In the realm of import tuning in North America the Honda Civic reigns supreme. This is no surprise when you consider the Civic is fast, relatively inexpensive, can be easily altered to fit any appearance and it’s parts are easy to acquire. With so many Civics on the road and a cult following I am a little ashamed to admit that I have never really driven one. I have driven an automatic Civic, but I can hardly count that experience…it was automatic. I finally decided to pop my civic cherry. I waited until the time was just right where the sun and the moon where aligned in perfect harmony. To put it in other words, I waited until my brother bought one that I could abuse.
As you could imagine, it did not take my brother to modify his 1991 Honda Civic DX. He lowered it, installed a cat back exhaust, HID lights, air intake and chasse support bars throughout the whole car. Clearly then, this car would be a prime example of the Honda breed: a car built by a tuner for a tuner. I was excited with every change that occurred, to say the least. Finally, the day arrived when I was able to listen to the four cylinder growl. As I bent down to enter through the driver’s side of the low-slung car I noticed the very sparse interior. Plastic and cloth donned all surface, yet they felt solid and well built. The cloth seats, while a little ugly, were supportive and comfortable. Satisfied with the interior, I quickly turned the ignition key. The car sparked to life.
Now most people do not know this, but for a person to get the most power out of a single overhead cam motor the shift must come at the redline. It sounds foolish and many people think this is hurting the car, but it is not so. Revving to the red line is the only way to make this type of motor produce any type of power. As with any car, going to the red line with every shift not only consumes a lot of gas, but can also be hard on the engine. However, this technique should not be used with every shift, just when needed (or at least every second shift). Yet, I was here to test a car not to be worried about the gas mileage. Therefore, I did what I came here for; and revved the living piss out of the motor, forcing the velocitator to the floorboard. Racing towards the nearest stop sign a slight tap on the brakes abruptly ended my forward momentum. The new brake rotors seemed to be doing their assigned task with very little finesse. Shocked by such a coarse stopping mechanism yet impressed with the speed and noise of the car, I pointed the car to my secret test track.
On the track the car dives into the corners willingly, yet I was not flooded with confidence in the Civic’s chasse. The car felt odd, it is hard to explain. It felt almost as if the car was loose. My brother insisted the sway bars have to be tightened, but I was still not convinced. Something was amiss. I looked down at the tires and saw they were stock. This would explain the odd handling characteristics, yet there was still something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Could it be the aftermarket steering wheel that bends when I twist it? Or could it be the rattle of the aftermarket tacomotor? I was not sure.
I drove home thinking about what was going wrong with this car. Then, I noticed how I was driving. I was hitting the red line at every shift, taking every corner as if I was racing in Dakar. I was breaking later, due to the upgraded brakes. My heart was racing at the sound of punishing the engine and goose bumps consumed my body as I tried to tear this car off of the road. Then it dawned on me. There is no finesse, no poetry while driving this car. A civic is not a delicate automobile that is designed to be driven by telepathy. The Honda Civic is designed for rough handling. From the high revving motor to the sharp, yet somehow daft steering, this car was designed for people who drive hard. This car begs you to beat it as if it owes you money. It gets even better. Civics are known for their bomb proof reliability, so you can beat the living piss out of the car all day for years before anything goes wrong…I love these cars.