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Old 01-22-2009, 09:42 AM   #1 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
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Metro owner mulling over swap to XFi transmission and 1-ring pistons

A visitor to metrompg.com sent me this email recently:

Quote:
Have you had any experience using an XFi transaxle? That is, actual Suzuki Swifts are very hard to come by in Washington State (as are XFi Metros), but I did find an XFi at a wrecking yard that still has the engine and transaxle. Do you think the economy difference is sufficient enough to warrant waiting around in the hopes of finding a Swift transaxle?
My feeling is if you're going to go to the trouble of swapping transmissions to get a taller final drive, you might as well go big or go home. The 3.52 is where the biggest gains are to be found.

Quote:
Also, since XFi at the wrecking yard still has the engine, I could get the pistons out of it and put them in mine. I realize this is a lot of work for a small increase in fuel economy.
Just a guess, but I bet that individual change is worth a very small improvement. Not saying it's not worthwhile, but it probably won't show up at the gas pump, over the usual noise of variation between fills.

Quote:
I guess I'm wondering, do you know anything about the reliability of the XFi engine? Do they have more blow-by? Does the oil/filter need to be changed more often because of it? Are they known to get more abrasive crud stuck in bearings than other G10 engines?
That I can't answer. The XFi was never sold in Canada, so I've never actually seen one in person, much less spoken to anyone who drove one for any length of time.

Maybe some of the other members will chime in on that one.

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EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
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