I'm glad someone else pointed out this important aspect. I'm glad fuel passes by my valves for this very reason

I joke but it's a serious matter. I frequently service R56 Minis (direct injection) and they have MAJOR carbon issues as do the BMW "N" engines. Audi/VW have the same issue as well. Once you've pulled an intake manifold off and seen the aftermath, direct injection doesn't look like something i'd want in my own personal car
Sure, some things are being done to "correct" the problem but all efforts just delay the innevitable. There is no definitive fix yet LOL Mini even had a engine reflash to spray a second micro-pulse of fuel whilst the intake valve was down to combat carbon... no dice.

I've seen carbon buildup cause misfires in Minis as soon as 10k miles... so i'm fine with my "outdated" yet acceptable form of fuel injection.

 

I agree. Honda makes some solid, reliable cars...but for the most part, very boring cars. They have lost their way. Hondas used to be fun to drive, from the lowest Civic on up. Now...They are like the Chevy Biscayne of the 60s, with few exceptions.

 

inject some water or methanol post TB. TA DAAA everything gets steam cleaned.

The torque and charge cooling are worth it and eventual stratified injection making it to market you should expect to see more of this in the future.

Everyone always fears whats "new" and scary. Just save those brown shorts for when we start to see petrol engines run like HCCI motors.

 

I'm an engineer working on HCCI development...and even I'm scared of it when I look at the crazy control schemes that have to go into making it work ok, and that's in a lab, not a production car that drives every day.

 

At this rate...I can't say my next car would be a honda....

the fit is the only 'real' honda left - imo - lost is the fun days of the 80s/90s hondas and innovation!

they had an opportunity when it was time to redo the civic - but they blew it...bland designs - repeat sales - thats toyotas ways....

acura - joke kill the integra/rsx - why? - the beak sucks and we don't need 3000 buttons in a car

hyndai is replacing honda

80s/90s - honda/toyota for fun vehicles
2000s - mazda took off
now its the koreans

just my 2 cents

 

lololol the Koreans couldn't make a fun car to save their lives.

Small Hyundais are in no way the 80/90's Hondas of today.

 

agree not in a fun sort of way but in a pushing other auto makers, point of view!

 

I agree. Unfortunately, the guys at Honda could not care less.
Whatever their agenda is, it seems lost on the world.

 

So then you know exactly what I'm talking about

 

Unfortunately their best sellers are the CRV and Accord. Family cars and small SUVs aren't exciting and often need not be. Americans want perceived dependable, safe, and comfortable/spacious cars. That's what they are making cause that's what the market wants.
On a note more closely related to the topic, Honda has clearly made its intentions known. When it comes to new engine tech they are banking on Hydrogen/electric.

 

Is HCCI diesel? Or just a gasoline engine acting like one? I can tell you the new diesel motors use more fuel and have more problems than engines of a few years ago. I have to add about 4/5 gallons of oil in between oil changes and the EGR is always acting up with a overheated motor. I have a little over 230,000 miles and my old truck would be like this with 700,000 miles and get 20 percent better fuel mpg.

 

Yup HCCI is how a diesel operates. Compression ignition by introducing fuel at the critical moment(s).

 

as someone whose favorite car was a 1989 honda civic hatchback manual, i thought id jump in here.

honda lost me in the last decade. their cars have become bland, boring to look at and boring to drive. i reluctantly looked into hyundai when deciding i wanted a small hatchback again. of all the subcompacts the 2012 accent impressed me the most. being a former honda "fanboy" i was stunned that i came to that conclusion, but that was the reality. the fit came in a close second, but the accent just felt more refined and i preferred the interior.

i been very happy with the 1.6 direct injected engine as it has delivered on its promise of 40 mpg (lifetime average for the car is now 42.2 mpg.....actual calculation over 4200 miles).

it delivers its power in a very refined and quiet manner as well.

once the veloster came out i had to check it out and we needed a second car. it handles great (yes, it is fun to drive), looks very stylish in person, great interior, nice tech...yes it is a very fun car.

again, the same 1.6 DI engine is getting over 40 mpg's just like i expected.


so, long story short, yes, honda has lost its mojo. i can tell you the veloster.org forum is very vibrant and active and there are bunches of members who had originally wanted the crz to be their next car. how that car ever made it to market is a complete mystery.

the crz, the new civic, the crosstour...all a big head scratching mess.

the honda fit is the one and only car in their lineup that reminds me of what i loved about honda in the past. hopefully they wont screw that car up in the coming years.

 

As someone who feels the best car I've ever owned (from a fun aspect) was this 91 Civic Si with J's Racing coilovers and SSR Competitions:



I have to say, the GD Fit is not too far off in terms of fun, however I found the GE to be quite a ways off (this prior to my ownership of the Fit, when I drove the GE I owned a 99 Integra)

 

mine was blue and not an si but it was fun to drive. for that time period, the civic hatch was a very cool design. i came out of college around that time and was working with troubled youth. even they thought the old civic hatch was a cool car.

 

It's sort of like that, but there is a big difference between how Diesels operate and how HCCI operates. In a Diesel, you inject fuel late into the compression stroke and the fuel jets themselves begin to burn very shortly thereafter as they mix with the air--you basically time the combustion even based on the injection timing. In HCCI, you tend to inject much earlier (when the piston is still near BDC) and you rely on having the proper temperature/pressure conditions in the cylinder that will cause the mixture to auto-ignite at the correct time shortly before the piston reaches TDC; the combustion timing is influenced more by the in-cylinder conditions that it is by the injection timing.

 

I think another problem with Honda, and some of the cars they producing today, is that they are producing cars that are good for Honda and not necessarily good for us. The CR-Z is an excellent example. Practically speaking, no one thinks that car is in any way better than the CR-X that is was supposed to revive. How did Honda get that so wrong? Where are the people that work there that could have said about the CR-Z planning "You're kidding, right?." Did any of the people making decisions ever drive an older Honda and remember how fun and special it was?

 

Have you test driven a CRZ yet? It is a pretty fun and special car. It may not be yesteryears CRX-Si, but it never claimed to be. Honda even has the balls to put a manual transmission on a hybrid powertrain. It is also cheaper than any hybrid out there. It'll also hold up in an accident a lot better than the Hondas of old.


The only way to get stripped out, light, ultra fast track cars powered by Honda these days is to buy an Ariel.

 

ive driven the crz. it is the only test drive i can remeber that literally made me sad. special and the crz do not belong in the same sentence. unless you mean special in the way that charlie sheen is "special".

its cheaper than any hybrid out there? so what. it doesnt offer hybrib type performance mpg wise. the hybrid did nothing for it except make it more expensive and heavier than it needed to be. it is not particularly fast. it handles ok.

the price, hybrid technology for no real reason, and no back seat are just a killer.

it is not sporty. it has little utility. the mpg's are not stellar (poor for a hybrid). it will die in its current form as it should because it doesnt have enough appeal in any area.

 

They should just change the name of this website from fitfreak to negativenancy.