My introduction, and plans

[Daox]

Yep. Think smooth airflow.

[LibbyMetro]

I dont know if i would pull the power steering belt off on the newer civic if you are running 15" plus wheels, with the larger tires you stated , control at low speeds will be hard to handle , but maybe not, worth a try i guess, also I dont know about that being tied into the computer for a check engine soon light, my civic is a 98 ex with the auto and running it without the power steering would be rough, best of luck!

[hondaworkshop]

Yeah, I want to look further into it. I dont have problems with the CRX using 225mm wide race tires and no PS, but the idea of fighting the factory PS pump in the civic is not appealing. I'm going to do some research on it and I'll post what I find here.

[Yotraj]

Back in the Day... the 70's that is, I ran a GTO without the power steering pump hooked up. A knuckle in the steering column broke and I lost ability to steer it... at all! I only say this to remind all that when you change a system's designed use, sometimes design flaws become apparent. And they can be dangerous. Careful, careful!

[SVOboy]

Originally Posted by hondaworkshop

Yeah, I want to look further into it. I dont have problems with the CRX using 225mm wide race tires and no PS, but the idea of fighting the factory PS pump in the civic is not appealing. I'm going to do some research on it and I'll post what I find here.

Can't you swap a teggy manual rack in there?

[hondaworkshop]

I suppose I could even get a manual rack from an earlier civic CX model, but part of my goal is saving money, not spending more, believe me, I've modified and replaced almost every functional part on the CRX...the costs add up fast!

I have looked around and found lots of good info on how to properly bypass the plumbing in a PS setup. It comes down to looping the input/output and adding a small reservoir with an air bleed somewhere along the loop. From there, you drain the fluid down to about 25% of usual so the system stays a little wet, but you are mostly moving air around in the cylinder. A more ambitious way to do it is to remove the seals in the system, so there is no resistance at all, but that requires removal/teardown.

[SVOboy]

I only suggested it because I knew about the seal issue with power racks, but I didn't really know how much a manual rack sold for. I've thought about installing a gsr rack in my crx a few times but never got around to it,

[AndrewJ]

Originally Posted by hondaworkshop

As a side note, I'd love to be able to create a Engine Off button, that I can hold down to turn the engine off temporarily, then release when I want it to come back on... any DIY insights on that would be appreciated.

If it were me, I'd split it up and make two buttons. I've done some pretty long coasts, and I'd hate to have to hold a button that whole time.
You could easily rig up a kill switch and a separate starter button.
Kill switches are easy, there are several ways to kill an engine, you just need to find which circuit you'd like to interrupt. (fuel pump, ignition timing, ecu, etc...) I did a writeup on kill switches.
The starter button is a bit harder, with an auto you might need to bypass a circuit or two (if your car won't let you start in Neutral or without a foot on the brake, for example) See SVO's DIY for more on starters.

[MetroMPG]

Hi David, welcome.

Sounds like you're getting lots of good advice already.

In case you haven't fully decided yet, let me be the Nth person to say: definitely get a ScanGauge. It's portable, easily resellable later if you decide you don't want to keep it forever (you will keep it forever though), and useful for much more than just its fuel economy instrumentation.

Also, add your car to the garage, start filling out your fuel log, and let the power of peer pressure from putting your stats out there for everyone to see guide you to better and better results.

Looking forward to following the progress.

Darin

[Yotraj]

Hey, ya might want to fill that rack with some grease too! with the fluid gone (which secondarily lubricates it) it probably won't last too long.