US-Built S3 Civic Coupe – Vague Throttle Response?
Discussion
Hi,
A couple of weeks ago, I bought an ’01 Civic Coupe (30K Mileage) for my mother. I looked at and drove later models, but this one seemed cherished and came with a 1yr dealer guarantee.
On picking the car up (I didn’t notice it during the test drive), I noticed that the throttle response was vague at low RPM... Below about 2 - 2.5K RPM, the pedal feels ‘notchy’, as if the cable needs lubrication.
When pottering in traffic, it’s difficult to find the right amount of power to move forward; you either use slightly too much and have to brake, or not enough, leaving a gap between you and the car in front.
Before I have words with the dealer about this issue, it occurred to me that it may be a generic fault in the model, rather than just a cable that needs greasing... It’s an electronic throttle, isn’t it? (My expertise is with older cars and I don’t know a lot about modern Hondas I’m afraid!).
I wondered if the ‘vague’ throttle response could be a programming / throttle mapping issue?
The previous Civic owned by my mother (a ’95 Civic ESI) had beautifully predictable throttle response and there was never an issue over the 12 years she owned it.
Has anyone here experienced what I’m talking about? Although the pedal feels a tad ‘notchy’, in terms of travel, the actual response from the engine strikes me as decidedly non-linear...
Any comments would be gratefully received – thanks in advance!
A couple of weeks ago, I bought an ’01 Civic Coupe (30K Mileage) for my mother. I looked at and drove later models, but this one seemed cherished and came with a 1yr dealer guarantee.
On picking the car up (I didn’t notice it during the test drive), I noticed that the throttle response was vague at low RPM... Below about 2 - 2.5K RPM, the pedal feels ‘notchy’, as if the cable needs lubrication.
When pottering in traffic, it’s difficult to find the right amount of power to move forward; you either use slightly too much and have to brake, or not enough, leaving a gap between you and the car in front.
Before I have words with the dealer about this issue, it occurred to me that it may be a generic fault in the model, rather than just a cable that needs greasing... It’s an electronic throttle, isn’t it? (My expertise is with older cars and I don’t know a lot about modern Hondas I’m afraid!).
I wondered if the ‘vague’ throttle response could be a programming / throttle mapping issue?
The previous Civic owned by my mother (a ’95 Civic ESI) had beautifully predictable throttle response and there was never an issue over the 12 years she owned it.
Has anyone here experienced what I’m talking about? Although the pedal feels a tad ‘notchy’, in terms of travel, the actual response from the engine strikes me as decidedly non-linear...
Any comments would be gratefully received – thanks in advance!
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