What about this 4WD then?

[stuey]

Hi there, still getting to know my new HaRVey and running him in, not so carefully as advised by numerous people!

I understand about the theory behind the 4WD on the HRV, but what does it mean in real life?

Does it only kick-in when the front wheels spin? How long does it stay in 4WD mode, does it cut out as soon as the front grips again? What about on wet roads, does in cut-in when cornering? How sensitive is it? Can ewe notice it coming in and out??

Cheers!

[Dick_Dastardly]

I think that's the question most people have at first.

I takes about a quarter turn slip of the front wheels before the rear begins to assist. This is virtually un-noticeable on a slippery surface, however it can be demonstrated well on wet tarmac. When setting off quickly you will hear the front tyres squeal breifly (1/4 turn) then get the sensation of being pushed hard from behind as the rear delivers power to the tarmac.

When using mine in mud (deep mud) I really didn't notice the 4WD system at all, I just didn't get stuck, so I guess it must have been working ok.

As for it disengaging there are one or two good posts in the CR-V section of this site. As the HR-V uses exactly the same system all info applies here too.

It would seem that the rear clutch will release soon after grip is regained at the front. This can cause a cycling of the system in certain circumstances, and can also leave the front wheels scrabbling for extra grip whilst the back push the vehicle along. This is more evident on ice, and can be observed on a slight hill, it may be useful to get someone to drive the car whilst you watch what happens.

The system does not activate in "general driving conditions", however it can occasionally be activated when making a full lock turn, and is especially useful when pulling out at a "T" junction as you need a much smaller gap in traffic, and can begin accelerating to match the traffic speed as soon as you leave the line.

Put simply, "It works". OK it's no Land Rover Defender, but it will do for most situations, and most drivers will never need it. There are many people using it quite well in situations it was never intended for.

Here is a review of the HR-V by a real off road reviewer, not some city journalist that thinks all that matters is size http://www.aidventures.co.uk/vehicles/story6.htm

Here is some of the text

Although Honda consider this not to be an off-roader, as the target audience is considered to be in the leisure concious market, it will no doubt find its way onto the beach and across muddy fields - so this is where we tested it. First off, it was to the beach at Pensarn on the North Wales coast. There are some patches of soft sand along the area you can legally drive, which has caught out a few vehicles in the past. No problems with this vehicle though - as soon as it started to bog down, the "intellegent" four wheel drive kicked in and progress continued unabated.

The next challenge was to find some mud and this was easily accomplished at Landcraft's Bala site, where I test most of the off-roaders. We initally kept away from the deep rutted muddy tracks and tested it first on wet and muddy grass. As we didn't encompass any problems we took it into the deeper stuff and drove it diagonally across the muddy ruts. It coped very well with these, in fact better than some so-called "proper" off-roaders at times. Both Landcraft's Dave Mitchell and myself were very impressed at what is basically marketed as a mainly on-road leisure vehicle. Honda has obviously got something right here. We both reckoned that most owners would never go near the type of mud we went through, but it is reassuring to know it would cope with these conditions - just in case the camp site turns into a mudbath!

Summing up - an impressive, well styled vehicle, ideal for town, motorway and the beach, which has surprising capabilities in mud. I want one...

[stuey]

Many thanks, that's as I thought. So we don't really get the benefit on the move on dry or damp roads until after we have already started to slide/understeer.

Cheers

[Dick_Dastardly]

You know..I only reeally got understeer when wearing bridgestones. I've got some on now, and I'm going to change them next week, now that the wet weather is here it's slide city.

Anybody want to buy a pair of part worn Bridgestones???

[hattus]

Now thats weird as mine are bridgestones and im slipping everywhere at the moment, a lot of sideways movement as well!

Either that or im drinking too much!

[Dick_Dastardly]

Now there's this small roundabout at the end of the road, I go round it each day, and know exactly how I can take it, so it makes a good reference.

About one month ago whilst at the other end of the country I hit a rather stupidly placed kerbstone (now removed) at 40 Mph and had to replace a front tyre, consequently I changed both, Wheel alignment was checked and OK. Unforturnately the only tyres available at the time were bridgestones.

Since then I have had to be more careful on the roundabout, if I take it as I used to I just end up going straight on.

I'll be back on Yokohamas ASAP

Oh well there goes £150's worth of tyres....

I can't even sit in halfords car park and do a burn out with them

Any offers...