I used to have a stock Civic. To me that was a fun car, albeit slow, it was fun. Always hitting VTEC even in normal day-day/light traffic.

For some reason it just has that fun factor to it, perhaps psychological because you really feel the engine give it's best all the time.

Then i sold that and got the Max.

It's fun on a clear road, but on day-day traffic i miss that high revving engine. Most of the time i have to ease on the throttle (2 - 2.5k rpm) just so i won't hit the car in front of me. (e.g. too much power, so lower rpm)

I'm not really sure what i'm getting to. Perhaps it's the irony of things

Civic - Slow - Nice high revs even on normal driving - Fun factor (at least to me)

Maxima - Fast - High revs but on normal driving you hardly use it - Not as fun... well, except mebbe when u always seem to be several cars ahead from the rest coming from a stoplight while "just crusing lightly".

 

being "several cars ahead from the rest coming from a stoplight while "just cruising lightly""---PRICELESS

 

yeah but, high revs, and you dont even go anywhere...
you could granny shift and beat your civic.

 

I had the same feelings when I got my Max. I had a 91 Integ...highly, highly modified!!! The Maxima can be fun too...you just have to learn and adjust to the Maxima's abilities. Turning off the O/D (for higher RPMs) to squeeze between cars in traffic...Launching off the line from light to light. It's all about adaptation...

 

mattattax - nice

toylet902 - true! inasmuch as i don't believe i'm bragging about this now, but once i actually got beat by a 4dr. Geo Metro in a highway from Dallas > Houston (i had the EX Coupe). He just wouldn't let up, i hit my rev limiter while he just kept going! Probably had some juice hehehe...

i'd like to give him another run with the max hehehehhe

 

Better yet get a 5spd or 6spd Max!

 

So what you're saying is that your Civic is more fun to drive than a 333 HP M3 cuz the M3 has too much power?

What you need is an S2000...that thing'll rev like hell!

 

You are one sick puppy.

 

Something to that effect inspite of how insane that sounds

I guess it's just because i drive mostly (95% of the time) behind traffic so i can't really utilize the Max's full potential.

However, as i said, there are instances when i can and all of a sudden i just go say "What Civic?"

 

Good thing there's someone here who knows how i feel

Btw, i have a question... where is the Overdrive button/switch/whatnot located? I've been reading a lot about this but don't really see anything in the car that says that.

Am i right to say that O/D would be 4th gear and thus turning it off means i downshift to 3rd?

 

The only thing I can relate with you on is that I don't often get the chance to open up the Max to it's full potential...too much damn traffic! I did have one really fun 50-60 mile trip from central Jersey to north Jersey on the Turnpike early on a Sunday morning. Must've averaged 90 for the trip and hit 100 at least 4 times flying by people sloooooow

 

You could pull about three spark plug wires from the engine so you will have to rev it high to get it to do anything. Having all this extra torque and power really is a tough situation to be in. It makes we want to ! Enjoy the max, you bought it for a reason didn't you? Could have gotten a Acura TL if you wanted to rev a bit more.

 

That's exactly my point!

Driving the Civic meant i always had to push it close to the limits to get decent pick-up which psychologically meant i was "zooming", given the factors (e.g. engine noise/rev's,etc), and thus also has a "fun" effect to it.

 

i understand what you guys are saying.. so if you want the noise and sound faster, and it will make you faster, get a catback and ypipe. your car will sound better than a civic relining.

 

Wish I didn't have the Automagik

Anyone want to teach me how to drive stick

 

its annoying in traffic man. and i live in NYC. ill teach you, go get me a civic

 

When you push a car to the limit, you are on the verge of being out of control. That is what is fun. It doesn't matter what type of car you drive. Walking (or driving) that fine line is an adrenaline rush.

In a capable performer like the Max, it is hard to approach the limit and maintain something close to legal speeds. That's why the civic seemed so exciting. You have to drive it at the limit just too keep up.

 

My mom used to have a stick, but she couldn't drive it cuz she would forget what gear she was in, have to pull over to the side of the road, start all over from 1st We got rid of it and I've been driving auto since. The two people that I do know with stick drive BMW and Audi...not sure if they want me practicing in (or on) their cars .

 

Yup, I feel for ya brah!

The O/D button should be on the Automatic shift ****...right below the main release button...on the side of your thumb.

I guess you can consider turning off O/D to be 3rd gear. Nissan does refer to the automagic tranny to be 4-speed.

 

 

It's very simple. What's fun is trying to milk every drop of power out of a small engine with a manual tranny. It's Pushing the car to the limits in corners. It's feeling like you are working hard to get the car going fast, pretending to be an F1 driver or something Given the average driving skills of enthusiasts, and more importantly, given the conditions on public roads, you can come close to that feeling in your old 70Hp Civic with 13 inch tires But you won't be able to do it nearly as often a 200+Hp monster with a firm suspension and sticky tires.

 

Hmm... the 2k2 doesn't seem to have this. It doesn't even have a main release button. So i guess this time it's a real 4 speed?

 

That's what the sidewalk/shoulder/median is for.

 

I hear ya, soundmike...

My last car was a 1990 Toyota Camry, and it was a 5spd too - only 115HP. It was great when it was new, but as cars got more and more powerful you really had to rev it and work the gears to keep up, especially with lead foot SUV drivers hogging up the roads.

Now in my AccordV6 it's much different. I hardly need to break 3000rpm to keep up anymore, and even then I'm knocking on people's rear bumpers. And I have an intake too and never really get to let it rip during the week and in traffic.

Sometimes I just can't take it anymore and go the long way home where I can open it up on some unbusy back roads and really get on it and let the intake scream...hehe

This is sort of like the Miata vs. Z3 debate. A lot of people actually like the Miata better because you can use more of the car's potential and it seems more fun to drive for this very reason. You can use 90% of that car's potential on a day to day basis. But with the Z3 being much more powerful, you're still stuck in the same traffic and you can never get on it, and hence it's not as fun. You can only use maybe 10% of a Z3 I-6's potential in the same traffic

Part of the fun factor of a car is being able to see that little needle swing towards the red. If you drive in traffic and have an insanely fast car you'll be bored and never break 2000rpm. But if you've got a much slower car you'll still be able to open it up, even in the same traffic.

It's a psychological thing, I guess

 

What you need is an S2000...that thing'll rev like hell! [/B][/QUOTE]

Yeah, but they suck!!

 

I guess that's another upgrade the 2k2 has on the 2k...
I guess you can just manually drop it into 3 instead...

 

I'm sooo gonna get flamed for this post, but...eh:

My first experience into "fast cars" started with a 7m-gte in the obese MA71. 13.90s was always present, but i could only muster 14.50s@98mph (Trapspeed indicates low low 14s) and it was an automatic!!

Torque was impressive to say the least. 80-120mph came in just over 5seconds...can you do that in a Maxima? What about a SC maxima? Probably not. I dynoed at 246rwhp and 316ft-lbs of torque and i spent a total of $300 on it

Then i got something smaller. Too many tickets in the Supra...so i got a 89 CRX. Two TOTALLY different cars. One was heavy, the other nimble. One was a beast on the freeway, the other's 0-60 was admirable.

The CRX was fun. Fun in every way. Fun accelerating, fun turning, fun braking!

I wanted to get rid of the "riceboy" image and bought a 5g 5spd Maxima. Back to the freeway power, handled a little better, but had a limit of modifications.

I missed the nimble aspect of the CRX. If i wanted to merge into a lane at speed, i could without having to plan, like i did with the Maxima. The Maxima is bulky, the CRX is a micromachine.

Pitching the CRX into a turn is 800 times more fun, safe, and easier than the Maxima.

I also tended to find that people thought I had a family. I'm single, no kids, and have no need for a family car...so I got rid of the Maxima. I miss it everytime I need to hop on the freeway and accelerate to freeway speeds. I miss the compliments that i got... I miss the luxury of the vehicle. But, the CRX makes up in, 0-60 thrill, 60-0 thrill, slalom, skidpad, and simple fun.

Before you post how crappy CRXs, or Hondas in general are, please go find someone with a properly modified B16A CRX...if the owner lets you, take each gear to redline and toss it around a turn...it's boyish fun and that's why i like CRXs!

 

there not crappy cars, just that most of them are ricey. yesterday me yoitsok and clee saw a civic hb, with a type r motor. then on are way back from etown, a silver civic hb kept up with a sc maxima, until 3rd where the maxima walked away. but those things can pack a lot of power if modified correctly.

 

I had a Supra too before I got the Max. I remember plenty of times being right on somebody's bumper off the light and not on purpose. I thought about it Last week and said WTF was I thinking? After driving my mom's 240 SX all weekend, it brought back memories of that Sports Car ride.
I'm single with no kids too and sometimes look at the car and say Why Do I have this big car?

I guess it's just all about what you do with it. It's sporty enough for cruisin around town. When friends roll with me, I actually have room for them So it's cool. Plus I have a 30 mile highway commute so I get to open it up sometimes.
But some days I still miss that Supra power

 

high revs? simple.. leave it in 1 or 2 if you have a auto.. in a manual stay in 1st or second.. but why?

 

What he's talking about is the big button you push so you can move the shifter out of park. Under that button is a little button that when you hit puts an orange "O/D Off" light on your dash indicating that OD has been disabled. Look for it again, I'm pretty sure the 2k2s have em.

 

Hmm... there's no such button. The shifter on the 2k2 looks like it came out of a manual transmission (e.g. no buttons, just glide that shifter across the slots)

 

i feel the exact same way everytime i drive my brother's prelude.. i wish i had a higher reving car... and his car is actually faster than mine.. it's just pulling all the way out to 6k rpm and shifting and goign throuhg it all over again feels a whole lot more fun, even tho it might be at lower speeds.. (which is good because it's alway safer to go slower when u rev high)

 

I know exactly what Soundmike is talking about in this thread. "Back in the day" I had an '84 318i. 5-speed. Only a 4-banger. Underpowered fer sure. But it was a great free-revving toy. You could toss that thing around with abandon and slice through traffic with hardly a care. It was like it was a part of you. Open the sunroof, keep it up on the cam and you could play all day with a big grin on your face.
I'm on my second Maxima now. Both SE's and 5-speeds. I appreciate them for what they are. And I do have a good deal of fun with them. But that 318 was like a new box of Fruit Loops on a Saturday morning.

 

You're confusing engine noise with performance.
I used to have a Ferrari 308. Sounded awesome above 5,000 rpm but you weren't really going that fast. A max with 5 speed and 222hp would beat it in a straight race, though not on a track.
You'll arrpeciate the max when you have to pass someone and fine that at 3/4 throttle you rocket past them effortlessly.

 

To those who understand what i'm saying in this thread, thanks I feel for u guys.

As for those who see it rather vague or "crazy". It's really not something that can be explained thoroughly unless you actually experience it.

We're not talking about fun = fast, but rather the actual joy of riding w/o care if you're going too fast or not (to an extent of course/responsibly). It's about experiencing the car you're driving for all it's worth and utilizing whatever is available to you - IN day to day driving/traffic.

To set the record straight, i love my Max for what it's capable of in an open freeway, and then some. (hey! i have it don't i? hehehe)

 

 

I understand...There is an on ramp by my house that I use frequently that has a really sharp curve and then forces you to merge in a very short amount of space. You have to be at 65 when you hit the freeway, or else massive pile ups can occur.

I had an 84 Accord in college...all stock...@100hp, 5 speed and 13" rims!!! Taking that ramp was a blast in that car. I had to redline 1st, 2nd, and 3rd to get up to speed, and the whole time the car was taking the ramp the tires were howling and it took all of my concentration and skill to keep the car in line. I felt like and Formula 1 race car driver when I drove that ramp.

In my Max though, it's boring. The car hardly rolls and I don't even need to take it past 3000 RPMs to get the job done. I took the ramp at 80 or so once...then it became fun again. Problem is, too many cops around there because there are som many accidents at that ramp.

 

Even though there's traffic there's still room to enjoy some of the Max's potential--even though it'll be short lived.

Here in Dallas, traffic is horrendous and I mostly stay in 3rd-4th gear. But if a clearing opens up in traffic that's when I open up 3rd gear and zoom past by.

One of the benefits of a 5 speed: instantaneous, normally aspirated, torquey POWER

 

I don't know how it is there. But the route i pass by everyday here in Houston is terrible.

You're lucky if you can even get out of 2nd