[AeroModder]

Okay, so here's what I'm looking in to:

I already mentioned the air filter. I'm going to test to see if the lower-flowing Fram air filter will help mileage, since that should reduce the amount of fuel the EFI puts in.

I recently replaced the front struts and springs, which seemed to raise the front end an inch. I swapped the stock springs for Moog variable-rate cargo springs for a firmer ride. I'm wondering if I put the old springs back in if it will make it sit back down a little.

The air dam was mentioned before, and I still need to work on making a design and testing it.

My current tires have a treadwear rating of 420, which indicates that they're a softer compound, giving more rolling resistance.


Even with my current performace mods, I'm still just above the EPA's mileage for a stock Tempo (Even in the winter with wind and rain!). This is telling me that my eco mods are helping, but if I sacrafice performance, I can go even further, possibly reaching my 30 MPG goal. I'm hoping to have interchangeable parts for economy and performance (a set of grippy tires on wider rims and LRR on my stock rims, two different air filters) so I can switch between the two as needed. It will be interesting to see what effects on performance and economy each part has. I'll likely do some acceleration, braking, and cornering tests with each set as well as mileage tests.



Update: With rain all last week, and one day of heavy storms (in which I needed to drive faster than normal to keep up with a friend, who was leading me to his place), my tank mileage dropped to a hair over 20 MPG. This week is calling for higher temps and less rain, so we'll see how it goes.

I replaced the K&N filter with the Fram paper filter, and at first start the engine was quitting from the reduced flow- the ECU didn't recalibrate just yet. On the drive to class, I noticed the engine was running slightly warmer and there was a noticeable drop in power (It didn't have the lively acceleration the increased airflow gave). We'll see what effect on economy it has when I use up this tank. I'm low on cash at the moment, so I hope I can squeeze at least a week and a half out of this one.