From 20 mpg to 36 the easy way...

[Marc F.]

Tank (an 82 Olds) is difficult to get past 20 mpg and keep there.

So I bought a new (to me) car. I found an 06 Civic EX coupe at a dealer with 36,000 on it. Its an automatic but the price and condition were hard to beat. I think they were hurting for sales...

I have looked at new Hondas, Fords, Chevys, etc and even test drove a Volt. I found a CL 1997 Subaru Leagacy that I test drove today. It was ok, but it just wasnt right. But overall economics and better fuel efficency without breaking the bank were found today, and I even like the color!

fueleconomy.gov says 36, so we will see. It has the wide tires and bigger rims, the front ones are new and I get 2 new rear tires from the dealer this next weekend. Its part of the deal, one rear one had a small piece of metal embedded in it and even though it has lots of tread, it bugged me. So I will wear those out before changing them out.

So I guess now I get a base line fuel economy and then start with a grill block.

[mcrews]

nice. better the ride feels better!

[ecomodded]

Wise man! , Congratulations on your purchase. That's almost twice the gas mileage.

[Marc F.]

I made a mistake on the post above, the wheels and tire are standard for the model. I have looked at so many cars that they seemed wider to me. So the EPA figures should stand as long as my lower right extremities dont mutiny when in contact with the fun pedal. And compared to Tank, it very fun to drive!

I resorted to the cruise to maintain a constant speed. It was a 70 mile trip. The pedal is very, very light compared to everything else I drive. It will take a few days to adjust.

[Fat Charlie]

[QUOTE=Marc F.;306907]fueleconomy.gov says 36, so we will see./QUOTE]

If you've been getting 20 out of the Tank, I don't think you've got to worry.

[mmmodem]

I have an LX sedan which come with the same engine and transmission. I was as surprised as you that the stock tires are 205 series. Honda actually moved back to 195 series on the 2012 model. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the grill block. It's going to be one of the last things I mod on my car because I've had more than a couple cars as a teenager overheat on me. I've been able to coax 45 mpg hypermiling with zero mods.

[Daox]

Congrats on the new car!

I know its great to do the best with what you have, but sometimes what you have just is a dumb fit for your lifestyle (ex: my last boss with his Yukon commuting 80+ miles a day = dumb). A quick fix is a different vehicle and it doesn't even have to cost you anything (sell old car for new car price). I'm not sure why more here don't take the leap to a different vehicle.

[Marc F.]

"45 mpg hypermiling with zero mods" ! So are ya gonna mod it? Nicely done.

I was doing a little research. The R18 engine is really cool. i-VTEC is different from VTEC: (Technical Overview of Honda's new R18 i-VTEC Implementation)

Its a long article to add here but under light load as I understand it, the second cam profile allows the piston to travel back up pumping some of the air back out. At the same time the butterfly is almost wide open which lowers the restriction the engine works against. The fly by wire throttle is needed to transition the butterfly position so quickly as it changes from aggresive to economy profiles.

Other friction (our number one enemy in fuel economy) reducing things are added to the construction of the engine.

So for economy its got a great start. I wonder how to keep it in the economy mode
longer? I was looking for 35+ mpg, if I can eek it into the lower 40's I will be estatic.

[Marc F.]

Doax,

I commute 80 miles twice a week, Monday morning and Friday afternoon and I wanted a more fuel efficent car.

A Yukon?

What is he paying in fuel? Our fuel bill for the month was $400+ a month. And that is just for work and a few trips into town.

Yeah for half his fuel bill he could have bought a small car (new)...

[mmmodem]

Originally Posted by Marc F.

"45 mpg hypermiling with zero mods" ! So are ya gonna mod it? Nicely done.

Of course, that's why I'm here. I've just woken up and realize I don't care how my car looks. I care more about what it costs to get me to work everyday. I think I more or less peaked in mpg. I'm going to need mods to help me get more efficient.

Oh and 45mpg is achieved on 90% hwy. Before I had this horrendously long commute, I used to average 38 mpg mixed.

Yeah, that i-VTEC is some engine. I've driven lots of Hondas before but nothing like this. DOHC VTEC in my old Integra GSR was a high revving engine with lots of fun and character but had terrible FE and made quite a racket. The standard non VTEC Honda SOHC engines and even the SOHC VTEC in the older Civics were dogs. I could stomp on the gas all day in my wife's 03 Civic and get nothing in useable power. However, it always sipped gas.

This new SOHC i-VTEC is unlike the old engines. I get generous torque for an economy car and FE is through the roof. It's quite a win when you think about it. Only The Mazda 3 with SkyActiv and possibly the new Ford Focus (it's gimped by it's 6 speed sequential) has this combination of fun to drive and high FE and both just came out this year when our Hondas were available back in '06.