1995 Civic EX Tuner MPG Project
 

I'm new and thought I would share my first project.

Edits:
In all the photos I actually have about 400 lbs of tools over the rear end so it is sitting a little lower than expected :)

My car got 35MPG highway at best before I did any work to it. EPA rated it higher, but I think the standards have changed since then, and the motor was aging. Regardless, a 10MPG increase was achieved with absolutely no compromise to looks.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1...0393280095.jpg

I got this 1995 Civic for free about 4 years ago with a blown head gasket, rotting away quarter panels, and about 150K on the engine. It was mostly stock except for ricer-looking 17" rims with low profile tires and euro lights in the rear. For a few hundred bucks we had the head decked and I drove it everyday...until I blew the head gasket again at around 215K. So, I decided to use the opportunity to start from the ground up.

The main goal: hit 50 MPG highway driving normally, and look good doing it. I did not want to sacrifice looks for aerodynamics, and I had a budget. Of this $4K, I spent somewhere around $700 experimenting with carbon fiber/fiberglass and some other things I'll get into later.

What I did:
1) Engine
I replaced the American D16z 135hp 1.6L Vtec motor with a Japanese motor purchased on Ebay for $725 w/ shipping. It was a D15b 105hp 1.5L Vtec with somewhere between 30K and 40K on it. Apparently, they don't drive their cars for as long as we do - and these engines are in good supply. The company sent me the wrong motor at first, but it was worked out. The motor was a direct replacement and fit the 5speed manual transmission just fine, however...

EVERYTHING from the old block had to be unbolted and transferred to the Japanese motor, even the mounts. I didn't replace the intake manifold - the Japanese intake did not have a vacuum tube inlet like its American counterpart, so I just plugged the hose that was supposed to connect to it. The ECM took a couple starts before the Japanese motor idled correctly, but seems to work fine. I don't know if it is throwing any codes from this swap because the warning lights are on the instrument cluster...which I don't have (we will get to that later).

2) Rotational Weight
I removed the belts for power steering and and a/c, thus making the alternator the only accessory load on the motor. Since the alternator pulley weighed 6lbs and no longer needed the two step downs for the other two belts, I had them milled off. It now weighs between 3.5 and 4 lbs. In the future, I will probably remove the a/c unit all together and put in an aluminum alternator pulley.

I did a lot of research on rims and tire weights, and found the 15" rims I put on were pretty comparable to the 14" steelies on originally. I couldn't afford Ray's Wheels, and I hear they don't hold up well to potholes...which Chicagoland roads are filled with. For tires I chose the Radial TA's, and they are a lb or so heavier than an average tire, but just HAD to be included. I have never seen them on a Honda, until now. Call it my muscle car background, but this tire is beautiful.

In the future, I will either do a rear disc conversion or find a way to use the Insight aluminum drums for further rotational weight reduction.

3) Weight Reduction
I found a dented carbon fiber hood on Craigslist for $200. DON'T EVER TRY TO DO BODYWORK TO CARBON FIBER. I spent many hours on that hood - filling, blocking, and priming - 6 months later, the dents are visible up close and the carbon fiber material came through. It does not look horrible by any means, but I'm a perfectionist. Either way, the paint and body work only added a couple pounds, so it was a victory.

I gutted the ENTIRE interior. We are talking a tin can here - plastic panels, seats, carpet, and even the soundproofing (which was heavy). I modified the driver seat mount and attached an aluminum bomber seat (hot rod style) to it. I "tubbed" the passenger side door (thus making it a 1 seater with the possibility for a rear passenger seat) and held the window up using an old Mopar racing trick: a seatbelt! I kept the driver side impact bar, but removed the door panel etc. I also got rid of the spare tire for two cans of fix-a-flat.

I experimented a lot with the dashboard, and found it too difficult to save (woops, accidentally broke it after I ripped out all the heavy supports). I managed to make one out of cardboard and fiberglass; it turned out o.k. for a beginner.

I think this body style looks more aggressive with the sunroof "up", so I wanted to keep it functional. The glass weighs about 20 lbs, and the weight of the motor and track is another 10, so this was definitely an area of concern. I could have put in an expensive carbon fiber plug or welded in a new roof entirely, but I decided to make it out of a composite. BAD IDEA. Getting it to seal right was next to impossible, and the curves still didn't match up. I had to find a new piece of glass via Craigslist for $50. In the future, I will probably break the glass and glue in a hard plastic - this way the metal frame that surrounds the glass holds the seal and does not mess with the functionality.

Finally, after grinding away at the caulk, I rhino-lined the entire interior and dashboard. It was mostly for aesthetics, but I also used it as a sound barrier. I have never seen this done to the inside of any barebones race car, and it looks amazingly nice. Plus one for me.

All together, I think I lost about 195 lbs from the car (or rather about 175 lbs since I have the original glass back in), but the 3rd video I linked has the exact amount.

4) Aerodynamics
I shaved the front bumper fog lights, the side moldings, the roof moldings, the windshield moldings, and the mirrors. The moldings were mostly for aesthetics. I couldn't bear the thought of buying an ill-fitting bodykit for this car (even though I do love the Fast and Furious), so I tried to make use of the original parts the best I could. The bumper turned out really nice and the mirrors were replaced with cowl mounted cameras. I removed the front mud flaps and kept the rear ones ONLY because they make the rear bumper line seem lower, just like a bodykit. This is because I painted the rockers and the rear flaps gloss black instead of their original flat black. Also, I glued in rain guards (after painting them) to make the weirdly large side windows seem smaller, and it worked - another trade off for looks.

The front springs are lowered, thus bringing the car closer the ground, and in the future I intend to make the typical plastic underbelly pan for it.

5) Gadgets
I hooked up an MPGuino for use as my speedometer since I ripped out the digital cluster!

Results:
I hit 45MPG on my first road trip, accelerating normally (no hypermiling here). After doing between 65 and 70 on the highway for a long time, I stopped counting miles traveled when the engine first stuttered. I would guess that the car, in its fashionable state, will probably top out around 47MPG with future improvements, and I'll take this ride over a Prius any day!

The bellypan will likely help you get up a little bit more in FE. Also, have you considered wheel spats?

Welcome to ecomodder :thumbup:

Mud flaps!

Nice work though.

EDIT: and the rain things on the door windows? They increase both Cd and A. Just a thought.

I know about the mud flaps and rain guards, but have you noticed how awkwardly big the windows are! Look at the before picture with the non tinted windows...the rain guards change the line of the window...and I needed to get the look :)

Also, are you interested in LRRs and maybe some more aerodynamic wheels? Probably good for quite a few mpg there

No, I am not. If you read the post, you know I wanted to keep a certain look and not sacrifice anything for it!

I did read the post; LRRs don't really have to be ugly. They're just tires and you can make them just as shiny as any other.

Wheels are another issue, but after swapping from VX wheels to Insight wheels I quite like the move aethetically

LRRs with white letters, though? I didn't think so :)

Well, that's quite specifics. Won't know until you look anyway :p

Believe you me, I searched high and low for white letter tires. Only a couple models are available, and even my tires are only available seasonally. Radial TA's are the choice for most muscle cars that aren't dragsters, and I have them on my 80Z28 - they give cars such an aggressive look, and my Civic was not very mean looking when I got it!