Accord Newbie; 27.8 to 36.2 mods

[McDesign]

Just found this site: I've got lots of reading to do! I'll start by posting my results - please ask any questions / criticize, whatever.

This is what I have – directly from my modification diary for the car. Most of the gas was from the same station; the same pump. Always filled the tank to the pump’s automatic cut-off. All of the driving was mixed, the same commute, about 65% Interstate.


(first recorded; tires are ~ten years old)
15AUG11 345 miles@ 12.927 gallons = 26.7 mpg
1SEP11 358 miles @ 13.791 gallons = 26 mpg

(first tank on new LRR tires at 50 psi)
21AUG11 397 miles @ 14.264 gallons = 27.8 mpg
26AUG11 396 miles @ 13.6 gallons = 29.2 mpg

(-mirrors, antenna, mudflaps; + wheel discs)
9SEP11 406 miles @ 13.748 gallons = 29.5 mpg
16SEP11 446 miles @ 14.545 gallons = 30.7 mpg
23SEP11 435 miles @ 14.71 gallons = 29.6 mpg
2OCT11 421 miles @ 13.871 gallons = 30.6 mpg

(lowered ~2-1/2")
11OCT11 474 miles @14.42 gallons = 32.9 mpg
24OCT11 470 miles @ 14.753 gallons = 31.9 mpg
31OCT11 483 miles @ 14.72 gallons = 32.8 mpg

(full skirts, 0° toe-in)
7NOV11 476 miles @ 13.50 gallons = 35.25 mpg
14NOV11 468 miles @ 13.991 gallons = 33.5 mpg
22NOV11 486 miles @ 14.47 gallons = 33.6 mpg
29NOV11 502 miles @ 14.692 gallons = 34.2 mpg
8DEC11 510 miles @ 14.83 gallons = 34.4 mpg
14DEC11 488 miles @ 14.47 gallons = 33.7 mpg
10JAN12 496 miles @ 15.0 gallons = 33.0 mpg
19JAN12 477 miles @ 14.581 gallons = 32.7 mpg
26JAN12 466 miles @ 14.4 gallons = 32.4 mpg
16FEB12 453 miles @ 13.677 gallons = 33.1 mpg
5MAR12 486 miles @ 14.7 gallons = 33.2 mpg
22MAR12 466 miles @ 13.7 gallons = 34.0 mpg
4APR12 500 miles @ 14.7 gallons = 34.0 mpg
13APR12 508 miles @ 14.67 gallons = 34.6 mpg
22APR12 508 miles @ 14.22 gallons = 35.7 mpg
28APR12 485 miles @ 13.9 gallons = 34.9 mpg
22MAY12 480 miles @ 14.1 gallons = 34.0 mpg
7SEP12 501 miles @ 14.575 gallons = 34.4 mpg

(GasPods added)
14SEP12 513.5 miles @ 14.262 gallons = 36.0 mpg
21SEP12 499 miles @ 14.329 gallons = 34.8 mpg
1OCT12 506 miles @ 13.975 gallons = 36.2 mpg

[MetroMPG]

Mods look good.

A heads up: you're going to take some flak (abundant skepticism) for the gas pods though. Don't take it personally!

Welcome to the forum!

[MetroMPG]

Did you make those wheel discs?

[McDesign]

Thanks.

Thought I might take some flak for the gaspods!

Interestingly, adding them gave me two new vibrations at 70 mph - one in the dash, and one somewhere in the rear package tray area - so they are doing something with the airflow.

Another thing, and I don't have a way to quantify it, is that the rear vertical surface of the car doesn't SEEM to get as instantly dirty as it did once I put the skirts around.

Again, not a real result - just an observation.

Should have the fourth tank through this weekend and another mpg result.

Forrest

[MetroMPG]

Since the benefit of turbulators/VG's on the trailing edge of a vehicle isn't generally accepted, only an A-B-A test will satisfy most members here about their impact. (On the other hand, most people wouldn't be as skeptical about an air dam for example, since they're an established & well understood modification.)

It's great that your tank-to-tank numbers increased but there are too many variables in that type of comparison to be convincing.

Just FYI, this thread describes "ideal" testing: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ery-11445.html

What about those wheel discs - are they commercial ones painted to match, or did you DIY them from scratch?

[McDesign]

I might pull the GasPods back off after ~two thousand miles just to see, if it would be of any interest - I guess everyone's read the Mitsubishi White Paper on the subject.

I do try to be as consistant driving as I can; always cruise control set at 69; exact same commute each week; traffic is light and never varies. Same two gas stations; same two pumps.

I am a professional ME - I had gotten the car to do an electric conversion, but the battery equation never made sense - the payback was too long, with $26K in LiFeMnPO4 batteries alone for a 115-mile range.

The discs are aluminum lenticular Moon discs; trimmed ~1/4" to fit inside the lip of the Honda alloys; screwed on with SS 10-32s, IIRC. Paint is Sherwin-Williams enamel; color matched to the car, and rolled-on as shown on innunerable web links - I painted my "little" car white that way!

The mirror-delete plates are painted the same way.

Forrest

[MetroMPG]

Thanks for that wheel disc info. I thought they looked like you started with commercial discs. Either that or you have serious fabrication chops & I wanted your secret!

Originally Posted by McDesign

I guess everyone's read the Mitsubishi White Paper on the subject.

Yup. Roof-mounted VG's - we've seen a couple of OEM's do those (Renault being the other on an "ecomodded" non-production car). The key difference being: we've never seen an OEM do trunk-mounted ones.

Have you got a partial grille block? Another well understood & relatively easy mod.

Any further mods planned?

[MetroMPG]

Thanks for that wheel disc info. I thought they looked like you started with commercial discs. Either that or you have serious fabrication chops & I wanted your secret!

The silver/alloy surround "ring" of the OEM wheel looks sharp too.

Originally Posted by McDesign

I guess everyone's read the Mitsubishi White Paper on the subject.

Yup. Roof-mounted VG's - we've seen a couple of OEM's do those (Renault being the other on an "ecomodded" non-production car). Never seen an OEM do trunk-mounted ones though.

Have you got a partial grille block? Another well understood & relatively easy mod.

Any further mods planned?

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by McDesign

I do try to be as consistant driving as I can; always cruise control set at 69; exact same commute each week; traffic is light and never varies. Same two gas stations; same two pumps

Other variables change as the months go by, though: your tires' RR is decreasing as they age & wear; ambient temperature affects MPG a lot as the seasons change (A/C use? Warm-up times increase as summer temps recede; numerous other impacts on RR & aero drag); fuel formulations changes around this time of year to the slightly less energy dense "winter gas"; etc.

Time passing is problematic for evaluating small modifications!

[cbpldc]

Yeah, that's downright impressive to see an MPG increase in the winter. I'd love to see what you're nailing down in the cool but not cold months of spring.

Chris