04 civic si - learn me...

Hey all,

Very close to getting a 04 civic si to replace my 1989 accord as my dd, I'll be putting 38k+ miles on the car each year...

Are there any known problems regarding this year's SI? I did a little research and it seems as if it doesn't have a premium fuel requirement, 87oct. is ok?...

Thank you! Paul

I hear that they are a set of tires and damper away from being pretty brilliant...and that's about all I know. Sorry;) Nathan

My wife had an '03.

Fun to drive, although you sit up high enough I always felt like I was driving a little mini van. (A mini-mini-van? )

Gas mileage wasn't as good as I expected (which may be a factor at 38k miles a year), as she regularly saw 24 around town and the best was about 31 on the freeway.

It was a ball to drive, however.

-Rob

I have an '02 EP3 Si. I love it. It is a fantastic daily driver, fun yet practical. You can carry tons of stuff with the hatch. The ergonomics are terrific. 68,000 miles (23,000 of which I put on) and no issues.

Yes, 87 octane is fine. Remember that this is not the same version of the K20 that was in the RSX-S and the current Si. It is close to the version that was used in the base model RSX (the intake manifolds are different, RSX was tuned to make ~10 lb-ft more torque). However, the engine feels about the same as the RSX-S motor below 6,000 rpm (I know...I had an '04 RSX-S for a year...still miss is occasionally). After that the RSX-S engine gets on the big lobes and pulls HARD to 8,000 rpm. The EP3 redline is 6,800 and comes up FAST.

As noted above the fuel mileage is not stellar...because the car is geared very short. 4,000 rpm at 80 mph. However the "rally style" 5 speed shifter is great. Better than the cold second gear grindin' RSX-S 6 speed.

Do not get a car that is lowered more than 1" unless it has the ball joints required to correct the angle of the tie rods. Bad things happen to the steering rack if you do not correct the angle.

I have 205/50-15 Toyo T1-Rs and an '05/'06 RSX-S rear anti-roll bar on mine. Tons of grip and less understeer. Where the RSX-S is under damped in the rear the stock Si dampers fell better. However I am hoping to install Bilsteins at some point in the not to distant future.

I'd say buy it.

Well, I found a '05 with 32k miles, selling for blue book value: $11k...

price seems a bit high, but it's in mint condition.

Go with the hatch lol. Not as "hot" as the older ones either so you don't have to worry as much about it getting jacked if you are ever in Central Florida.

I personally like the older Si's better. I agree with Clarkson on this that model is the worst of the hot Civics. But still not a bad car.

Clarkson actually liked the EP3 alot (at least the type r version), the newer euro version of the civic r he hated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8i01CSrFSM

paul wrote: Clarkson actually liked the EP3 alot (at least the type r version), the newer euro version of the civic r he hated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8i01CSrFSM

Yeah--that I remember. Cemented the fact that te wrong EP3 came here. The EP3R looked like a great car out of the box.

gamby wrote:

paul wrote: Clarkson actually liked the EP3 alot (at least the type r version), the newer euro version of the civic r he hated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8i01CSrFSM

Yeah--that I remember. Cemented the fact that te wrong EP3 came here. The EP3R looked like a great car out of the box.

Yeah, it won their hot hatch award four years running.

As stated above the car does not like being lowered (handling). If you don't have to fit in a sanctioned group, caster/camber plates and weight drops change the car in a very good way. If you drive frugally you can get high 30s. Throw in a sixth gear or different final etc. and your mpg will improve a bunch. The K20a3 can be developed to a bit under 200 whp n.a. and still be dependable. A K24/20 for tons of torque and hp.

I have Kuhma Ecsta XSs and they are great sticky tires and are much more roadable than 615s. Not good in cold. Suspension is tweaked with just a bit of oversteer.

http://forums.clubrsx.com/

http://www.clubrsx.com/clubep3/sfnt.html

http://www.ephatch.com/forum/index.php

Edit: a guy named Todd over on clubrsx developed castor/camber plates and here's a review:

I got the plates installed with Todds, roll center adjusters. The fit and finish is supurb!. I have set the caster to Max (7 Degrees) and the camber to Max as well (-3 Degrees). I got an alignment and took out out for a test drive.

Thanks Todd, if you have any other fabbed sussy mods, I'll be sure to get them as I know that you know what your talking about and what your doing.

Hey guys,

Finally brought her home! A single owner 2005 with HFP rims & suspension & the side air bags, 43k miles.

Put on the cg lock off my accord, some synth oil/filter, changed the trans fluid, inspection etc.

It's going to be a 40k mile/year daily driver, so it'll stay bone-stock except for some hawk hp+ pads.

Still needs a through detailing, but here's a few pics:

The paint & windshield are in great condition @ 43k miles, I guess Maryland doesn't use sand for snowfalls.

I wanted an EP3 but couldn't find a good one. Bought a base RSX instead and I've been incredibly happy the past 5 years and 167k miles.

the HFP suspension is a great daily driver suspension. I had one on my first EP. Now revalved koni's on my EP3 racecar and its awesome. Enjoy the Si, its a fun car.

Good looking car Paul. Not too many 2-door hatches are made anymore. I've always had a thing for these. My brother had one. I've been debating selling my '04 civic coupe for one. I've noticed they're getting hard to find in my area. Have fun with it.

How do you like it Paul?

93celicaGT2 wrote: How do you like it Paul?

Besides the low 5th gear & the absurd minivan seating height, I love it! The suspension's a perfect match for daily driving & the occasional autocross, wouldn't mind a bit more dampening though. Engine is rotary-smooth, just enough power to be fun to drive, and runs great on regular.

I've never been in such a stable fwd car before: just slight lift off oversteer at the limit to tighten the turn, but doesn't have gobs of understeer either. I was thinking of getting a lsd, but inside wheel spin isn't as bad as I thought it would be.