01 Accord Coupe 5 speed mpg potential?
 

Going to look at one. 112K. It was hit in the rear and is a salvage title. Doesn't appear to be anything structural.

What sort of highway mpg numbers could I expect with the typical mild eco mods? I'm guessing high 30s

The coupe looks to be pretty good aero-wise.

With an epa rating of 29mpg I think so. I haven't ran a gauntlet of cars, maybe ten I've measured, but even just highway trips for me I've beat the epa rating by 10-20 percent.

I think if you buy it, learn the car, drive carefully and do mild eco mods you can get it. Grill blocking, high tire pressure, LRR tires when the tires need to be replaced, synthetic oil, fresh spark plugs/o2 sensors and a few other things like a passenger side mirror delete/weight reduction/little spats in front of the tires.

Well, I bought it. Car runs beautifully Looks like new inside, very good outside. Already found a rear bumper and cover in the same color on CL for 40 bucks.

The kid put a lot into it, after paying 2700 bucks. full exhaust from header to tail pipe, struts/misc suspension links, battery, wires/plugs, new timing belt, new tires, fuel pump, fuel tank. over 2 grand in parts.

I suspect that the exhaust may make it breath a little better and maybe increase the mpg a tad. I have the OEM manifold and could go back to that. Maybe sell the header (DC Sports Header HHC5018) to some tuner kid. He paid 320 bucks for it. The OEM manifold looks to be a very well designed unit that flows just as nicely as the header.

Here is the list he sent me......

Invidia Exhaust-Aug 16 $462.00
Magnaflow 22642 Cat Aug 16 $184.00
DC Sports Header HHC5018 Aug 16 $320.00 I have the stock manifold also
AISIN Timing Belt Kit May 16 $114.78
NGK Pro wires May 16 $50.44
Mevotech Stabilizer Kinks and Moog ST8552 Struts Aug 16 $ 236.14
Beck Fuel pump/Dorman fuel tank- 12/16 $310.22
Firestone Firehawk Tires-195/65/r15- Aug 16 $ 355.92
Interstate Battery Sept 16 $110.00
K&N Aircleaner Aug 16 $45

I got a 2000 Sedan Accord with 40,000 miles on it back in February....it's almost like brand new...except for the brownish foam spurting out of the vent system here and there!!! Under the hood it's almost like showroom condition, just a wee bit of corrosion on the top of the strut towers. When I'm home in a week I'll snap a pic & post it here. Lucky to get 27 MPG Highway BTW 4cyl....Not sure why it sucks so much.

Ditch the K & N air "Cleaner"....it doesn't. Might as well sandblast yer engine.

Yeah, that's kinda crappy. Is it an auto?

I'll bet I can get 20 bucks for the K&N from some kid on CL.

Yes, the 2000 Accord is an automatic. Thinking of getting a 04-07 Manual Accord soon, my 04 Civic is growing old on me and I just would like a bigger car and still wanna row the gears. I understand the 7th Gens are pretty dern reliable. I can get one for less than $3500 or so and put another 100K miles on it.

I am sure that the 7th gen is reliable, just like the 6 preceding gens. I do find its exterior kind of boring, but it has a nice interior.

And yeah, the slushboxes from a mere 10 years ago did have a pretty good mpg penalty. Funny how today's generally have higher EPA numbers. That is a testament to the improvements that have been made, but I do believe a good bit of it is marketing BS. Automakers in general seem to be on a mission to stomp out the manual. It is understandable as from a manufacturing point of view, having a manual is a PITA. Fortunately, there will always be enough of us in the "row yer own" crowd to keep at least a few interested. Mazda seems to be one. They'll actually build a CX-5 with a 6 speed MT. I think most everyone else has given up on them in their CUV lines.

If it is a manual, then one should be able to get one-and-a-half to two times the stock FE with mods and great hypermiling. Topping 40mpg on tank averages should be "easy" in this car, I think. Pump up the tires, remove unneeded weight (100lbs or more if you can find it), do some simple aeromods like an airdam and grill block, and learn to pulse and glide with the help of a reliable gauge that tracks engine load and RPM. You'll be topping 40mpg in a few months.

Planning on grill blocks, belly pan, WAI. Unfortunately weight will only go up a bit, carrying tools/parts, my fat arse. Tires are new 195/65/15s. When they wear out, I might try going a bit taller, maybe 195/70.

Anyone know if a higher set of gears for 5th can be had? And can they be changed without dropping the tranny? I recal reading that this can be done on Saturns without dropping the trans.

If it's anything like my 04 Civic, um, No. I can't imaging how you'd do it, just putting it back together would be a nightmare if it's not sitting bell housing down. The transmission parts too are very hard to find, I'm having the devil of a time figuring out where to buy a 2nd gear synchro set for mine. Can't imagine where I'd get a unique gear set.