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Hm, I think you guys are right about it all being in the details. Using a parts car would probably be the best way to go, so I could just switch everything that is different.
The new EPA ratings for my car are 28 city, 35 hwy, compared to the 31/39 for the HX. The difference is even bigger with the old ratings, with the DX at 32/38 and the HX 37/44. The city mileage of the HX, especially the old rating, is what intrigues me the most. With a couple aero mods I could easily hit 45MPG hwy with the current engine, but city mileage takes technique to improve, and most of the techniques are difficult to do in anything above light traffic. I'm assuming that lean burn wasn't even used on the city portion of the EPA test, which means all the gains are from the way the intake valves operate at low RPMs (one opens all the way while the other opens just a bit to create a swirl effect, VTEC makes them both open all the way at higher RPMs).
So in theory, if I had one intake cam lobe for each cylinder ground down to the same specs as the HX's barely opened valve, my city mileage would be similar to an HX's, correct? I would lose some of the high RPM power, but I never need to go much higher than 3000 RPM. Could the stock computer still control it and take advantage of the increased efficiency? It wouldn't give me lean burn, but it should increase my overall mileage.
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