I hate typical honda owners

[pgfpro]

Originally Posted by D.O.G.

Modifying a vehicle to be something it wasn't intended for, isn't so terrible.

It's what I and many others on this site are doing all the time - we just go in the other direction.

None of the cars I've owned while posting on this site have been economical by design. If I didn't enjoy the challenge, I'd by a used VEi civic - it's highway rating is better than I've ever gotten from the Astina.

I agree. The two roads to modifying are Performance the big one, and now Economy, that's still in its infancy.

I think it's not as much the modifying of the vehicles that is irritating as the mindset of the (typical) person performing the mods that is the issue.

You can likely thank Fast and the Furious for the "ricer mod" craze, just like the muscle car trend decades ago with movies like Vanishing Point, Bullitt and Smokey and the Bandit etc.

The Cool Factor.

When I got my drivers license 1977, the first car I owned was a 1969 Dodge Charger with a 318 two barrel. All my friends had muscle cars also that we raced. We even marked off 1320' on a road that's in no where land that we raced for bragging rights and sometimes money.
I learned that my 318 CI two barrel wasn't going to cut it. So I dropped in a 340 CI. Then realized my rear gear was to tall so installed a 3.91 posi trac third member. Then Headers, Aluminum Intake, Holley 650 double pumper.
I then realize a 440CI big block would be a better choice. So I started my first engine build. Then a stall converter and a shift kit.

But something great happen to me and all my friends that were into building and racing our cars? We became Mechanics Our interest in modifying was so strong that we work as much as possible to make as much money as we could to dump every dime into our rides. Luckily this mindset kept us out of the party scene. My Dad Loved what I was doing because of my Mechanical ability I started doing all the maintenance on the family's cars and even rebuilt a couple engines for Mom and Pop.

Now fast forward to 2003. I started to see something I wasn't familiar with?
EFI chip burning, EFI Tuning and Turbo Charging. The other thing that really bother me was the people that were working this Sorcery were much younger then me? Just a bunch of Damn Kids.lol So I pushed myself and went to my first EFI class, "EFI 101" by Ben Strader, of EFI University. Then bought my first Honda Civic and installed a Turbo and a Haltech standalone EFI system. I started racing it at our local track, and meet some young kids that wanted to learn EFI Turbo tuning. I passed on everything I learned, and was very proud of them for their ability to build and tune their own cars. I could give them a virtual EFI tuning problem and they could solve it.
Example:
I have a 8 cylinder 502 CI running 7 psi at seal level at 5500 RPM with a VE of 80%. The injector's are 86 lb/hr. The IAT is 100*F. The A/F ratio is 12.0.
Whats the Pulse Width of the injector's and the Duty Cycle?
Same engine but at 2000' elevation?
Same engine at 80*F IAT?
Same engine but with 60 lb/hr injectors?
Same engine with running at 13.0 A/F?
Same engine but a 12 cylinder?

Anyway my point is some of these Honda kids are smarter then you think? You can't broad brush all of them. The reason they might pick a VX Civic is because its a lighter version? Or they got it cheap? This probably doesn't sit well with a few Ecomodders on here that hes destroying a perfect VX but it's not any different then what I did with my friends of my era, cutting up a 69 Charger and a 68 Camaro and 70 Cuda. This hurts a little thinking back about the butchery, but not much. To me cars are just a chunk of metal and plastic.
Just a Vehicle to get from point A to point B, not a Golden Calf. How you enjoy the voyage is up to you.

[Fat Charlie]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

What's even crazier to me are those who modify the Acura TSX (Euro-Accord) for performance. For much less money, they could have purchased a TL to begin with, or any other vehicle that already has the performance built in. In the process, they ruin the purpose for which the TSX was built; efficient, luxurious commuting.

Junior didn't pick a TSX to mod, it's just that Mom replaced her TSX around the time junior got his license. Junior doesn't want efficient, luxurious commuting, but he can't buy what he wants because he doesn't have a real job. He can't even get a straight-up trade because he doesn't own the TSX in the first place. But he can buy rice parts for "his own" car a few hundred bucks at a time.

Originally Posted by pgfpro

Anyway my point is some of these Honda kids are smarter then you think?

Some are. But the closest the typical one comes to tuning is the "tuner" wheel nuts he bought. Lots of cat deletes running out there, sure, but how many of them even downloaded and installed an appropriate map- much less worked on their own? The typical one is really only good at buying parts that said "performance" on the box. JDM, yo!

Grilles, shift knobs, HIDs and tints are more of the scene than hard parts. Actual added horsepower is almost nonexistent out there.

[jcp123]

A K24/20 TSX isn't a bad running car, really. But not my first choice were I in the market for an upmarket sedan...

[Joggernot]

You would have enjoyed getting my Hondas. 1982 Accord LX with 200k miles, good compression, everything worked except the sun visors and passenger air bag (neither of which can Honda get right). Todays Honda is 270k miles, good compression, everything works except the sun visors and passenger air bag (did I mention that Honda can't get either of these right). Don't think I'll get a new car for a while, but as its a V6 EX-L, I've had people look seriously about making me an offer even without a for sale sign.

[user removed]

1982 with air bags? Maybe you got the year wrong? My 1992 Sentra does not have air bags.
I think drivers side was required in 1993, passengers in 1995, but definitely no airbags in 82.

regards
mech

[Joggernot]

You're right. It was a 1986.

[War_Wagon]

Pretty sure Honda didn't have airbags until '93, and then only on the driver's side. I know Ford switched to them in '90 as standard, but I don't think it was mandatory in North America until the mid '90s. Funny how most manufacturers don't put in new safety stuff until they are forced to, then act like they are being all cutting edge! (Fun car spotters fact, the 3rd brake light wasn't mandatory until 1986, so if you see a car like a Mustang or Civic or Regal that you know is mid '80s, if it has the 3rd brake light it's at least an '86)

[Joggernot]

Yes, you are right...my wife also explained that I was confused again. Just a note, in the early 60's I wanted to put a third brake light on my 59 chev and was told by the police that it was illegal and I would get a ticket if I did. Oh well.

[Fat Charlie]

It used to be illegal to have your headlights on during the day. Now blinding people is something that comes from the factory.

[Chrysler kid]

I'll make it more clear, since my camaro is pretty modified I wanted it to be my fast car and weekend toy.

Thinking you are making your 1996 Honda civic faster by putting a loud muffler and exhaust system on it just baffles me. But again as a mechanic I value the vehicle for what it is.

What is really retarded is you can buy an ls1 drivetrain with ecu and trans for $2300, and if you wanted to swap a 210hp integra motor into a civic you would pay the same price if not more.