28th May 2004, 16:01
I've got a 2003 SiR and there are no heated seats. Too bad eh? Your Mustang GT comment intrigues me, perhaps I can catch someone asleep at the wheel and take em' off the line...
21st Aug 2006, 18:54
I just bought an SI, a few days ago, and it happened not to have the manual. So I have a few questions. What fuel should I use? And what's the best oil for it, I mean synthetic or regular? Thank you.
P.s. I really love my car...
14th Sep 2006, 12:13
I have a stock 2003 Honda Civic Si... it claims high 7's and low 8's on the 0-60...but I know for sure I can get low 7's just about every run... and maybe double clutching might help... I can burnout in my third gear, can you guys?
9th Feb 2007, 09:27
I've had my 2003 Civic Si (US model - 160 hp, 132 ft lbs) for over 3 years now. I bought it new and have put 40,000 miles on it so far. I've had only one problem with it during the past 3 years and 40,000 miles. A shield on one of the front brakes was rubbing a bit during turns due to excessive rust on the front brake discs. While under warranty, my Honda dealer replaced both front discs and pads and cured the problem completely.
Other than that, the only expenses have been gas & oil and regular washing and waxing.
2nd gear will grind if you don't completely depress the clutch or if you rush the shift. This happens on my car very rarely and it's most likely attributed to driver error.
Rattles are few, if any. Gas mileage can be 35 mpg on the freeway and over 30 mpg for mixed driving if you drive conservatively. 28 mpg for mixed driving is very possible even with your foot in it for most of the tank.
I agree that Honda paint is very thin. The front of my car shows stone chips quite easily. However, the low hood design contributes to getting stone chips more easily. The rest of the car is flawless with minimal wear. It's holding up very well (though I tend to take care of my cars quite well).
Overall, my Si has been a great car. If you are strictly into 0-60 and 1/4 mile times, look elsewhere. But if you want a very fun to drive, good handling, well built, economical and reliable vehicle, this is a great choice. I used to tire of my cars quickly and trade every couple of years or so, but I have no desire to get rid of my Si! A rare thing for me!
9th Feb 2007, 12:46
I think you can easily get into the 6's by using the following technique: rev it up in neutral until it is floored for about 10 seconds to properly warm the engine. With the engine at redline, then drop the gearshift into low and manually shift up through drive as you keep the tach at about 8,000 rpms. This is how the drag racers in the 1960's used to get the best times from their cars.
9th Feb 2007, 13:05
I have had my 2003 Si (bought new) for nearly 3 years, now with about 38,000 miles on it. I agree with others about the paint; it is fragile and chips easily, especially in front with the sloping hood. No real problems yet, except I just started getting radio static (through all the speakers) when I shift into any gear (even when not moving) when it's cold outside. Once the car warms up the noise goes away. Sounds like a loose contact.
I used to work for GM and this is my first foreign car; I'm pleasantly surprised. My only other comments are that there seems to be a blind spot looking (while driving) over my right shoulder with the rear quarter panel to roof area.
I was disappointed initially with the (what I perceive) lack of quickness, especially on acceleration. But, it's a great little car and I really like it!
15th May 2004, 14:59
Okay. In response to that first comment, I did a little bit of research on the new Tiburon GTs before I bought my Si. The 0-60 is the same for both cars. The Tiburon GT has a V-6, but it's only a 2.7 liter... with 172 HP. That means it is a heavier engine with only 12 more HP than my 2.0 liter inline-four. Oh yeah... the Tiburon also weighs 271 lbs more than my car; more, if you get the optional moonroof that my car comes standard with.
Now, for that second comment. I had a 2002 Mustang GT that did 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and 14.7 @ 97 MPH in the 1/4 mile. I know that one for a fact. My Civic *does* do 0-60 in 6.8 seconds and is supposed to be able to do 15.6 in the 1/4 mile. I haven't raced it and don't plan on it... until I get the rest of the money to get the Greddy turbo and intercooler for my it. I didn't buy this car for it's current performane ratings. I mostly fell in love with it because it is the only model in the entire Civic line to feature a DOHC i-VTEC engine. ;-) If all goes well, it should have between 300 and 350 HP when I'm done... maybe a tad more if I can. I also plan on installing a 6-speed manual transmission from either a Civic Type-R or an Acura RSX Type-S. My car has the 160HP K20A3 engine, while the RSX Type-S and Civic Type-R both have the 200 HP K20A2 engine (which I might consider in the future), so the transmission from either car should work great. The only real differences between the K20A3 and the K20A2 are the heads and the cams. Anyway, to get back to the point, the lower gearing of the first few gears of the 6-speed will improve my 0-60 times, while the higher 6th gear will raise my top speed. Anyway, as you can see, the current performance is not what interests me the most...it's the car's potential that I really care about. Oh, by the way, were you watching the new (02-04, EP3 body code) Si hatches or the older coupes at the track? The newer Si's have more torque and better acceleration.
As for the driver of the "Canadian version"...you say you have an Si-G. If I'm not mistaken, the G simply stands for an option package that you have. That means you have a normal Civic Si... which is somewhat impressive in America since Si is associated with performance... but the Si in Canada is merely the equivalent of our Civic EX. The reason that your "lawn mower has more pickup" is because the EX, or Si in Canada, only has a 127 HP SOHC 1.7 liter VTEC inline-four. The Canadian equivalent of my American Si is the Civic SiR. The SiR is exactly like my car in every way, including performance, except the fact that the Canadian version has daytime running lights along with heated seats and mirrors. I'm sure it's possible that those extras would add some weight and slow the car down, but it's probably not enough to matter. Anyway, my Si (or, again, SiR in Canada) has a 160 HP DOHC 2.0 liter i-VTEC inline four... which means I have 25% more HP and 15% more torque (132lb vs. 114lb) than your car. ;-)