Handling in the wind..

Steevie · 11th March 2008, 12:29

Has anyone experienced poor handling on the 5 door civics in high winds?

We used to struggle to keep the car pointing in one direction when the wind was strong. Since we traded in for the 57 Type S GT, there is a gulf of difference between the two! The wind seems to glide over the car with no affect on driving it.

Had a good run over woodhead to Sheffield on Sunday.. was a lot of fun with the car cornering with ease.

alanwalne · 11th March 2008, 12:53

I have a 5 door Civic and I don't think it is particularly affected by cross winds.

Were both your Civics the same engine. The diesel has a lot more weight over the front wheels which will affect the stability.

cylon2007 · 11th March 2008, 12:55

No problems here, did 3 hours yesterday morning with no problems, RainX makes it much easier to see on dark motorways in the rain as well

Kremmen · 11th March 2008, 15:09

No problems here either.

Now if you want to drive a fairly modern car that is a real handful in the wind take out a Citroen C5.

Unknownsoldier · 11th March 2008, 15:46

My Civ fairs alright in the wind, at least mine does. My Escort Van however is a real nightmare.

Tom

mrh339 · 11th March 2008, 15:54

Cant see what difference a 3 or 5 door would make in the wind. Maybe your just trying to convince yourself that you made the right choice in giving up magic seats(you didnt)

.

Steevie · 11th March 2008, 17:35

It may be just me but it did seem that in my 'old' 5 door the wind would batter the car from the side and would forever dump me in another lane of the motorway.

I'm not saying that I don't get it in the 3 door Type S, but the effect as far less and is more controllable.

The Type S is lower in the road as far as I can tell, surely this would make a difference to wind tolerance?

cb550 · 11th March 2008, 17:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steevie

It may be just me but it did seem that in my 'old' 5 door the wind would batter the car from the side and would forever dump me in another lane of the motorway.

I'm not saying that I don't get it in the 3 door Type S, but the effect as far less and is more controllable.

The Type S is lower in the road as far as I can tell, surely this would make a difference to wind tolerance?

My 5 door ES diesel hatch was a good sporty family hatchback.My diesel type S gives me the surefooted 'driver's car' handling I want from my car

mrh339 · 11th March 2008, 18:04

Good work Pottsy.

IWANTACIVIC · 11th March 2008, 18:12

Ive tryed the 3 door on a overnight test when it was windy and i didnt notice alot of diffence.

BigP · 13th March 2008, 21:04

I was driving in the highlands a while back in severe gales and I thought the civic was pretty good in the wind- hardly any effects- better than my old Bora and much better than my work astravan.

ahar · 23rd March 2008, 08:35

My 5 door seems fine in cross winds - all I've got to compare against though is an old 206 with 100,000 on the clock though!

Korkut Varol · 23rd March 2008, 09:30

The tyres make a lot of difference in road holding in cross winds. Supposing that you drove both cars on the same road and in the same direction, and with the same cross wind speed and attack angle, the only parameter left is the make and type of tyres.
However, it seems to me that all the previous parameters being very similar, would be one in a million chance.
AFAIK, 5-door and type-s are the same height (1460 mm) so it means that the type-s is not lower and thus more stable due to that. It may only be due to stiffer suspension and anti-roll bar.
Personally, (mine is 5-door 1.

I've been through cross-winds at about 50-60 km/h recently, and the car surely feels it, but not trying to change lanes instantly. I did not feel any discomfort when traveling at 110 km/h. BTW, I have 205/55/16 winter tyres currently installed, which are inferior to the original 225/45/17 in terms of lateral stability.

11th March 2008, 12:29	#1 (permalink)
Steevie Supporter Valve Cap Join Date: 20th September 2006 Location: Bolton, Lancashire Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Handling in the wind.. Has anyone experienced poor handling on the 5 door civics in high winds? We used to struggle to keep the car pointing in one direction when the wind was strong. Since we traded in for the 57 Type S GT, there is a gulf of difference between the two! The wind seems to glide over the car with no affect on driving it. Had a good run over woodhead to Sheffield on Sunday.. was a lot of fun with the car cornering with ease.

11th March 2008, 15:54	#6 (permalink)
mrh339 Supporter Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 27th September 2007 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 337 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Cant see what difference a 3 or 5 door would make in the wind. Maybe your just trying to convince yourself that you made the right choice in giving up magic seats(you didnt).

11th March 2008, 18:04	#9 (permalink)
mrh339 Supporter Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 27th September 2007 Location: Gloucestershire Posts: 337 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Good work Pottsy. Last edited by mrh339; 11th March 2008 at 18:11.

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This thread is about: Handling in the wind.., it's in General Discussion at the Honda Civic forum Civinfo; Has anyone experienced poor handling on the 5 door civics in high winds? We used to struggle to keep the car pointing in one direction ...

11th March 2008, 12:53	#2 (permalink)
alanwalne Supporter Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 11th June 2007 Location: Kent Posts: 749 Thanks: 0 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	I have a 5 door Civic and I don't think it is particularly affected by cross winds. Were both your Civics the same engine. The diesel has a lot more weight over the front wheels which will affect the stability.

11th March 2008, 12:55	#3 (permalink)
cylon2007 Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 14th April 2007 Location: South Manchester/North Cheshire Posts: 449 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	No problems here, did 3 hours yesterday morning with no problems, RainX makes it much easier to see on dark motorways in the rain as well

11th March 2008, 15:09	#4 (permalink)
Kremmen Krem de la Krem Civinfo guru Join Date: 7th January 2007 Location: West London Posts: 2,415 Thanks: 3 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts	No problems here either. Now if you want to drive a fairly modern car that is a real handful in the wind take out a Citroen C5.

11th March 2008, 15:46	#5 (permalink)
Unknownsoldier Comedian/Smart Ase Civinfo guru* Join Date: 22nd September 2007 Location: Kent, UK Posts: 2,261 Thanks: 37 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	My Civ fairs alright in the wind, at least mine does. My Escort Van however is a real nightmare. Tom

11th March 2008, 17:35	#7 (permalink)
Steevie Supporter Valve Cap Join Date: 20th September 2006 Location: Bolton, Lancashire Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	It may be just me but it did seem that in my 'old' 5 door the wind would batter the car from the side and would forever dump me in another lane of the motorway. I'm not saying that I don't get it in the 3 door Type S, but the effect as far less and is more controllable. The Type S is lower in the road as far as I can tell, surely this would make a difference to wind tolerance?

11th March 2008, 18:12	#10 (permalink)
IWANTACIVIC Supporter Magic Rear Seat Join Date: 16th September 2006 Location: LINCS UK Posts: 658 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Ive tryed the 3 door on a overnight test when it was windy and i didnt notice alot of diffence.

13th March 2008, 21:04	#11 (permalink)
BigP Wheelnut Join Date: 25th July 2007 Location: Glasgow Posts: 69 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I was driving in the highlands a while back in severe gales and I thought the civic was pretty good in the wind- hardly any effects- better than my old Bora and much better than my work astravan.

23rd March 2008, 08:35	#12 (permalink)
ahar Supporter Wheelnut Join Date: 23rd March 2008 Location: London, UK Posts: 62 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	My 5 door seems fine in cross winds - all I've got to compare against though is an old 206 with 100,000 on the clock though!

23rd March 2008, 09:30	#13 (permalink)
Korkut Varol Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 31st October 2006 Location: Ankara, Turkey Posts: 457 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	The tyres make a lot of difference in road holding in cross winds. Supposing that you drove both cars on the same road and in the same direction, and with the same cross wind speed and attack angle, the only parameter left is the make and type of tyres. However, it seems to me that all the previous parameters being very similar, would be one in a million chance. AFAIK, 5-door and type-s are the same height (1460 mm) so it means that the type-s is not lower and thus more stable due to that. It may only be due to stiffer suspension and anti-roll bar. Personally, (mine is 5-door 1. I've been through cross-winds at about 50-60 km/h recently, and the car surely feels it, but not trying to change lanes instantly. I did not feel any discomfort when traveling at 110 km/h. BTW, I have 205/55/16 winter tyres currently installed, which are inferior to the original 225/45/17 in terms of lateral stability.