Alabama, and my civic, salute you.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by CappAttack

Also gonna look at lowering the car a couple inches. Can't go too low though cause I need to clear some pretty rough railroad tracks and speed bumps.

I would go with modest, simple drop springs (nothing adjustable) if that's where you want to go. The exhaust hangs real low on these cars and will scrape on everything. I've got coilovers (Ground Control w/ Koni STR.T shocks/struts) and my exhaust is constantly scraping things. I can't bring it up any higher or I may collapse the rear springs on a hard bump.

Check out my sig for ideas on grill blocking and an air dam.

I've had tank averages in the low 50's back when it was running right. But, I have an HX with a manual.

Hopefully you have better luck with yours than I've had with mine.

[basjoos]

If you have a scangauge or other instantaneous mileage indicator, one way you can determine your car's aeromod potential is to note what your mileage improvement is when you are drafting someone on a flat road, as that is the potential mpg improvement you could get via aeromods. When drafting, the only thing that has changed is the reduced wind drag (which is what aeromods accomplish). Engine, drivetrain, and tire drag remain unchanged. My car is so highly aeromodded that I see very little improvement when drafting. Likewise anyone drafting me would see very little improvement in their mileage

[Vman455]

You're doing mostly highway? My build thread for my previous car should be of some interest. I averaged just under 50mpg over two years in an EX with manual tranmission. You'll find pictures of my mirror delete and front bumper project in there too. I had custom coilovers as well, but those were from when I autocrossed the car; now I would find cheap lowering springs (like I did with my current car).

If you don't mind your trunk looking raggedy, you can ditch all the trim pieces and floor, but leave the spare. I also removed the front speakers, sway bar, possibly some other things (it was a while ago).

I replaced my stock alloys with heavier steel wheels with moon caps--I think improved aerodynamics trumps weight any day, especially when we're talking small differences like wheel weight. Insight wheels would be the best of both, but I don't know if they fit. Considering you already have the steel wheels, I would put smooth wheel covers on (you could make your own out of coroplast or pizza pans, even) and call it done.

[CappAttack]

Do not have any mpg monitoring equipment yet. It's planned for the future where I can afford things. I am gonna gonna finish the under tray and look into a dam tomorrow. As for the ps delete, I think I'm more likely to look at an alternator delete and opt for a deep cycle battery....how does that work?

I'm gonna move the side mirrors inside and install smooth wheel covers on the next paycheck. The air dam, gap sealing, grill block, and under tray will be my baseline tank to measure from.

Also, any thoughts on getting just a plain old vacuum gauge for FE monitoring?

[basjoos]

A vacuum gauge acts like a sensitive throttle position indicator and is a tool that can help you improve your mileage.

[CappAttack]

I got the first part of the under tray done! It's corollas that extends to just behind the front wheels. I'm gonna leave it as is and have it be my baseline to work from for FE improvement measuring, need time to use the tank I'm topping off tomorrow. Is it bad that I'm excited to get measurements? I never thought I'd be this excited about FE...

I think I've decided on an ultra gauge for monitoring. Anyone have experiences that decided why you use what you use? If so, mind sharing?

Future mods that are for sure gonna happen: extend the under tray to full length, make the rear bumper not a parachute, move side mirrors inside, and smooth wheel covers (how does one attach pizza pans securely?).

Mods that I'm considering: alternator delete, custom front bumper (Bondo?), and Power steering disable (too much work to remove it for the little weight it'd shave off). Any others I should consider?

[CappAttack]

Also, what is an EGR valve? And should I be concerned if mine appears to be disconnected?

[elhigh]

EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation.

The engine control systems will pump a bit of exhaust gas back into the intake to give the engine something to inhale besides air. If things are running hot, or you are under low load, it means it can take in something that will fill the cylinder without adding too much air and leaning out the fuel-air mix.

I'm not sure where it is on your car but if it's a Honda then it's probably up front and pretty easy to see. There are LOTS of guys on here - myself included - who have taken on this simple maintenance step. Due to the nature of the gases it handles, the EGR is prone to picking up a lot of soot and schmutz and its passages getting clogged. When it's clogged, that means the EGR can't perform its usual function and then the engine HAS to breathe straight air, and the ECM has to pump in extra fuel to prevent the engine running too lean.

As to it being disconnected, there's electronic connects - just a single cable on mine, if I recall correctly - a bit of pipe and, of course, the gallery of passages routing gases from the valve to the intake runners. You'll take the valve itself apart of course, but don't forget the passages. If the valve itself is blocked at all, it's almost a sure thing the galleries - nice, long, cool galleries where gases can lose heat and velocity and gunk can condense against the walls - are going to be blocked too.

There's all manner of guys on YouTube walking you through the process. I had never done one before I did mine last year, and it took about an hour. No big deal.

DON'T FORGET TO REATTACH YOUR GROUND WIRES. Holy crap there are so many ground on a Honda and it will freak out if you don't get them all back on, nice and snug.

Budget-wise, if you're considering an alt delete and moving to a higher capacity battery, don't. Not yet.

Get a tank or two on your current configuration to establish a baseline. You're moving awfully fast already with your front belly pan on, but I wouldn't worry about that - I don't think anybody here will argue whether a belly pan is going to have an effect: it will, and probably a pretty good one.

Then f you're seriously thinking about changing the parasitic loads on the engine, do the power steering first. Remove the lines from the PS pump to the rack and loop the rack's hoses from the rack's input to the output. Then loop the pump's output back to the pump's input.

This will give the pump nothing to do. There will still be a bit of drag but nothing like what you're used to. The steering will feel heavy so don't let it surprise you. The only thing you've changed here is some plumbing and it's all reversible and you haven't spent a dime. Test carefully to ensure that everything works and you have reliable control.

Here's the fun bit: when you have an aerodynamically slippery car, making changes to the engine become pretty noticeable since they don't affect the car's aerodynamics at all and the noisy fuel economy of an aerodynamically messy car has been reduced. If you can get a pretty good baseline established with all the engine auxiliaries attached, then you should be able to spot pretty clearly what effect eliminating the PS has.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by CappAttack

Is it bad that I'm excited to get measurements? I never thought I'd be this excited about FE...

Is it bad: no. It's almost the same rush guys get when they stage up for a pass down the drag strip. "I've made some changes, let's see what kind of numbers I get this time!"

RE: saving up for an Ultragauge:

I ordered an OBD wireless adapter from Amazon for about $20, and purchased the Torque Pro app to pair it with my phone. NOTE: Torque Pro was about $5, but I was able to get a lot of functionality with the free Torque Lite version, including instant fuel economy readings. Like a vacuum gauge, it can give you a moment-to-moment read on how you're doing; even if the numbers turn out to be completely wrong you can see the changes. If you're on a tight budget, this might be the money-smart way to go.

[CappAttack]

I would love to clean out the EGR valve and say it made a difference. But I cannot, for the life of me, find the electrical connector. I've looked all around where the EGR is and no electrical hookup for it is to be found.

On the note of maintenance, I am going to be changing trans fluid, doing a coolant flush, and replacing the thermostat after I run through this tank and get some numbers from it. I did the first half of the trans fluid change on the tank before I started modding. Will also replace the fuel filter.

Also, my brother is suggesting I get some seafoam and apply it to the throttle body. Any thoughts on this?