Thank you @TwinTurbo, that is very helpful. I was hoping to find a less expensive unit, but my other consideration is ease of installation, and this one looks easy to install.
Well, ‘installing a governor’ could be different than ‘adjusting the maximum speed limit on the CPU’, don’t you think? The governor’s designed for this kind of driving, the speed limiter is just to establish a max speed.
Our trucks don’t have a governor, the engines computer was re-programmed.
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Some owner/operators of straight trucks (I don’t know about tractor/trailer rigs) would install governors to prevent over revving of the engine. I rented a couple of U-HAUL trucks that were equipped with governors. I would accelerate the trucks in a lower gear until I felt the governor kick in and then I would shift to the next higher gear. This way I didn’t over rev the engine and at the same time, not lug the engine.
The one reviewer had trouble, but your setup might be simpler.
And that might be exactly what would work here. But I haven’t seen any post from anybody regarding reprogramming a passenger car, that’s all.
There are 2 different things,
- There is a RPM limiter, the one in my truck is 1900 RPM.
- There is a speed limiter, the one in my truck is 62mph, 62mph in my truck in 10th gear is 1475 RPM
If there was a simple ECU programming tool that would allow me to set the maximum speed, or a simple governor that plugs into the OBD port, that would be optimal.
my fleet of trucks is governed. In the old days it was set by the mechanics inside the injector pump combined with rear gear ratios.
nowadays, max speed is set through the ECU. With the right software, they are modifiable.
not sure on a '98 Civic.
there are these things, but not sure if it would work for what you want or not:
https://www.carid.com/1998-honda-civic-performance-chips/?filter=1&sub-model[Liter][]=1.8L
I’ll add one more:
ON Saturday, I was driving down a long, straight 40mph road. I noticed a red Toyota swerving in and out of lanes behind me. At first, I thought he was just lost, but it soon became apparent that the driver was heavily under the influence of something. Several times I had to speed up to keep from being rear ended as he refused to pass anyone. We all slowed down, I switched lanes a couple of times to let him go, as my son called the police to notify them.
after about a mile, he clobbered the median curb and blew out both left side tires, but continued on for another mile or so before pulling into a Goodyear service center.
If I had been at max speed, I would have been rear ended several times by this guy.
but then again, my truck does max out at 100mph. Don’t ask how I know that…
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The fuel system on a Diesel engine is completely computer controled, the computer can be set for those limits.
This old Honda has a mechanically operated throttle body, you can’t hold the throttle wide open and simply cut the full supply for long periods without causing engine damage.
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A governor on a regular vehicle seems like looking for a problem that does not exist . Set at a speed ,say 65 MPH if driving on a long stretch of road that has a 55 MPH limit what good is that governor ? And then get on a turnpike with 75 MPH is another problem.
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That is why I think a cruise control would be much more usable. Different state and different expressways have different speed limits.
I spent most of my life learning to defeat different governors or tachographs. I never thought I would run across someone who wanted to install one on something he drove. Of course, I was always paid by the mike on the road. I have no objection to having a governor if I was being paid by the hour. I take that back, it might be very hard to stay awake if you are going slow.
Do you contend that speeding up beyond the speed limit was your only option to avoid a collision, or was speeding up merely your preferred option?
I believe you had other options.
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I would contend that there are some times when you do need to exceed the speed limit. They’re rare, and probably won’t happen to you, but if they do happen you will regret having installed the governor.
Cruise control is probably just as easy to install as a governor, and a lot more versatile.
But, it’s your car.
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it at least two instances on Saturday, if I did not rapidly accelerate, then I would most definitely have been rear ended. There were cars on either side of me, so switching lanes was not an option. other driver was accelerating, so slowing down was not an option. Accelerate or crash were my options.
I chose not to crash.
Most late model cars have rev limiters built into their computer programs. In neutral the engines usually won’t rev past about 3,000 rpm and top speed on the highway is often just above 100 mph. Someone should have a simple(?) programing modification that would lower the top speed to whatever is desired.
On my previous Mustang I had a Diablosport tuner. You plugged it into the ODB2 port and could change a number of things pertaining to the ECU. One of the settings you could change was top speed limiter. I would imagine that a hand held tuner for your Civic would offer similar functionality. AEM are Greddy are the usual suspects when it comes to tuning Hondas, but I’m sure there are several other vendors out there as well