Is Honda SIR still a nice choice for the second hand car?

[niky]

Well, what is there that's newer and more aggressive?

The new Civic 2.0 has much more torque, but it's heavier and not really any faster... besides, the older 2.0s were only automatics. The Civic 1.8 is very quick off the line, with a more linear torque range, but again, it's not as fast as an SiR. And though the new Civic has a very stiff bodyshell (good for handling), it has very soft and floaty shocks (bad for high speed handling and stability... this was also noted by the "Temple of VTEC" asia.vtec.net , a noted Asian fansite).

The Mazda3 2.0R? Slow. Focus 2.0? Same. Both great handlers, though. The Focus TDCi is too new to be had secondhand, but it'd be nice, a few years from now, to pick one up and do some chip-tuning (160-170 hp, anyone? 190-200 hp if you don't give a damn about your injectors? ).

The only possible comparison is the Lynx RS. The RS has tons more torque than the SiR and somewhat better handling. On a twisty road or in traffic, it's quicker, but the RS's engine doesn't breathe as well, and it runs out of puff at high rpms. There's much more drama in revving an SiR's motor. Although I prefer the Lynx over the SiR, modification of an RS ain't cheap (PM me and I'll give you a price list). One nice thing is, you can get a Lynx RS for not much more than an SiR, and that's with ABS, dual airbags, a sunroof and a CD Changer as standard. And with a few choice mods, it can be made as quick as an SiR (hehehe...)

But the engine was, and will always be the sore point in the RS equation... it's just not dramatic enough, and mods are limited... while the SiR's engine is its best feature... the B16A has been described as the modern Chevy V8 small block... an engine with inifinite tuning possibilities and power potential.

[erickdpogi]

magkano ba ngayon ang 2nd hand na ford lynx RS? lol pa pm din sir Niky!

as for the Civic SiR, it's a cult classic worth having anytime in my garage.

[Dr.Kamiya]

Yea it's still worth it. Todays cars come with 2.0li engines and all, but due to tightening emissions law they don't really produce more power, and because the cars have been getting heavier and heavier they aren't really faster.

But, if it were me buying for the same sort of money, i'd look into getting an E34 5 series.

[erickdpogi]

SiR is faster than the 1.8 FD, as observed by a teammate of mine, FYI!

[Memphis Raines]

Thanks guys for your updates! I'm eyeing one '99, pure stock, Nighthawk Black here sa amin. I know it's stock because I know the owner and is a family man. If he decides to sell it by next year (because the wifey wants an diesel SUV) then I'd be the first to be at their doorstep.

Sir Niky, same observation here about the SiRs handling, it ain't that agile at the curves but when it goes in a straight line, whoa! Could this be due to it's wheelbase? It is after all a sedan.

[niky]

The SiR's problem is the long wheelbase. It's not a problem per se, as it makes it stable and predictable on sweepers and in transitions, and makes it easy to drive. But on ordinary tires, it gives it more understeer than the Lynx.

It's curable, though... you can buy an aftermarket anti-roll bar or stabilizer for the rear suspension to tighten it up. The stiffer the rear, the more oversteer you get...

When you get yours... wanna race? I've been itching to test my Lynx against a stock SiR. I'm only 0.2 seconds off a modified SiR from 0-100 km/h... I'm pretty sure I can beat a stock one, by now...

[Memphis Raines]

Yan nga sabi ng friend ko who is a former SiR owner and yes, you guessed it, he sometimes still kicks himself for selling his champion white 3 years ago .

He said that most of his mods went to the suspension but he never changed the stock rims or did anything to the engine. Just bolted-on a simple K&N cone type, that's all. He had a heavy foot but had so much respect already for the 160bhp(?).

A race?! :sweat: I wish! Let's hope I get it.

[niky]

I think I'd be in trouble if I bought an SiR... oh, the money I'd spend in search of 200+ hp...

The 160 hp is debatable... in testing, the SiR tends to dyno much higher than other small engines. I'd say it's about 170 hp despite the claimed "detuning" for the local engine.

Honda's new engines also dyno very high (the Civic 1.8 is weird, in this respect), but the new Civic weighs a lot, so it's still somewhat slower than the SiR.)

[seonadancing]

There's a stock cherry SiR beside my parking slot and it's very well maintained, well at least the paint is. For the price, i'd get an E30 instead and turbo charge it.

[milo-ph]

I owned a 2k model SiR for 3 years and based on my experience I think it's still a nice choice for a second hand car. Problems though with the SiR are the lack of safety features like airbags, ABS.... but then again the SiR is a somewhat hardcore kinda "old school" race car thing. Unlike today's cars which are heavy and kinda anemic in performance. Not to mention most cars today are only available in AT trim.
The SiR is very easy to modify...from suspension to the engine. (Although I never modify my SiR's engine, I just replaced the muffler and put on some lowering springs (1.75 drop) guwapo na siya even with stock rims) Yun nga lang pag-lowered yung SiR, Understeer naman ang problema. Pero up to now, sa tingin ko yung Lynx RS lang ang katapat nya. Maybe because pareho silang manual and yung kinulang ng RS sa high End Hp, binawi naman sa torque. SiR malakas Hp pero problema talaga yung torque so everytime i-launch mo sya, ubos oras mo sa wheelspin kasi kelangan di bababa ng 5500rpm yung rev mo bago maglaunch. Yung sa RS kahit around 3000 to 3500RPM, kayang kayang i-sustain ng torque ng makina yung launch. BTW, nung time na may SiR ako, kapatid kko naman bumili ng RS kaya I had a chance to test both cars...pero in the end mas madalas ko i-drive yung RS kasi sarap ng feeling ng makinang mataas ang torque saka guwapo din talaga RS with matching nice stock radio and sunroof plus sporty seats and steering wheel...