1st Dec 2007, 10:47
Honda engines do it all the time; Honda is an engine company first, car-building company second.
1st Dec 2007, 12:34
I'm not saying that Honda hasn't got a good name for reliability; but any decent car make, whether it's a turbo or not, should last a long time if you look after it. Obviously the servicing, but also very simple things like you just said. Make sure you get the oil warmed up before using all the revs, and if it's a turbo, let it circulate for a minute after a hot drive.
2nd Dec 2007, 08:16
That has to be the most ridiculous comment I have ever seen on this website.
First of all. any half competent engineer could "copy" the VTEC system using information found on the internet. It's clever, but it's not rocket science. The reason it hasn't been done is because it is the intellectual property of Honda, and the copier would be liable for a kicking in the courts.
Secondly, Ford's Duratec (it hasn't been called Zetec for nearly 10 years) is easily capable of 100 bhp per litre. Caterham will sell you a car with a choice of two, and Westfields have had 100 bhp+ per litre Zetecs since the mid 90's. And they don't need a series of solenoid valves and expensive valvegear to do it. Horses for courses.
Hondas are well engineered cars, but why do owners make them out to be so much more than they are? 99% of Hondas are bland, mass market transport that you'd lose in a car park if you didn't note down where you'd parked. The Type R's are different, and ver quick but need to be driven like they're nicked before they feel any quicker than most diesels. VTEC is one solution for big bhp, but it is not THE solution.
2nd Dec 2007, 09:57
And the Duratec is the best engine in the world. Every fine vehicle built today has one. Those cars with a Duratec are by far the best looking, most reliable, and have the best resale value of any car in the world. It is no wonder Ford is the #1 automaker in the world.
2nd Dec 2007, 10:41
Resorting to sarcastic insults instead of reasoned arguments is a bit sad. Why bother posting at all?
I never said they were the best cars around, but if you want to start comparing motorsport histories between Honda and Ford, I'm game. And I'm not talking bespoke, handbuilt F1 engines either, but club level motorsport using production engines.
Let's compare and let the evidence speak for itself.
14th Dec 2007, 16:35
Too many about now; and unless you face a good driver, most of its rivals will dance around its handling and vtec (engine). Quick in a straight line, but out here in the country with tight corners and few straights, its not really all its cracked up to be. I sold mine and bought a 328ci that had a 330i engine put in it and I was dreading the day I would meet my old R on the road, but I was a nice match for the Type R making me realise I had made the right choice. To sum up, it is a good car, but don't get carried away with all the hype.
8th Dec 2011, 06:04
I rate Hondas very highly... well engineered and reliable, but some owners do believe they are untouchable in their Type Rs.
As for torque... they do not have it! I currently have a 96 FTO GPX sat down my drive, and a 2002 MG ZS 180, and in the torque stakes the ZS 180 has it, and the FTO does not unless it's up around 5000rpm (if you don't believe me, watch my FTP vids on YouTube, username 'gtbloke', and watch how the car does not go until 5000rpm+)
In the real world, torque is more important... I can't forget how many times I have been caught in the wrong gear in the FTO, and unless I'm in the 'zone' giving it 8000rpm, it's pretty average, and the same goes for Honda.
Had a dabble the other week with an Accord Type R in the ratbag old ZS180, and from 2nd gear upwards I had the edge on him, for all his VTEC noise, and do you know why? Because I had something called torque.
Anyway, sorry for my rant, but I get sick of all the fanboy ranting... I have the revvy V6 lump and the torquey one too :)
8th Dec 2011, 11:28
I have a diesel, and I can tell you now that torque is great for everyday driving, but even I won't pretend it makes any difference if the cars are both going flat out.
A very simple indicator of this is looking at bhp per ton, and then comparing 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times etc. On the roads, torque counts for a lot if you catch someone out unawares, but if both drivers are going pedal to the metal, the CTR's high power to weight ratio mean it will comfortably beat a ZS180 in a straight line or round a track.
If it's bragging rights, then go for bhp, if it's comfortable usable power, you want torque. After all, hp is simply (rpm x torque)/5252, so at the end of the day, comparing high revving power to low useable torque can still be brought back to hp in terms of max power, to see which the faster car is.
1st Dec 2007, 10:23
Mine went to 258,000 miles; then I traded it.