James, don't do it! Your 04' is very nice! I love the changes they made to the 04's, and despite the lower redline, it's still as quick and performs as well or even better.

The difference between the years is so marginal that it's not worth making the switch. If you're concerned about 1/10th of a second in time difference on the track or street, then learn to drive the S2K better. The driver is what makes all the difference in the world in these cars (stock vs. stock).

I like the upgraded wheels and suspension to the 04's. It makes it easier to drive and less "twitchy" at the extreme. So, it's safer. Same say that's softer, but to me, I'd rather know that I can push it further without losing control.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 03', and it's a huge improvement over the 01' I had, but I would be happy with either the 03' or the 04'. The only reason I didn't get an 04' was the price. I didn't want to spend $30K at this time, and I got a good deal on my 03'.

So, if you want to be faster, then: A) take a driving course and/or B) Supercharge it!

In the meantime, keep yours! It is purty!

BTW, I have a wing like yours now!

 

Nate I know what you mean about the its up to the driver with the 03 and 04 but I really want 3,000 RPM of VTEC. I don't really care about low end tq and I dont want to cjange the VTEC engagement just to have 3,000 RPM of VTEC. When I go and drive an 03 and if I like it better I am pretty sure I am going to give up the 04 for the 03. Its not about the speed on this one its about the redline. Even if it is slower just having a 9000 redline makes it my kind of drivers car.

 

If you have extra money to throw around, send some of it my way.

And, I thouht it's only 700-800 rpm difference between the two years?

You really should drive a previous year car and then sleep on it. Then make a decision.

Honda rates both cars w/ the same horsepower, but dyno numbers on this board tend to indicate slightly more power to the 04. Again, these numbers are marginal.

And why didn't these concerns bother you when you bought your 2004? I knew back in the fall what I was "giving up" in purchasing a 2004. Then, there were still 03s everywhere.

 

Test drive it thoroughly. Then sleep on it and decide.

After that, it's a matter of selling your 04' and finding an 03'. The good thing is that you could potentially save money.

 

Sell, don't trade, otherwise you'll take a hit on a car that's older than the one you have.

 

IMO the small difference between the two cars would not justify the hit you'd take on changing now.

You could prob add a SC for the hit youll take...

I wouldnt do it solely for the redline....

 

what were you thinking when you bought the 04? I mean how difficult was it to choose the car you wanted after driving both? you have a great car, enjoy it....or spend thousands to get the same great car only sllightly different!

 

I never drove the 03 and when I was geting my car I did not know the redline was higher on the 03. All I new is that the 04 had more tq. Thats it. I never found out about this amazing car till 2004 and beign that the 2004 is different I only read about the 04 and not the pre 04. I know I probalby sound really stupid for doing that.

 

Yep.

 

There are a lot of people that think the 9k redline is so much better than the 8k. I owned a 00 for 2 years and loved it, then sold it and bought an 04 a couple months later. guess what, I love it even more. You're not always going to be in vtec at 9k everywhere you go, and if you are then your an idiot. The 04 is soooooo much better for daily driving, its smooth, has no bogging, you can keep the rpms below 3 and still go if you need to, you will regret trading the 04 for the 03 because 1. you're gonna throw your money out and 2. the 04 is better in so many ways, the only downfall it the 8,000 instead of the 9,000.

I can still drive fast and not even be in vtec, unlike the 03, if i wanted to drive somewhat fast i had to shift at at least 7 or else there is not that much power below 6 to play with. I say keep the 04 and get a VAFC to lower the vtec if you're so worried about having more vtec. Then it'll give you even more power and you'll be whoopin up on everyone. just my 2 pennies.