Greetings From Canada! My Work in Progress: Eco-Inspired and Stanced 1993 Del Sol Si - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

fullofsol · 07-19-2014, 11:13 PM

Hello ecomodders! It's finally the time I decided to register after months of lurking around the forums to compile some fairly useful resources.

My name's Tom - I'm from Vancouver, British Columbia.

So long story short I've been bitten by the eco-bug - I used to drive a 95 Lexus GS300 which guzzled gas like a m*fker which eventually got written off due to an accident. My replacement vehicle was a 1996 Acura Integra SE automatic transmission - and the world of fuel savings were apparent after I appreciated spending $50CAD instead of $90CAD to fill up a tank of gas. The Integra was recently sold, and my best tanks were at 31MPG (calculated based on distance driven and how much gas was used each fill-up).

I impulsively picked up a 1993 Del Sol Si during my procrastination period during final exams 2 months ago (since I'm still going to University). The vehicle was dirrrrt cheap - it was real rusty but it ran well. It was originally purchased as a vehicle for me to learn how to drive manual transmission. After I became acquainted with driving the vehicle - I decided to try and maximize as much as possible the fuel efficiency. My build-in-progess has both the fuel efficiency modifications in mind as well as the form.

fullofsol · 07-19-2014, 11:15 PM

Here's how the vehicle looked like the first couple days - cracked windshield and rust spots all over the rocker panels and wheel wells.

Was later Plasti Dipped in a silver color I did with cans leftover

I noticed my engine bay would be fairly warm after a drive - so I decided to install a short ram air intake. I'm still figuring how I can change it into a warmer air intake for a leaner fuel mixture to improve gains

I eventually slammed the car, bought some side skirts and a front lip to lower it even more in order to reduce drag. The side skirts seem to function as wheels spats too haha

Then I proceeded with buying a nice set of 15" rims. The rims are fairly light at 15lbs compared to my oem 14" rims which weighed almost 17-18lbs. I chose aggressive offsets since I like the "stance" look to some extent as well as trying to eliminate air from flowing and hitting the insides of the fenders

Other stuff I've done includes stripping the trunk (removed jacks, spare tire), removing everything past the catalytic converter (boy the old exhaust was rusting out and it sure was heavy!).

The car recently had an alignment - toe was straightened out and car is currently at 2.5 degrees camber. Tires will be pumped up to 51PSI (max on my sidewall) fairly soon.

The vehicle currently averages around 38MPG which I'm quite happy with. It's a lot higher than estimates from the manufacturer.
That's almost like the same fuel economy of a CRZ-Hybrid which is a car that's almost 20 years older than this one.
I'm a fairly gentle and subtle driver, so the car never exceeds 2.5k RPM for the most part.

Here's my fuelly log: Bryan The Del Sol (Honda Civic del Sol) | Fuelly

Future work that needs to be done to it include:
-grille block
-underbelly tray
-rear diffuser
-stripping AC system
-removing coilover locking collars to tuck the rear wheels
-removal of minor dents, patching up some rust areas,
-and dipping the car again properly.

Thanks again for having me on board, hoping to hit 45mpg eventually!
If you guys have any suggestions on some other mods that can be done, please let me know!

Tom

Baltothewolf · 07-21-2014, 04:09 AM

That is a nice looking car. The rims were not a very good choice, I'm sure if you made smooth wheel covers for them, you would get over 40mpg. I would also recommend as much of a grill block as you can get away with.

fullofsol · 07-21-2014, 05:39 AM

Yes, I know the the deep lip for the rims might cause some drag or resistance.

Might be looking to create some wheel covers out of a clear plastic-type material.

Daox · 07-21-2014, 11:27 AM

Welcome to the site fullofsol. It sounds like you're off to a good start.

Xist · 07-21-2014, 02:27 PM

I have been talking about using Plasti-Dip on my Civic since before I bought it! Black is not an intelligent choice for Arizona!

Welcome to the site!

ecoTex · 08-07-2014, 12:49 PM

Great looking car. I like the wheels. Sometimes function can follow form. I always recommend a MPGuino or scangage. You must have one to maximize technique.

I still want to see a delsol with a boattail.

radiantthought · 08-07-2014, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ecoTex

Great looking car. I like the wheels. Sometimes function can follow form. I always recommend a MPGuino or scangage. You must have one to maximize technique.

I still want to see a delsol with a boattail.

Would a '93 del sol be compatible with a scanguage? I don't think they had OBDII on vehicles until after '94.