The "Blue Bomber", more of a work in progress... (1993 Geo Prizm automatic)

[pacobeagle]

I purchased my 1993 Geo Prizm in Aug. 2011. The vehicle had ~60k miles on it and was pretty rough. The tires needed replacing, the shocks were shot and driving it was crazy. Additionally, the motor mounts were shot. The vibration was more like a massage chair on wheels!
On with the repairs. As part of the suspension upgrade/update i replaced all four shocks and tires. Lastly, as this vehicle never came with sway-bars, I purchased some at the salvage yard from a Corolla for $25! The car, after the alignment is much safer and subsequent fuel mileage went up.
The issue, then, was getting more MPG. A tune-up followed with plugs(NGK), wires and fuel filter. The air filter was great.
The last part of the mix for my little 1.6L engine was to get rid of the 3spd automatic tranny in favor for a more hwy friendly 4spd. This past December I did just that, performed a tranny swap.
Lately, my emission's fuel vapor canister failed and caused a rupture in my fuel tank. My last 1/2 tank mileage before replacement was 168miles where I usually got 200+miles! A replacement tank went in and a used(salvage yard) charcoal canister as well.
I'm happy to say that this first fillup went well as my wife drove the vehicle 381miles on 10.5gallons, all of which was city driving!

I'm hoping to do a front lip diffuser out of the lawn edging soon and possibly lower the vehicle as well.

Happy Hypermiling,
Jose

[Sean.Heihn]

60k miles is crazy low for a '93, too bad the car wasn't in as good of a condition to reflect its low mileage.

[pacobeagle]

A quick shot of what she presently looks like:

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by pacobeagle

The last part of the mix for my little 1.6L engine was to get rid of the 3spd automatic tranny in favor for a more hwy friendly 4spd. This past December I did just that, performed a tranny swap.

Good mod! It's amazing to think they used to stick 3-speed slush boxes in some cars. Did you note your fuel economy change? (I see just 2 entries in your fuel log.)

Hope you don't mind I moved your thread in the EcoModding Central section - you've detailed some good mods. Maybe better suited for there.

[pacobeagle]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Hope you don't mind I moved your thread in the EcoModding Central section - you've detailed some good mods. Maybe better suited for there.

I do not mind at all, thanks. I am not driving the car on a regular basis. My wife's work requires her to travel from school to school. I occasionally will take the car for a week or so. That's when I can really track the MPG's. My only regret is not locating a manual trans when doing the swap.

[MetroMPG]

You really would have done a manual swap?

[pacobeagle]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

You really would have done a manual swap?

Yes, most definitely. I don't mind a manual tranny at all. Basically, I control when the shift points are and when I go into "overdrive".
The thing to do would be to figure out which of the two(4spd or 5spd) weighs less.

Jose

[MetroMPG]

I would go for whichever has the tallest cruising gear combination, regardless of weight. I'm sure you'd find lower RPM would trump a few extra pounds.

[pacobeagle]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I would go for whichever has the tallest cruising gear combination, regardless of weight. I'm sure you'd find lower RPM would trump a few extra pounds.

Hmm, didn't think of that....I agree