Question for 2016 Honda Civic owners ...

[cholla2]

Test drove a 2016 Honda Civic LX sedan. Really liked the car. Girlfriend has carpal tunnel/RSI issues. After only 10 minutes of smooth interstate driving (55-65 mph), there was enough noise or vibration from the road in the steering wheel to cause her wrist and arm to hurt. She doesn't have this problem driving the same road with her Camry. Dealer said that it was probably due to a flat spot on the front tires from sitting on the lot. Did a test drive at another dealership - same problem. They said it was because the tires are new and that after they "wear in" the vibration from the road would go away.

I noticed it too - more like the steering wheel was actively transmitting road surface noise and imperfections as opposed to actually vibrating back and forth. On my car (Acura RSX) on the same road, I also do not notice this.

Even though I love it, I would hate to buy a car that she couldn't drive so ...

Question to all you 2016 Civic owners out there - when you first bought the car did you notice excessive noise/vibrations from the road in the steering wheel and if so, did it go away after an X number of miles or after the tires were balanced?

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[Ultrafrozen]

Never had issues with my Touring and it sounds strange that both Civics you tried would have wheel balancing issues so maybe something funny with the LX steering or suspension?

 

[Rush]

I would try another model. Probably the tires on that model. I don't notice road vibration in my EXT with the Continental tires.

 

[dthatcher7]

Second what ultrafrozen said, it might be the trim. I am seeing some stuff online that says the LX comes with Hankook Kinergy GT tires while EX and above come with Firestone FT140 tires.
So maybe test drive an EX. But if you can't be sure that it won't cause wrist pain it isn't worth it.

 

[silverrascal]

No such issues on my EX-T. As a matter of fact, I wish there was a little more feedback since it feels more muted than my GTI. But as far a vibrations? None whatsoever. Go test drive an EX for comparison though. Could be the tires on the LX models but no way to know unless you compare. Good luck.

 

[Deleted User 1886347]

Cant say ive noticed any funny vibrations on my Touring. Like @Ultrafrozen said, maybe something was wrong with the wheel balancing on both the LX models youve tried. Maybe try the EX or EX-T model and see if there is any difference? Could be the crappy LX tires too.

Just remember at the end of the day, dont let them pressure you into buying a car you dont want. If the camry works better, then maybe thats the better option to go with. Ive heard that line before from sales people and they always say "it gets better when the engine/car breaks in" which is just a way of saying "stop complaining and buy the car already so i can get my commission". It doesn't matter what the issue is.

Just try an EX and either an EX-T or EX-L with the 1.5, and see for yourself. If you notice it again, then maybe the Civic X isnt the right car for your girlfriend. Regardless, whichever car you get, i hope its the right fit

 

[Troy Jollimore]

What they said with trying a higher trim level. Also, see if you can't convince the dealer to try bolting a set of wheels with different (softer) tires up from another vehicle and trying it out.

But my take on it? It's a Honda trait. A lot of people enjoy that 'lively' feel from the car, sort of a hail-back to when they were small and 'go-karty'. Even in my Touring, with the thick leather trimmed wheel, I've noticed that feeling you mentioned. Slightly. And no, it wasn't there in the Camry or other non-Honda cars I drove. Not worth the risk of long-term pain if she's that sensitive.

 

[djasonw]

I have a Touring and I'm very sensitive to vibrations from the steering. I had a Jeep Liberty that had it and it drove me crazy. Nothing I could do to remedy it so I got rid of it. With the Touring, it is smooth as silk to me. Try one and hopefully it's different. The Camry is nice, but boring. Try a Honda Sonata. My dad just got one and it drives beautifully. It is less expensive than the Camry and has more content.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

That still makes me laugh. The Sonata and Camry are essentially the exact same cars to drive. The Camry is better made, and supposedly 'boring'. I think people like to say that to sound cool!

 

[Ultrafrozen]

...The Camry is better made, and supposedly 'boring'. I think people like to say that to sound cool!

I agree with both statements, Toyota in general has slightly better reliability figures than Honda and the boring aspect can be attributed to Toyota's "built for the masses" tuning. Honda vehicles are typically tuned/ designed to be a little stiffer dampened/sprung and give better feedback to the driver, I'll call it sportier. German cars do this better than Honda but appeal to fewer drivers, kinda like targeting the "driving purist" crowd. Toyota isolates the driver from road feel to appeal to as many drivers as possible.

This is only my opinion based on owning and driving multiple Toyota and Honda products starting with a 1978 Toyota Cressida.

 

[Farcry1010]

Test drove a 2016 Honda Civic LX sedan. Really liked the car. Girlfriend has carpal tunnel/RSI issues. After only 10 minutes of smooth interstate driving (55-65 mph), there was enough noise or vibration from the road in the steering wheel to cause her wrist and arm to hurt. She doesn't have this problem driving the same road with her Camry. Dealer said that it was probably due to a flat spot on the front tires from sitting on the lot. Did a test drive at another dealership - same problem. They said it was because the tires are new and that after they "wear in" the vibration from the road would go away.

I noticed it too - more like the steering wheel was actively transmitting road surface noise and imperfections as opposed to actually vibrating back and forth. On my car (Acura RSX) on the same road, I also do not notice this.

Even though I love it, I would hate to buy a car that she couldn't drive so ...

Question to all you 2016 Civic owners out there - when you first bought the car did you notice excessive noise/vibrations from the road in the steering wheel and if so, did it go away after an X number of miles or after the tires were balanced?

Are you sure you weren't experiencing the road mitigation system? This will 'wobble' the steering system if your not accustomed to his system of you get close to the lines on the road. Try shutting those features off. The mitigation system and the lane keep assist system. Two separate systems and or buttons.
If your on the hwy you will be going against the computer that is keeping you in middle of lane so if you want to be further to one side of lane you will be putting more force than usual to keep your line.
Don't know if this is what you were experiencing or not.
Hope that helps.

 

[Troy Jollimore]

No, I think what he's talking about is VERY subtle. I concentrated on it during my last highway drive. It's an almost imperceptible vibration, almost like they were trying to simulate the road feel of a hydraulic system. If you were sensitive, I could see how it would agitate your wrists and tendons over time...

 

[lmoore1436]

I actually don't notice road imperfections at all and I am just at the EX model. Maybe it's the different tires? I have noticed somewhat less steering effort is needed after a few weeks but hard to tell if it's actually smoother/easier or if I'm just becoming used to it. Either way, test drive the EX which can be had for a small amount over the LX. Other than that good job coming to us instead of believing what the dealership told you!

 

[Farcry1010]

No, I think what he's talking about is VERY subtle. I concentrated on it during my last highway drive. It's an almost imperceptible vibration, almost like they were trying to simulate the road feel of a hydraulic system. If you were sensitive, I could see how it would agitate your wrists and tendons over time...

I just thought to ask because my dealer had no idea how to turn on and off those features and someone not familiar with the feature might've had them on so the car might've been trying to keep the lane as the driver wanted to have a different line. But if you do feel this vibration I would have the tires balanced. When I shut off the lane departure mitigation and also the lane keep assist. I do not feel anything except a smooth ride.
Maybe it's the update that fixes the surging. Maybe the cars he test drive didn't get the update. I felt this surging at highway speeds and thought it was annoying. But all fixed since I got that update.

 

[David Harper]

Sounds like your girlfriend needs a car that has absolutely no road feel at all. Maybe a 1970 Cadillac Sedan Deville. Or a Lincoln Town car. Something that feels like you're sitting in your Lazyboy in the living room.

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