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Old 03-09-2012, 02:36 PM   #1 (permalink)
Vman455
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Urbana, IL
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Been lurking for a week now

May as well introduce myself! I've been perusing the site since I stumbled across it last week, after finding several articles on the Aerocivic, after googling "improving fuel mileage" or something similar.

My car: 2005 Civic EX coupe, power steering removed, some weight reduction. I've used the car to autocross in the past which was why I originally removed the power steering and tried to lighten it up a little, but I'm more interested in efficiency now that I have a long commute (~45 miles freeway) and gas prices are going nowhere but up. I have height-adjustable coilovers on it too which I installed last year and dropped the car 1". Yesterday, I dropped it another 1"-1.5", and we'll see what that does to the mileage.

Future plans: sell autocross wheels and tires (my weekend work schedule will prevent me from autocrossing anyway for the foreseeable future) and pick up some 14" steelies with LRR tires and solid covers; grill block(s), remove outside mirrors (in Illinois, I guess I could get away with just the center rearview, the way the vehicle code is written...but I want to add convex mirrors inside. If anyone can recommend a good model, I'd be much obliged), possibly look at lowering the front airdam (not sure, though--I've read on here that you want the dam to be lower than the lowest hanging suspension component on the car, and right now it looks like it might be lower than everything but the catalytic converter). Long-term: I'm not sure--spoiler? Boat-tail? Further weight reduction? Undertray? Remove AC (eek!)?

I've been averaging better than 40mpg just changing my driving habits, and now I'm trying pulse-and-glide with the engine in neutral around town and driving slower on the interstate (55-60mph), so I expect that number to go up. I'd like to see if I could get to 50mpg with that and some aerodynamic modification.

Whew, that was long. Sorry!

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