2016 Civic coupe vs sedan weight and rigidity / stiffness difference?

10thG

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Saw some posts on this in another thread so it made me wonder if the coupe and sedan will have different weights and stiffness?

The coupe will look sportier but will it actually perform better?
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Saw some posts on this in another thread so it made me wonder if the coupe and sedan will have different weights and stiffness?

The coupe will look sportier but will it actually perform better?
As @RoryR and I had mentioned in another thread, generally sedans should have more torsional rigidity.

Reason being that the B pillar on a coupe doesn't support weight and stresses of the front door so it can be made lighter and with less structure (= less rigid). Also, the smaller door openings on a sedan (compared to bigger one on coupe) contributes to more rigidity.

This is talking generally of course. It could be different for the 2016 Civic coupe and sedans.
 

Kane76

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Yep, thats why you see race teams picking a sedan over a coupe version sometimes.
 

iamjack

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Saw some posts on this in another thread so it made me wonder if the coupe and sedan will have different weights and stiffness?

The coupe will look sportier but will it actually perform better?
The other guys already brought up stiffness but another factor is height difference between coupe and sedans.

If the coupe is lower, it will have a lower center of gravity which will technically allow it to corner with less roll and shift its weight easier when turning back and forth.
 

s2ker

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As @RoryR and I had mentioned in another thread, generally sedans should have more torsional rigidity.

Reason being that the B pillar on a coupe doesn't support weight and stresses of the front door so it can be made lighter and with less structure (= less rigid). Also, the smaller door openings on a sedan (compared to bigger one on coupe) contributes to more rigidity.

This is talking generally of course. It could be different for the 2016 Civic coupe and sedans.
Yup, I remember having this exact debate when I owned an E46 3 series and people were discussing the rigidity of sedan versus the coupe. Here were the stats on torsional rigidity between the E46 3 series models:

Sedan (w/o folding seats) 18000Nm/deg of torsion
Sedan (w/folding seats) 13000Nm
Sport wagon (w/folding seats) 14000Nm
Coupe (w/folding seats) 12500Nm
Convertible 10500Nm
 


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Ok I wasn't as interested in this info before but I may have flipped my interest to the coupe after seeing it. So the Q&A says the coupe should be lighter than the sedan because it's shorter. How much weight do you think it saved and will the MPG be better because of the lighter weight?
 

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The weight is supposed to be a little less (some are guessing 100 lbs but the specs for MPG are the same.
 

martyr

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Ok I wasn't as interested in this info before but I may have flipped my interest to the coupe after seeing it. So the Q&A says the coupe should be lighter than the sedan because it's shorter. How much weight do you think it saved and will the MPG be better because of the lighter weight?
Besides being shorter than the sedan, the coupe is probably also lighter due in part to having 2 less doors and all the components/parts that goes with that (electric window motors, hinges, locks, etc.).
 

Kane76

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Besides being shorter than the sedan, the coupe is probably also lighter due in part to having 2 less doors and all the components/parts that goes with that (electric window motors, hinges, locks, etc.).
An LX without moonroof will be even lighter. So an LX coupe will be the lightest CivicX model available, probably under 2700 pounds (since the LX sedan weighs 2742 lbs). A Civic that light feel very tossable and handle great.
 

LBB

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Interesting fact that relates to both stiffness and weight:

The coupe has extra frame enforcement for more stiffening to counteract the loss of rigidity due to a longer single door. This adds weight but its overall weight is still lighter than the sedan due to it being 5.5" shorter.
 


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Interesting fact that relates to both stiffness and weight:

The coupe has extra frame enforcement for more stiffening to counteract the loss of rigidity due to a longer single door. This adds weight but its overall weight is still lighter than the sedan due to it being 5.5" shorter.
:headbang: Much better than what usually happens when the frame is reinforced to cars like convertibles. There it usually adds a lot of weight.
 

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Interesting fact that relates to both stiffness and weight:

The coupe has extra frame enforcement for more stiffening to counteract the loss of rigidity due to a longer single door. This adds weight but its overall weight is still lighter than the sedan due to it being 5.5" shorter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda...82015.E2.80.93present.29_.E2.80.93_FC1.2C_FC2
This says:
Sedan: 1,121–1,326 kg (2,472–2,923 lb)
Coupe: 1,241–1,308 kg (2,735–2,884 lb) (coupe)

Why does the weight of the sedan vary so much more than the coupe?
And if the coupe is that much lighter, I'm surprised the 0-60 is higher.
 

David Harper

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Yep, thats why you see race teams picking a sedan over a coupe version sometimes.
nope. the gen X civic coupe has greater structural rigidity than the sedan according to honda.
 

David Harper

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news.honda.com/newsandviews/article.aspx?id=8853-en
 
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Ok, I don't know about any of the technical stuff you guys are trailing about,lol but we had a sedan for a loaner while our coupe was in the shop. I wanted a sedan at first but after riding in one, the ride and handling is so much better in the coupe at least to me.
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