[sgiitk]

I have really never needed to use the S mode. Things will change when I go into the hills due to the reverse braking! In the D mode I soemtimes try and upshift earlier (yes it works!). In general the AT is pretty intelligent.

I have done 2500+ and am getting 10+ overall. However, in Kanpur traffic I am getting about 7.5kpl only. The best I got was 16+ on a trip to Lucknow. I am going off on a long highway run soon, and will keep a tab. I have a thread Honda Civic V AT Alabaster Silver.

[manim]

Originally Posted by dot

manim, I read your posts extensively before my purchase. They have been extremely encouraging for me. I am planning to adopt some of the practices you have recommended. In fact, I already have.

Thanks!

I finished a 1,300 kms drive to Chennai and Tiruvannamalai from Tuticorin a few days back. Overall FE was 12.3 kmpl for this trip. It was mostly good 4-lane roads and I was doing 120-130 kmph.

[dot]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I have a thread Honda Civic V AT Alabaster Silver.

sgiitk, I have read your thread in detail. Moreover, I have seen your posts elsewhere. Specially, I agree with you on the US ECU remap software. It is the same engine which gives 8 hp more there. Just a matter of software, wonder how to get it.

Offtopic alert
Long time back, during hostel days in middle of research, I used to tune my bike. Just the right amount of air and fuel would do the trick and the 100cc engine would behave much better; far superior than the stock positions of the carb. But that was a carburetor, not fuel injection, so a romanticism was there in manually tuning your vehicle. Even now I love to hear a nicely tuned bike's throaty sound. Not overly leaned ones where the engine is begging for more fuel.

I guess my Civic will also return ~8km/l in in Pune traffic if driven around in D mode. The S mode allows to upshift much earlier. This results in better fuel efficiency. Isnt this amazing how the car manages the ride without stalling or vibrating? Vasoo's thread captures this essence and I learnt it from there. I need to experiment and repeat some of these runs. Not yet had that much time on the car!

Originally Posted by manim

Thanks!

I finished a 1,300 kms drive to Chennai and Tiruvannamalai from Tuticorin a few days back. Overall FE was 12.3 kmpl for this trip. It was mostly good 4-lane roads and I was doing 120-130 kmph.

Welcome.

Great to hear about your road trip. It is difficult to go at lower speeds on nice 4 laned roads! So roads from Chennai to Tuticorin is completely 4 laned? Wow. I had heard that 4 laning has been done till Madurai.

[mdsaab]

@dot finally found your thread. So now i know the whole story of how you found your preworshipped civic. That was one awesome journey you had there. and when it's meant to be, everything just falls into place. Just look at how they negotiated the price from their side. Also liked the pictures on the service taking place. Here's wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with your preworshipped and still worshipped civic. Drive Safe!

[dot]

@mdsaab, thanks for the wishes and for bringing up this thread from the purgatory. It was such a pleasant surprise to see this thread when I logged in sometime back.

Since it is up again let me give an update of the last 3k kilometers worth of driving experience.

Fun part

Nowadays totally addicted to S mode. Sometimes I try D mode, however the immediate feeling is that something is missing. No, it is not about FE at all.

I had "discovered" the third gear almost from the beginning. To putter around in third gear was all so nice, give a blip on the throttle and way she goes. Need some more power? Downshift, throttle and upshift back, job done.

Then one day, almost by accident, I suddenly discovered the second gear. It was on a turn actually. After taking the turn I had to accelerate to keep up with the traffic flow, so was concentrating on the road and didn't press the +paddle. Suddenly the car was growling forward. Felt like driving a different vehicle altogether. Whoa, whats that. Nothing, it is just the 2nd gear fool, which you have been ignoring all this time. Man, was I happy from that day onwards.

Then I discovered the first gear.

Something on redlining. In S mode if one floors the accelerator pedal, the car will rev all the way to redline in first gear and wont upshift. The tacho needle will hit the limit, bounce and hit it back again and again. Only on pressing +paddle will cause the tranny to upshift to the second gear. I am planning to take a video sometime.

Even after all this, the FE is still 10-10.5 in city.

Issues

Civic has an audible torque converter noise. Not an issue, but have to live with it. Showed this to two separate Honda service stations, at both the places they said that it is normal.

Accessories

Art leather (Hi Tech) beige seatcovers, door trims and armrests also changed to same material. The installation could have been better though.

Dynamat Extreme placed on both the front doors. Bass quality has distinctly improved. The DSP hack along with the dampening has totally wiped the need of a better ICE at the moment.

3M CR70 front windscreen sunfilm. The burning sensation on hands and face has gone after this installation.

TBHP stickers (Big thanks to @mdsaab for his encouragement) Here are some pics.







One purchase that really helped one night is the tyre inflator. Reached office basement at 7:30 p.m. to see that someone has leaked the front right tyre. Ditto for an adjacent Figo which was parked wrongly. Thanks to the inflator, could start the car for home in 15 minutes. Here is a pic




What else?

40k service coming up. Eagerly waiting for that.
Tyre change to Michelins
Hoping for a Aux-in DIY.
A second horn: Yes, No, Maybe
More power? Heck no. My first gear is still there!!

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by dot

Then I discovered the first gear.

hahaha... That was a good little experience, dot! I am glad you found out the true potential of paddle shifts. I bet you will get addicted to them! I love slick paddle shifts on Civic myself, more than those on Laura or Jetta. But ultimately give me the usual stick shift any day of the week!

Originally Posted by dot

What else?

40k service coming up. Eagerly waiting for that.
Tyre change to Michelins
Hoping for a Aux-in DIY.

Waiting to hear your experience on the major service. Did you get Michelin PLC? How much damage to your pockets?

PS - Nice pics and a cool registration #.

[shuvc]

Originally Posted by dot

Then I discovered the first gear.

haha ! You should try redlining in the other gears. I've managed to bounce off the limiter in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th .. addictive. Still love the tall 3rd - all the way to 155

[mdsaab]

Hey @dot, glad that you revived the thread and HOW!
I like the stickers, and you centered the got bhp? Perfectly. Did you use measuring tape?
Also the tyre inflator is a really handy thing to have. How much does it cost?
Awaiting your rev video as well as future posts. Keep em coming!
Drive safe!

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by shuvc

haha ! You should try redlining in the other gears. I've managed to bounce off the limiter in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th .. addictive. Still love the tall 3rd - all the way to 155

So true, shuvc. Hitting the rev limiter in short bursts of acceleration is very addictive indeed. I push my car real hard on empty roads and then senses prevail, thinking about the horrific chaos on our roads and some graphic sights from 'Accidents in India' thread! Its bizarre.

[dot]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Did you get Michelin PLC? How much damage to your pockets?
PS - Nice pics and a cool registration

AceF355, Thanks. Michelins are still in the pipeline. Damage will be around 22k for 4 tyres. The registration number is nice, no doubt, however when I brought her home, it was the least of highlights. In other words, while choosing the right car, I was too concerned and preoccupied about the state of the vehicle and service history. In fact I didnt even notice the number till the second visit.

Originally Posted by shuvc

haha ! You should try redlining in the other gears.

As Ace said, lack of safe roads prevent this :(
Need to do it soon, very soon..

Originally Posted by mdsaab

I like the stickers, and you centered the got bhp? Perfectly. Did you use measuring tape?
Also the tyre inflator is a really handy thing to have. How much does it cost?

Yes, used a string and my sons' crayons to mark the stickers. The tyre inflator can be bought from ebay. However if you see Admiral Togo's thread, Guderian talks about a desi inflator that is available in Pune.

[Dippy]

Crisp update on your Civic ownership experience. Good to see that the car is behaving just the way it should. Your gear discovery experience was a pleasure to read. Thats the beauty of a Civic AT. Convenience of an AT in traffic and fun of paddle shift on empty roads

By the way, whats with the sticker on the centre of the boot. Effect of logo theft is it?


Looking forward to updates after the 40,000 kms service which is a major one. They should be changing the AT fluid during this one.

[flyingkolors]

Thank you for reviving this thread. I am surprised that I stumbled on it only now. And read it end to end in one go and man it was fun! You have a flair for writing.

And the concept of pre-worshipped is slowly kicking in. And happy to know that you got a good deal there. And the tbhp sticker fitted in very well too.

Loved reading about the paddle shifts and your learnings :-) Keep us posted on the 40k service.

Drive safe, happy revving.

[dot]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Crisp update on your Civic ownership experience. Good to see that the car is behaving just the way it should. Your gear discovery experience was a pleasure to read.

By the way, whats with the sticker on the centre of the boot. Effect of logo theft is it?

Thanks a lot. It was a pleasure to discover the nicer points, one by one. Nowadays, I sniff around to seize any opportunity to take out the Civic for a drive!

Yes, the center boot sticker was a result of logo theft. Decided not to give the thief a second chance.

Originally Posted by flyingkolors

Thank you for reviving this thread. I am surprised that I stumbled on it only now. And read it end to end in one go and man it was fun! You have a flair for writing.

And the concept of pre-worshipped is slowly kicking in. And happy to know that you got a good deal there. And the tbhp sticker fitted in very well too.

Thanks a lot.

The mindset of buying a perfectly good car, though preowned (preworshipped!) needs to change. Of course wear and tear will occur, but that is true for any car! The usual question is, "yes this car is fine, but do we know if there are any lurking issues that may crop up in a years' time".

Funny thing is, the same person, lets say in US, will not think twice about buying a used car. But here the same person will probably have reservations. And there are reasons for this behaviour. Indian driving conditions are harsh. Cars do suffer higher wear and tear.

However, as most new cars in India become better and better, buying them in a used car market should also become a fruitful experience. India needs proper VIN and service history related information available to push the used car market.

[vasoo]

dot, that was a great and crisp report! I am also driving now almost 90% using paddles and really enjoy the 2nd and 3rd gear. Congrats once again and wish you thousands of safe miles with your beauty.

[Guderian]

Hi Dot, I know I am late round these parts - but then never too late to congratulate you on your new (now old-ish) acquisition.
Great and that silver (is that what it is called by Honda ?) colour is smashing (whooops....wrong phraseology for a car !) good !

How does the new baby take the road humps of Pune ? Any real issues with the ground clearance ? Or is it just a case of poor handling by drivers ?
My neighbouring stilt parking in the colony is inhabited by a very same silver Civic. I note the bottom's been totally scraped and the lower portion of the door frame too has some deep wounds. Yes, it is driven by a driver (Hey ! Aren't all cars driven by a driver ? What I mean here is a hired driver !). But I have noticed the chap is a good driver - however the car still has quite a few scrapes.
A close friend too has a silver Civic - but never had time to notice the gashes on his car.

I for one never have really never warmed up to second hand cars for some reason ! And it takes quite a bit of guts to go in for one, as per me.

Well done and have fun.
Incidentally, I couldn't find it anywhere here, what have you named the babe ?