hello there.

[syty]

Howdy,

Started off as a lurker without a username, registered today to show support!

I guess I'll start with the car,


Found it in Virginia for a fair price. it was in excellent body condition, the paint was oxidized but I'm good at repairing that stuff. I honestly knew nothing of the HX other than "holy cow MPGs" and that showed brightly when I got home to tear apart the engine for a tune up and found all sorts of little gremlins I should have caught.

For one, the intake is off an EX (i think someone at a shop stole the original), there goes a bit of my lean burn ability. And the spark plugs were installed by some yoho with an impact wrench. I had to extract two plugs with a flute tool and retap the head. The second bit, which I should have realized when I bought it was that the head gasket was blown.


Fixed it up last weekend and its been running like a top. So far I've been averaging 35 mpg but thats because I'm a lead foot.
I learned a lot about how the engine works, and how well it relates to a few toyota projects I've worked on. This car truely is dependent on your pedal position, its been great fun to shoot through some turns, but it suffers heavily when driving out of lean burn because the cam duration is a tad more aggressive as I understand it.

So far I'd like to get the throw on the shifter down a bit, get a projector retrofit in the lamps, fix up a few suspension bits, and then work on getting those MPGs up.

Personally, im a car enthusiast. My project car is an 86 MR2. but thats so far away from completion its not even worth mentioning.
As for this car, I've ALWAYS wanted a 6th generation civic. its the last iteration of Hondas suspension prowess and it really shows in comparison to my 2004 civic LX. I'm very happy with this car and I think It will be in my life for many years to come

Hope to become active here, Thanks for having me.

[mcrews]

welcome!
pump up the tires to 40psi and get a scangauge (see link in my sig)

[syty]

scangauge, check! i use the torque app on my phone to connect to an OBD2 diagnostic scanner. I also wired a test light into the main of the VTEC solenoid so I know when its on... my buttometer still needs calibration

tires.. thats complicated. I have nitrogen in them. Ill see what I can do.

[jeff88]

Originally Posted by syty

tires.. thats complicated. I have nitrogen in them. Ill see what I can do.

Welcome!

From what I've been told by my tires guy you should be fine mixing air with nitrogen, you just add more air when the psi goes down. I have nitrogen, too, but haven't tried this first hand yet.

[mcrews]

NO!

just stop by the tire store and add nitro!
I ran 44psi nitro for 80k miles. two sets of Kuhmos on the Infiniti Q45. Never lost 1 lb. Car has a psi meter built in.

adding 'air' is like adding reg oil to synthetic oil. Sureit's 'ok'........but why?

[jeff88]

The shop probably won't pump nitrogen past the recommended OEM PSI amount for liability issues. If your shop is willing to do it, then you're lucky, especially if they don't charge to "top it off". Whenever I have my shop do any work, I ask them to fill it up and they do so with no problem, knowing I've already payed for the nitro. If your shop won't do it and you want to go any higher than recommended PSI, you are going to have to do it yourself, which probably means using air, unless you have access to a nitrogen tank.

[syty]

Luckily Airgas supplies nitrogen as well as C25 and other welding gases I use, I could probably pick up a small bottle and rig it to a meter.
I'm sort of my own shop here :/ I'm dug into the network around my town and I'm sure I could get a friend at a tire center to help me out but I'm sure I can find my own way.

The reason I dont want to add air to the nitrogen is for two reasons:
1. it introduces water vapor in the air. this can cause even greater tire deformations on the road when it heats up and:
2. nitrogen is intert and will not react with the walls of my alloy wheels over time... sort of a nitpicky thing but I like keeping mint things mint.

[mcrews]

tire shop put in in every time

[MetroMPG]

Welcome to the forum!

FYI: ScanGauge won't work 100% properly with a lean burn car. Neither will Torque.

If you want accurate fuel consumption feedback, you'll need to rig up an MPGuino.

I don't understand you nitrogen guys. If it's not on a plane, or on a race track, and if you're smart enough to monitor your own tire pressure...

[syty]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I don't understand you nitrogen guys. If it's not on a plane, or on a race track, and if you're smart enough to monitor your own tire pressure...

Came with the car when I bought it, figured "thats cool" and decided to keep it until later. Its of no price detriment to me.


How inaccurate are we talking? 5 to 6 mpg or 15-16? so far I've been averaging 38 on a fill up and the app reflects that.