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Hatchbacks Acura Integra Acura Integra - (All years/styles)
1026 messages, Last post on Nov 27, 2009 at 10:18 AM
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 03, 2006 4:23 pm) Need some advice as you both mentioned steering and road feel..... I own a 90 Integra and recently bought 06 Civic but am not satisfied with the steering in the new car. I knew there would be an adjustment, but I am totally disconnected to the road in the civic. Dealer service admits overboosting with power steering this year as I had to bring it in because I was convinced it was out of alignment due to its pulling and tracking issues. Says the steering is just so sensitive that it will feel like its pulling with road crown and will feel jittery at highway speeds. Great. Made to feel that way....I am not sure I want to live with this.....I practically need valium after driving the car. LOL. BTW, I of course test drove, but I thought sensitivity would get better as I got used to it and it hasn't. I still have my 90 and it's under a 100k. I am so discouraged at this point I may just keep it and sell the Civic outright as it's a hot car and with gas prices they can't keep it on the lots. Since I am so satified with the steering "feel" and the road feedback I am getting from Acura(and NONE of the new cars have that anymore) can you tell me at what point there was a big steering change with these Integra's/RSX? I want the connected to the road feel. Sounds like I won't like the RSX either at least the new ones. What about the 02/03 RSX? Also is there a big dfference in steering between a 90 and a 2001 Integra? Any advice from anyone that would point me in the direction of a better car for me is greatly appreciated as I am far away from an Acura dealership and would like to get some tips so I have an idea what to test drive. Thanks |
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You won't notice any difference between the '90 and the '01 in steering feel, except the car will feel more planted, and depending on which trim you have the '01 will almost certainly be using wider tires. With the RSX, Honda went for this Integra-all-grown-up feel. While the RSX's limits are higher than the old Integras, there is also less road feel, although compared to the Civic, forget it. For one thing, the RSX still uses hydraulic P/S, while the new Civic uses the crappy electric. AFAIK there is no difference between the steering on the 02/03 RSX vs the brand new one now. All they changed for '05 was giving the type-S bigger sway bars and rims, and both trims a bit more sound-proofing. If you are just considering the base model, the '06 is virtually identical (except for the visual tweaks) to the 02/03. Lastly, as you are probably aware, the odds are very good that your '90 with that few miles will go on chugging for quite some years yet, as long as you took good care of it along the way. Maybe just sell the Civic and keep driving it? The only new car now that has as much road feel as the Integras of old (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) is the Mini. And you know how hard it is getting your hands on one of those... Of course, I haven't driven a Miata or a Solstice, both of which probably have very good road feel and handling. If tops-off is your sort of thing, of course... This is what I do  in cars with electric power steering.
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 14, 2006 4:23 pm) Thanks so much - you answered all of my questions perfectly. So glad to find someone who knows what I am talking about, so few understand road feel/steering feedback issues and know the Integra. I won't get my hopes up too much about the RSX although it may be worth trying. I may be able to find an 01 Integra with low miles as that won't be any radical change at least. I can deal with suspension changes more than steering (I wish I knew this before hand) Ultimately I will have to decide myself but this is very hard if I buy an Acura as I have to drive 2 hours to a dealership and I will be test driving on unfamiliar roads in a metropolitan area and I live in a rural one (lots of curvy roads). I ruled out a new RSX as I wouldn't be able to utilize a new car warranty due to distance, but an 02 will be out of warranty anyway so it won't matter. The Acura dealer is very high volume and has 3 RSX's under 25K miles. One only has 14K. Also helpful, my next door neighbor is a mechanic and has no problem working on my 90 Integra. Which brings me to the next thing. My neighbor certainly has never worked on my engine......I bought it 5 years old at 27K and it has 93K miles now. I am not bragging when I say what a good car it's been. 16 years old and has started first time every day. Only broke down once, I belive it was a distributor part. Oil changed regularly and I put timing belt on at 90K. Getting some rust though and you know what a cancer that is. Do they MAKE cars like this anymore? LOL I am leaning toward keeping it. It truly has more drivability than my new Civic. Of course this is just my opinion, but aside from steering there is the new Drive By Wire technology that holds the throttle after you've released it and the RPM's stay up for a second before releasing with a noticable jerk. This makes stop and go driving a pain and dealer service and Honda say it's "normal"..... My 16 year old car is smoother to drive. Maybe you can give me an idea of the mechanical reliability of the RSX since you own one. It has been quite a personal turmoil I have been through to have a beatiful new car in my driveway that I am having so much difficulty driving, so thanks for listening. When I looked for steering help (many on the Edmonds Civic Coupe boards having similar issues with their new Civic's) I was shocked to hear the problems people are having with them already. I won't get too off topic with that but I read serious issues like 3 people with windshields coming off (less than a thousand miles on the car, I double checked the NHTSA website and formal complaints are there) oil leaks, transmissions failures, rattling like an old bus after a thousand miles........I understand these could be isolated problems and most are happy, but come on.....these are NEW cars. Anything you can tell me about the RSX vs Integra mechancally to watch out for will be much appreciated. Just the highlights. I don't want to be a pain and I am not lazy, I plan on reading a lot of the old threads. I just don't want to go in blind again. What a costly and horrendous mistake I have already made. They 06 civics are entirely sold out in my area though so I may recoup a good bit of my money. Thank goodness I didn't pay sticker. Being Motor Trends Car of the Year, gas prices are sky high now and with spring fever upon us I am at least in a better position than most. Thanks again. |
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is NO, they DON'T make cars like your '90 any more! Emissions standards, platform sharing, and a million tiny tweaks in search of that extra quarter point of fuel economy have taken care of that. Acura as a brand has grown up a lot since 1990 too, so the cars they offer have changed in mission to be a bit more "sophisticated", which equates to less visceral drivng feel. Drive by wire doesn't have to be a pain in the neck like that, it is just that some cars do that hanging-onto-the-revs thing to reduce NOx emissions, and I guess from your comments that Civic is one of them! I test drove a Cobalt that did it so much it was almost undriveable. Just FYI, the RSX does NOT do that. And lest I unintentionally misguide you, I no longer have the RSX. I had it about two years, then got the "fever" as I unvariably do and sold it for something completely different. It never gave me any problems until the end, when the auto-up windows would intermittently jump back down as if they had hit an obstacle, which they had not. That started happening at about 20K miles. But the seatback did develop a kind of rocking motion at about 15K, which required replacement of the entire seat under warranty. I was most surprised. Oh yeah, and a couple of times the electronic HVAC control that directed the air up or out or down stopped changing air directions, but each time shutting off the car reset it and it worked fine afterwards. Beyond that, it seems that the RSXs are about as solid as most Hondas tend to be, although all the Integras right up to '01 were exceptionally good. Obviously, if the rust gremlin has raised its ugly head at your house, then perhaps you shouldn't go back to relying on the '90 as your sole transport. However, as hot as the new Civics are, I would still think you'd likely take a bit of a bath trading in such a new car - the only exception to that rule in the first year seems to be the Mini Coopers. Well, unless your '06 Civic is an SI? But I think you probably would have mentioned that.  Integra vs RSX? I dunno, the Integras have the usual aging problems with electricals and water leaks from the rain. They won't be any worse than your own car, and don't usually happen until well after the 10-year or 100K-mile mark. I always check CVs on those cars, the boots tend to crack and eventually leak and ruin the joint. But that is a problem with a lot of FWD cars when they get old. The RSXs are a bit too new still to tell what will be an endemic problem for the whole model run, but I imagine they won't stray far from the old Integras in the things that crop up. |
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So, ill admit im new to this site but i figured id try it out since no one else i ask can seem to come up with an answer... I have an 89' integra Ls ,Manual,186k on car,roughly 40k on rebuilt engine, 2 door...etc.. anyhow , i've replaced the engine,clutch, alternator,battery , and the throttle body .... but Im still having starting problems...if you let it sit for like an hour or more its fine, it just acts like it has a cold start... but if you take it to do errands and u turn it off and leave it off for like...say 15min .. it wont start back up, it just keeps on cranking...but wont actually catch.. I dont really wanna take it to a shop cuz i do all my work myself and im just hoping maybe someone on here might know what its problem is... I've sorta ruled out just about everything except the fuel pump/fuel injector/Fuel relay .... Plz any advice..suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 
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I think you hit it - a lot of the old Hondas had a heat soak problem with the fuel pump relay - replace it and you will probably solve the problem. And I REALLY you didn't replace all that stuff trying to cure an intermittent no-start problem.  Good luck!
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 16, 2006 10:50 pm) |
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just the relay. The car is flooding itself when you turn it off? That would be a faulty injector most likely, which would be very surprising in this car. Could it be something else? How do you know it is flooded? Could it be part of the same problem, no gas to the plugs because of a bad fuel pump relay? And what is the cold start problem? I am afraid I missed that one.
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Replying to: nippononly (Apr 17, 2006 11:52 pm) .. btw, if it helps any... we know it has nothing to do with the battery,alternator or the throttle body cuz those have all been replaced. |
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I'm looking hard at an integra (possibly even a GS-R if i can get one without outrageous insurance costs). I have a couple questions: -Does getting a hatchback instead of a coupe help with insurance costs? -What is a good year to get a cheap, fast Integra (GS-R or otherwise) that will last a little while? Thanks |
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