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Old 09-11-2011, 10:54 AM   #6 (permalink)
California98Civic
Cyborg ECU
 
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Coastal Southern California
Posts: 6,299

Black and Green - '98 Honda Civic DX Coupe
Team Honda
90 day: 66.42 mpg (US)

Black and Red - '00 Nashbar Custom built eBike
90 day: 3671.43 mpg (US)
Thanks: 2,373
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steffen707 View Post
Do people make intake tubes that mount near the headers for extra heat, or do they just get a short ram that stays under the hood? I was also thinking about doing a partial grill block and a higher temp thermostat. I replaced the old thermostat, but I believe I just got a normal one.
I made mine with black plastic plumbing tubing that just barely clears the heads with the trunk closed. My goal was to get the line close to the exhaust manifold--a trick I learned here on EM. The function is the reduce the air density, which the ECU will adjust the fuel air mix in order to keep a stoichiometric balance. The result seems possibly to be an FE benefit through reduced pumping losses. I should write-up my current design, but I'm still trying to figure out an easy way to switch from hotter to cooler air according to season/conditions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by steffen707 View Post
I love good gas mileage, but i'm not willing to sacrifice things to achieve it in my current car. I like all 4 seats, the carpeting, the A/C when its really hot, though I havn't been using it nearly as often because of the huge 13-17mpg increase.
I hear you. My AC was almost never used, even when I lived in the South. It never worked well and I don't like AC, anyway. I have not missed the back seats, but that's because I needed cargo more than seating. Without those deletes and others in the interior you have to go for other things to get closer to the 2094 stock curb weight of the 1992 VX. You took out the PS hardware? How about spare tire? Lighter battery? Rear window glass plexi/lexan substitution? Fiberglass or carbon fiber replacements for body panels?

But here's another thing... considered a SMALL turbo for low end power, like the super sipper TDIs have?
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See my car's mod & maintenance thread and my electric bicycle's thread for ongoing projects. I will rebuild Black and Green over decades as parts die, until it becomes a different car of roughly the same shape and color. My minimum fuel economy goal is 55 mpg while averaging posted speed limits. I generally top 60 mpg. See also my Honda manual transmission specs thread.




Last edited by California98Civic; 09-12-2011 at 10:57 AM..
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