Nope. I'm a wimp when it comes to breaking the engine in.

Some day!

Oh, and thanks for all the responses.

 

Well, you are not seeing the car at it's full potential. A co-worker of mine has a 2002 and he asked me if I hit VTEC in the parking garage, and if not I need my car revoked. Well, the garage is small, but I managed in the given space to get up to that speed safely but not at full throttle. Full throttle makes a big difference also.

One thing I am amazed at is how wasy the car is to drive around town under 6k rpms. If it nothing like the car magazine make it seem, except under 2k rpms it has what I like to call VTEC throttle lag (like turbo lag).

 

Just do it!

 

[QUOTE=daytontp,Aug 25 2005, 03:18 PM] One thing I am amazed at is how wasy the car is to drive around town under 6k rpms.

 

I've never really understand why people seem to think they need an abundance of torque for "daily driving" in the first place. I've yet to find myself in a situation during "daily driving" where I thought to myself...."Self, I sure could use 400lb.-ft. of torque right now in this traffic".

 

Exactly!!

This car has a high revving engine and it's geared for it. So let it do what it's designed to do and you won't have any "lack of torque" issues.

Just for clarification, I don't mean that you have to VTEC the car every time the clutch is let go. But you do need to keep it over 3000 rpms (with the 2.2's) if you want any reasonable acceleration going in traffic. I know that's very hard for folks used to 5.0 liter V8's but they just need to get over it. I've found that shifting at 3500 works very well. The 2.0's like it a little higher on the rev band from what I understand and the one Ap1 I've driven (about 3 years ago) felt quite comfortable with that as I recall.

FWIW!
Drive Safe,
Steve R

 

I am in Austin. The only time I notice the low torque is when climbing a hill in 6th gear. You won't find roads like that in South Houston :-) . It is much more fun to feel a car pull itself over the top rather than need a down shift.

But having said that, I enjoy driving this car more than any other due to its agility and precision.

Driving my Eagle Talon Tsi is still a blast too, so I decided to keep it for the rainy days. With AWD, it preys on other cars in the rain. BTW, it's got great torque for 4cyl!

With regards to the VTEC crossover, it has been interesting coming from a turbo to VTEC. Turbo boost comes in earlier and last longer. To me, the sensation is like the car is being yanked with a bungee cord. VTEC to me is like lighting an afterburner (as if I would really know what that is like).

So from an overall perspective (braking, shifting, accelerating, cornering) this is an awesome car... I can't help but think about F1 when driving.

 

[QUOTE=yyyiiikes,Aug 25 2005, 10:58 PM] I am in Austin.

 

It's an usual situation, a long very steep grade which I take at 70-75 mph (straight line, no turns). Granted the duration of this hill is not on par with with Colorado, but it is very steep for 600 feet. The bicyclers have nicknamed it "The Wall".... lots of cyclers train in this area, including Lance.

I am not trying to degrade the car. But my point is just that the car's torque characteristics is noticeable in this situation. I test drove many cars on this hill because it is on the way to a more twisty, hilly road (Lime Creek Rd). With climbs and turns, the S2K definitely excels. I nearly wrecked a new turbo Miata on this road.

Give me a shout if you ever road trip to Austin. There's some fun roads and alot closer than Colorado.

 

I may just do that. Thanks!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.