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Originally Posted by EcoCivic
Great point! I know it would be hard to say, but what do you think the difference in mileage would be between an EX and HX trans? The EPA says that there is a 1 MPG loss on the highway with the manual vs the auto with a Civic EX, but that doesn't really mean much to me.
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EPA figures I found say 34 vs 39mpg EX vs HX, and most of that is going to be in the transmission. Lean burn helps a bit but I don't think it's the holy grail some others make it out to be. Now, that's an average fuel economy mind you, and the highway test has mixed driving, so I'm going to guess at 15-20% increased economy during steady-state driving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EcoCivic
Also, that's a great point that you can always downshift for more power unless you are already in first gear, but when you are in 5th gear you can't upshift. However, I do like having good off the line power. Even though I have substantially improved the mid range and top end power from stock, the low end torque hasn't improved a whole lot. And besides, I would like the clutch to last as long as possible.
As for pulse and glide, sorry, but am not willing to do that. I understand that pulse and glide is efficient because it basically eliminates pumping losses, but it is inconvenient, illegal, causes extra wear, and it is (by my standards) not safe.
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The off-the-line power isn't too substantially different, but pick the gearbox that's right for you. Don't let me tell you what to go with.
Final drives:
EX: ~4.41
DX/LX: ~4.11
HX: ~3.84
Hybrid: ~3.60
For what it's worth the HX actually has a shorter first gear (10%) which offsets half the difference of the taller final drive.
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthre...ios-26279.html
^ Looking at the ratios here, a pretty good frankentransmission might be a DX/LX transmission with the HX final drive - you get a shorter 1st/2nd/3rd/4th and keep the tall tall tall 5th. Either that, or put the 1st/2nd/3rd from a DX/LX into the HX box.
I know it's not remotely apples-to-apples but in my Insight I'm still on the original clutch at ~250k miles and it still feels like a healthy clutch to me. It has an even taller 3.23 final drive, and power is "fine" in 1st gear even without the hybrid system enabled (accelerating with only the 66HP 3-cylinder). It's only the very tall 2nd gear that I take issue with; I'd prefer a shorter 2nd gear when lacking the torque from the hybrid system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EcoCivic
Thanks. With the gearing of the EX 5 speed, the RPM would be 300 going 60, 3500 going 70, and 4000 going 80. However, my buddy Rudy has one of these cars with similar mods and he gets 38 MPG on the highway going 70, so that's pretty good IMO. He said that these engines like running at a higher RPM, especially with the cam that I have.
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They produce good power at high RPM and run smooth as butter, but ultimately it won't be good for the lifespan of the engine. You'll probably still get 250k out of it, sure, but at that point I'd bet it will be drinking a lot of oil. Get the RPMs down and you'll keep your cylinder walls and piston rings much longer.