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I found this:
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/hl/nokian.htm
These tires look interesting, but I'm wondering about the "lack of precision" mentioned in the article. Have you noticed this, Tim?
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My points focus around the open differentials. Maybe to be clear we could say 2WD is actually 1 axle drive. 4WD would then be 2 axle drive.
For each axle, though, if the differential is open, and it's slippery, one wheel will get all the power. You'll notice on wheel spinning and the other one standing still, doing nothing, getting no power.
This is exactly what happened to Andries, he wrote "the back left wheel, and front right wheel were the only ones spinning".
Traction control would be a cheap and easy fix, and actually it would manage both axles. I don't think any Compact SUV offers this, at least in this price class. Santa Fe has traction control but not on both axles.
BMW X3 and Land Rover Freelander actually do, but they're in a different price class.
Honda offers this in Japan, I believe. Bring it here, if CR-V had it I bet Andries' wife would not have gotten stuck!
-juice
I just picked up my kid from pre-school, and a Kia Spectra was stuck in the parking lot. The left front wheel was on ice and she could not move! One wheel spinning, one wheel drive!
She eventually rocked out of there, but almost slid in to the car next to her.
-juice
Given that I only put about 150 miles on the stock Duelers, it's hard for me to compare. Still though, I think the WRs handle noticeably better than the Duelers on both dry and wet pavement. I didn't drive the Duelers in any snow, but I have no doubt that they'd outperform them on snow and ice as well.
Would they handle as well as true summer tires on dry pavement?? Probably not, but I've been happy with the balanced performance I've gotten so far. And they don't seem near as squirly as the stock tires did when I'd corner on wet surfaces.
If you think that they wouldn't be a good fit, you may want to look at the Bridgestone Turanza LS-T's as well, or maybe the new BF Goodrich Traction T/A's. Everything I've read about them have been positive, and they are both cheaper to boot. But I think you'd give up some snow/ice performance though.
Sometimes I wish we could try tires like trying on a new pair of shoes....
-Tim
That's a really good point. Thanks for the calculations! I think I'm just stuck on the CR-V since it's the car I've been wanting for quite a few years.
Kyfdx,
I actually looked at the Protege5 last year. I'm also interested in that car because the dealership in my town here is one of the most reputable. The Honda dealer is less than desirable. Wonder if the Mazda3 has better gas mileage? Probably. Actually, I need a car that will carry two kayaks and have enough room to go camping in. And no, I don't need AWD.
Later this summer the Mazda 6 Wagon is due to come out. That should suit your needs perfectly. If the sales on the sedan stay as stagnant as they are there should be some good incentives available on the whole line by then.
The new Mazda 3(old protege 5 door) - 5 door probably has the passenger rrom you need but not the cargo capacity of camping gear you'll be carrying. If you don't have people in the back seat then you could fold the back seats down and have plenty of room.
If Gas mileage is not as important. The Nissan Xterra is decent.
Not really. AWD is a marketing term. It means whatever the manufacturer says it means. Many folks have come up with their own reasons for preferring that AWD or 4WD be used for specific types of systems, but there is no industry concensus. In other words, any definition you see here was probably made up here.
This is not to say that all systems are the same. The truth is far from it. But no one system or type of system can lay claim to the term "AWD".
As long as we're on terminology, I was following a new Sienna on the highway the other day. I noted that the model designation on the back spelled out "Limited AWD", which doesn't make it sound very capable.
King Varmint
Did you know that the both hybrid versions (there are 2, FWD and AWD) are based on the regular FWD model, not the AWD one?
The FWD hybrid adds an electric motor to the front axle of a FWD Highlander.
The AWD hybrid adds two electric motors, one on each axle, to the FWD Highlander. But the gas engine only powers the front wheels, not the rears. There is no driveshaft going to the rear axle, it's bizarre.
So there is yet another interpretation of the definition of the term AWD. It's gas/electric FWD plus electric RWD. At least they found a way around the center differential issue!
-juice
Front wheel drive: 1 front wheel turns
All wheel drive: 1 front and 1 rear wheel turns
4 wheel drive: all 4 wheels turn
RT4WD: 1 front wheel turns, 1 rear
wheel turns when needed
Gas mileage wise, for the most part would rank:
RWD or FWD then
RT4WD then
AWD then
4WD
Slipping, Gripping etc, for the most part would rank:
4WD
AWD
RT4WD
FWD
RWD
Have it essentially got it?
Im lookin at trading in my V for a Pilot. I have looking at other V's in my city, we have lots of them for the best color and I realize 9 out of 10 V drivers are females. I dont have a problem with this since I am secure about my preferences but I have decided on a Pilot. On Thursday I counted 10 CR-V and 9 out of 10 were female drivers, Friday I counted 10 and 8 out of 10 were females and 1 was an elderly gent, today I counted around 5 V's and all 5 were female drivers. This might be pointless but its obvious which sex the CR-V was designed for. I love my V but its time for something "Bigger" and better...
Honda is another manufacturer aware of the popularity of its CR-V with the fairer sex. According to Peter Schnoll, product planner for Honda Canada, “Soccer moms like its functionality, for example, and we’d never tamper with that. It could be because its platform was originally based on the Civic. Honda built the CR-V specifically with female buyers in mind.”
Schnoll adds that males tend to prefer a manual transmission. The newest version of the CR-V will features more “aggressive” styling, hopefully to attract younger female buyers. Many women buy vehicles like the CR-V strictly for its user-friendliness and practicality. The fact that it has all-wheel-drive is often of secondary importance.
Styling is tops
OK, so what do women want? What are they looking for when it comes time to get a new set of wheels?
There are exceptions to every rule, of course, and it’s extremely unwise to generalize about anything. But it’s safe to say that styling is probably at the top of the list, followed closely by reliability. Value for money is definitely in there, as is drivability and the fun-to-drive factor.
Unlike men, women will also factor in cuteness. As well, an automatic transmission is generally preferred to a stick shift. And don’t forget size and shape. Fuel economy? Nice, but not at the top of the list. Power and handling? Irrelevant. Image? Hardly.
The bottom line is that women want their cars to be pleasing to the eye, dependable, comfortable, easy to drive, well built, and useful which is exactly why women love the CR-V.
Which doesn’t really get us anywhere, as all buyers, regardless of gender, desire those qualities.
Still, without fear of favour, here is an unofficial top 10 list of so-called “chick” cars.
Volkswagen Beetle. Just wait until the convertible version comes out.
Volkswagen Cabrio. Every girl’s dream.
Mazda Miata. Cute, fun to drive, and very dependable.
Honda Civic. How popular is it? Honda ran out of stock mid-year.
Pontiac Sunfire Coupe. Good value for money, stylish exterior.
Honda CR-V. The fact that it has AWD is almost irrelevant.
Ford Escape. Especially given the Explorer imbroglio.
Toyota Echo. Inexplicably, some find this car cute.
By my definition of 4WD, the only difference is that 4WD will lock the front and rear axle together. So applying that to your example, the two wheels that spin would spin at exactly the same speed.
Women tend to be far more practical than men in their choice of vehicle.
Having said that, Miata as a chick car is a common myth, but it's not true at all. Most Miata owners are middle aged men. Call it a mid-life crisis car if you wish, but 59% of owners are male.
-juice
In my opinion, the CR-V is an AWD vehicle, because it can drive all 4 wheels if conditions warrant."
stevedebi: I was just trying to explain the difference between AWD, fulltime 4WD, and part time 4WD. Your opinion on what something is doesn't make it AWD, that's all I was trying to point out. The CRV is PART TIME 4 Wheel Drive, no matter how you explain it. Sorry for any offense.
Thanks for any details!
I have been getting what i think is terrible gas mileage. My dealer doesn't know if it is good or bad (suffice to say - not a good dealer). my last tank which was 70% slower highway driving was 328 km(203 miles) using 42.6litres (11.25US Gal.). That equates to 21 mpg canadian or 18 mpg american. I drive inthe north slow some roads are snow covered but we aren't doing much slipping.
Is this good? Bad? ugly?
an offhand note - so far at 5000 miles we have never got more than 425 km (260 miles) to a full tank (50-55 litres) of gas.
-juice
Today out of 6 CRV I noticed 6 were women, cant help but notice the gender after reading that article on how Honda designed this SUV for the female gender set, whatever they did, it worked.
You can, however, easily swap with a set of rims from the Element (16"). Most Honda wheels use the same bolt pattern. You just have to be certain you don't stray too far from the proper offset.
Thirdly, Honda offers an optional dealer-installed wheel for the CR-V - it looks good and a set goes for approx. $800 not including installation. You can views these wheels on the Honda website - www.hondacars.com - in the CR-V section. Just click on the accessories link.
In all cases the wheels are 15" - which is disproportionate and unbalanced looking, given the size of the vehicle.
I live north of Montreal and mt biggest concern when driving to work each day is the build up slush, and heavier snow on the sides of the road....I'd appreciate if any of you snow country CR-V owners could comment about the vehicle(I would get the AWD and put on 4 snows) in the type of conditions I mentioned.
Thanks
George
The sidewall of a tire allows for a bit of flex in the tires. The less sidewall you have, the less flex. So going with a larger rim and lower profile tire can improve handling. The downsides to this arrangement are stiffer ride and greater rotational mass (slightly less acceleration, lower mpg, unsprung weight, etc.). I doubt anyone would find the differences significant with a set of 16" rims, but going to 17" or 18" might lead to problems.
Suprised that Honda does Not use a filter w/rubber O ring in the CR-V filter, as they been using that O ring in their M'cycle oil filters for 20 years. Their M'cycle filters by the way, look like jewels,imo. Not so on this 2nd world car,lol! BR,md
The bigger wheel basically makes it look better through an optical illusion. The total height of the wheel/tire combo is the same, and does not fill up the wheel well any more than the stock combo, but it looks like it does. Theoretically, it should provide better handling as well.
regards,
kyfdx
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renegaded "What makes a small SUV small?" Feb 8, 2004 5:53pm
Have you noticed how most mid-size SUVs are becoming closer and closer to full size. Then the Full Size SUVs they are starting to feel more like the 18 wheeler they seem be using as a design standard.
Soon there will be a new segment Compact SUV.
-juice
Also, does anyone know if there is an anti-theft code for the 99 crv-lx radio. I would like to add a cd changer and if i disconnect the battery the radio does not work until a code is entered.
Finally, any other major concerns that I should look for even though I searched through this tread to look for comments/concerns and did not come up with too many negatives.
Low_ball - Well, it's a little late to ask for concerns now!
When a vehicle has recall work performed, they make note of the VIN. Any local dealer should be able to tell you if the work has been performed on that particular vehicle.
I know that my '99 EX has a theft code for the radio. I assume that the LX uses the same sort of code. That should be supplied with the owner's manual, but you're lucky if they supply that with used vehicles. Again, I'd check to see if the local dealer can look it up for you.
As for the radio anti-theft code, where in the owner's manual is it located? I know that my Acura had it on a card with a sticker on it containing a 5 or 6 digit code.
Thanks
so that the power windows in the rear area
can be disabled but not the front.Why?
My two grandkids love to play with the
buttons, and my 4 year old managed to get
her fingers caught in the up window.
2.The automatic door lock needs to have a way
to choose whether or not you want it.
I think cars are getting too complicated and us
with brains are being insulted by the attempt to idiot proof cars.At least we don't have a voice telling us "Your door is ajar" anymore.Remember
the most dangerous part of a car is the loose
nut behind the wheel.
"Remember the most dangerous part of a car is the loose nut behind the wheel."
Wow, I thought there had been a recall for that problem...
My Forester has the stuff standard, but I added fender flares myself. It basically fastened with two-sided tape on the upper half and then a few bolts just inside the fender, out of view.
Perhaps the CR-V's are the same way? I don't see why the panels would have to come off to mount cladding on the outside of the car.
Any how, they've saved me from a door ding or two, or twelve. I love 'em.
-juice
regards,
kyfdx
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-juice
-juice