The Gold Guzzler

[tayjo22]

Hey everyone!

I have been reading this forum for a few months and so a few weeks ago I started to track my fuel economy to get an idea of where I am at. I travel 30 miles one way to work every day and I have mapped out a route so I can drive slower and get better fuel economy. I am happy to announce that I am getting 34 mpg with the help of tips from this forum. I think it would be higher but I have a 2000 Honda Accord and it is an automatic, which means that when you let off the gas to coast the transmission tends to slow you down.

I plan to do some simple mods soon. I just put on some lrr tires and we will see how they do. I want to do a partial grill block and mirror delete to start with just because they are simple. I also plan to do other things like power steering delete and I'm looking into some different rims that don't weigh as much so I can put smooth covers on. I want to do some other aero mods but because of the color of the car it's hard to get something to look good or match of you have any ideas let me know.

This forum is inspirational and it keeps me coming back just to see what people are posting.

[101Volts]

Welcome to the forum, It sounds like you have a good start. What PSI are the Gold Guzzler's tires set at? You may need to test and see which pressure gives the best economy, I recently found that 55 is overinflated for the van I drive.

(Edit, 2013-April-2: Different tire pressures for different trips, Perhaps.)

Edit, 2013-September-18: I'm not sure all of what I said above is true but changing the tire pressure at least to maximum sidewall has helped fuel economy and tread wear on cars.

[tayjo22]

Over looked that one. I will start testing that. I just got new tires today. Thanks for the advice.

[Honda100]

New tires tend to drop mpg just because simply, they are slightly bigger (not worn) and causes your speedometer to read off. In this case, it's saying you didn't go as far as you actually did. Case and point, my Camry says 60 but I am usually going 63-64 according to the GPS (with a 10-30 ft. margin of error).

[tayjo22]

Yeah but the last set were basically racing slicks so it needed to be done.

I'm just curious if automatics usually see good returns or if I should just save for a different car with a manual. Any thoughts?

[Honda100]

No no, it's definitely a good thing to get new tires, I was simply saying that new tires would cause the speedo to read off a little, so if you see a "sudden drop" then take that into consideration. My Hyundai has bald fronts and I wont hesistate to replace them when I get a free day.

As for autos, I know that Hondas are pretty good compared to others (yours truly Hyundai) in that they don't "slosh" around a lot or slip compared to other cars. Also if you are able to drive over 35-40 for the most part (not always a reality but if that's the case) then the converter locks up and you'll be just as good as a manual car. Case and point my Camry locks up in O/D around 40 mph, and when I cruise at 40-45 I can usually see 37-39 mpg, which is a hair less than my 800cc Atoz.

[tayjo22]

Well two tanks in and I have gotten above 35.5 on both. I plan on ordering a scamgauge or an ultra gauge this week so I can better hone my techniques for saving gas. Anyone know if my tear of Honda has dfco? I have to do a lot of neutral coasting just to try and get better mileage when I hit the second half of my drive because of the hills but I am starting to wonder if leaving it in drive night be better.

[101Volts]

That's a good increase. When you drive on a highway, What speed do you go? The slower you go within the posted speed limits, The higher the average:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...you-15182.html

I did read you're more likely to be involved in an accident if you go slower, Though, But at the same time you're not as likely to die in an accident like that as compared to a head-on. (Though situations vary.) Whatever you do, Be vigilant.

[Swiftbow]

I would argue worn tires give greater fuel economy over new more from tread wiggle then other reasons. Consider coasting: worn tires will travel further and maintain speed in comparison to when they were new.

[tayjo22]

I think of myself as a safe driver so I try to keep an eye around what is going on and driving slower helps me. I keep it between 45 and 55 depending on where I am. I have a commute where I am on a two lane road so holding up traffic is a bigger concern because people can't pass so i stick to the high end but for the spots that are posted 55 I keep it 45 to 50.

As for the tires the ones I had did do good and I only had two tanks where I was keeping track so my guess is they might have done better on mpg. That being said I didn't feel safe so I needed new ones and these seem to have helped but then again it could be the warm weather and the car not needing to defrost and defogger the windows.

I think I am going to work on grill blocks soon as we'll as removing some small areas of dead weight.