HFS's car thread | Nearly-5000-miles update
- Thread starter homeforsummer
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- 27,218
- United Kingdom
I hadn't, but having had a look around at some examples I'm not really keen on the finish. That, and something that you can peel off doesn't really have the permanence I'm after.
That would be an option, but if I were going down that road I'd want a bit of contrast rather than colour-matching them. The current diamond-cut finish is quite unique and doing that again would be ideal, but in lieu of that I'd want a finish that was either visibly brighter and shinier, or a few shades darker than the paintwork with a bit of depth to the colour.
The gunmetal already suggested would work, I think (though I'd go for a greyer shade too - gunmetal has a hint too much bronze in it). I've considered a dark chrome too - chrome to get the sort of shine I'm after, but dark so it isn't full-on bling. Oddly, the silly pic @Cano posted above with the flames suggests that a really bright, shiny finish doesn't look so bad (even if I'd not go for that wheel design itself...)
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Then find some Honda-sized center caps that you're willing to drill holes in for the mounting screw.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Yeah, it pains me that the best route to keep the car looking good is to go non-standard, but I don't want to spend a fortune on the diamond finish, and matching centre caps, only for it to corrode again a couple of years down the line. It's an all-weather car, so I can't baby the wheels to the extent they'd need to avoid that sort of thing.
What I figure is that more or less anything I do will make the wheels look less knackered than they appear at the moment, so it has to be worth a go.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Recent pics:
The Porsche isn't a real RS, but was still drool-worthy. And I'd forgotten how compact they are - it was barely bigger than the Insight. Second mind-fuzzle that day was finding out from a guy who recently bought a 911SC that it's actually narrower than his 924. That is how tiny 911s are.
Second pic chosen to represent the fact I've now done over 5k miles in the car. Averaged 73.5 mpg (61.2 mpg US, 3.8 l/100km) so far.
The Porsche isn't a real RS, but was still drool-worthy. And I'd forgotten how compact they are - it was barely bigger than the Insight. Second mind-fuzzle that day was finding out from a guy who recently bought a 911SC that it's actually narrower than his 924. That is how tiny 911s are.
Second pic chosen to represent the fact I've now done over 5k miles in the car. Averaged 73.5 mpg (61.2 mpg US, 3.8 l/100km) so far.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
So, it's maintenance time.
The first thing I've realised is that the car is actually on higher mileage than I thought. That isn't the fault of the seller - he listed it correctly - it's just my fault because I had a number in my head that I've been repeating to everyone without really thinking about it. The upshot is that rather than being on about 95k like I thought I was, it's nearer 110k (whatever it says on the MOT document plus whatever I've done since). Not a huge difference and not a big deal. The reason I mention not knowing it is because the trip computer doesn't work so I can't access that screen on the trip computer. Again, no big deal.
I've been through all the old maintenance records, as I wanted to find out when the cambelt was changed - it should have been around 72k miles, to my knowledge.
Got worried that I could find no evidence. Did a bit of digging online - turns out it's a chain, not a belt. Result! One fewer job to do!
What I did discover through the large service history is that despite it being serviced at main dealers for most of its life, on about four or five occasions the Honda main dealer has managed to put the wrong grade of oil in. Useless buggers. It takes 0w-20, which is also best for economy. All sorts of crap has gone into it at various stages. The last owner made sure it had the correct type and since I'm not about to trust a main dealer given their colleagues' ineptitude, I'm doing the next oil change myself. Bits have been ordered.
Bits have also been ordered for the EGR plate. These commonly gunk up and affect economy/performance. I suspect mine has never been done, though the service records do indicate the valve itself was changed at one point. It's an easy job to clean the plate (it has various channels in that clog up) but it needs new gaskets, so those are on order.
To alleviate the routine maintenance boredom, have an eye-searing image I snapped today while out on a drive:
The first thing I've realised is that the car is actually on higher mileage than I thought. That isn't the fault of the seller - he listed it correctly - it's just my fault because I had a number in my head that I've been repeating to everyone without really thinking about it. The upshot is that rather than being on about 95k like I thought I was, it's nearer 110k (whatever it says on the MOT document plus whatever I've done since). Not a huge difference and not a big deal. The reason I mention not knowing it is because the trip computer doesn't work so I can't access that screen on the trip computer. Again, no big deal.
I've been through all the old maintenance records, as I wanted to find out when the cambelt was changed - it should have been around 72k miles, to my knowledge.
Got worried that I could find no evidence. Did a bit of digging online - turns out it's a chain, not a belt. Result! One fewer job to do!
What I did discover through the large service history is that despite it being serviced at main dealers for most of its life, on about four or five occasions the Honda main dealer has managed to put the wrong grade of oil in. Useless buggers. It takes 0w-20, which is also best for economy. All sorts of crap has gone into it at various stages. The last owner made sure it had the correct type and since I'm not about to trust a main dealer given their colleagues' ineptitude, I'm doing the next oil change myself. Bits have been ordered.
Bits have also been ordered for the EGR plate. These commonly gunk up and affect economy/performance. I suspect mine has never been done, though the service records do indicate the valve itself was changed at one point. It's an easy job to clean the plate (it has various channels in that clog up) but it needs new gaskets, so those are on order.
To alleviate the routine maintenance boredom, have an eye-searing image I snapped today while out on a drive:
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
165/65 R14. 10mm narrower than the tyres on my old Fiesta, though the wheels are an inch larger diameter.
Had them replaced a month or so ago, so they're nicely bedded-in now. Far better grip than before (especially in the wet). They don't leak air quite as quickly, but I've never checked my tyres so often as I do with this car. Every bit helps. Always try and keep them at 40psi, though some people run higher pressures than that.
I've just had 245 swapped off my rears for 225s as they had too much grip at the rear since the diff has been fitted.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
The benefit of such tiny tyres of course is cost - £200 for a fully-fitted set!
I continue to be impressed by this car's MPG numbers, 61 is pretty amazing. 👍
- 14,416
- Wellington
Have you ever thought about the eighth generation Civic Hybrid wheels? I'm guessing they'd be too large, but I saw one the other day and couldn't help but wonder.
Also there used to be an incredibly mint red first generation on Trade Me, and I think I've even seen it in the flesh once before, but I can't seem to find it now, must of sold.
Also there used to be an incredibly mint red first generation on Trade Me, and I think I've even seen it in the flesh once before, but I can't seem to find it now, must of sold.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
I'd thought about them in the past, but the one main issue is that they're 5-bolt rather than four, and a different PCD. I've seen an Insight converted for them, and the other thing is that it does look a bit odd on 15" wheels.
The benefit of the Insight's wheels is that they're 4x100 which means pretty much anything from anything will fit, though curiously the aftermarket isn't big on ultra-aerodynamic replacement alloys...
I do reckon the Insight might look pretty cool on a set of Work Equip 01s though. Would have a real "1970s vision of the future" vibe. Realistically, if I were to get another set of wheels, I'd try and find some relatively light but slightly scabby alloys that I could do a ghetto-refurb on and wrap them in winter tires. I'd go for steel, but the Insight's OEM wheels are pretty light - 11 lbs or so each, whereas figures I can find for equivalent steel wheels are not far off 20 lbs.
But yeah, no budget for anything silly quite yet.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Maintenance time:
That's the EGR plate. A common Insight malady is that they can gunk up, causing hesitancy at low revs. Mine is a little hesitant, so thought I'd inspect. That's how it came out the car, and actually it's not that bad at all. I've seen pics on the internet of those channels completely clogged. Gave it a bit of a clean anyway, replaced the EGR gasket and the intake o-rings, put everything back together.
The good news is that it was a fairly easy job, skinned knuckles and having to buy some tools in the middle of the process aside. The bad news is that the hesitancy must be something else! It's not too bad, but noticeable enough. Could be the EGR valve itself, which is both a more involved and more expensive job. On the other hand, I may just live with it...
That's the EGR plate. A common Insight malady is that they can gunk up, causing hesitancy at low revs. Mine is a little hesitant, so thought I'd inspect. That's how it came out the car, and actually it's not that bad at all. I've seen pics on the internet of those channels completely clogged. Gave it a bit of a clean anyway, replaced the EGR gasket and the intake o-rings, put everything back together.
The good news is that it was a fairly easy job, skinned knuckles and having to buy some tools in the middle of the process aside. The bad news is that the hesitancy must be something else! It's not too bad, but noticeable enough. Could be the EGR valve itself, which is both a more involved and more expensive job. On the other hand, I may just live with it...
- 8,100
- Guelph, Ontario
I want your car.
Should've moved the random Porsche before taking the picture.
I want your car.
Recent pics:
Should've moved the random Porsche before taking the picture.
I want your car.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Trying out a "modification" at the moment: No power steering.
As an electric system, it's as simple as taking out the fuse. It's not strictly a delete as the motor is still there, but those familiar with the car online seem to think there's not too much drag from it.
Some people have gone down the full delete route, which actually looks simple enough if you can fabricate a blanking plate to put over the space the motor normally lives. But for me, for the time being it's more than I can be bothered with.
Anyway, just been for a quick drive. I quite like it - it's obviously heavier at parking speeds or with quite a bit of lock on. It's no different in a straight line or in very gentle turns where the assistance doesn't really assist anyway. But the rest of the time, I kinda prefer it. The car only weighs 850-odd kilos anyway and has skinny tyres, so PAS is hardly necessary.
Gonna see what it's like to commute with over the next week. And I'm keeping the fuse just in case, as apart from anything the EPS light is illuminated which is an MoT fail here in the UK.
As an electric system, it's as simple as taking out the fuse. It's not strictly a delete as the motor is still there, but those familiar with the car online seem to think there's not too much drag from it.
Some people have gone down the full delete route, which actually looks simple enough if you can fabricate a blanking plate to put over the space the motor normally lives. But for me, for the time being it's more than I can be bothered with.
Anyway, just been for a quick drive. I quite like it - it's obviously heavier at parking speeds or with quite a bit of lock on. It's no different in a straight line or in very gentle turns where the assistance doesn't really assist anyway. But the rest of the time, I kinda prefer it. The car only weighs 850-odd kilos anyway and has skinny tyres, so PAS is hardly necessary.
Gonna see what it's like to commute with over the next week. And I'm keeping the fuse just in case, as apart from anything the EPS light is illuminated which is an MoT fail here in the UK.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
It's not heavy enough to be truly bad at low speeds - it's still a light car with narrow tyres and only a moderately quick steering rack.
According to those who've tried, it gets a little lighter if you do remove the motor itself and all the gears associated with it. Removing the motor itself is simple enough; removing the rest of the gears is a rack-out job (phnarr) and therefore too much of a faff.
However, it does remind me how little hardship there really is to not having PAS, if the car is light enough. I bet you could easily get away without assistance in cars like the VW Up.
According to those who've tried, it gets a little lighter if you do remove the motor itself and all the gears associated with it. Removing the motor itself is simple enough; removing the rest of the gears is a rack-out job (phnarr) and therefore too much of a faff.
However, it does remind me how little hardship there really is to not having PAS, if the car is light enough. I bet you could easily get away without assistance in cars like the VW Up.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Virtually nill, I suspect.
I'm trying it mainly as an experiment to see if I like the way it drives, rather than to save more fuel. It may also prove to have safety benefits - there's not a lot of feel through the rack with assistance and it's very hard to feel for those first few moments of (frequent) understeer in low grip conditions.
As winter draws in it may prove wise not to have assistance clouding my feedback. I'm already enjoying how the steering weights up with some load through the tyres now.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Indeed.
It also happens to be a good experiment for driving cars without PAS in general. I still have designs on getting another classic at some stage and typically a car with disabled PAS is heavier to steer than one without assistance in the first place. So if I can live with one, I can live with t'other!
It also happens to be a good experiment for driving cars without PAS in general. I still have designs on getting another classic at some stage and typically a car with disabled PAS is heavier to steer than one without assistance in the first place. So if I can live with one, I can live with t'other!
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
Quick update while I'm home and have internet (I will, eventually, get proper internet sorted out for my apartment...)
Firstly, I've gone back to power steering for the time being. No real reason - I quite liked not having it - other than to eliminate the glowing idiot light that remains on when you pull a fuse, and because I felt like a change.
I still believe the car doesn't really need PAS, and I certainly didn't struggle by not having it, but equally there's something satisfying about just how light it is to guide around with PAS working as it should. I'd say the PAS is at its best when just bimbling about going shopping or commuting, and it's better without it on the motorway, where it helps remove a little of its tendency to wander, and when grip on the roads is low, since PAS really masks road feel in this thing.
No economy change to note (EPAS doesn't draw nearly as much power as hydraulic PAS), but since I've now done over 10k miles since buying the car in March, here's my economy so far, courtesy of Ecomodder's MPG tool:
The three recent "low" spells are largely down to commuting. I've changed my commute now which has seen a bit of improvement, and any tank that includes a long motorway trip brings up the figure too. Figures are in US MPG.
Firstly, I've gone back to power steering for the time being. No real reason - I quite liked not having it - other than to eliminate the glowing idiot light that remains on when you pull a fuse, and because I felt like a change.
I still believe the car doesn't really need PAS, and I certainly didn't struggle by not having it, but equally there's something satisfying about just how light it is to guide around with PAS working as it should. I'd say the PAS is at its best when just bimbling about going shopping or commuting, and it's better without it on the motorway, where it helps remove a little of its tendency to wander, and when grip on the roads is low, since PAS really masks road feel in this thing.
No economy change to note (EPAS doesn't draw nearly as much power as hydraulic PAS), but since I've now done over 10k miles since buying the car in March, here's my economy so far, courtesy of Ecomodder's MPG tool:
The three recent "low" spells are largely down to commuting. I've changed my commute now which has seen a bit of improvement, and any tank that includes a long motorway trip brings up the figure too. Figures are in US MPG.
- 12,389
- Betelgeuse
- Beeblebrox_237
73 MPG! 
That's incredible. The most interesting thing about this car, to me, is that it seems to be very good at making you a more economical driver, wherever you happen to be.
That's incredible. The most interesting thing about this car, to me, is that it seems to be very good at making you a more economical driver, wherever you happen to be.
- 27,218
- United Kingdom
It's certainly a car that benefits from learning to drive in a particular way. Can be frustrating sometimes, when you don't really feel like driving the way it responds to best, but then all cars can be like that sometimes depending on their strengths and weaknesses.
