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Old 04-06-2009, 02:18 PM   #796 (permalink)
MetroMPG
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,515

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: 52.48 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,062
Thanked 6,960 Times in 3,604 Posts
ForkenSwift: now with MORE power!



More power, better acceleration. How easy is that? Remove two little hex head bolts, turn two potentiometers.

Both pots have a range of approximately 10:30 to 7:30 (with 12:00 being towards the connector end), and the ACC (acceleration) pot was set at about 2:30. The CL (current limit) pot was set at 2:00.

So they weren't even half way to the FULL-ON-MELT-SOME-CABLES-HAMMER-THE-BATTERIES setting.

Hmm. What to do, what to do...

Well, I turned it up to eleven, as the kids say. And guess what? The car has more power!

But It may be kind of academic: before the adjustment, I was able to pull 300A max on a cold controller with my foot on the floor in 4th gear accelerating up a moderate hill. This pulled the battery voltages to just above DANGER! (5.25v/batt).

After the power adjustment, I saw about 340A on the same hill, same conditions, but the voltage was IN danger territory. So I had to back off.

That was with a cold controller though. It'll be more interesting to see if the "warm" current limit is effectively upped (the controller cuts back peak current as it heats up to protect its innards). If that limit is higher, it'll be more useful for the times I need to accelerate above my usual glacial rate of 50-100A, but run up against, say, a 200A limit.

We shall see.
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Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



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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