Honda Beat FAQs
Updated September 7, 2023
Table of contents
- What type of fluids should I use in my Honda Beat?
- How often should I change my timing belt?
- What type of spark plugs do I need for my Beat?
- How often should I replace my air filter?
- What types of wheels and tires should I use on my Beat?
- What about aftermarket wheel and tire options?
- What are the stock tire pressures?
- What are the stock alignment values?
- How many Beats were produced in each color?
- How can I tell if my Beat has an LSD?
What type of fluids should I use in my Honda Beat?
Engine oil
Generally, the Beat takes 3 liters of 10w30 oil when completely empty. Though Honda recommends the following weights depending on outside temperature:
Further, the service manual states that you should only need 2.7 liters of oil when replacing the oil and filter. This reduces to 2.5 liters when changing just the oil.
The part number for the oil filter is #15400-PLM-A02 and should be pretty widely available in the U.S. because it was used on other period Hondas. Honda recommends replacement every 20,000 km (≈12,500 mi).
Transmission oil
Honda recommends 10w30 oil or Honda MTF. Replacement is recommended every 40,000 km (≈25,000 mi). When replacing, you’ll need 1.2 liters. If your transmission is completely dry, you’ll need 1.3 liters.
Coolant
Honda recommends changing the coolant every 2 years with 4.7 liters of 50% distilled water and 50% standard Honda Blue. If your cooling system is completely dry, you’ll need 6 liters of the same coolant mixture.
Brake fluid
DOT 3 or DOT 4
Clutch fluid
DOT 3 brake fluid
Gasoline
The Honda Beat runs on “regular” Japanese gas. Regular gas in Japan is >= 89 RON, which is roughly 85 octane in the U.S.
How often should I change my timing belt?
Honda recommends that the Beat’s timing belt is changed every 100,000 km (≈62,000 mi). However, a broken timing belt can lead to catastrophic damage to your hard-to-source 3-cylinder engine.
As a result, most Beat owners recommend changing the timing belt as soon as possible if you don’t have records of it being recently changed. When changing the timing belt, you should also change the water pump, idler pulley, and tensioner pulley.
What type of spark plugs do I need for my Beat?
Honda recommends using NGK BKR6E-11/BKR7E-11 or Denso K20PR-U11/K22PR-U11 plugs torqued to 13-15 lb.ft. The service manual recommends a gap of 1.0-1.1 mm. Most U.S. Beat owners go with 0.030 in +/- 0.005 in.
How often should I replace my air filter?
Honda recommends replacing the air filter every 40,000 km (≈25,000 mi).
What types of wheels and tires should I use on my Beat?
Stock wheels
The stock wheels are:
- Front: 13×4.5J w/ 35 offset
- Rear: 14×5J w/ 45 offset
All wheels have a 4x100 bolt pattern.
Stock tires
The stock tires are:
- Front: 155/65R13 73H
- Rear: 165/60R14 74H
Good luck finding these locally!
Stock spare
- Tire: T115/70 D14
- Wheel: 14×4T
What about aftermarket wheel and tire options?
When considering aftermarket wheels and tires, I prioritize keeping the rolling diameter as close as possible to stock. Outside of that, it’s worth considering size, weight, and whether you want to go with a square or staggered setup. There’s plenty of good information about selecting wheels and tires, but here are some general guidelines on what should fit the Honda Beat.
Front
| Tire | Wheel | Offset | Rolling Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 165/60R13 | 13x5.0 | ET36 | -0.6% |
| 185/55R13 | 13x5.5 | ET35 | +0.4% |
| 155/55R14 | 14x4.5 | ET36 | -1% |
| 165/55R14 | 14x5.0 | ET34 | +1.1% |
| 175/50R14 | 14x5.0 | ET35 | -0.2% |
| 195/45R14 | 14x7.0 | ET35 | -0.1% |
| 155/50R15 | 15x4.5 | ET34 | +0.9% |
| 165/45R15 | 15x6.0 | ET35 | -0.4% |
| 175/45R15 | 15x6.0 | ET34 | +1.3% |
| 185/40R15 | 15x6.5 | ET35 | -0.5% |
Rear
| Tire | Wheel | Offset | Rolling Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 175/55R14 | 14x5.0 | ET46 | -0.9% |
| 185/55R14 | 14x5.5 | ET44 | +1% |
| 195/50R14 | 14x5.5 | ET45 | -0.5% |
| 165/50R15 | 15x5.0 | ET46 | -1.3% |
| 175/50R15 | 15x5.0 | ET45 | +0.5% |
| 185/45R15 | 15x6.5 | ET46 | -1.1% |
| 195/45R15 | 15x7.0 | ET45 | +0.6% |
| 165/45R16 | 16x6.0 | ET45 | +0.3% |
| 175/40R16 | 16x6.0 | ET46 | -1.3% |
| 185/40R16 | 16x6.5 | ET45 | +0.2% |
| 205/35R16 | 16x7.0 | ET46 | -0.6% |
What are the stock tire pressures?
- Front: 1.8 kg/cm² or ~25.6 psi
- Rear: 2.0 kg/cm² or ~28.5 psi
- Spare: 4.2 kg/cm² or ~59.7 psi
What are the stock alignment values?
Camber
- Front: -0°30’±1°
- Rear: -0°30’±1°
Caster
- Front: 7°20’±1°
Toe
- Front: 0±3
- Rear: 0±3
How many Beats were produced in each color?
33,892 Honda Beats were produced from 1991 to 1996. However, only 33,680 were ever registered in Japan. The distribution of colors is as follows:
| Color | Note | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Carnival yellow | 31.0% | |
| Festival red | 33.0% | |
| Blade silver metallic | 23.0% | |
| Crete white | 4.3% | |
| Aztec green pearl | Special Version F | 2.4% |
| Captiva blue pearl | Special Version C | 1.5% |
| Everglade green metallic | Special Version Z | 4.8% |
How can I tell if my Beat has an LSD?
There’s quite a bit of misinformation on the web about which Beats came with limited slip differentials from the factory. My Version Z did not, but I suspect most of the PP1-110 models do.
In any event, it’s incredibly easy to test whether your Beat currently has an LSD:
- Put your Beat on a lift or chock the front wheels and jack up the back
- Disengage the parking brake
- Put the car in first gear
- Put on some short shorts (not optional)
- Spin one of the back wheels as if the car is driving forward
If the opposite wheel moves in the opposite direction, you don’t have a limited slip differential:
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