85.6 mpg

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Once might be a fluke. Twice might be coincidence. Three times is a trend. Props for the 85.6 mpg.

Update?

I haven't been tracking that specific run in isolation for a while. I'm running daily averages on my trip log though, as I try to reach a 600 mile tank. Some good and more realistic numbers there. Car is on fumes!

[pounsfos]

i found no significant increase in fuel economy when i increased my ignition timing, but boy did the extra power help on hills etc...

my engine loves ignition advance, stock is 8 deg btdc
I run 98ultimate in my car and it handles 20deg btdc easily, idles alot better and is alot easier to start in the morning.

even if you dont see and increase in fuel economy, its definatly worth doing.

im going to try for 25 btdc soon but i just need to wait for my mechanic mate to bring his tools so we can hear when it pinks

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by pounsfos

i found no significant increase in fuel economy when i increased my ignition timing, but boy did the extra power help on hills etc...

my engine loves ignition advance, stock is 8 deg btdc
I run 98ultimate in my car and it handles 20deg btdc easily, idles alot better and is alot easier to start in the morning.

even if you dont see and increase in fuel economy, its definatly worth doing.

im going to try for 25 btdc soon but i just need to wait for my mechanic mate to bring his tools so we can hear when it pinks

I'll bet you know but I'll say it anyway: watch for heat, for spark wear, and other possible problems when you advance that much... that's what I have read about and bee warned about. I may have to carefully test these changes sometime. I might go for 16 BTDC and then test FE against stock 12 BTDC. ...maybe someday... my hands full now.

[SentraSE-R]

+1. I put six pistons in my air-cooled single cylinder Suzuki 90 cc two-stroke. It was burning a hole through the pistons every 2,000 miles like clockwork. I got to thinking what I'd done 10,000 miles ago, and realized I'd changed to a high-mount fender then. I put the OEM fender back on, and the last piston lasted another 10,000 miles until I sold the bike.

[pounsfos]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

I'll bet you know but I'll say it anyway: watch for heat, for spark wear, and other possible problems when you advance that much... that's what I have read about and bee warned about. I may have to carefully test these changes sometime. I might go for 16 BTDC and then test FE against stock 12 BTDC. ...maybe someday... my hands full now.

I have driven over 5000km with it set on 20btdc, it does warm up quicker and my temperature needle is a tiny little bit higher than normal, but apart from that its fine, your really feel the difference when driving around town in 5th
gear at 40km/h (29ish miles/h)

throttle response is alot better as well.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by pounsfos

I have driven over 5000km with it set on 20btdc, it does warm up quicker and my temperature needle is a tiny little bit higher than normal, but apart from that its fine, your really feel the difference when driving around town in 5th
gear at 40km/h (29ish miles/h)

throttle response is alot better as well.

I don't know what role ignition timing might have had--positive or negative--but I just refilled the tank on my first 600+ mile tank. I got 612.5 miles on 10.643 gallons.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Once might be a fluke. Twice might be coincidence. Three times is a trend. Props for the 85.6 mpg. Update?

81.1 on the identical route tonight. Easily better than the previous 74 best. Plus, it would have been higher and will be tomorrow. At the end of my run of have two quarter mile heartbreaker hills in close succession. Today at the bottom of those hills I was at 90.1mpg and then I screwed up the DWL routine climbing the first hill, going in third far too early and stubbornly not shifting out. The benefit was never entirely about ignition timing... I had at the same time started applying improved DWL technique from PaleMelanesian. Another post tomorrow or maybe the day after with more results.

[SentraSE-R]

81.1 mpg is excellent, and so is 600 miles on your smallish tank. How do you do your improved DWL?

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

81.1 mpg is excellent, and so is 600 miles on your smallish tank. How do you do your improved DWL?

PaleMelanesian drives an almost identical Civic. His is a 96 and mine is a 98. He wrote that his routine is a 35-45 P&G in which he seeks 75-80% load. Not more because the car seems to go into open loop. He drives mostly in fifth and on flat roads, I think. His discipline is tremendous. I have lots of hills, many quite steep. But I have been emulating him in every gear. I think it is a big help, but I can't reliably quantify it. The 612.5 mile tank was only 57.5 mpg, which is consistent with the last three tanks or so. BUT, I had a 48mpg average at about half a tank because of all the spoiler-testing and ignition timing fiddle I had done. I suppose I must have averaged 65/66mpg on the latter half of that tank. I don't think I can duplicate that because I am not willing to shut the car off at lights very often (starter wear). But I'm trying for 60+mpg and a 700+ tank this time. DWL is pretty damned cool if you get it down. But I have noticed pit-falls. First it can be easy to overshoot 80%. Second, every gear requires a different judgement as to RPM and %incline. But I monitor timing advance, rpm, throttle, and load on one screen. I never allow negative timing advance, and I try to never cross 20% throttle. I shift and drive in the 1500-1900 RPM range. I think it might be effective.

[California98Civic]

Had to do this run twice today. 80.7 and 84.3 were the results. I seem to have a trend. My previous high was 75.5 (not the 74 I had written previously). It's all in my trip logs under "Aliso". P&G with DWL and EOC is magic. And probably the modest ignition timing advance ain't hurting either.