Well, I love the car in general, but about the only "complaint" I can say I have is the clutch feel and accelerator. I'll focus on the accelerator for this thread. I have an '06, and is it just me, or is the pedal VERY soft? I'll have to drive a friend's non-dbw car to see if it's different, but I'm willing to bet that it's a little bit stiffer than my '06.

I personally find the pedal pressure a little too soft, and was curious if there was any way to stiffen it up at all. Granted, I've only had the car for a short period of time, but I find that I actively have to lift my foot consciously off the accelerator rather than just not pressing down on it, compared to my older hondas. Has anyone done this before? It's not a big problem, but something small that I feel would help improve the feel of the car considerably.

 

06+ have the lighter pedal feel

 

Ok, I thought so.. I ordered a service manual, but it probably won't come till the end of next week, but I'll probably stick my head down by the pedal on Sunday and see if there's anything that can be done.

Do any other DBW AP2 owners find their pedal pressure to be too soft as well? I figure I can't be the only one.. because I'd swear sometimes I can't even feel any resistance from pushing the pedal.

I am looking forward to ridding my car of the CDV on Sunday (which will hopefully improve the clutch "feel"). I've driven many manuals before, and I'm not sure what it is, but the clutch just doesn't feel "right" and doesn't seem to have a consistent "grab" point like so many other cars I've driven. I have ZERO intentions of powershifting/launching/etc, but merely want a nice predictable clutch. I still can't get over how soft the clutch pedal is as well..

 

Personally I like the accelerator pedal. I agree it is a little soft compared to some of the other vehicles I've driven (non-DBW mostly) but once you get used to it, I think the throttle is much easier to control than with a cable throttle. I know most people won't agree with that last statement, but once you get to where you are REALLY comfortable with the DBW system, the ability to control throttle inputs is awesome. As for the clutch I'm not so sure there is going to be a whole lot you can do to change the feel of it too dramatically from what it is now, assuming you keep stock components. (someone correct me if i'm wrong)

Give the DBW system a little getting used to before you make some changes, or at least try to find as much information about how the changes you want to make will effect the car.

As far as stiffening the spring, the Toyota accelerator recall does just that, in a sense. They stick a shim behind one of the spring mounts in the pedal to reduce the travel amount of the spring, effectively "increasing" spring tension by shortening travel, and now allowing the spring to rebound to its fill length. I'm not sure who makes Honda's DBW pedals, but this could be a possible solution for you, though I'm not sure how much "stiffer" the pedal feels.

 

Thanks for the info BB. I'll definitely give it a little more time, and maybe I'll get used to it, but I certainly find it too soft. While driving the car, I noticed I would have a tendency to not fully let off the throttle when shifting, and I realize it's because you actually have to lift your foot, as opposed to just not applying anymore pressure.

I'll remove the CDV tomorrow, and hopefully that makes the "feel" a little better for the clutch. I'm curious to do it myself, because some people strangely say there's no difference before and after, and some people say it makes a huge difference, which is just strange..

 

What kind of shoes are you wearing?

 

I'm wearing normal shoes, not boots (if that's what you're asking). I imagine with boots this problem would be much more pronounced..

 

Honda got similar complaints with the AP1 and stiffened the TB spring along with a pedal travel adjustment to make it easier to drive. I guess the 06 went back to that.

As for me, I love a softer pedal, as it makes it very responsive to driver imput....

 

While I can understand people preferring a softer pedal, I have a hard time understanding how a softer pedal makes it any more responsive. That's like saying super light steering makes it more responsive to driver input. That's simply not true. If you're having trouble pushing down the harder pedal/turning the heavier steering wheel, sure it makes it more responsive, but I don't believe anyone has these problems.

Like I said, the "problem" I have is that merely leaving my foot in position over the gas pedal results in partial throttle, and I have to actually lift my foot instead of just not pressing down to give it zero throttle. I'll see if I can figure out anything to stiffen the pedal..

 

^ Well, I drive and I'm constantly making tiny tiny tiny adjustment to the throttle.. I don't leave my foot in one position as I drive. A harder pedal makes it less enjoyable to make extremely small changes in throttle input. Honda saw it this way at first I guess, but most drivers are like you who don't like that approach. They listened and the 04-05 car does indeed have a harder pedal. I prefer the AP1 throttle body over the ap2 one by a million years. In fact, I have a WTB thread for an AP1 TB.

To recap, it's not so much a matter of actual measurable response, but more about how it feels to the driver. Sure I can drive with a firmer pedal or even a malfunctioning one (very stiff) for that matter, but I personally find a softer pedal more pleasurable to drive.

Drive an AP1 and see how you like it