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Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
I believe fuel-economy doesn't have to make the car look ugly or boring. Carbon fiber is not cheap, but I also like its race-oriented aspect. Anyway, some interior trim mods can be also a good point to take dead weight away, such as replacing soundproofing and thermal insulator blankets for lighter ones, and nothing prevents you to get all the comfort features fully functional.
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Excellent points but would I still be able to retain the stock look if I changed out some materials such as the sound deadening stuff?
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Originally Posted by redpoint5
Given the high octane fuel with tuning to take advantage of it and the summer temps, perhaps you can achieve the fuel economy figures you are after. I don't believe the weight reduction will play much into this and will have almost nothing to do with highway fuel economy.
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Thats perfectly ok if the weight reduction doesnt improve my highway by much. What I'm really after is the city fuel economy since I currently do about 50% city driving (or greater) for work and general errands and also prefer to avoid the often longer distance (although faster) tollroads to work (I drive 28 miles one way) due to the expensiveness and overall greater length at higher speeds. I only use the tollroads if I'm in a hurry. (It's $1.50 one way to work if I use the tollroads).
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Originally Posted by redpoint5
However, the real hindrance to your highway fuel economy goals is your gearing. I don't know what ratio your top gear is, but you mentioned it is a close-ratio gearbox. You're going to be wasting a lot of fuel just spinning the motor at such a high speed. My 6-speed TSX turns 3000 RPM at 70 MPH, which is way to high.
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My final drive axle ratio is 4.81, my 5th(last) gear ratio is .83:1
I dont remember my rpms at set speeds at this point but I will retest and jot down the figures. In an earlier post when I first got the car, i listed 2700-3000rpms from 55-60mph but that doesnt make sense Since I clearly remember at every 5mph increase, my rpm's going up by 250.
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Originally Posted by redpoint5
You can't starve an engine of air even running a full grill block, but it might be pulling in warmer air which could marginally reduce full power. Some people on this forum install warm air intakes to increase their fuel economy though. I get the sense that performance is your primary interest, with fuel economy as a secondary bragging right. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.
I choose a balance of performance, economy, and price by sticking with a 4-cylinder TSX.
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You hit it right on the head with performance as my primary interest, followed by fuel economy.
However, fuel economy is a close second as noted by me getting a 2 cylinder turbo charged engine over typical V6 of the other competitors and in addition, I researched the Cd's and fuel economies of all of the competitors as well as cabin sizes (since I'm 6'3") for the front and back (for passenger comfort).
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Originally Posted by Frank Lee
It would be easy enough to test the weight reduction theory on your car without buying a thing- you have already mapped out the potential weight savings with your proposed parts; TEMPORARILY pull the seats, spare, etc. to match that and see if there is a demonstratable effect. This would be most accurate for the hwy figure, as it doesn't take into account rotating/unsprung weight of lighter rolling stock that has more effect in stop-n-go city driving.
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Excellent point although we know for sure that such mods will improve fuel economy even if slightly and If I'm going to spend this much money regardless due to the looks and bragging rights, I feel the effort put into taking out the seats, spare, jack, etc and putting them back in after testing is an unnecessary burden when it is gauranteed for fuel economy to improve with weight reduction.
As a final important note, if I decided to install higher gearing (which I'm a bit skiddish about due to the fear of it costing too much), would I have to have my transmission replaced or would it simply be literally installing an extra tall gear and how much money would I expect to pay with the parts and professional installation?