new modder...what to do

[canaboost]

Hey Guys and Gals

After being in a trade for 10 years I have decided to go back to school and become a high school shop teacher, I will be selling my 99 Lifted Tracker for something that I can max out the economy on.

This is what I am looking to buy and why,( unless any one has other suggestions? ) a ODM2 car, ether a 1.3L 5 speed swift/metro/firefly with low km or a civic hatchback 5 speed, I am commuting about 70KM one way a day on a highway with some okay elevation changes (Summerland BC to Kelowna BC), I just turned down a 97 4 door metro auto with 150km for $1200 because I want the added economy and power of the 5 speed, I have looked at a ton of 3cyl Suzuki's but it seems like a large number are on there second or third motor. With a highway commute I think the 3 cyl would work to hard? I have had a 97 firefly sedan 5 speed in the past and I think it would be more then capable to make this drive for the next 4 years.

When I mod it I don't really want to do anything that will cause it to look silly so no wheel covers, or rear air dams. I was thinking about a grill block, Scan gauge, Injector Kill, and a lower air dam up front, as well as any under hood mods to improve mpg like air intake, filter, exhaust, what else can I do, I have read through the 65+ mods list on the site

[redpoint5]

Carpool.

Under the hood you could remove the alternator, but charging a battery every day seems like a hassle.

[lunarhighway]

gillblock, full or partially, seems the best thing to start with.

an undertray might be a better and even less visible alternative to an airdam extention and not that difficult to make.

i'm curently running a warm air intake that mixes warm air with the normal air.

it works great for economy but it does reduce top power, so that mod might work for a "bigger" engine

personally with your commute i'd go for the most aerodynamic car you can find with a tall gearing. even if it's a little heavier or hasn't got the smalles engine. (all relative)

what sort of milage would you like to achieve?

[bestclimb]

The intake, filters, and exaust stuff will help your engine breath much better at high power settings, but they won't do much at low power settings such as what one uses when driving for economy. I am over 250,000 miles on my civic, my crx had 350,000 when I sold it. I had another honda before that with only 90,000 miles that I never should have sold. A 4th-6th gen civic would be my choice if I was looking for another econo ride.

CRX hf, civic vx or hx.

[canaboost]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

gillblock, full or partially, seems the best thing to start with.

an undertray might be a better and even less visible alternative to an airdam extention and not that difficult to make.

i'm curently running a warm air intake that mixes warm air with the normal air.

it works great for economy but it does reduce top power, so that mod might work for a "bigger" engine

personally with your commute i'd go for the most aerodynamic car you can find with a tall gearing. even if it's a little heavier or hasn't got the smalles engine. (all relative)

what sort of milage would you like to achieve?

I am looking 50 mpg ish, have you ever thought about putting a remote flapper valve on your warm air intake so when you are looking for more power you can switch it to a second filter in a colder area? could probably salvage one out of a cars ducting at the scrap yard and operate it off a cable pull?

Originally Posted by bestclimb

A 4th-6th gen civic would be my choice if I was looking for another econo ride.

CRX hf, civic vx or hx.

I also have a 8th gen Civic but its my wife's and I don't want to run up the warranty on it. The HF,VX, or HX are not available in Canada to my knowledge sorry to say.

[PowerHaus930]

What about a Saturn S-series? Do they have them in Canada?

[canaboost]

Originally Posted by PowerHaus930

What about a Saturn S-series? Do they have them in Canada?

Yah my brother owns a SC1, on fueleconomy.gov it says they only get 29 mpg but the personal reviews say 36 mpg?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by canaboost

I am looking 50 mpg ish...

I also have a 8th gen Civic...

You probably want a diesel if you are looking for 50mpg and don't want to make major external modifications to the car.

If you already have a Civic, you should be driving it. Buying a second car will never pay for itself. The car will last well beyond the warranty, and a Civic is among the most efficient cars you can drive.

[canaboost]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

You probably want a diesel if you are looking for 50mpg and don't want to make major external modifications to the car.

If you already have a Civic, you should be driving it. Buying a second car will never pay for itself. The car will last well beyond the warranty, and a Civic is among the most efficient cars you can drive.

yes but this will leave my wife with out a car, I have driven many diesel VWs in the past but I always get scared with the prices of injector pumps and such

[cfg83]

canaboost -

Originally Posted by canaboost

Yah my brother owns a SC1, on fueleconomy.gov it says they only get 29 mpg but the personal reviews say 36 mpg?

The 2nd Gen SC1 has a 0.33 Cd and can get down to 0.31 with the SC2 spoiler (that's the theory, anyway) :



The 2nd-gen sedan is also sub-0.32 Cd.

I don't think you could reach 50 MPG on an average basis, unless you have the manual tranny and *ideal* commuting conditions. Before diamondlarry got a Prius he averaged 50+ MPG in his S-Series sedan, but he learned at the feet of Wayne Gerdes, hypermiler extraordinaire. If you are in Canada, then you should be able to get the OEM grill-block-heater option, which will especially help your winter MPG.

CarloSW2