These are both good bits of advice, although I’ll add that I never did break 50 MPG consistently in my 97 coupe. Meanwhile I’ve broken it pretty easily in my 06 coupe with the R18A1. More power than the D16Y8 while closer in economy figures to the D16Y5. And this car is much heavier as well. I do have the freshly-fixed Y8 from my car that got destroyed in a hit and run, so that’s the backup plan of course.
I’ve managed to get a hold of a certain Hondaswap guru, who is the only one to have done this swap to my knowledge:
https://youtu.be/U6r22wCzuzw
He said it was complicated but not impossible. The engine mounts were the trickiest part. He bought a 2006 coupe as his parts car and sold what was left to recuperate the $1000 he spent. I asked him about fuel economy and he told me the car gets 32 MPG in the city and 48 MPG on the highway. That’s pretty awesome for a non-hypermiler with no aero mods. The biggest fear I have is electrical wiring but he told me he used almost everything off the parts car without many issues.
I’m gonna keep browsing around for a donor car. Even if I don’t do the swap, I still want the newer seats and interior parts for my hatch. 90’s seats come stock with cigarette burns and mold around here.
As for taller 5th gear swaps, I’m divided on that one. There was a guy on Honda-tech with a Del Sol VTEC that would get 50-60 MPG and he went very into the reasonings why a taller 5th wouldn’t help. I forget the forum post but he definitely knew his stuff. I know this CX hatch has a ghetto-spec D16Y8 with a Y7 trans and the powerband is messed right up as a result. Terrible on gas, terrible to drive.