2009 goal fulfilled - Do I aim too low?

[hummingbird]

I said it here, that I would break into 500 mile club this year, when I barely managed 400 miles using P&G to the best of my (then) abilities.

Kept improving techniques, kept reading on the forum, and chatted about FE skills and practices till wife got mad at me. But the result showed in the third tank itself - and it came through the rapid acceleration advice here / on crxmpg.com. I improved 10 mpg over my last tank, and broke into the 500 miles club! I averaged 56.66 mpg and covered 537 miles in ~9.5 gal on my 1.5L 5MT Honda City Sedan, which is also called Honda Fit Aria elsewhere in the world.

I have no instrumentation - don't know enough to mess with wiring of my vehicle to put an mpguino, vehicle is non-OBD for Scangauge, woes unlimited on that front - so can only note tank-to-tank. Also have to depend on others for technique testing feedback / A-B-A tests, as I have no means of instantaneous feedback - A lot can change over a tank, so cannot rely on myself for help in that department unless I follow a technique faithfully over the entire tank.

Please let me know if this is ok, as far as a car with no modifications other than chucking spare tire and overinflated tires (50 PSI, ever since I knew about benefits). I would like pointers to low hanging fruits for further improvements.

Also what should I aim for for the rest of the year, considering my car and other aspect. Making me aware of my realistic potential is the greatest help I can find here, in addition to equipping me with knowledge and skills to realize it.

[RobertSmalls]

A >20% improvement? 50% over US EPA ratings? I say that's great. I'd love to achieve these kinds of numbers. Now can you do 600 miles per tank?

[McTimson]

You should really consider getting an MPGuino. It's really not hard to install, it's just 4 wires from the car that you have to tap into, and 2 of them are the basic power and ground. It really helps to see exactly what your fuel mileage is with instant response rather than waiting for a whole tank.

Either way, you're definitely doing a great job, and if you can keep that 56MPG consistent, then you're definitely doing something right.

[Daox]

Congrats! You've only gone through three tank fills and have seen amazing improvement. Just imagine what the next will be like.

Have you done or considered a grill block yet? Its kind of the entry mod thats cheap and easy to do and yields good gains.

[cfg83]

hummingbird -

Congratulations! In terms of the limits of the Honda City, I think you are our pioneer for this car, so keep telling us how you are doing.

Thanks for documenting your strategy changes in your fuel log. This helps our before/after comparisons.

(I would shoot for the 555 mile club now)

CarloSW2

[hummingbird]

Thanks, guys, for the kind words!

I would take this opportunity to thank the following for their silent help -

PaleMelanesian - He is my inspiration for a 'driver-edu only' modding - clean, easy and effective!
MetroMPG - for the easy bumpstart technique
SVOBoy - for the jackrabbit pulse ABA, which helped quite a LOT
phleas - Anyone would need three rebirths to mod a cavalier so completely
basjoos - AeroCivic is a silent teacher to quite a lot of guys

I am ordering the MPGuino today. $63 is not a small amount for me. I am not really confident doing this. but I know I can find help here. So its OK. Otherwise I am so lonely here, that it is scary - When I asked my service engineer about getting some help installing an MPGuino, he started giving out ominous warnings as to why it is so bad to touch the original wiring, how small mistakes would result in catastrophic engine failures etc...

Daox - How does the grill block help? aero? engine warming? If it is mainly for engine warmup, I may not be needing it, as it is already 85 deg F here, and could go up to 110 deg F in peak summer. If guys in Arizona/Nevada/south Texas need grill blocks, I may probably need one. If they don't, I definitely don't. Please tell me if I do.

As far as next goal is concerned, I am thinking of 70 MPG - so that I don't have to bump it upwards in quite a while. But hey, I would be glad to even repeat my last tank!

It was interesting to note that most replies on this threads are from guys having 1.5L'ish vehicles

[Daox]

The grill block will help with aero and engine warm up to a smaller extent. I'd probably do just a top grill block on your car. I'm not sure what guys are running in the hotter states over here. If you don't do much high speed driving it may not be very worth while. Look through the mods list and see what will be the best for your situation.

[Bicycle Bob]

You can probably get at least as much benefit as the average large grille block without affecting cooling if you construct proper ductwork from the most suitable parts of the current openings and block the rest. It is important to keep it smooth and airtight, with attached airflow. I've seen the standard reference on how to do race car intakes around here somewhere. Taking advantage of natural pressure differences is more efficient than running a fan. If you do a belly pan, pay attention to air exits. What goes in must go out.

[gascort]

Congrats!!! the 600 mile club awaits, and I guarantee the MPGuino will get you there.