Got a honda del sol for free. What now?

[cbaber]

I cleaned the car out today, removing the seats and center console because I am going to replace the carpet. While I was doing that I decided to see how much weight I could remove, and here is the progress so far:

Spare Tire 17 lbs 15.4 oz
Targa Top Rack + Dampers 12 lbs 13.6 oz
Rear Cargo Shelf & Trim 11 lbs 10 oz
Trunk Carpet + Dampers 7 lbs 7.6 oz
Floor Mats 5 lbs 8 oz
Jack 4 lbs 2 oz
Rear Speakers & Panels 3 lbs
_______________________________________
Total Weight Savings: 62.5 lbs

Impressive, considering the removal of these items does not take away any comfort or function.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by cbaber

62.5 lbs

62.5 / 2,200 = 2.8%

What is the rule of thumb for mass reduction to mileage improvement?

[freebeard]

So what do you think should be done with this blank canvas?

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post315236

Be warned that it runs 25 pages. Personally I don't care for red, except for Koral Rot and Mountbatten Pink.

[cbaber]

Originally Posted by Xist

62.5 / 2,200 = 2.8%

What is the rule of thumb for mass reduction to mileage improvement?

According to Weight reduction - EcoModder the EPA says 1-2% for every 100 lbs, with lighter vehicles having a greater benefit.

You can't really go wrong with weight reduction. Besides the MPG benefit you get better braking, cornering, acceleration, etc. It's especially important for this car because the stock engine produces around 100 hp, and I plan to swap in a motor that has less power and torque, plus a taller VX transmission.

[Eastwood]

If you're still looking for ideas, user jedi_sol had one that he took pretty far.

Details: Aero Sol *SOLD* - 1993 Honda Del Sol GSR Fuel Economy - EcoModder.com

Looks like he was averaging 42 mpg out of it before he sold it. It should be noted that it did have a totally different engine from an Acura, but he did do aero mods to the body. And I believe most of it was documented somewhere here on the forums.

[Daox]

Convert it to electric drive.

[cbaber]

Originally Posted by Eastwood

If you're still looking for ideas, user jedi_sol had one that he took pretty far.

Details: Aero Sol *SOLD* - 1993 Honda Del Sol GSR Fuel Economy - EcoModder.com

Looks like he was averaging 42 mpg out of it before he sold it. It should be noted that it did have a totally different engine from an Acura, but he did do aero mods to the body. And I believe most of it was documented somewhere here on the forums.

Thanks. I've looked at a few Del Sol builds. The common theme is the need for aero mods to really make it worthwhile. 42 mpg from a performance engine is impressive.

Originally Posted by Daox

Convert it to electric drive.

If my situation was different, that would be the way to go. However, my commute is 100 miles round trip and from what I have seen from other DIY EV builds, that kind of range is hard to achieve.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by cbaber

A diesel swap would be fun, but the availability of diesel swaps here in the US is not so good. I don't think a 3 cyl. swap would be ideal without a turbo because the Del Sol still weighs a lot compared to a CRX or Sprint. 60-70 HP just isn't enough. If I do go a turbo route, it would be with a CRX HF/Civic CX motor (70 hp 8 valve) and be tuned to run very lean at low loads. 8 valve + turbo + lean burn is a setup I have been researching.

Are you building strictly for economy? 60hp would be plenty for that, especially after some aero work.

1st gen Insight engine might work well. I'm assuming you would discard anything related to the IMA.

Are you sticking with simple swaps (engines that are basically bolt-ins)? Some people use Kubota diesel engines which are commonly found in refrigerated semi-trailers. That will take some effort though, especially since Hondas spin backwards, so you can't just fabricate an adapter to mount to a Honda tranny.

[cbaber]

Insight swap might be interesting. They are repetitively cheap on ebay (~$600). I'm not sure if that has ever been swapped into a Civic before. Might be worth researching. I would be running it without the IMA.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

IIRC the Insight is fitted with the IMA to overcome its painful low-end torque. If you would rather not want the IMA to remain operating, you could be better off with the engine (and transmission) of a Metro if you would really go the downsizing route.

Or just slap the engine of a random wrecked sportsbike and leave it as a weekend club racer