Regular Car Reviews: 2002 Honda Civic LX

Civic: How regular can you get? This is a car for banging Freshman behind the Dirt Mall. Here's what I don't get: Why does a car with independent rear suspension (good) still let a car under-steer so bad (bad).

[carkingtom]

"understeers like a concert marimba." Although I have never driven this car, since I was a percussionist I now know EXACTLY what this car steers like. Thanks Mr. Regular

[potatomanjr]

You actually managed to find one with out a fart cannon I'm impressed.

[MauserKark]

Yooper Dad: "Dat's a good car, Ja 'dats a four-cylinder right?  Ja, like that Civic; that's good on gas.
Gramma in background: "Oh, be careful."
I live in Wisconsin and have a 98 Civic sedan.  This could not be more spot on. 
Thanks for reviewing the Civic!

[Gear]

I had this exact grey Civic, except manual, at one point. It was benign, milquetoast, and completely forgettable when it was gone. Mom still talks about it.

[splewy]

Just an FYI, understeer vs. oversteer on a FWD car has nothing to do with the car being independent rear suspension or not. It's actually primarily based on the relationship between front and rear roll stiffness, which is determined by the springs/sway bars.
-High front roll stiffness will cause a car to understeer.
-Relatively equal front and rear roll stiffness will make a car more neutral.
-High rear roll stiffness will make the car oversteer.

Most regular FWD cars are set up with high front roll stiffness to the factory to make the car "safely" understeer. This is why fitting a stiffer rear sway bar is such a common mod for people with FWD cars. It evens out the front and rear roll stiffness, making the car more neutral. Fit a stiff enough rear sway bar to this Civic and it will swing its tail around like a dachshund that's had its back legs replaced with wheels.

[RicUltima]

I want a sports car as my first car
That sounds expensive, no you want a honda civic
I want a muscle car as my first car
No, you want a honda civic
I want a 4 speed bicycle
Happy birthday, I got you a honda civic

[RockstarBlues]

"Little did they know this car was going to be used for.. banging freshman.."

[moorewr]

We have achieved peak regular car.

My mother recently gave up driving and gave me her.. 2002 Honda Civic LX Automatic. It's even silver. And holy cow does it under-steer - and this is coming from an Audi owner.

I've been noodling back and forth to work in it worry free - well, worry free since the airbags were replaced.

[sonofagroove]

"It's bigger on the inside... like a TARDIS, or a stripper."

Coffee, meet keyboard.

[strengthbuild]

Currently reading the Wikipedia article for the 7th gen Civic and it's strangely similar to the script of this video minus all the jokes. I see you Mr. Regular, I see you.

[samuelskillern]

I like how youtube posts an ad for a concert marimba at the end of the video.

[possiblycrazy]

Another good video!
I'm glad Harold isn't afraid to "show his face" in public after his last appearance.

[LerrySanders]

I can confirm the 2004 LX with a 5 speed is a understeering dog. It was a great little car, that did everything that I could have asked of it. Even that one time I thought off roading was a good idea. Had over 150k miles and still ran like a boss. 

[TheDreadfathersithis]

I've got one of these. THE UNDERSTEER. IT'S TRUE. Like, understeer at 25 mph through a slight bend. I was shocked. I thought the indie rear suspension would make if corner like a champ... That aside, it's a great car! This is a very accurate review. Props to Mr. Regular and the Roman.

[CoreyJones]

It has understeer because the rear sway bar is absent on the LX trim level. The EX trims from this generation handle like you were expecting this LX to handle.

Countering the cornering force (i.e. "roll" or "sway") with the rear axle lets the inner, front wheel put more force to the ground giving the front end more grip.

This is why rear sway bars on FWD cars are so critical as well as stiff chassis (to transmit the action of the rear axle to the front).

This also explains why torsion beam rear suspension on FWD cars allows for rotation (See: Focus and Fiesta) - the anti-sway action is built into the suspension geometry. However, torsion beam does sacrifice some fine-tune control which is why IRS w/ sway bar is still desirable - kinda like McPherson Strut vs Double Wishbone).

[kungfuninja]

Hey Mr. Regular,
I just wanted to say that I was on frontline as a freshman and Drumline the three years thereafter, two of which I was captain. And I greatly appreciate all of the percussion oriented band jokes and mentions you've made over the years. I have to say it's really awsome for there to be another band nerd car guy out there. Especially a famous one. Anyway, have a great day.

[LEGOStudios]

"It's bigger on the inside, a tardis or a stripper"
-mr. Regular

[scirlouie]

It truly is "The Car". In a manual; this generation - pound for pound, may be the best car ever. I own one. Look at the generations that followed.

[Cheseabluesdrogba]

2:03 Dan arnetts groan is why I come back to this video

[youcanletgox]

This was my 1st car, a beige one. We went everywhere together and I got my license with it. Funny you talk about its under-steering, my mom would always complain that I took turns too fast cause she felt the car rolling and that I had to slow down 😂 Just sold it a few days ago with 141k miles of memories (so cheesy). Great car, man do I miss it!