June 2000

As I suspected, BEST MOTORing has a very wide following. Fellow malaysian Fashah wrote in to tell about his source of BM VCDs.

hi wong...
i am a big fan of this site... i have been following this site for the past 2 years... i an currently studiying in the uk now... i just seen the article on the best motoring presenters in TOVA... i think it is a good article... i also agree about what you said on the uk magazine reviewers on japanese cars...
...
...another thing is that you said it is hard to get the Best motoring series.... when i was in kl i usually get my copy of the vcd in Sungai Wang.. the shop that sells it is a bookshop near the Arcade Games level, there is a bookshop near the SEGA world area... another Bookshop is at the ground floor just below the arcade games area... the bookshop owned by indians... its hard to miss it....


June 1999

Alvin read Zul's contribution (in April below) with interest esp the part about the Citroen and wrote in with some experience of his own

Dear Wong,

I just read some updates on front line and I want to comment on the Citroen ZX1.9 that one of us had before changing to Civic. I drive a Prelude 2.0EX (1990 model) twin carb. Very bad condition now. Anyway, when my car was still in good condition, we used to race with a ZX1.9 and a 1992 Civic SiR (170 hp I think).

The ZX, although only 8 vavles and SOHC could outrun the Civic by 1 car length. My Prelude was like 2 lightpoles away (and i'm doing 160kph in third gear)!! Of course the ZX was properly run in, my friend revs it all the time. It's really fine tuned.

Just wanted Honda fans out there to be carefull of ZXs. They might not be as easy meat as you think. But, personally I don't care how much more expensive or powerfull or classy other makes are, I love Honda and I will always drive one.

A friend also told me of a similar experience: a race between two friends, one with a manual Citroen ZX 2.0 and another with a Civic SiR. Seems the SiR took the Citroen in 1st & 2nd gear but once in 3rd, the Citroen came screaming to catch up and then actually left the SiR cold. Since both were friends, they confirmed that they were flooring the throttle throughout. But then this is at best only a 3rd hand story. Any more experiences from TOVA readers ? (preferably on the race track)

Regards/Alvin


April 1999


Zul of KL wrote in with experience of his Civic VTi and an invaluable insight comparing it to the Citroen ZX1.9 as his previous car.

Dear Wong,

Just to share my experience with you and others. I bought my 6th gen. Civic VTi about 3 years ago. Before that I was driving Citroen ZX1.9. Change to Civic because of the idea of getting an automatic gear car and the VTi is the top-range of civic - locally assembled.

My first impression was that the suspension is fair and need to be upgraded. Mind you that I was driving Citroen ZX before that and the handling especially are superb. Therefore after about 3 months I change to Koni adjustable shock absorber and Eibach Prokit spring. The car was drop about 3/4 inch and the koni set at soft on front and rear. With that I feel more confident when tackling a hard corner. Next upgrade was the tire which was change to 205/45-16" Michelin Pilot SX-GT.

I realized that readers outside of ASEAN may not be familiar with the Citroen ZX 1.9. Just in case, Citroen is a French make :-) and they pride themselves on great suspensions. Their suspension which raises and lowers the car is world famous and although the ZX does NOT use this suspension, Citroen still makes a big fuss about the great handling and ride of the ZX series.

The Citroen ZX1.9 was the first ZX model to be marketed in Malaysia and comes with a mechanical fuel injected 1.9l 8V SOHC engine delivering slightly more than 100hp. The hottest Citroen ZX is the 16V Coupe, with a 2.0l DOHC 16V engine delivering 155hp and a light-ish body. Not something to be messed with unless you drive a DOHC-VTEC engined Honda ! - WongKN

After driving the car for about 6 month I change the intake to initially K&N cone filter and few months after that to HKS SPF with Z-Speed intake pipe. Initially I love the sound when the VTEC kick-in at around 5000 rpm but it is too loud and my wife used to complain. So after about a year with that I'm back to OEM air filter.

I feel that the car is underpower and sometimes regret that I did not opt for the JDM SiR with DOHC VTEC. ... I have no problem to rev high with kick-down except occasionally it just refuse to rev to redline - I don't know why. My next project is to get a s/s muffler and to remove the cat. convertor. Thought of changing to 4-1 header but the shop where I ordered it advised me that it is not necessary since I don't drive that fast. So far my highest speed with this car is only 160 km/h. Not that the car can't go further but just that I'm not that mad anymore but I will rev the car about once a week to redline after the green light.

Warmest regards.
High revvingly yours,
-zul-
Civic 6th gen. M'sian VTi with - Koni adj. shocks, Eibach Prokit with 3/4 inch drop, Enkei 17" RS-Evolution + Pirelli P7000 205/40-17, Razo pedals, Raybrig Yellow HID racing bulb 130/125W, rear clear corner.
Next week - stainless steel muffler and to remove my cat.
In May - new paint - most likely Pearl Yellow colour.
Dream - to get either Civic Type-R or B18C engine.


Ben who lives in East Malaysia recently bought a JDM Civic Ferio VTi and is happy with his purchase. However, some clarification is needed here. For readers not familiar with the line-up Honda has for ASEAN countries, the EK-series VTi refers to a Civic sedan with the 1.6l SOHC VTEC engine, producing 125-127ps. What Ben bought is an JDM EG8 or the previous generation 1991-1995 Civic Ferio (sedan) VTi. In the Japanese Domestic Market, EG8 Civic VTi's uses the D15B in a SOHC VTEC PGM-Fi configuration delivering 130ps ! This is the same engine that has evolved to the famous 3-stage VTEC engine used on the EK3 Civic VTi/Civic Ferio Vi.

Subject: Civic VTi

After going thru 4 brand new protons of various model since 1990, I decided to get a reconditioned Civic VTi, its a 1994 E-EG8 D15B engined VTEC(auto) 4 door sedan. Its much cheaper than a Wira Aeroback 1.5 Auto. Didnt get the SiR verson due to cost. Got this 2 weeks back. First time Honda and now falling in love. ;-)

I got this VTi straight off the port and even had the previous owner's car perfume (Direct from Nagoya, Japan). After some minor touch up, I took the VTi back home. The initial test drive was a bit dissapointing, the VTi has totally not much bottom end torque. Plus the autobox, the VTi has to be rev hard to get going. The power after 5k is of cos intoxicating for a 1.5 L . Last weekend, I ran it with my Satria 1.6 and it was not bad still can keep up with the Satria but unfortunately have to be rev hard.

Note for readers not familiar with our Malaysian Proton cars, the Proton Satria (also known as the Proton Compact in the UK) is the hot-hatch of the Proton range. The Satria 1.6 that Ben is referring to has a Mitsubishi 1597cc SOHC EFi engine that delivers 120ps around 6000rpm and a redline of 6500rpm. Due to its very light bodyweight, Satria 1.6 used to be the Proton terrors of the road until the recent introduction of an even hotter Satria type, the GTi, now using a Mitsubishi 4G93 engine sans the turbo, 1843cc DOHC EFi and delivering 140ps redlining at 7500rpm ! Incidentally, the 4G93 engine is used on the Mitsubishi Lancer GSR in Japan where with a full turbo-intercooled configuration, pushes out 205ps !!

I am not very sure about the msian model but this JDM VTi comes with a D4,D3,2,1. I can hold the gear to 1 and blast it to 7k then upshift to 2 and so on. My question is, will I do any terrible damage to the enigine or box if I hold the gears manually to 7k each time I got the itch? The sound of the engine wailing after 5k is sure kewl.

No you won't Ben. In fact, you should do that on a regular basis within sensible limits.

John, I read about you removing the "CAT" with a sebring, can I know if there is any increased in exhaust noise or tone. I am looking for some slight improvement on lower end torque, dun fancy reving it mad during everyday commuting. I am looking for a stainless free flowing exhaust but with dB level of OEM exhaust. For crazy time, I still have my 95 Satria bolted with tons of goodies from Speedworks.

Wong KN, you say something about EG8 might have good "CAT"? Any Idea if removing my original JDM EG8 CAT has any significant improvement?

For near-OEM noise levels with good power gains, I recommended Ben to try out HKS Legal Muffler, but I still feel the EG8's original cat should be left in place - WongKN

Wong KN, you got a good site here. I got to this site by Searching in Yahoo with "Honda EG8" Great place for information on VTECs.

This information is very gratifying to hear ! :-)

And in a short follow-up email, Ben talked about the re-cond scene in East Malaysia.

Actually, I forgot to mention, I am in Sabah....
Here we have tons and tons of VTis, SiRs and a few Type R. All brought in by 2 major players (dealers). Have you been to Kota Kinabalu? You will be surprise by the sheer number of Recon Civics. Its main rival here are the MIT. Evo range. The VTi here are sold at promotional Price of RM49,888.00. On the Road means plus another RM1,000 odd. Still a great buy. The SiRs EG9 are at RM72,888.00 Thats just to show the popularity of Civics compare to Brand New Protons. All these reconed Civic comes with Auto Box.

Regards
Ben

March 1999

The discussions takes a little while to hot up but the mails on our local Civic VTi is really starting to come in now. John Teh wrote in with a glowing review of his VTi plus one probably contravesial mod he did to his car to acheive that.

Subject: Malaysian Domestic Market Honda Civic VTi

Dear KN Wong and TOV-Asia readers,

I am the proud owner of a locally assembled Honda Civic VTi. It's the pride of my life and I dare say that it has been one of best thing to have happened to me for years!!.

I was never really a Honda fan. I thought they were better off sticking to scooters. But as years went by and the EG series stole many young hearts with their daring, sporty and out-of-the ordinary design, I had a change of heart. I knew I was not the only one among my buddies, many of whom are revelling in the sheer pleasure of owning a DOHC VTEC.

I was the odd ball who preferred a brand new car and an automatic transmission, so the VTi was ideal.

My expectations were high but reality set in and I was ghastly disappointed with the engine's performance. My impression then was the car felt too heavy and the engine had to be revved quite hard to deliver any decent performance. The VTEC effect could not be felt nor could it be heard, unlike the one fitted to a DOHC VTEC. Performance wise, the car was just too ordinary and removing the hideous looking white Honda laces didn't help change my mind. When no significant change occured after run-in, I grew frustrated.

Finally, after earnest consultation with a number of people who have been "experimenting" with the VTi, I was urged to do 2 things, which I eventually did. My prayers were answered and my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner. The minor modifications I did may not be agreeable to all, but heck, I have every right to say it and so I will :-

1. REMOVE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ("cat").

The effect was nothing short of a miracle. The cat is a major culprit in choking up the VTi's air-flow, and as a result restricting the VTEC's modus operandi. If you fellas don't believe me, go check out an exhaust mechanic's workshop and have a look thru a typical cat. You can barely see the sunlight at noon, how much more will it restrict air if light can't pass thru. Sure, it is meant to filter harmful gases and this protects the environment. But it also severely restricts air-flow and this causes the lethargy on what is supposed to be a sporty VTEC engine.

If you feel that you are going to cause an E.L.E. (extinction level event) tomorrow just by removing your cat, then don't do it. But, if you want to unleash your VTi's true potential, then check out Jaafar at his "No-name" outlet 3 doors away from Linksport in Bdr. Sunway.

He took out the cat, replaced it with a Sebring bullet silencer and the car is such a dream to drive now. I've been driving with the Sebring for almost 10,000 km without a single hint of a problem. People say your exhaust will become noisy but that is so untrue (if you go for a quality silencer / resonator). My Sebring (German product) was only RM300 including installation.

The effect brought tears of JOY. The engine was a lot more responsive and spirited. A feather touch on the accelerator and the pick-up was smooth and a lot quicker. The revs climbed very responsively and when that happens, as is known for a Honda VTEC engine, the gains in speed is phenomenal (compared to other cars in its class or the non-VTEC versions).

What surprised me most was the very noticeable surge in "pick-up" power across the rev and speed range. In crawling traffic, a slight touch on the accelerator produced just the right kind of brisk acceleration, so much so that it is much easier to fend off those irritating drivers who like to cut into your lane without signalling during bumper to bumper traffic. Climbing slopes has never been easier (even with air-con on at max. power!!)

In the open road....my, my, that's where all hell breaks loose. The VTEC is sheer joy. Although I am of the view that the 3rd generation VTEC in the local VTi is at work throughout the rev range, it is the 5,000 rpm change in character that excites me most. The surge, your back slammed against the seat effect is a lot more obvious and so is the Prrraaaaaaappp...(it sounds like the activation of a second motor). Such joy....Most non-VTEC cars will run out of breath at the 5,000 rev range but the VTEC keeps going and even picks up an extra leash of warp speed throughout until the Red-line. Between 130-150 km/h on D3, the VTEC effect is strong enough to stir the guts out of a PUTRA driver on the next lane...honest and no kidding!!!

And to think that I missed out on all that fun before I had my cat removed. Oh, oh, and yes, my fuel economy improved significantly too from approx. 7kms/ltr to 10-11 kms/ltr. For the RM300 spent, it turned out to be quite an investment!!!.

At the end of the day, I didn't mind the auto transmission. It may be just 4-speed but with more flexibility from the engine, the lack of an extra gear didn't feel like a big loss anymore.

2. HKS "DROP-IN" SUPER FLOW

I didn't go for the 'mush-room' open element type filter 'coz it can be noisy and extra noise is not to everyone's liking. Also, there are a lot of criticism of the open element breathing in hot engine air which actually cause a loss in hp. The drop-in filter is ultra hassle free and although the effect on the car's performance was not as huge, I did feel a slight improvement. The stuff is only RM200 for 10,000 kms worth of enjoyment.

Last but not least, I would like to thank KN Wong for his efforts on TOV-Asia. You're a real talent, KN. The articles are very insightful, interesting and the presentation very, very creative. I wish TOV-Asia every success.

SPREADING THE WORD,
J. Teh

Thanks John for your praises to TOVA. Just one short comments (remember, just opinions only...). Removal of the catalytic converter is frowned upon by a lot of people. Actually the best mechanics will even tell you that removing a properly designed cat will cause the engine to lose low-end and mid-range power. But the key is the word "a properly designed cat". From your experience, perhaps the main cause of our local VTi's bad performance is a badly designed cat ? In that case, for those who wants to improve their VTi's performance but yet wishes to continue doing their bit for the cleanliness of our air, should look for a good cat designed for performance engine. A thought that comes to mind would be to try out a cat from the EG8 or even EG9 which would be readily available from our 'potong kereta' shops (ie junkyards). If anyone has tried or is going to try this, please send your findings to TOVA.


I met Daniel Gan at Aerotech when he drove his gorgeously kept DC2 Integra Si-VTEC in for some minor service. We got down to talking, mostly about the Honda Enthusiasts group that I'm helping to form, and also introduced him to TOVA (got to sell my homepage a bit ! :-) ). He wrote back with some very interesting feedback

Subject: Honda Civic SOHC VTEC & Integra DOHC VTEC

Glad I bumped into you at AEROTECH over the weekend while changing the motor oil in my Integra DOHC VTEC, 180 horses worth! I've been wondering if there were such a thing as a Honda Club of sorts around here, in Klang Valley or Malaysia. I will share some of my experiences on my Integra with TOV-A later. For now, lets talk about the 1.6 SOHC VTEC.

I also drive a '96 Civic VTi. Prior to that, in the US, I drove a '83 VW GTi, a '90 Civic Si (manual non-VTEC producing 125hp) and a 92 Civic Si(M) SOHC VTEC hatchback.

First of all, let me start by saying that there is sufficient power in the SOHC VTEC engine to propel the Civic. My '92 Civic Si(M) used to hit the 0-60mph or 0-100kmh mark in about 8 seconds. In fact, I managed to hang in there with the larger 4 door sedans with V6 or V8 blocks, mostly in the 8 second range as well. In the same class, few could match it, except for the GT or sport models. I did not mess with the Ford Mustang GT's though (5 - 6 secs). As for my current Civic VTi, I was left with little choice when I bought the car from KAH Motors. The VTi(A) was "top of the line". The VTEC factor outweighed the need for manual transmission, especially after factoring the KL traffic. So no regrets, well, not really. The main cause I feel of the lacklustre performance in the local Civic SOHC VTEC is not the engine itself, but the automatic transmission and the gear ratios. Simple as that. If the car came in manual, I'm sure the 0-100kmh time would be in the 8 sec range. It's too bad KAH Motors does not sell the Civic DOHC VTEC. I would have picked one up in manual in a heart beat.

And by the way, the Civic VTi VTEC kicks in at about 5K RPM. It took me a few months to maximise the VTEC potential with the "handicap" or auto transmission. Now, almost everytime I need the power, it's there.

INTEGRA . . .

After ensuring that spare parts were obtainable or available and maintenance not a problem, I shopped around for an Integra DOHC VTEC. I found one just over a year ago, a '93 model (round lights). So far, to say the least, I am very pleased with the car, every bit of it. Especially the sound of the smooth DOHC VTEC engine purring and roaring all the way till 8000RPM. The stock short shifting in the Integra makes for an even more enjoyable driving experience. The rest is academic.

I'm having my sights set on the S2000. I wonder if it will make it to our shores.

Drive Safely, Drive Defensively.

VTEC Dan


Jimmy Teo read my local Civic VTi experience with interest and wrote in with some very interesting and surprising feedback

Subject: (Malaysian market) Civic-VTi

Dear WongKN,

I own a Malaysian Civic VTi for more than a year now. I am always interested to know more about the local VTi and often go into your web site.

Here, I wish to highlight to you what I know about the Vtec mechanism in the local VTi. I am particularly refer to your "update on the M'sian Civic VTi" dated Jan 20th 1999 in the TOV-Asia. Based on my experience and a few consultations with the Kah Motor's mechanics, I think the VTi's Vtec kick-in at around 2,500 to 3,000 rpm, depending on the style of your driving, and not after 5,000 rpm as per your article.

One easy way to feel the Vtec effects is to cruise at a stright highway at around 80 to 90 kph with D4 position. Your rpm should be at around 2,000. At that constant speed, if you step down the accelerator pedal fast enough, the Vtec will kick-in immediately (make sure you don't step the pedal too hard to prevent the autobox from shifting to the next low gear. Ideally, you should step on the pedal down to about half way to 3/4 way to the floor). This time, you will notice the rpm jump from 2,100 or 2,200 to 2,500 almost instantly and you will feel the sudden surge in power as well as change in engine sound.

However, if you accelerate slowly at the highway, you may notice that the Vtec only kick-in at around 3,000 rpm.

I believe this is the local VTi's Vtec effects.

You may want to try this out when you have a second chance on your old friend's VTi.

Regards,
Jim
21/01/99
(jimmy@seccom.com.my)


Thanks for your very interesting feedback Teo. To be honest, your descriptions seems to contradict the experience I had, ie there was a definite shift up in power after the 5000rpm point in my friend's car. One wild theory I have is that Honda initially implemented the VTi's VTEC implementation the way you described but then changed it when they received a lot of negative feedbacks ? Wild right ?!! One very good way to investigate would be if we can get a dyno plot of the local Civic VTi. Anyone with one that can send it to me ?

Update on the M'sian Civic VTi by the editor

A lot of people have been commenting to me on their disbelief that I actually found the brief test-drive of the local Civic VTi to be satisfying. The fact that I found the power reasonably good caused many astonishment, especially since I've taken a ride on one of the country's fastest car, the 430ps (at the engine) HKS Nissan 180SX owned by Aerotech.

Disbelief ? Actually, I've been thinking about what I wrote. No doubt the fact that the car I tested belonged to a very good friend did influenced me a fair bit. I was very eager that he did not get a dumb car, especially since this is his first Honda, a VTEC'ed one at that, and the great reputation of VTEC would be at stake.

Another factor is the very low opinion of the VTi that I started with. Other than the feedback from Deyna from Singapore, everyone I talked to have nothing but criticism for the VTi, especially its lack of power and the VTEC kind of manic pull. So, the fact that I actually found the engine does gain power after the 5000rpm switch-over point was already a great acheivement.

Let me put in just one more update from the test-drive. I'll be doing another one when I next meet my friend, just to see how the impression holds out (the first drive was with the car just ran-in). I found the automatic transmission really HOPELESS.

A good autobox will know when to hold the gear and especially when engaged into D3 or 'Sports' mode (the VTI has D3 but no sports mode), will easily perform kickdown (down shift into the next lower gear when the accelerator pedal is 'kicked' down). The Civic VTi solidly refuses to kickdown, no matter how hard I 'kicked' the pedal ! At various rpm, on various road conditions (uphill, downhill, level), I never once managed to get it to kickdown. This means that I can only really get a move on when the road in front is clear. This also means I never did try any overtaking during the test drive. Getting a move from around 60kph, even in D3, I had to suffer with the engine running in the mid-rev range (3000-4000rpm) and patiently wait for the VTEC zone to arrive. I even tried the '2' mode but couldn't get the car to down-shift to 1st gear too. Perhaps this characteristic of the autobox is responsible for most, if not all, of the criticism towards the Civic VTi ?

To really get to the bottom of all this, I hope to meet with more Civic VTi owners (real Honda enthusaists) for discussion and perhaps for more test-drives or rides too see if my friend's VTi could well have been a special case ! :-)

WongKN
Jan 20th 1999


And now for a little update of my own.

From the editor of TOVA

Recently a very, very old friend (like of 30years !) finally bought his first Honda, a local Civic VTi. Due to certain circumstances, he had to buy a new vehicle and the Civic VTi was the best Civic in the local line-up as we all know. Well, being such a good buddy, I was very concerned that he might be getting a raw deal especially since he has quite a high expectation from the VTi in terms of performance -and- I have been receiving some bad opinions from VTi owners (see some of the emails earlier in this dispatch for examples). Well, when we met up over Christmas, the first thing I did was to take his new (stock) VTi out for spin, just to check out its performance.

Well, I'm happy to report that I came away very happy with the test drive. For one thing, I'm quite sure that the Malaysian Civic VTi do indeed have a power-oriented SOHC VTEC implementation. The surge in power when the high cams cuts in (after around mid-5000rpm) was very evident, at least in my friend's (SL Chong) car.

The VTEC roar was also very clear and satisfying and the engine really do pull reasonably good right up to the redline of 6800rpm. After this test drive, my opinion of the Malaysian Civic VTi is restored somewhat and what Deyna from Singapore wrote about seems quite sensible. Most importantly however is my satisfaction that my good buddy SL Chong did get a good deal on his Civic VTi (he got it at a very good discount, the lucky chap !).

December 1998

Yap who drives a local Civic EXi wrote in recently with a very happy experience of one of our local authorized Honda workshops (coincidentally, also a performance shop).

Dear Wong;

I would like to just share this with most of the Honda owners here in Kuala Lumpur.:

Some parts of his email here have been removed. Yap was basically complaining about his car having a spat of very bad fuel consumption (fuel guzzling was his word) and his bad experience trying to fix that before this.

Recently, I have visited an authorised Honda Service centre by the name of Aerotech and am ++++ ++++++ pleased with their PROFESSIONALISM. The men were able to answer every questions that I throw to them (I can be quite anoying) and even explained clearly or enlighten me on some of these questions I had. After I left the shop (I was there getting my fuel injectors cleaned), Aerotech actually called me to follow up if there is any improvement to my Civic!!!

I must admit though, Aerotech is definitely slighly dearer than other tyre shops (local service shops). But in my opinion, it was worth every ++++ sen of it.

I hope that other Malaysian (more like K.L) Honda owner see this letter and be informed that there is actually a very professional and competant Honda Service centre available to help us. Aerotech, in my book your the best (Honda Specialist).

J Y Yap
NA set up only (not even after market air filter!)
December 31 1998


A response came over from a fellow Honda fan in Singapore. Driving a 1992 Civic ESi which uses basically the same engine as our Malaysian Civic VTi, a very different, much more enthusiastic impression of the 1.6l SOHC VTEC engine is painted.

First however, let me point out something which will probably prove confusing ! The local EK-series Civic with the 1.6l SOHC VTEC engine is marketted as Civic VTi. This engine was already in use in Singapore Civics in the previous EG-series Civic ESi models. This is what Deyna drives. During that generation, Singapore already have DOHC-VTEC Civics, confusingly named Civic VTi, which uses the export versions of the B16A, with 160ps. It is only in the current EK-generation that Singapore finally got the fortune to enjoy a true JDM spec Civic SiR !

Hello out there, I'm Deyna Chia,

I drive a SOHC VTEC '92 Civic. I've had simple intake mods (homemade direct induction) and exhaust mods (2' piping, straight through tailpipe) and have raced against DOHC VTEC EG6s. We raced each gear to the max and at 200 kmph, the distance between my car and the VTi '92 in front was about 3 car lengths.

When VTEC kicks in a little past 5000rpms, I can hear the high pitched whine and feel the smoothness in engine note, not forgetting the all important pull. This effect is especially significant in the first 3 gears. Since 3rd gear is good for 140kmph, 150kmph being not too far off is easily attainable.

I once 'lapped' the car with 4 and found that 180kmph was easily attained but getting from there to 190kmph was another matter, probably due to the manufacturer spec of max 195kmph.

I've raced other VTi '92s so far and believe me that the SOHC VTEC is not out in the shade, some fellers I raced were later surpriced to know that I was driving a SOHC.

The mods I made to my car are only bolt on, not forced induction, no chemical induction, so it's pretty stock.


deyna


Let me start a discussion on our local top-of-the range Civic, the VTi here. Below are two mails sent to me by owners who have some concern regarding its performance

From 'DGS'

Subject: HONDA CIVIC VTEC (M'SIA)

Note : Parts of the original mail were removed

Wong, not sure if this is the type of articles you want to receive but I was just surfing and noticed this website and was wondering if you could answer some of my questions.
Anyway I'm fr M'sia and I have the Honda Civic VTEC 1.6i and need to understand a few things.

3) My Civic cannot pull once past 150 km/h whereas my old manual Civic go pull all the way to 170-180km/h and even reach 200 km/h on the NS highway. A mechanic told me that is normal coz the auto gearbox for M'sia Civic VTEC is not up to specs? All I know is that I am disappointed with the performance of my Civic and I find that even the suspension/handling of my new VTEC is not as good as (my) old Civic (!)

Anyway would appreciate whatever thoughts you might have. Cheers.



From Peter Chong

Hi Wong,
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Peter Chong and I happened to stumble upon the TOV-A website by chance while looking for information regarding the Civic. I'm a Malaysian and currently reside in Subang Jaya. I currently own a local 1996 Civic (A) and my wife also owns local 97 Civic Vtec (A).

I hope you don't mind in trying to answer a question that I currently have regarding the Civic. The local Civic-Vtec, doesn't seem as impressive (in performance) as what I have read regarding VTEC engines. We did not get a chance to test drive the car as it was bought during the "good economic times" where it was a seller's market. I'm sure you know what I mean. The question is, do you know what sort of VTEC implementation the local Civic has ? Perhaps its a VTEC-E which explains the lack lusture performance. At various rpms I don't even hear/feel the VTEC kicking in (!) Any information you can share would be very much welcome. Thanks.

BTW - My Civic without VTEC has a set of Eibach springs and a HKS AFR installed. Performance (Dyno'ed) is very close to my wife's stock VTEC and the ride is without a doubt better (!)

Regards
Peter Chong

So now, a request to all Malaysian Civic VTi, or even overseas Civic 1.6 SOHC VTEC owners who are reading this, please write in with comments on how you feel about your Civic's performance. Is there a concensus on the performance (or lack of) of the 1.6l SOHC VTEC engine ?

One of the Malaysian JDM Integra Type-R owners, who has been enjoying their piece-of-art quietly, contacted me recently with this piece of interesting news about his search for new wheels.

Subject : Integra Type R

I just want to let U know a project of mine to change the wheels on the Type R which I thought was going to be easy. Anyway I decided on the Schneider 5 spoke. I knew that the PCD was not 100 as the regular Integra but I assumed that the offset would be around 38 -40 but instead it was 50!!!! .

I managed to find one with the correct offset and 17" is the way to go for looks but it is a bit heavy and has sapped some of the output. As I am running 215/40s the rolling diameter is just nice and the ride isn't that bad. Other plusses include the wheel spin happy (trait) during take off has been reduced slightly and the car does'nt move so much in the corners. Its no wonder that the new Integras run 215 on 16" (but I'm not sure of the profile though).

sign-off : Gila
96 JDM Integra Type-R (purchased November 1997).


I've many friends who are proud Honda owners. Hi there ChanKL, Irlan, Nizam, Din, and many, many others. Some drives local market Honda models while many drives true JDM Hondas (used-imports).

Being a proud Malaysian, let me be the first to put my contributions into this page.

Japanese Domestic Market Hondas for Malaysia



The official agent for Honda is Kah Motors. They have a special line-up, comprising mostly export oriented models just for Malaysia. Alas, this line-up does not include any of the hot Hondas that we avid Honda fans so dearly adore.

However, we are extremely lucky in that Malaysia allows the import of used vehicles from overseas as long as they are five years or younger in age. Thus is born the famous 're-conditioned' car market in Malaysia. Basically, re-conditioned (often shortened to 're-cond') cars are merely used vehicles that are bought in their country of origin (Japan for our case here) either directly from their owners or through used-car trading houses (and sometimes through auctions) and then tidied up and shipped back to Malaysia for re-sale. The most popular age for these cars are between 3-5 years old as the import duties are tolerable for these ages. Sometimes for very popular models (eg the Honda CR-V, Civic and Integra Type-R), vehicles as young as 1-year old are imported for re-sale though these examples carries an extremely pricey tag due to abnormally high import duties.

The official Honda agent often frowns upon these re-cond cars. But let's be realistic. By denying us the great and legendary Honda models (they deem Malaysian Honda buyers as not sophisticated enough to appreciate the DOHC VTEC engines), the avid Honda fan finds these re-cond cars a god-send. How else can we enjoy the Civic/CRX SiRs or VTEC Integras or twin-cam engined Accords ? However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as for the latest EK-generation of Civic and Accord, Kah Motors has since introduced the (admittedly milder) SOHC VTEC engines in the localised models of Honda Civic VTi and Honda Accord 2.2VTi.

With the Asia region on the whole facing an economic downturn at the moment, the volume and choices of re-cond cars in the market is now practically stagnant. Re-cond cars are treated by end-financiers as used vehicles and often carry higher interest rates and more strict credit checks on the buyer. For this reason, I've not come across any re-cond Honda Civic Type-R or Honda Prelude Type-S for sale yet. The mightly Honda Integra Type-R was already for sale since early last year. I came this close to trading in my Integra XSi for a racing white 1-year old Integra Type-R late last year but was stopped cold due to its unreacheable price tag - a cool MR140k !!

Finally, an appeal to all Malaysians who are reading this dispatch. If you are driving any of the hot Honda models especially any of Honda Integra Type-R, Civic Type-R or Prelude Type-S (and any of the DOHC VTEC models for that matter), please write in with some infor and feedback on your cars.

WongKN