Archives

I have been reviewing various Honda news releases in order to gain a better understanding of how the 2012 HCH differs from the HCHII.

While the rated HP is the same 110 as before it is reached at 5500 rpm versus 6000 previously. What has changed is the high-speed iVTEC stage has been eliminated meaning that there is only a single valve stage available for normal engine operation. This explains why the increase in displacement from 1.3 to 1.5 litres didn't gain any HP. This increase was accomplished by increasing the stroke from 80 to 89.4 mm (bore remains 73 mm).

Normally, a longer stroke will improve torque. No details of the gas engine-only output have been disclosed but I would expect the longer stroke and increased displacement explain part of the higher torque output which now extends up to 3500 rpm compared with 2500 before. The second contribution to greater torque between 2500 and 3500 is the new IMA motor which produces 23 HP from 1500 to 3000 rpm versus topping out at 2000 rpm before.

My conclusion is that Honda concentrated on improving the throttle response in the range of rpms that most drivers use to accelerate to highway speeds. This would reduce the length of time the IMA system would be under "stress" thereby easing the length of time the bettery pack is subjected to maximum demands. (I expect most drivers rarely used the high speed cam function which I assume doesn't engage below about 4500 rpm.)

Some other assorted changes:

The rear brakes have returned to drums from discs used from 2009-11.
The gas tank is now 13.2 gal, up from 12.3 gal.
Brake lights are LED; previously, only the high-mounted one was LED.

Like many others, I will be interested to read how drivers familiar with the HCHII find the experience when they finally have the chance to try the new model.

Cheers,

Roger

Great info. Thanks. I too am anxious to see how the veterans do with HCHIII. Looks like we'll be waiting a few more weeks though.

It will do well! My 2006 still gives me great #s. Just arrived home from Colville Wa. 140 kilometers and showing 4.1 ltr. per 100. H

The rear brakes have returned to drums from discs used from 2009-11.
The gas tank is now 13.2 gal, up from 12.3 gal.
Brake lights are LED; previously, only the high-mounted one was LED.



Odd going back to drums. I wonder what the reasoning was?

Bigger gas tank is a win.

I hate LEDs on cars, and LED tail lights most of all - they annoy my eyes and are very expensive compared to a regular bulb. The LEDs must be emitting some coherent light because I see laser speckle when I look at them. Also while the total amount of light out is probably about the same, it is concentrated in points on the LEDs, and those points are at times painful to look at. (Like when waiting at a stop light behind a car at night.) Plus they look really crappy once one LED burns out, but the cost of replacing the LED bar is way higher than it would be to replace a normal taillight bulb. This is why, I suspect, that I see at least an order of magnitude more partially burned out LED taillights than I do dead regular incandescent tail light bulbs.

There ought to be some sort of light sensor controlling the brightness of the LEDs. It would be a simple circuit and could seriously cut down on the "Ow!! That hurts!" response so many of us have.

Well, I am one of those weird people that absolutely loves LED lighting.

In fact, I love it so much that I even had a full set installed on my current 2006 HCH. We actually worked with ANZO USA to perform revisions to the units so they could be used on the 2006-2008 HCH... Big thumbs up to ANZO for the great work they put in to make it happen. ;)

Then again, almost all lighting in my cars is already LED anyway (interior lighting, trunk, floor lights, license plate) so the taillights were only the next step. Heck even my DRL's went LED.... so imagine how I felt when the HCH-III (and earlier the 3G Prius) were announced with LED tail-lights? Yep, one less thing for me to do hence gotta have one of those. :D

Honestly though, the main reason I like LED lights is because so far they have proven more power efficient and are more physically resilient thus lasting longer than a bulb with a bouncing filament.


Yes, the rear brakes going drums does not surprise me one bit. As a matter of fact I was surprised when full disks were added to the 2009-2011 models since IIRC earlier tests had shown than a 2006 HCH-II had shorter stopping distances then the 2006 EX. :rolleyes:



Cheers;

MSantos

I just converted to LED for my DRL on my 06 HCH2. Not sure if it helps the SOC , but I believe it will help a little. H

Just read up on the new powertrain...

two things i found interesting:

Civic Hybrid: Cooling Control Spacer (CCS)
To lower engine friction, the Civic Hybrid incorporates a new Cooling Control Spacer (CCS) in the water jackets surrounding the cylinders. Made of a resin material, the CCS restricts the flow of engine coolant around portions of the cylinder bores to maintain a higher cylinder temperature. This higher temperature causes the cylinder bores to expand slightly, increasing the piston-to-wall clearance thereby reducing sliding friction. The result is a 0.8% to 1.0% increase in fuel efficiency.

"Intelligent" Dual & Sequential Ignition with Two Spark Plugs Per Cylinder
Twin spark plug sequential ignition control is part of the i-VTEC system and helps facilitate an intense and rapid combustion process in the engine. The ignition control has eight ignition coils that are independently controlled according to a dynamic engine map program. The benefits are more power, less fuel consumption and reduced emissions. The twin plug sequential control system is programmed to respond to engine rpm and load conditions. Since the system has eight individual ignition coils, it can manipulate the ignition timing of each iridium-tipped spark plug.
exhaust
When the air/fuel mixture enters the combustion chamber, the first plug located near the intake port ignites. Shortly thereafter, the second plug located near the port ignites, accelerating the combustion process by forcing the flame to propagate more rapidly. The spark plugs can also ignite simultaneously under certain circumstances. This process results in more complete combustion compared to a single sparkplug system.

Just read up on the new powertrain...

two things i found interesting:

The cooling control spacer sounds great, never heard of this technology.

Doesn't the HCHII already have the 8 coils (Spark plugs)?

what is the 2012 HCHIII mileage going to be? It will use lighter Li-ion batteries right?

Doesn't the HCHII already have the 8 coils (Spark plugs)?


I wasn't aware, but possible.


what is the 2012 HCHIII mileage going to be? It will use lighter Li-ion batteries right?

44/44/44 - easy to remember

The cooling control spacer sounds great, never heard of this technology.

Doesn't the HCHII already have the 8 coils (Spark plugs)?

what is the 2012 HCHIII mileage going to be? It will use lighter Li-ion batteries right?

HCHI has 8 plugs with individual ignition coils, Iridium tipped $10 a piece spark plugs, but you only have to change them once every 120,000 miles.

...
Doesn't the HCHII already have the 8 coils (Spark plugs)?


Yes, indeed it has.

With regards to improved FE:

I believe it remains to be seen.
While the projected and EPA mileage rating for the car indicates some level of improvement versus the previous generation, it certainly does not mean that the FE potential offered by the newer platform improved upon the older one in the hands of everyone - especially those that hypermile their cars.

Case in point is the 3G Prius. In the hands of an average driver the newer car offers improved FE over the 2G Prius which is a good thing... but in the hands of an experienced driver the same is not always observed which makes it almost impossible to sustain the FE numbers we were able to constantly get with the 2G. :(

Cheers;


MSantos

Well, I am one of those weird people that absolutely loves LED lighting.

In fact, I love it so much that I even had a full set installed on my current 2006 HCH. We actually worked with ANZO USA to perform revisions to the units so they could be used on the 2006-2008 HCH... Big thumbs up to ANZO for the great work they put in to make it happen. ;)

Then again, almost all lighting in my cars is already LED anyway (interior lighting, trunk, floor lights, license plate) so the taillights were only the next step. Heck even my DRL's went LED.... so imagine how I felt when the HCH-III (and earlier the 3G Prius) were announced with LED tail-lights? Yep, one less thing for me to do hence gotta have one of those. :D

Honestly though, the main reason I like LED lights is because so far they have proven more power efficient and are more physically resilient thus lasting longer than a bulb with a bouncing filament.


Yes, the rear brakes going drums does not surprise me one bit. As a matter of fact I was surprised when full disks were added to the 2009-2011 models since IIRC earlier tests had shown than a 2006 HCH-II had shorter stopping distances then the 2006 EX. :rolleyes:



Cheers;

MSantos

I had 2 sets of those awhile back for my HCH2 and both went bad (after I installed them, of ocurse). Has Anzo worked out their issues now?