Honda City 2011 Acceleration Problem! Help!

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camel (camel) 2011-06-13 14:47:29 +0500 #1

Hello Everyone

I just bought a brand new honda city 2011 MT a couple of weeks back. I am facing some issues with the acceleration of the car. Usually in the second and third gear there is a delay in the car picking up acceleration... for example as soon as i switch to second gear i press the accelerator a little further but there is no visible or felt change for around 4-5 seconds and then suddenly the car starts to pick up acceleration without me pushing the accelerator any further...!!! I dont know why is this reaction time so slow... the problem is more prominent when i have the AC on!!
i hope that its not something major...

Plus.. i generally drive the car slowly below 80 km since i havent reached 1000 km... but maybe 4-5 times i did put a lot of force on the 2nd gear and made it go up to 50 in second gear! Is this a cause of the above problem.. many people say to drive safely at a slow speed not exceeding 80 while some say that it is not a requirement..

Your help is much appreciated!

megatron (megatron) 2011-06-13 15:01:55 +0500 #2

I think it is not a problem...but a general behaviour of this city. There is a little lag when u press the paddle when the car is in the low rpm range in the 2nd and most noticeably in the 3rd gear...also the rapid acceleration that u r reporting is the vtec kicking in...

just my two cents...i am no professional

plague27 (plague27) 2011-06-13 15:03:06 +0500 #3

i have the same problem with my city 2011, i took it to honda dealership and they said it will improve after 5000km..well it didnt
only highoctane helped, you could try and mixing super and highoctane..it improved the pick
if there is mechanical fault then maybe some expert will be in a better position to point out.

misteek (misteek) 2011-06-13 15:21:06 +0500 #4

havent you heard about the "vtec kicked in yo"
that jerk is actually vtec kicking in....

camel (camel) 2011-06-14 01:15:19 +0500 #5

I just feel that the delay is too much...it feels as if the car is running on CNG and suddenly takes acceleration when you switch on petrol... but if this delay time is normal for city 2011 with others, then i guess i shouldnt complain!

ahsanonline (ahsanonline) 2011-06-14 04:08:59 +0500 #6

this city's engine isnt designed to natively run on lower octane petrol. Since the car is new, its ecu is still learning the engine behaviour and response on this lower octane fuel.
The more it runs, more it'll learn and better it will become. And no its not vtec kicking in...

Btw, petrol of shell and pso is better, stay away from attock and total pumps, they use locally produced fuel, it sucks.

Legal_rebel (Legal_rebel) 2011-06-14 05:21:43 +0500 #7

its normal i have 09 city and its above 30k driven on high octane from day one and in 2nd gear it does behave the way u said but it all depends upon the gear shifting and if the car is in momentum u wont feel the lag and 2ndly its a dbw this time so delay will be there as there is no wire in accelerator till the engine but you have to learn how to squeeze out the power when you need it and cope with the delay.

toyotaf1 (toyotaf1) 2011-06-14 05:31:05 +0500 #8

I have the same problem with my ~600km driven city 2011 plus it aint giving me mileage north of 7-7.5 kmpl. I am not even hard on the accelerator and I am kinda confused u see.

Legal_rebel (Legal_rebel) 2011-06-14 06:45:53 +0500 #9

mine with full time ac 14.7 harsh driving rpm near to 4 n 5 k all the time

camel (camel) 2011-06-14 13:54:44 +0500 #10

That is quite low... mine is giving around 12-13 km minimum per litre.. and that too as my default race is set at 1000 rpm.. which means that it consumes petrol like anything even if idle...i enquired about it and the honda people said that at 1000 km check up it will be reduced... it is deliberately kept high for some reason..

camel (camel) 2011-06-14 13:55:49 +0500 #11

This is quite high! I get around 13 and sometimes it goes to 14 but usually around 12.9!

camel (camel) 2011-06-14 13:57:02 +0500 #12

i have to stick to PSO since i have a company provided loyaly card for PSO... i dont know if PSO offers high octane in islamabad

camel (camel) 2011-06-14 13:58:50 +0500 #13

I agree because sometimes you dont feel the delay if running smoothly at high speed... if you are driving at a high rpm at second gear, the switch to third and the delay in third gear pickup isnt that obvious!

F1 (F1) 2011-06-14 14:17:07 +0500 #14

Nothing to worry about ... its normal for this city .. My cuz bought new city in january 2011 and i often drive it .. i experience the same thing .. it takes fraction of a sec then it accelarates .. !!

plague27 (plague27) 2011-06-14 14:43:20 +0500 #15

i have to stick to PSO since i have a company provided loyaly card for PSO... i dont know if PSO offers high octane in islamabad
you have to find a pso that does sell it as not all the gas stations do..it will improve the pick, i have tried it and it works try mixing 10 litres of high octane and the rest with super.

warewolf1 (warewolf1) 2011-06-14 14:43:35 +0500 #16

My vote goes for this reason..... slight delay is observed due to DBW (drive-by wire) system.

camel (camel) 2011-06-15 12:36:08 +0500 #17

i think this is the reason ... i have taken the following extract from Wiki

The cost of DbW systems is often greater than conventional systems. The extra costs stem from greater complexity, development costs and the redundant elements needed to make the system safe. Failures in the control system could theoretically cause a runaway vehicle, although this is no different from the throttle return spring snapping on a traditional mechanical throttle vehicle. The vehicle could still be stopped by turning the ignition off if this occurred. Another disadvantage is that manufacturers often reduce throttle sensitivity in the low-mid throttle range to make the car easier or safer to control - or to protect the drivetrain (gearbox, clutch, etc.) from driver abuse. The feeling to the driver is that the throttle feels less responsive. There are aftermarket electronic kits to increase throttle sensitivity, to re-gain a more direct-feeling relationship between pedal position and throttle valve opening.

Source: Drive by wire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

mubeenshahid (mubeenshahid) 2011-06-15 12:46:19 +0500 #18

ITs city's normal behaviour on ordinary fuel.
And LMAO being city demands HI Octance.Civic ka to suna tha ab city ki bhi farmayish both mehngi ha

mubeenshahid (mubeenshahid) 2011-06-15 12:47:36 +0500 #19

Corolla also has drive by wire and also has underpowered engine.And i dont agree because on corolla there is no knocking or this type of lag issue.

vik_vik (vik_vik) 2011-06-15 13:10:50 +0500 #20

Dude I would liek to correct you here

This lagging is almost ignorable on CNG as I am running my CITY 2010 on cng for like more then 8 months now. Current reading on the ODO is 37000km and I installed CNG at 8000km.

ON CNG you wont even feel any knocking which you does feel on petrol and as far as pick is concerned, on CNG the pick is same as petrol. I do feel this lag on petrol but on CNG, I dont feel any.