Hail to the eco nerds!

[paulwelkins]

Howdy all. This is my first forum, and it took a while to locate such a cool informative site. Thank you!

I just purchased a 1988 Honda CRX. The mileage (39 mpg) and price ($1500) were right, better than the $20,000 Prius or $10,000 Insight I almost bought. All that engine stopping and going and batteries and electrical things galore freaked me out.

Mods I've done so far are tune-up with NGK-V plugs, gap indexed toward exhaust valves, plexiglassing over air intake which surprisingly hasn't budged temp guage but then it's still under 45 degrees outside, (will keep my eye on gauge). I also have pumped tires to 38 psi. So far third tank of gas reads 41.5 mpg. My goal is 60 mpg after mods and improved driving habits.

Just last night I installed a full view mirror that I picked up from Schucks for $20. I had to take off the visors but luckily the mirror mounts matched up with visor mounts. Any ideas on covering exterior mirror mounting holes?
While I'm here, I'm having a hard time finding an HF or early crx tall geared tranny. Found a local CRX knuckle head who says I can get a tall fifth gear package and install it in my old tranny. I heard this Friday night so can't verify with dealer. Has anyone done this? This change alone calculates to 7+ mpg so definitely worth looking into.

Other future mods that I've investigated and want to do are under belly pan,V-max engine and fuel treatment, 2oz acetone per tank of gas, fuel line and air intake prewarming, 40 weight engine oil and one quart synthetic, Baldwin oil filter, 210 thermostat, windshield wiper deflectors, rear wheel skirts. I looked at 15"wheels with 175/65r15 tires but this calculated to a meager 2.2 mpg gain. I'll be tempted if I run across some good tires on steel wheels. This way I can install moon disks.

Basjoos's car fasinates me to no end. Don't know yet if I'll alter my crx to this extent. Who knows, as I see the mpg go up, I just might!

It's a fun little fasination we all have. I'm proud to be a part of this group. At least we're doing something about the problem...

[SVOboy]

Welcome to the site! Doing something indeed, and it can be fun.

You should pick up a supermid in the future, will help you improve those driving habits and will also contribute to FEOCD.

My advice would be to just pick up an HF tranny when you see one available and not mess around swapping gears...you won't get gearing as tall as the HF 5th with just a 5th gear swap on your (I'm guessing DX) tranny.

Anyway, best of luck. That 60MPG is my goal also, we'll see what the future holds!

[paulwelkins]

Thanks for the tranny tip. So far these are hard to come by. Anyone out there have a spare HF tranny? I'm in Washington USA.
Hey,what is FEOCD and supermid? I'm clueless.

[SVOboy]

Fuel economy OCD,

The supermid is an instant feedback device for FE, search around for some more info.

[MetroMPG]

Hey -welcome.

Originally Posted by paulwelkins

All that engine stopping and going and batteries and electrical things galore freaked me out.

They're awesome machines nonetheless. "Engine stopping" is a regular part of my driving routine, and I often wish I had a Prius under my right foot.

My goal is 60 mpg after mods and improved driving habits.

Attainable. I'm going to chime in with Ben and say: a SuperMID is a key piece of the puzzle to help you figure out both mods & technique behind the wheel. Instant feedback is priceless, compared to slow motion tank-to-tank data.

Has anyone done this? This change alone calculates to 7+ mpg so definitely worth looking into.

That seems a bit optimistic to me. I installed a transmission with a taller final drive in my car that dropped my RPM by 25%. I measured about a 5% improvement in MPG at steady state cruise.

Other future mods that I've investigated and want to do are under belly pan,V-max engine and fuel treatment, 2oz acetone per tank of gas, fuel line and air intake prewarming, 40 weight engine oil and one quart synthetic, Baldwin oil filter, 210 thermostat, windshield wiper deflectors, rear wheel skirts. I looked at 15"wheels with 175/65r15 tires but this calculated to a meager 2.2 mpg gain. I'll be tempted if I run across some good tires on steel wheels. This way I can install moon disks.

I'd skip the fuel & oil treatments, personally. Impossible to empirically determine if they're effective via tank-to-tank testing, and dubious "science" behind them. Also I question going with straight weight oil + synth. Just go with the lightest weight, multigrade, energy saving oil your driving conditions permit. Go synthetic, if you drive in extreme temperatures.

Other than that, the list looks reasonable!

Basjoos's car fasinates me to no end.

Join the club! Well, you have, I guess.

Glad to have you here!

[metroschultz]

Greetings and Salutations,

Good to se you. I'm a newbe here myself and have already garnered goads of useful stuff.

Have fun. S.