civic owners

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by jedi_sol

Not to jack the thread, but since this is a "Civic Only" thread, i'm still having a hard time trying to figure out the whole "accelerate with 80% load" thing. How can I determine 80% with only an mpguino?

Oh btw, not to toot my own horn, but i took off my power steering belt and got my best tank ever of 48mpg! but now my girlfriend is back in town so I chauffeur her around every day so my daily commute is about 80% city.

Plus on top of that, my girlfriend got tired of all of the "strange looks/pointing and laughing" from random ppl on the streets so she forced me to take off my aero mods. Plus on top of that, California highway patrol finally pulled me over for driving too slow on the freeway (was doing 45 up a hill...so obviously i was dwl, if he gave me more time, i wouldve eventually sped up when i reached the other side of the hill. It was 2am anyways. I explained to him it was for better mpg. He was cool with it, but said its for my own safety in case drunk drivers crash into me from behind). Plus on top of that he says state law requires at least the driver side mirror, so i had to put that back on.

So now my new challenge is to get better mpg with pretty much city driving and none of my good aero mods. =(

Is your 1993 Del Sol OBD1 or OBD2? If it is OBD1, then the Ultra Gauge you would want to do DWL the way some of us are (with %) would not be possible. But I think a vacuum gauge can tell you much that you can use for effective DWL. Someone correct me... is that true? Look at this site: How to Use and Interpret a Vacuum Gauge

Are you sure you are doing DWL? I thought I was and I wasn't I ask because you say you told the Chippies that "eventually" would have hit speed on the freeway. I have learned that DWL is very counter intuitive. We think intuitively that slow acceleration and a slight throttle is the key to less fuel used. And as you know, it is not. A heavier foot, smartly deployed, turns what fuel gets used into power and speed more efficiently. I do a faster, louder acceleration arc than I ever would have thought smart. It feels odd doing it, but then it works on the MPG gauge right in front of your eyes. You can "see" the car's map. Very cool learning.

[California98Civic]

Oh, and one more thing, for anyone new to EM checking this thread, a while back I posted a link to a free online copy of the 6th Gen official Honda service manual. We're lucky ducks: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post238559

[EF TuneRR]

Originally Posted by brucepick

I don't know how you guys keep getting 60-70 mpg. I've been working hard to keep it in the upper 40's.

My commute is about 55 mi. each way, mostly highway, mostly no significant traffic. I drive mostly between about 60-65 mph. 55-60 on highway upgrades and sometimes 70ish on a downgrade.

What kind of driving are you guys doing? Are you driving at my kind of speed and distances?

I commuted 41 mi. each way, mostly highway, moderate to lightly heavy traffic (very slow moving mostly, some stop and go). My average speed, without stop and go traffic, was about 60 mph the entire way. My best tank was 41 mpg.

Keep in mind this was a combination of normal and aggressive driving. I did not do any special driving techniques, other than my own style (which isn't for hyper miling). This was in my 91 CRX Si that was built to be my weekend race car, with a 94 1.8L Acura Integra GSR engine (running OBD-0) with a Japanese-spec Y1 transmission.

[98civicDX]

hey california, i cant PM yet.

So thanks for the compliment! The hx wheels are 11 or 12 pounds i think. I was in need of new tires so i checked on craigslist for some rims just to see, and found them. got them for a steal with 95% tires so worked out nice. They are the same exact size as my steelies so no change at all, perfect fit. As far as curb weight idk, i just googled it. should i check in my door panel??

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by 98civicDX

hey california, i cant PM yet.

So thanks for the compliment! The hx wheels are 11 or 12 pounds i think. I was in need of new tires so i checked on craigslist for some rims just to see, and found them. got them for a steal with 95% tires so worked out nice. They are the same exact size as my steelies so no change at all, perfect fit.

11 or 12 pounds would be 4 or 5 lbs lighter than my alloy Honda wheels, which were an option in 1998, and they're alot lighter than the steelies which come in at about 20lbs each. You've possibly shaved 36lbs which since it is rotational mass possibly equals 72 pounds. Nice job. Those wheels would probably take any of the smooth surface techniques people here employ, take to it really well too.

Originally Posted by 98civicDX

As far as curb weight idk, i just googled it. should i check in my door panel??

Nah. I think the Honda Service Manual will give you better info... you should be able to search the PDF and find both curb and gross weights.

[justjohn]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

I disagree about hills and P&G. I think they're the perfect opportunity. Pulse up, glide down, all the while maintaining fairly steady speed.

Obviously, whatever you're doing is working. Keep it up!

I'm loving that we have a decent community of 6th gen civics here now! It certainly beats trying to discuss anything at honda-tech.

Well, I try to put it in lean burn then speed up a little before the hills and put the throttle as high as I can without breaking lean burn in order to stay in lean burn as far up the hill as possible, coasting down of course.

Not completely sure if that's optimal or not, going to see if I can set up a test of some sort once I get an mpguino.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by justjohn

Well, I try to put it in lean burn then speed up a little before the hills and put the throttle as high as I can without breaking lean burn in order to stay in lean burn as far up the hill as possible, coasting down of course.

Not completely sure if that's optimal or not, going to see if I can set up a test of some sort once I get an mpguino.

Get an ultra gauge too. You won't regret it.

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Is your 1993 Del Sol OBD1 or OBD2? If it is OBD1, then the Ultra Gauge you would want to do DWL the way some of us are (with %) would not be possible. But I think a vacuum gauge can tell you much that you can use for effective DWL. Someone correct me... is that true? Look at this site: How to Use and Interpret a Vacuum Gauge

Are you sure you are doing DWL? I thought I was and I wasn't I ask because you say you told the Chippies that "eventually" would have hit speed on the freeway. I have learned that DWL is very counter intuitive. We think intuitively that slow acceleration and a slight throttle is the key to less fuel used. And as you know, it is not. A heavier foot, smartly deployed, turns what fuel gets used into power and speed more efficiently. I do a faster, louder acceleration arc than I ever would have thought smart. It feels odd doing it, but then it works on the MPG gauge right in front of your eyes. You can "see" the car's map. Very cool learning.

I see what you're getting at, but what I meant was...

1)as far as the CHP pulling me over, when I was DWL-ing, i was...Hypermiling tip #56: "AKA "target driving". Put most simply, this technique is accomplished by choosing a "target" rate of fuel consumption and ensuring you don't fall below it on hills (or in very strong winds, or any conditions which cause load to vary for a given speed).

In other words, you will back off the accelerator and lose speed (possibly also downshifting) as you climb, and gain that speed back on the descent."

2)my other question♦ was when driving around town, what's the most fuel efficient way to accelerate? I always read around here about accelerating with 80% load...however, since i only have an mpguino, how would i determine 80% load? Without a proper scanguage, what is the "rule of thumb" in terms of throttle position/rpms/gear when trying to accomplish 80% load?

[jedi_sol]

Originally Posted by EF TuneRR

This was in my 91 CRX Si that was built to be my weekend race car, with a 94 1.8L Acura Integra GSR engine (running OBD-0) with a Japanese-spec Y1 transmission.

Sweet! Another GSR to compare with. Add in some hypermiling techniques, you should be able to squeeze 45-48mpg, which is Civic Hybrid territory...except the civic hybrid wont have VTEC =).

[hamsterpower]

Originally Posted by phunky.buddha

To the OP, when you disconnect your power steering, make sure to loop the hoses through a vented catch can. If you just close off the fluid loop, you'll be fighting against the pressure inside the rack and the lines. You want to keep fluid in the rack for lubrication, but you want to make sure it can freely flow from side to side (of the rack) so the steering will be much easier. Just leaving the pump plumbed in with the pulley disconnected will make things a LOT harder when you're driving.

Here we go again... This is incorrect. It has been discussed on many forums and caused many heated debates, but no the fluid is not needed for lubrication. There is no fluid in the manual rack. Many people just open the lines and let all the fluid out. When I did my conversion 5 years ago I removed all the flex lines and the pump and I found some threaded plugs to cap the holes after all the fluid was drained. I have had no problems since. Be sure to work the steering wheel back and forth to get all the fluid out. If you plug the holes with any fluid left inside it will restrict movement.

There is only the slightest addition resistance in parking lot driving over the powered steering and no increase above 15 MPH. Much better than pushing fluid through lines if you loop the lines, or worse just remove the belt.