I have been looking into buying an element and there are two things that I wish they would change. If Honda made these two changes I would have one in a heartbeat.

Why doesn't Honda offere a limited slip? There seem to be lots of stories about people with Elements getting stuck in the snow.

Also need just a bit more hp. I am not asking for a V-6 but 200hp would be great.

I have been looking into buying an element and there are two things that I wish they would change. If Honda made these two changes I would have one in a heartbeat.

Why doesn't Honda offere a limited slip? There seem to be lots of stories about people with Elements getting stuck in the snow.

Also need just a bit more hp. I am not asking for a V-6 but 200hp would be great.

Been on these boards for over a year now and have yet to read a story of an E getting stuck in snow. Plus I live in Nothern Vermont where we see our fair share of snow, and my E has never even skipped a beat in snow or ice. It just doesn't make sense from a manufacturing standpoint. I personally think the E doesn't need an LSD because it would raise the price pretty significantly for something that isn't necessary to any majority of E owners. Even if you make an LSD optional you still raise the price of Elements as this causes added costs to diversify (Read: further complicate) the production line in the factory.

As for the horsepower......I'm biased because I drive a manual tranny E so I feel that there is plenty of power. Others with an auto tranny might disagree.

Sounds like you want a new 2006 Civic Si :-D

John

Sounds like you want a new 2006 Civic Si :-D

John

Or the upcoming 2007 Civic Si 4dr sedan. Mmmmmm....

There seem to be lots of stories about people with Elements getting stuck in the snow.
Lots?
I've been reading this forum since early 2003 and I think I've come across maybe 3 stories of where someone was stuck in the snow. I think 2 of those stories had the poster admitting they were driving it in a way they shouldn't have to begin with. Snow banks, ditches, etc. It was more joy riding than typical road driving.
They handle the snow very well.

There is a simple reason why the Element doesn't offer a limited slip differential - it is Honda's lowest priced SUV. It's drive train was inherited from the CRV, with little change, if any in the AWD mechanism (and rear differential) from the first generation CRV.

Honda does have a more sophisticated AWD system, but that is in the larger Pilot and Ridgeline. This system has some degree of right/left torque shifting in the rear. The Acura RSX also has a system that can 70% of the power (or is torque?) to one rear wheel.

Also, because the rear differential shares its housing with the RT4WD unit, it probably isn't easy to drop an aftermarket differential in there (such as Torson differential, http://www.torsen.com/oem.htm).

If you are afraid of getting your Element stuck in snow, take along some traction aids, and in worse conditions, be prepared to use chains.

paulj

Honda does have a more sophisticated AWD system, but that is in the larger Pilot and Ridgeline. This system has some degree of right/left torque shifting in the rear. The Acura RSX also has a system that can 70% of the power (or is torque?) to one rear wheel.


paulj


I'm assuming you meant to say MDX not RSX....

I've driven it up an unploughed street with a foot of snow on it. It's an up hill grade too. It never slipped, never mind got stuck!

Driven through foot and half of snow before and never have i gotten stuck. It's all in how you drive through it.

I'm assuming you meant to say MDX not RSX....

What I had in mind was the SH-AWD system (super handling AWD), which is offered in the RL (not the RSX). The MDX system, I believe, is the same as the Pilot's.

What I had in mind was the SH-AWD system (super handling AWD), which is offered in the RL (not the RSX). The MDX system, I believe, is the same as the Pilot's.it will be offered in the upcoming RDX too (will make its way into the next TL and TSX supposedly)

My impression from the online demos, is that the SH-AWD is designed for high speed slick road driving. It is less clear whether it would make much difference in deeper snow, or the rough road driving that some of us like to do.

paulj

seriously, though, if you are worried about snow, just get chains.

if what you want is a serious off-road vehicle (as opposed to a capable, but not rock-crawling element), then look at a jeep.

We had our 15 minutes of snow for the year in sunny South Carolina today.:)

With a LSD system how would the Realtime know when to kick in? duh..lol

Well Crownroyal Has not been back. Troll ? May be that he has been drinking his Namesake !

With a LSD system how would the Realtime know when to kick in? duh..lol

Based on what I know of LSD, I don't see why the RT shouldn't work. The rolling (unpowered) rear wheels should drive the center shaft of the LSD in same way as on an open differential, and hence drive the rear oil pump the same.

Putting an LSD in front (as some street racers want) might reduce the frequency of RT activation, since the LSD would shift torque right and left faster than the RT would act.

paulj

Thanks for the replies. Nope. .not a troll.. I was out of town for the weekend.

I'm not expecting to do any off-roading in it. I just like the idea of a limited slip since I've had to pull out a couple Chevy Truck 4x4's with my old Jeep Grand Cherokee on some occasions when I go skiing in Colorado.

I understand that the Element is not one of Honda's upper models. But would love it with a limited slip and just a little more power. :D

Are you guys sure the E doesn't have a rear limited slip differential? I had a 97CR-V and around 60K it started making chattering noises from the rear end on sharp turns. Took it to the Honda dealer and he said that it had a positraction unit in the rearend and that the rearend fluid needed to be changed to keep the clutches in the packs from sticking. The noise went away after the fluid change. I was led to believe the E is the same platform as the CR-V and the real time system is the same on both. Any thoughts?

There is a clutch pack in the RT4WD unit - the part at the front end of the rear differential which controls whether power is sent through to the differential. Noise in the rear differential is a sign that the oil in the RT4WD /differential needs changing. The two parts share the same oil.

On a sharp curve, right and left sides of differential turn at different speeds, and the differential accommodates that. But there are also front and rear differences on a curve. That may be why a malfunctioning RT4WD is more likely to make noise on a curve.

So while dealer's repair was correct, his explanation wasn't quite right.

paulj

...Well, I heard that the rear spoiler would be good for inducing an areodynamic force equal to 25 HP!:D

....Locking gas cap, +.5 HP gain:-P