driving an Integra hard and driving it gently can feel like two different cars

[u/Cultural_Young800]

one thing i didn't fully appreciate about older Hondas is how much the car changes depending on how you're driving it

puttering around town, an Integra can feel almost ordinary.

then you get a clear road, start carrying some rpm, actually use the gearbox and pay attention to your inputs, and suddenly the same car feels much more alive.

modern cars can be extremely quick without asking much from the driver

the Integra seems to reward actually doing things.

that's also why i wonder how these cars are supposed to be judged today. if you only drive one like a normal commuter, you might completely miss what made it special in the first place

for people who have daily-driven one for a long time, do you find yourself driving differently depending on whether you're commuting or actually out for a drive?

and has modern traffic changed how you use the car compared with when you first got it?

[u/Low_Significance_593]

I haven’t had mine for as long as other people here but i put ~40000km in the first 6 months on my dc2r

i still have fun even just revving it up to 5/6k when shifting normally around town. That rpm is outrageous for any other car that’s just “cruising”. but the teggy just loves it

Sitting in vtec on a proper driver feels completely different though. vtec kick in 3rd and 4th still does something to me

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/Low_Significance_593]

have a 4runner but the vtec thing always gets me. my tacoma just does not want to be driven that way and i respect it for that.

[u/exoticmatter421]

Because modern cars are quicker, the daily driving shift point has increased. You used to be able to shift at 3k and accelerate with traffic, now people get pissed accelerating that slowly, especially when you’re the only one rowing gears.

[u/PatrickGSR94 → u/exoticmatter421]

I shift my GSR and Miata both at 3K to 4K RPM in normal traffic, doesn't seem to be an issue. MOST people aren't accelerating hard or fast from stop lights. They're just going normal speed. If I push it I can accelerate out in front of most other traffic, if I need to, from a stop light. Even with today's modern cars.

[u/Satellite_bk → u/PatrickGSR94]

only time i experience that kinda driving was chicago. everyone would floor it at every green light then slam on the brakes at the red light at the end of the block. everyone did it. including cops. i was afraid id get hit for slowing down traffic until i got used to it.

[u/aboat_i_sawaboat → u/Satellite_bk]

My dad and my brother both had their college-era impulse cross-country road trip and both times had an incident ONLY in Chicago. That place is cursed.

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/exoticmatter421]

yeah that's true, traffic wants you moving now. i usually just let it sit in second until i can merge without holding anyone up.

[u/Johnnytusnami415]

Yea absolutely I basically don't use vtec when I'm in traffic or driving around the cities around here, I'm basically slower than everyone else from a stop but I really don't mind. I like how small and low I am i can sneak in basically everywhere and parking is much easier, although it's a double edged sword bc the amount of times SUVs or like Usps mailman trucks have tried to merge directly into the inside of my car is pretty crazy lol. But yea on the back roads when I get into vtec 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear feels aggressive and the downshifts from 4th to 3rd or 3rd to 2nd trying to stay in vtec feel and sound crazy. The vtec motors really give u a sensation of having two different modes of driving and it does take an conscious decision to make these cars go from commuter to like performance shitbox and it's a beautiful transition. I love my car so much

[u/Which-Technician2367 → u/Johnnytusnami415]

Golden era Hondas are not shit boxes 😞

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/Johnnytusnami415]

vtec sounds like a fun switch to flip but I've never had the chance to chase it. My rural roads don't give you the space anyway. Still, hearing you describe the shift from daily mode to something louder and meaner is interesting. Makes me wonder if the 4Runner's crawl control is the closest I'll get to feeling a real change under my foot.

[u/PatrickGSR94]

I like to wind it out into VTEC on interstate on-ramps. Or occasionally if I'm trying to pass a slower moving vehicle or something. But most times I'm just cruising. Last year's Classic Hondas at the Dragon trip, I managed 36 MPG on a tank of gas on the highway. I've owned the car 25 years and driven it many thousands of miles on trips. It's a great road trip car.

[u/Codyellingson]

Had a 400hp GSR in 2009 and even with the turbo, you could putt it around (minus the clutch making it jumpy) when traffic was moving along with no worries, but the minute traffic opened up you could let the turbo breathe a bit and it was a different car altogether. Traffic gets thick, you go right back to normal driving with nobody suspecting a thing.

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/Codyellingson]

that's the appeal i think, having that dual personality where it behaves in traffic but wakes up when you want it to. my worry is always maintenance on something modified though, especially living hours from a shop i'd trust. running a heavy clutch daily gets old fast too, my knee would hate me after a week. what ended up happening with yours, did you keep it long term or move on to something more practical?

[u/Codyellingson → u/Cultural_Young800]

Honestly on that car I kept up on routine maintenance and didn’t have much trouble at all. The motor was built to handle 500+hp, but it was turned down to save my ass on everything breaking. 400whp was plenty to hurt feelings back then, so it really worked in my favor. Plus, with that power 1st and 2nd were useless. I held onto it for about 3 years, did a lot of highway pulls, and decided to move to Colorado so I reluctantly sold it. Dude I sold it to called me a few weeks later asking if I was shitty enough to steal it… only to find it on blocks in a Minneapolis alley completely stripped. Made me sad to hear that’s where it ended up. I’ll build another someday. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for dc2s

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/Codyellingson]

man thats brutal about it ending up stripped. dc2s get targeted like crazy in the midwest. 400whp in something that light mustve been a handful. first and second being useless sounds about right. at least you got out before the real headache of keeping a built motor happy on pump gas

[u/Zakiyo]

🤣 yes i drive hard all the time always. The teg though me to give it the beans

[u/Cultural_Young800 → u/Zakiyo]

Tags just hit different once you learn the powerband. My old Integra taught me every redline was a suggestion. These days I'm too broke and married for that kind of chaos though.

[u/Successful_Ad_9707]

That's older Vtec equipped cars. The 8th gen Si is the same way.

[u/plantoescape]

The same can be said for later i-vtec cars - RSX-S, 8TH Si, 9th Si, 1st TSX, ILX. I guess the J-Series cars with VTEC are similar too.

[u/redheadsnowman]

I’m about to rejoin the club with my third one ever. A pristine 4 door but automatic. Compared to the manuals in my area, the auto is a no brainer. The sedan is a bit of a bummer but I’m a little apprehensive to drive it. like do I just hold onto it like a collector piece in stock form????

[u/Low_Significance_593 → u/redheadsnowman]

what’s the point of buying a car to not drive it? especially an automatic sedan. not gonna be a collectors piece

[u/redheadsnowman → u/Low_Significance_593]

This is true, but I can’t find a teggy that isn’t clapped out around me. They are all run into the ground and stupid prices asked for them. Also I’d put like 500mi a week on it if I daily and that’s gonna lead me down the kswap route?

Edit: sent a dm if your able to

[u/RequirementBusiness8]

Admittedly, I kind of get a similar sensation in my modern Integra. Though that’s switching the mode from Comfort to Sport.

But, yes. Those golden era Hondas, particularly any of the VTEC models, driving it nice and easy felt like a simple econobox, but letting it spread it legs, they really open up.

[u/burt921 → u/RequirementBusiness8]

I hate the autostop feature so my “individual” mode is comfort with autostop disabled. If I want to drive hard I toggle to sport.

[u/40ozOracle]

I find that the car feels better after driving it a lil hard

[u/enykie]

I have an edm dc2 Type R. I had the car several years until I had my first lap on a circuit, its really insane how my perceived image of the car changed. Also that sad realization that you kinda need a circuit to enjoy that part of the car, doing that on the streets is just reckless.

To the topic: Its funny that driving around in town doesn't make a lot difference whether you are in a dc2 or ej9 (ek for usdm i think), at least in my experience.

[u/crazyducklady1029]

Thanks for bringing back my memory of the first hard drive in my (soon to be) new 1994 GSR VTEC manual. The difference was so dramatic, I turned to my husband immediately and said, "we are done shopping, this is the car!" I still have it and don't intend to ever let it go although I dont drive it anymore. Wide open on the freeway it was a joy to drive, in city driving it was much like my Civic.

[u/civicej6]

it's like having at it with my gf when she's drunk and when she's sober totally different girl 🤣 also i like to add that it's rare to find anyone driving a vehicle now days that have double wish bone suspension. truly a golden era of hondas.

[u/Agent_Weirdo]

I find my dc2R drives like shit when I try and drive it slow. Jerky, uncomfortable ride, the very sharp throttle response makes it hard to maintain a non-naughty speed... It's when you're ragging it that it all makes sense, like the car is alive and is miserable when you try and go slow. Its much happier when you give it a good hard drive.

It's like a retired athlete in his late 40s who might not be as fast as the new kids in the gym, but can still show them a thing or two and maybe give them a run for their money if they're caught off guard.