Congrats to RH77 for getting published @ beaterreview.com
 

Remember Ben's thread: Anyone interested in doing a review of their car with an ecomodding twist to it?

Well, EM resident & well known rental car reviewer Rick took the bull by the horns and put together a great review of his own ride, the 1994-01 Acura Integra - and with an efficiency angle.

And for more on Rick's opinion of the Integra, check out:

Ecotuner: 1994-01 Acura Integra:


What happens when you create an upmarket Civic? You get a really good car.

Very nicely done indeed. Good touch adding the commercial.

[Mario64 Awards Ceremony Voice]Congratulations[/Mario64Awards Ceremony Voice]

Well done. Even more publicity to convert people too :thumbup:

Nice article (with attribution too).

Yes Yes Here Here
We're all very proud.
And I am a tad jealous.
S.

If you want, schultz, you can do your own review and I will pass it on to my contact at BR, :)

I totally can hear that in my head. The award ceremony in mariokart 64.

RickH77 -

I shake your virtual hand. This is a natural for you because you are so great at car reviews!

CarloSW2

Thanks to You
 

First, I'd like to thank the Academy...:turtle:

Seriously, thanks all! I didn't expect to see it on the front page :eek:

It's fun stuff. The site's editor is great to work with -- I'd recommend that anyone who wants to write up a Beater article, just talk to Ben.

Maybe the "Efficient Beater" trend can continue to benefit EM and BR.

A side note: the BR editor chose the You-Tube commercial, but it's my favorite -- especially the jump at the end :D

Again, thanks to Ben for opportunity, and for the kind words from all of you :) It was fun from beginning to post.

RH77

I really enjoyed reading that review. It may have swayed my decision on the car that I replace the miata with. It's a lot easier to ecomod a "beater" than a low miles temp car.

Interesting you mention that, since if you compare them side-by-side how similar the old Integra is to the new civic, yet the civic is getting 5-7mpg higher. Then again, it is 5 more years of technology ;)

The newer Civic does, in fact, offer similar mileage to the Integra. The difference is the up-front cost, configuration, and transmission:

1. My review includes a 10-year old vehicle, thus cheaper to purchase
2. The Civic does not currently offer a 3-door with the cargo capacity (either 2- or 4-Doors), and...
3. The 5-speed option in either vehicle is available (I reviewed the 4-speed auto)...

The newer Civic probably emits less -- it all depends on your budget and the consideration of the amount of energy it takes to manufacture and transport a new vehicle vs. a used one...

RH77

I'm sorry if my response came across wrong. I understand that you were reviewing the automatic 1998 Acura Integra with the base 140hp B18B1 engine.
Looking strictly at the "upmarket civic" comment, I find it ironic that the current generation civic has essentially replaced the Integra... matching its msrp, weight, engine displacement, dimensions, etc.

considering all that (especially the similarity in weight/x-area/engine displacement) I find it quite interesting that the city mileage (strictly looking at EPA specifications for the 5spd manual version of both) of the civic is higher. Which (to me) raises the question of if you had an Integra, what types of tricks/tuning could be gleaned from the new civic and applied to improve your efficiency?

Sorry as well, I wasn't trying to be defensive -- just personally justifying (mosty to myself) that it's OK not to run out buy that new Civic.

You're right, the new Civic with a 1.8L is very similar as it plumped-up over the years. The emissions on a new car are, indeed, much lower. If I got another vehicle at this point, it would probably be along the lines of a Civic GX -- but the refueling availability has to improve. My commute is perfect for its range. For now, the 'Teg keeps plugging away, and it's paid off :p

Regarding your question, I know of someone who had a late-model Civic 5-speed Coupe, and became frustrated with the mileage on it and got a Mazda 3. I think he mostly focused on technique, tho.

I'd probably go with the standard intake air temp increase, EBH, LRR tire choice and over-inflation, aero mods, and mods beyond...

RH77

No worries, that's something I can *completely* understand :)

I dunno, i've found that with buying a car new (or over $10k) I'm less likely to want to do the kind of ecomodder things that I'd be more likely to do to a used sub-$10k car.