Honda "Drive by Wire" question... what if the power goes out?

Hi there.

I have been looking at the new Honda Civic, it's pretty sweet, and the welds and everything are as nice as anything I have ever seen. I just have a question about the "Drive by wire" system that they are supposed to have.

What happens if the Engine dies on you? In my current car, my timing chip went once and the engine went out. I had enough steering control left, even without power steering, to pull my car over before it came to a stop. If the drive by wire system has no "real" or active connection, how can it work if the engine or electronics quit on you? Are there any backups built into the system in case any of that stuff happens? And what if your battery dies and you need to push the car? Can you turn the steering wheel to adjust your wheels when you push the car?

Much thanks, sorry to bother.

David

Reply to
David E. Powell
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I have always gotten a laugh out of such a foolish system.

The way I understand it, basically if the power fails when you are at speed, you crash, just like on an airplane. I guess you could also put your head between your legs and kiss your ass good-bye like they do on planes too... ;-)

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: N>
Reply to
Mike Romain

++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tuesday night we had some interesting weather.

Real heavy lightening.

A friend was comming back from Hazard on the Mt. Parkway and had a nearby lightening strike. His engine car died and he was able to pull offto the side safely.

It wouldn't restart. The engine wouldn't even crank.The EMP from the nearby lightning strike killed the ECM, igniton system, alternator diodes and regulator, fuel pump and the fancy after market radio/sound

system. It was a 2003 Civic.

I don't want to think what would happen if it was a "die by wire" system.

Terry

Reply to
r2000swler

Most of the fighter jets are fly-by-wire and they generally don't have problems with failures of this system. The fly-by-wire system is multiply redundant and rather expensive though. The main reason for it is the fact that it allows faster response and allows the computers to assist in stabilizing some inherently unstable aircraft designs.

In the auto world drive-by-wire would be constrained by the price points and the multiple redundancy would probably be sacrificed. At auto speeds the faster response of by-wire technology is not needed, so the only possible reason to use the more expensive technology would be to allow the computer to try to compensate for a drivers lack of skill.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Only drive by wire tech I can find on the Honda is a Throttle System. I would hope that if there is a loss of power that the system supplies a small throttle input until you pull off the road and shut the car down???

Reply to
Theodrake

A friend of mine had a similar incident with her 2003 Hyundai Accent. Lightning struck the car and damaged the computer module and stereo

I am skeptical of electronics in place of mechanicals for transmissions, throttle, etc. Electronics and software do not always equate into greater reliability. I am doing whatever I can to keep my '93 Accord going forever. At least my car is a mostly stripped down base model with a minimum of electronics.

Reply to
High Tech Misfit

Which is why boats still have points.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

That would fit in this day-n-age of soccer-moms-driving-SUVs-with-a-phone-stuck-on-their-ear.

Reply to
mst

The "drive by wire" refers to throttle butterfly control, not the steering.

The usual connection between throttle and accelerator pedal is accomplished with a cable firmly affixed between the two. In the new "drive by wire" setup, the computer determines how to operate the throttle butterfly depending on several factors, only one of which is your foot.

If your car dies, it will feel no different from what you're used to. Luckily, the steering still consists of solid metal connections.

Reply to
Hugo Schmeisser

That quote from Billy-Bob has nothing to do with advances in design utilizing differing technologies. That only has to do with capacity - he was basing his opinion because of the current state of capacity. The technology hasnt changed in computers, but the capacity of devices has, such as faster CPUs (with increasing cache size), higher- capacity drives, more RAM, and so on.

Higher capacity is required because of bloated operating systems and the bloated software written by lazy programmers.

The basic design of the computer is still the same: to move 0's and 1's around the bus to peripherals, all controlled by various chipsets.

Reply to
mst

I am slightly puzzled why everyone seems to assume "drive by wire" has anything at all to do with the steering.

Reply to
Hugo Schmeisser

We have been served up a lot of dumb ideas in the past...ideas which were interesting, but not worth the cost and the risk.

I am sure we will continue to make firm advancements in transportation science. If Honda wants to spend the money to offer a solution to a problem that does not exist, go for it.

Reply to
<HLS

That's because of the car shows on TV. They show the prototype drive by wire vehicles as basic body modules you can just plug into one platform. You know, drive the sports body for the week and drop the SUV body on for the weekend type trip...

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Aug./05
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Reply to
Mike Romain

Well the newest 4 stroke outboard I bought does not have points. But then neither did the two stroke it replaced. And if you want reliability in a boat, a diesel seems like the way to go.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

I think you are operating under the mistaken impression that the "drive by wire" system is referring to the steering gear. It does not. The only part that is "drive by wire" is the throttle. Instead of having a conventional linkage or cable between the accelerator pedal and the throttle plate in the intake, the accelerator pedal is connected to a rheostat which feeds positional information to the car's engine management computer. The computer then uses this information to open or close the throttle based on all the inputs. Toyota, Ford, GM, BMW, and others have been using such systems for several years in an effort to improve engine performance, reduce emission, and increase fuel economy. I see some complaints from Toyota owners about lagging response in their fly by wire systems. I have a Ford with a fly by wire system and did not even realize it until I looked through the shop manual.

Failure of the fly by wire throttle system is not more dangerous, or likely, than the failure of a traditional throttle cable (I've had two of those fail in my life). The most likely failure mode is the engine dropping back to idle. I feel certain that you'll be able to control the car if this happens.

See

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Regards,

Ed White

Reply to
C. E. White

And what does this have to do with "drive by wire" throttle systems? The Civic does not have a steer by wire system.

On the other hand, I do own two farm tractors that have drive by hydraulic systems. They have no mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels. It is all handled by hydraulics. I had a line blow once and had to steer off the road with the brakes.....

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

The Civic drive by wire system is just for the throttle. If it fails, you'll just coast to a stop. You'll be able to steer just like most other cars can when the engine dies.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

No, it's because fly-by-wire technology has been around for quite a while and is relatively well known in aircraft. The misapplication of the term drive-by-wire to electronic throttle control which has been around in the heavy diesel world but not hyped as "drive-by-wire" confuses people.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Too many years ago (high-school years), I went to pick up a friend to go to school. As I pulled into their driveway, which was on an incline, I had to tap the gas pedal to get up the driveway. I hadnt realized it, but one of the motor mounts was broken, and when I tapped the pedal, the engine twisted up on one side, "pulling" on the throttle linkage, and thereby going wide-open-throttle. I immediately locked the brakes and turned the key off just a couple of feet away from their garage door :)

Reply to
mst

So it is a misapplication of the drive-by-wire term to electronic throttle control. Presumably something the marketing folks dreamed up.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

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