2000 Insight - TLC and ecomodding build

[Ecky]

I'm likely mistaken. I haven't weighed the G1 rims myself, but in the spring I'll likely get some replacement RE92's and I'll weigh them then.

This source says 11lbs: Wheel and Tire specs - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum
This source says 11lbs, weighed on a scale: Weight of OEM Wheel - Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum

I seem to remember reading another source that said he put his on a scale and read slightly over 10lbs, but 11 is probably correct. Officially, HX rims are 10.75lbs but mine weigh almost exactly 11lbs as per my calibrated digital scale, so I'll correct my earlier post.

[Ecky]

No, wrong again. I went back and fact checked myself - Insight rims are officially 11lbs. HX rims are officially 11.75lbs, and were a hair over 12lbs on my scale. I haven't put my Insight rims on a scale, but officially they're ~0.75lbs lighter.

[Ecky]

Updated my belly pan. I was missing some panels since the accident last spring, and decided to make it more complete with some nice $14 4x8' coroplast panels my local Home Depot started stocking.

I may put it on ramps when I get home to get some better pictures, but the new pan is a 100% smooth sheet from edge to edge and from front to back, with the panels overlapping like fish scales.

This is a view from the rear:

[Ecky]

For what it's worth, I didn't bother doing any cutouts for the exhaust this time around. Where the 2nd cat touches it the plastic peeled back but otherwise it seems fine. I've put about 300 miles and no issues.

[Daox]

Looks great. It took 2 pieces?

[Ecky]

I bought three (car is basically 12x5) but it ended up only taking two. I had them cut the 4x8 sheets into 4x3 and 4x5 halves, so I could fit them inside the car, and I ended up using one 3x4 for under the engine and the other two 5x4's to go to the back of the car. Can't get pictures because I'm in Boston for about a week and a half more.

[MetroMPG]

It's been too long since the Flea had a belly pan on it.

These days it's mostly because parts of its 18 year-old original exhaust system are starting to fall off.

[Ecky]

Most expensive motor oil I've ever bought:




It's worth just shy of 2 oil changes though, so not too bad. How did I justify this, other than just wanting to play with something new?

In Vermont, we get winters that may never rise above 0F (~-20c) for over a month, with the worst days dropping as low as -30-40F (-35-40c). At these temperatures, even something like 0w20 is very viscous.

Viscosity at 100c / 40c:

Mobile One 0w20 - 8.7 / 44.8

Ravenol 0w16 - 7.2 / 38.4

Honda Green Oil - 8.2 / 32.1

Honda NEXT oil - 5.1 / 20.8 (Blackstone Analysis)

Honda's oils don't have official SAE numbers, but Green Oil would probably be something like -10w20 (similar to 0w20 when warm but much better characteristics when below operating temperature), while NEXT is more like -30w7.5. Green oil would almost certainly be safe to run in any engine that takes 0w20. I'm slightly concerned by how thin NEXT is, but Honda has approved this oil for use in my car and I'll do several oil analyses over the life of the oil to look for any unusual wear, and if I'm going to do this, I might as well go all out. And anyway, engines are cheap.

[Daox]

I'm interested to see an analysis. How many miles are you going to go before you run one?

[Ecky]

I'm thinking probably 1000 / 3000 / 7500. There's one person over on BOTOG who runs (or ran) it in his 2015 FIT without any flags coming up in his analysis.