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few more comments related to recent posts:
- i paid careful attention this morning on the way to work. there is very little steering wheel vibration at idle [stop light] for our I4 EX accord [made in Japan]. there is something there, but nothing noteworthy in my car driving experience. perhaps, i'm less sensitive to this than others or ahossa? the auto shift knob is dead motionless [in compared to the manual stick in my 2000 Civic which has a mild vibration at the stoplight]
- i forgot to mention in my previous post to urge owners to check their tire pressure! ours left the dealer lot at approximately 44 psi each! i remedied that quickly. i'm sure 44 psi will certainly add to a rough ride. [it's supposed to be 32/30 in the EX I4]. i can't believe the dealer, however, let the car leave the lot this far off in pressure.
- high tire pressure aside, i can see how someone might find the new accord's ride on the stiff side. as i think i said previously, the bumps are felt more than heard in this generation accord. [its quiet in an audible sense, but gives enough feedback to the driver rather than providing complete isolation] i like the feel and what they've accomplished, but it certainly is not as "cushy" as the Camry's i've ridden in (i don't care for that level of isolation and lack of "road feel.") the stiffness/transmission of feeling from a rough road through the chassis reminds me a lot my friend's 2002 VW Passat. in fact, this car reminds me a lot of the Passat. i think i give the Passat a slight edge in handling and brake feel. the brakes on this Accord are a little "touchier" than i'm used to in previous Honda/Acuras i've driven [2000 Civic, 1990 Integra, 1991 Legend, 2000 Accord, 1985 Civic...i'm sure there are more]
- and yes, we still have one minor rattle that comes and goes. [ugh!] in my lifetime, i think i've (including experiences growing up since i'm only in my 30s and have only bought a few cars myself) only encountered two cars which were rattle free upon delivery from the dealer [1991 Acura Legend, 1979 Audi 5000]. all other cars had some minor rattle or squeak/murmur. all of them are usually fixable or liveable. i'm going to try to deduce the source of our rattle before going to the dealer. so far, i've eliminated pretty much the entire door panel by pushing here and there when i'm driving. i think i've limited the noise to either the window channel on the driver's door or the driver headrest. [its a muted rattle that isn't audible with the radio on...so its almost liveable.
And I just can't imagine why the dealerships don't reduce the tire pressures when they get them. Don't they get a checklist from Honda telling them what to do when they "Unpack" a car.
Can you imagine to find out that you didn't buy a car due to "problems", and the "problems" were liked to dealerships "Unpacking" a car improperly. I think I would go balistic.
the new 2003 accord has a different suspension
for better handling and less washouts on turns.
The trade off is you feel the road more. I personally don't mind the vibration and fell cause i feeel more connected to what i'm doing.
But others could be understandably annoyed.
I have a 2000 accord ex v6 and have test driven the 2003 accord ex v6 and there's a definite improvemnet in handling, but more road vibration. JMTC
http://www.hondanews.com/forms/honda/accord/index_text2.html?KW=acctech+currenthonda
The suspesion new Accords have been stiffened to control body roll during hard cornering. Body roll is now nearly non-existant. I personally like it much better this way.
As for engine vibration, the new 4-cyl uses a double balancer shaft compared to the single used on the previous generation so the engine vibration should be much more controlled. I have a 2003 EX-L manual and I notice a slight vibration on the steering wheel, very small and comparable to the 2002's, maybe a little bit more. The new 4-cylinder runs MUCH smoother, however. Maybe the steering column isn't as isolated from the engine as before.
I seriously think he was playing Devil's Advocate, though...
Pat = Terminator?
Sumitomo makes a tire I'm interested in, the HTR 200. I have no experience with this manufacturer, but the Tirerack description of this tire meets most of my requirements. Has anyone in a 98-02 Accord tried these yet? I'd appreciate any feedback.
BTW, I've enjoyed the MXV4+s. They have given me great mileage,wear,and cruising pleasure. Yes, their wet traction was not the best and they do have handling limitations and are a bit noisy on rough roads, but overall they were more than adequate.
Like others, I'm also looking at Dunlop SP A2 and Bridgestone RE950s, but I really don't need an all-season tire. I may do some exploring this time with the Sumitomos.
After 16K I have been satisfied. Still plenty of tread left and I figure I'll get 40K out of them easily. They were ok in the limited snow we had last year and handle much better than the MXV4 Energy Plus Green whatevers that were OEM on my 98 EXL-A I4. I only got 36K out of the Michelins and for the price, I figured the Sumitomo's were worth a try. I only paid something like $55 each with the shipping.
Good Luck with your decision and FYI NTB is carrying Sumitomo's now so if there is one near you, go check them out.
If you get the chance, pop over to Tirerack and see if the tread design of your HTR4 is similar to the HTR200. I don't recall tirerack having any info on the HTR4 when I last visited there site. I be curious if the tread changed greatly since the HTR4.
In the wet, they work out pretty well. We didn't have any real rain all summer and when it started in the fall I was suprised at some slip at take off but that's gone away. I think it was all the crud coming up from the road. Overall, I've been pleasantly suprised by these tires.
If the HTR4's are any indication of the overall performance of the Sumitomo line, I think you'll be happy.
Usually when we ask someone to email us, it is because they have changed email accounts and failed to update their profiles -- which is a requirement, of course.
I see customers like that character all the time. No wonder car salesmen/women drink a lot.
At first I was going to the extreme, Toyota Prius or Civic Hybrid. (too small and slow).
Then, thought of fun small cars for use as a commuter. RSX Type-S and Subaru WRX were big contenders. Almost signed over the check for a WRX, until I decided to see how a car seat would fit in back with my daughter. Not even close.
My wife recommended the new Honda. Tried the 4 Cyl 1st and thought this would do. But, one ride in the V6 and the decision was made.
Bought the Silver 03 EX V6 today with no regrets. Market (supply) is tight here in KC. Was able to go $800 off MSRP.
As for the Michelins .. I had 40k on my Accord when I traded it and the tires looked brand new, still had plenty of tread left, and still had great wet weather traction. I kept em rotated every 5000 miles and that's all they needed.
MXV4s were had very low rolling noise but didn't like rough concrete/old road surfaces. Traction was alright (we don't get much snow here anyway). X-Ones are quieter on the roads that MXV4s didn't like, but have greater rolling noise. Traction continues to be about the same. But these tires were much cheaper ($83/piece). I may have to replace them at about 90K miles (currently at 73K).
Does the CD changer have a random selection that shuffles songs randomly from all 6 CD's, or does it randomize songs from one CD at a time? I'm hoping it's the former.
Thanks...
"This feature when activated, plays the tracks within a CD in random order rather than the order they are recorded on the CD."
I haven't tried it myself, but if it does work across CD's I'll let you know. Maybe there's a trick to it. . .
Another thing I've noticed is that my fuel mileage went down as well. I don't know if this is a coincident, but the MXV4's are supposed to have low "rolling resistance". The cause of my MPG drop could be the switchover to "winter gas" here in the Northeast, my change to a higher rolling resistance tire, the drop in temperature, or a combination of the above.
If I had to do it over again, I'd bite the bullet and get the X-One's.
Well, Michelin is a premium brand - as such they get a premium price. Heck - even BJ's Wholesale had the MXV4 Plus for $110 a pop.
If you're happy with em - that's what counts.