Tightening Up Steering & Pedal Feel

[S2G-Unit]

My car is now 22 years old & I've been replacing a lot of parts as I go.

I realized driving my dad's 2003 civic, that the throttle/pedal response is so much better (same with brake and clutch). Do I need to adjust my pedal's deadplay? Tighten bolts behind the pedal?


I just installed an 04 s2000 steering wheel, which feels much better. Although, I feel like it could still feel tighter and more responsive. Other than a more aggressive alignment, what else can be done?



*edit: added that the 2003 is my dad's civic*

 

[robbiedawg]

throttle response isn't just pedal adjustment,it's what's on the other end of the throttle.the best thing I've done for throttle response is to have my injectors cleaned-

https://www.rceng.com/Fuel-Injector-Cleaning-P43C0.aspx

 

[S2G-Unit]

throttle response isn't just pedal adjustment,it's what's on the other end of the throttle.the best thing I've done for throttle response is to have my injectors cleaned-

https://www.rceng.com/Fuel-Injector-Cleaning-P43C0.aspx

Thanks, I had my injectors cleaned last month.

What else has everyone done?

 

[94710]

Install new spark plugs.

 

[S2G-Unit]

Install new spark plugs.

yep, that's done as well last month. It's the physical feel of the pedal.
Is it the pedal's looseness/play?
Throttle cable hasn't been touched, could that be it?

 

[GraemeD]

yep, that's done as well last month. It's the physical feel of the pedal.
Is it the pedal's looseness/play?
Throttle cable hasn't been touched, could that be it?

Isn't the '03 "drive by wire" ? If that's the case, I don't think you will ever get the same feel. But if you clean/lube the mechanism and if needed change the cable, it will be as good as it can be.
Start by checking the movement with the engine off, that way you can feel exactly what it's doing.

 

[davidf]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^This is true. Drive by wire doesn't have the cable lag feeling.

 

[S2G-Unit]

Isn't the '03 "drive by wire" ? If that's the case, I don't think you will ever get the same feel. But if you clean/lube the mechanism and if needed change the cable, it will be as good as it can be.
Start by checking the movement with the engine off, that way you can feel exactly what it's doing.

I edited my original post it was supposed to say "my dad's 2003 civic" lol.

Actually the throttle response from my sisters 2003 civic is great as well.

 

[vandale]

My Wifes 2008 Civic has very sharp throttle response however this does not work in it favour as the car has coil over aftermarket suspension that is very stiff and when you drive over bumps etc it causes your foot to tap the throttle up and down slightly but this transposes into jerky unwanted acceleration.

I like the NSX throttle feeling. Its a lot stiffer than the civic which means it returns from fully open to closed a lot quicker. I have owned 4 NSX's and they have all been the same, non of the were drive by wire. I read somewhere along time ago that the NSX throttle body spring is intentionally stiffer to prevent unwanted jerky acceleration and deceleration when going over bumps and during spirited driving. Way better IMO.

Maybe worth looking at the usual causes of slow throttle response, rough idle, jerky acceleration. Remove and clean the whole throttle body, spark plugs, injector clean, new air filter, fuel filter, fuel pressure check, oxygen sensors, ECU reset (clock fuse), blocked cats and water in the gas tank.

If that doesn't help then get some NOS

 

[S2G-Unit]

My Wifes 2008 Civic has very sharp throttle response however this does not work in it favour as the car has coil over aftermarket suspension that is very stiff and when you drive over bumps etc it causes your foot to tap the throttle up and down slightly but this transposes into jerky unwanted acceleration.

I like the NSX throttle feeling. Its a lot stiffer than the civic which means it returns from fully open to closed a lot quicker. I have owned 4 NSX's and they have all been the same, non of the were drive by wire. I read somewhere along time ago that the NSX throttle body spring is intentionally stiffer to prevent unwanted jerky acceleration and deceleration when going over bumps and during spirited driving. Way better IMO.

Maybe worth looking at the usual causes of slow throttle response, rough idle, jerky acceleration. Remove and clean the whole throttle body, spark plugs, injector clean, new air filter, fuel filter, fuel pressure check, oxygen sensors, ECU reset (clock fuse), blocked cats and water in the gas tank.

If that doesn't help then get some NOS

Thanks, I've done every single one of the maintenence item's listed already. Except for fuel pressure check.
I'll try and maybe playing with pedal adjustment.

 

[vandale]

Thanks, I've done every single one of the maintenence item's listed already. Except for fuel pressure check.
I'll try and maybe playing with pedal adjustment.

The easiest way to check the fuel pressure is to remove the resistor at the pump and see if the issue goes away, if so it means the pump is getting tired and could do with a replacement. You can run without the resistor but this will kill the pump quicker as it runs at 45psi constant instead of the 32psi pre vtec.

Good luck :smile:

 

[nsxspdfreak]

Have you compared the throttle response to other NSX's? It's hard to say what the issue is when you may not know if you even have an issue.
If your motor is tuned correctly, injectors are clean, fuel pressure is good then there's not much else you can do without doing some modifications such as transmission gearing, a lightweight flywheel or reducing wheel diameter (if you're running 18's/19's).
I have an ultra light flywheel installed in my car and the throttle response is kick in the ass quick even with my 18/19 wheels, but the drawback is that without the extra energy stored in a spinning heavier flywheel when starting out in 1st gear the clutch can be a little touchy.

 

[S2G-Unit]

Have you compared the throttle response to other NSX's? It's hard to say what the issue is when you may not know if you even have an issue.
If your motor is tuned correctly, injectors are clean, fuel pressure is good then there's not much else you can do without doing some modifications such as transmission gearing, a lightweight flywheel or reducing wheel diameter (if you're running 18's/19's).
I have an ultra light flywheel installed in my car and the throttle response is kick in the ass quick even with my 18/19 wheels, but the drawback is that without the extra energy stored in a spinning heavier flywheel when starting out in 1st gear the clutch can be a little touchy.

Nope, never drove another NSX.
I'll try the fuel pressure test as well as adjusting the dead/play of the pedals and see.

 

[Jinks]

A supercharger increases throttle response��
What kind of intake are you running? Small tweaks to the intake could help out. Best is Oem hands down. Also what kind of exhaust are you running? Large exhausts lower back pressure and help top end power but can tend to lag on the low end. Lots of factors here. But all in all, be glad your not driving a civic even if it drives better than your nsx��

 

[vandale]

Don't forget to check your timing belt. A lot of people waste time on all sorts of other tuning tips and forget to check if its slipped a few teeth.

 

[RYU]

Throttle response is subjective and means different things to a lot of ppl. The only way for us to really help compare is you can tell us how your car compares to another NSX. The NA2's have lazy throttle response mainly because of the heavy dual mass flywheel... the DBW doesn't help but isn't as big a difference.

If all else is sorted on your car then that means the stock twin disc flywheel is too heavy for you. It doesn't help at all when you say your Civic revs up faster.

 

[htmachine]

Wow, talk about comparing apples and oranges. You really need to drive another NSX first. Manufactures for years have used bell cranks and other mechanisms to make the butterfly open faster with the first small amount of peddle travel and the rest of the travel opening it less and less. It's a gimick to make an underpowered car seem more "peppy". I can't count how many cars I have redesigned the throttle to give that linear response I want. The best design is what we have in our NSX, a drum with a cable wrapped around it.