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Alright, my first mod is going to be increasing tire pressure. It's free after all so it will be a simple test. I haven't decided on a ScanGauge yet so I'll just have to check tank to tank. The rear Barum Bravuris tires has a max rating of 61 PSI. The front Michelins have a max rating of 44 PSI. It's a little disappointing. I was hoping to do a 40 and a 50 PSI test.
I was quite upset it took me half an hour to pump up the tires from the 32 PSI Honda recommends to my test 40 PSI. To my shock and horror, the mom and pop store that replaced my front brake pads had overtorqued both front wheels. I had to jump and on the wrench repeatedly to get the lugs to come off. I wouldn't have found out about it except they improperly aligned one hubcap so that one spoke was covering the air nozzle. Honda hubcaps are attached with the same lugs that attach the wheels. On the bright side, a closer look at the hubcaps gave me some ideas on how to mod them for air efficiency. But I'm not gonna get side tracked.
My last three tanks were slightly under 46 mpg with a 1.5% variability which gives me a consistent enough baseline to measure. Weather is projected to be nominally sunny and dry as it was over those 3 tanks. So far during this morning's ride, I'm hating it. Rattles, squeeks, and buzzing noises came from everywhere. I can't say if my handling is compromised but it feels like my "luxury" car has turned into a "beater". We'll see what I get on Wednesday.
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