[ACEL]

The car improvements went through 5 phases

1. Finding out the car was actually eco-friendly
2. Searching for means to repeat the best mileage reported
3. Mods inspired by products claims and performance magazines and forums
4. Mods inspired by solid advice : EricTheCarGuy and Autospeed.com (J.Edgar)
5. Aerodynamics mods supported by trials and monitoring data

Phase 1. Finding out the car was actually eco-friendly

First, for all my cars since 1977, I have a log book and record every fill and distance on fill. This meticulous logging and mileage computation alerts me to maintenance needed. For this particular car, I believe that only about 20 Litres (5 gal) have not been recorded in almost 21 years of use.

I purchased the car on Acura claims of better mileage than the Civic sedan and IIHS good results for crash tests. I shopped a lot on the web at the time.

During summer 2000, a highway trip of more than 600 km resulted in a 5 L/100 Km mileage (47 mpg). My driving was agressive, speeding at times at more than 150 Km/h (95 mph), using the air conditioning at times. The car was loaded with my second other and our luggage for a whole week. The car was still under warranty and going to the dealer for mandatory inspections. After the next inspection, the mileage dropped and I suspect the dealer mechanic did something to set the car to standard parameters.

Still, when one was enlightened once, one wants to get back in grace! I was driving the car mainly on highways and started searching for means of improving the mileage. It took years to get as good a mileage as that warm day of summer 2000. I entered Phase 2. Searching for means to repeat the best mileage reported

(Continued)

Real