i was about to purchase this model.but came across this thread.so R.I.P ninth gen.
By the grace of Allah S.W.T my first car was a honda stream J.D.M and i installed 17's on it and literally drove @ 160-180 constant from isb to lhr and reached in 2.5 hrs. i will post a video in my thread sometime soon.
And the journey is not about going fast in a straight line and touching 180 once and feeling awesome, it was about how car reacted in every situation.And that is the pleasure of Driving. and i did not feel a bit like flying in the air or out of control or just at the peak.
But it had crappy 15's and crappiest tyres installed before by the dealer which i changed after 1 week and tyres + 17's made a lot of difference in handling + little difference in comfort zone.
now the fact is J.D.M Build quality + a bit hard suspension + 17 inch adding to the grip + Falken Ziex tyres = very good grip + Handling.
And that too with E.P.S. Yes 2007 model with E.P.S.
so i slowly learned the behaviour of the car at almost every speed and then got confident about it and that too after changing each and every part or fluid necessary either self or infront of me for full satisfaction and maintaining it to the fullest.
once i drove my friends reborn with 15's on same road where i used to drive my stream i felt the body roll and felt going out of control and instantly recognized that still being honda with same r18 and likewise suspension,the 15's are not good for cornering and control but just only for comfort.
Now apply this or compare to 9th gen.
these are the faults which make the recipe of going out of control.
1. Build quality = just average (imagine cost saving measures + no check by goverment on quality let alone safety)
2. Fat body on less wide tyres.= less grip + 15 inch gets the tyre pushed in cornering resulting in body roll.
3. ride height tweaked for use on paki roads for comfort.i.e height increased and disturbing the already high centre of gravity of the car.that soft + heightened suspension is further adding to the body roll.
4. Combine All above Factors with E.P.S that is very sensitive to slight movement.
5. And the mentality of the person sitting on an already VULNERABLE average quality vehicle.believing it to bypass every situation without counting the facts.
now you know why it happens.
and this is how it goes through most of the people minds
seeing the add. (yar bus honda class hai, civic main arrival ho ga tau wah wah ho gi,feeling excited)
imagine driving a civic 9th gen.
buys somehow.
now the time to test the potential of dreams without knowing the facts.
gets to a average road with no idea of traffic or pedestrians
aray bhai naye civic hai agar koi mjhe cross kar jaye ga tau meri self esteem rul jaye gi aur mjhe nind kaise aye giii. no way have to get ahead of everyone on the road.
gets into some situation ,aray bhai civic hai aise nikal jaye gi,
turns the e.p.s like maniacs.
plus the power of R18
car gets oversteered.
brakes to control.
car already rollled to one side and now soft suspension coming into play along with 15's playing their part.
increased height of the vehicle now further acts as disturbing the balance and there you go upside down.
in the end,
ye civic mai tau dunia ulti nazar aa rai
thanks to the rigid body structure.
dont know that the airbags deploy in this situation or no.
but this car needs airbags on roof also
