MPG.

Since she is 79, I don't know how tall she is, I think cars ergonomics is important. How easy for her to get in and out. To me Corolla is a little tight in driver position than Civic, 03 Corolla has improved some. Also Civic is more fun to drive than Corolla. Since you mentioned cheap is important too. If you only look at how much you pay for the car as your criteria for cheap. How about some Korean car, they give your 100K miles warranty on it. (My wife will never buy a Korean car. we had bad experiences with Korean home electronics. I am working on her to see if she is willing to buy Korean computer products. LOL) But if you look at actual cost, Civic has better resale value than Corolla, Mazda or any Korean car. Edmunds True Ownership cost estimate will give you some suggestion, too.

I went thru the whole thing before we bought 02 Civic Ex for my daughter last month. We were looking at Civic LX, but after look at the difference price vs options ABS, CD player, Sunroof . We decided to go for EX. You can't get ABS with Civic LX. ABS is an available option for Accord LX sedan.

1987 we bought our father-in-law a Toyota Corolla. He likes it, but once a while he would talk about owning a Honda Civic. Bottom line is to take your mom to the dealership and let her test drive and make a decision herself. She will be much happier. Well at least she won't (can't) complain that I wish you had bought me a "....."

Good luck,

bjk

zepplinl1 · May 2002

Hi all, I've been reading your repsonses for so long now that I figured I should write seeing as I have a problem.
I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX with about 14,000 miles on it. When I back up and step on the brakes, I hear a semi-loud *clunk* noise coming from both the front brakes. Then, when I go forward right after backing up and step on the brakes for the first time, I hear the same noise. No other times do I hear it though.
I thought a pin holding the pads in place was gone but dealer said no and that it was normal in Hondas. Anyone else have this happen to them because I don't think it's normal...

Thanks!!!!

britton2 · May 2002

bjk2001 is right - since she will be the one driving it - she should test drive the cars and pick out the one she likes best - I have driven the '03 Corolla and the '02 Civic and I must disagree that the Civic is more fun to drive - both good cars though

howac · May 2002

zepplinl1,

If I'm not mistaken, I think the clicking or clunking is normal for disc brakes. I remember reading something about a "self-adjusting" feature that re-levels or re-aligns the brake pads every time the brakes are applied after the wheels reverse directions.

Anybody else wants to shed some light on the technical details of this feature? My memory is failing me.

breckco · May 2002

This is a know issue with 01 Civic's. The front brake pads on most cars are designed to "float" a bit but in 01 Civics the movement produces a noise that makes it sound like a strut is going to fall out of the car. I think there is a TSB on it. A Honda service Mgr. told me Honda is aware of this problem and looking into a fix but for right now the only repair is to strategically place a business card (yes, a business card) somewhere in the caliper area. Not only does this sound silly but from what I've heard it only helps for about a month.

zepplinl1 · May 2002

Thanks Brecko and howac...it's good to know there is actually a problem that is recognized by Honda. Brecko, do you know the exact web address or place I can find that TSB on the brakes? My brakes clunking is VERY loud and I feel that it's worse than normal. I would at least like to go in and have a dealership document that I've brought it in for this so when I eventually go out our warranty and something bad happens to my brakes, I can link it back to this. Anyway, thanks all for the repsonses and Brecko, if you could post where I can find that TSB that'd be great! Thanks again!

bjk2001 · May 2002

Guys/gals:

Here is the IIHS crash test result for 01-02 Civic. It has the best crash test rersult.

WOOHOO!

http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/00031.htm

bjk

backy · May 2002

Actually, the IIHS ranks the Impreza slightly above the Civic on the frontal offset crash test, but both are rated "Good" overall. Those two along with the Lancer and New Beetle are named "Best Picks" based on the frontal offset test. The Civic is the lightest of this group, by 250 pounds, so it is a great showing by the Civic.

bsme1991 · June 2002

This model isn't sold in the states but it gives some validity to IIHS test. Impreza wagon scored better driver side but Civic HB did better on passenger side.
http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2002e/as117.html
http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2001e/as121.htm
Both almost good as the 2002 CR-V.
http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2002e/as123.html
Here's the link for full listing:
http://www.osa.go.jp/anzen/html2002e/as105.html

silvercrown · June 2002

Hi Everyone,

I am new posting to this particular topic. I have been reading the postings with great interest, ever since I added the Civic to my list of potential alternatives for my next car. I have decided to purchase (instead of lease) my next vehicle and I am considering less expensive choices. If I decide to go to a small car, the Civic is at the top of my list.

Anyhoo, that being said, I now take more notice of Civics on the road, especially the latest version of the model (I really like this one best). I noticed one in the mall parking lot last night and something about it stood out, I think it was the rims that caught my eye. So I drove past it and it had Acura rims. I thought that was odd, but not unbelievable until I noticed that it had Acura badging as well. A closer look showed the name as "Acura EL". I was floored!! I had never heard of this vehicle, not a word of a Civic-based entry level Acura.

I do know that the TL is based on the Accord, but they do look different. They are somewhat similar but you can tell them apart, even from a distance. However, this "EL" looked identical to a Civic. The only apparent difference I could see (it was getting dark) were the rims, the badging and the nameplate.

I'm not sure why someone would rather pay more for an Acura that looks exactly like the Honda Civic, except for extra goodies not available on the Civic and the Acura ownership experience. Still, I would think that Acura would have done more to differentiate the look of the "EL" from the Civic, which is more of a compact economy car. Acura generally indicates more of a luxury experience, not economy. I also wonder what the difference in price is. I wish I had had a camera with me so I could have taken a picture of it. It almost looked like some sort of hoax.

Has anyone heard of an Acura EL? Is it new for 2003? I had to share this with the forum, I was really surprised to see this.

bjk2001 · June 2002

silvercrown:

There is some unofficial weblink. http://www.fsa.ulaval.ca/personnel/paradisj/acura1.6el/

bjk

silvercrown · June 2002

I posted this question on the Accord board as well, and got the same answer from them. The EL is Canada's version of the Civic EX, available with a few additional goodies like leather, etc. That thought never crossed my mind, but since I'm in Michigan, it's not so farfetched that someone would cross the border to Canada and buy a car that's not available here.

I appreciate the link, it's amazing to see that there is a dedicated website for a car that I never even heard of and never seen before. Or maybe I did and I assumed it was a Civic. :-)

The car I saw looked different from these pictures. It looked just like the latest version of the Civic, but with a few small tweaks that made it stand out a bit (which is how I noticed it). I think the pictures on this website reflect a body style before the current one. Is that why they refer to the engine as 1.6? Was that the engine in the previous Civic models? Right now the engine size is 1.7 IIRC. In any event, it's still cool to see this whole other world out there ...

Thanks again.

firephoenix777 · June 2002

Can we purchase cars in Canada and drive it back to the US? are there any restrictions?

bjk2001 · June 2002

Firephoniex777:

Of course we could purchase cars in Canada and drive back to US. People go to Germany and purchase Benz, BMW and bring them back to US.

But there are some issues, like odometer in Canada is in Kilometers not miles, also warranty Canada vs US, finance etc.... If you are interested, there are alot of discussion Canada vs US in Odyssey forum. Due to Odyssey is selling like a hotcake in US and people are talking about buying Canada version. Even some car dealer/broker selling Canada version Odyssey in US too.

Silvercrown:

You are very welcome. I can't seem to find Canada Acura site about new version of Acura EL.

You know people modify their Civic. How about replace Civic tires with Acura tires and replace Civic emblem with Acura Emblem. Will that do the job? LOL

Regards,

bjk

Honda Civic 2005 and earlier

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