New member from PA

[90civicstdgold]

Im glad I found this site.
I'm currently a student majoring in Mechanical Engineering at PSU.
I was commuting the last two semesters which was 77 miles one way.
Although I'm now living on campus, I still want to learn how to improve my gas mileage regardless of my daily travel.

My vehicle of choice is a a '93 Civic dx sedan, 5spd, 230k on the odometer.
During my long commute I was getting a consistent 43 mpg (speed limits, all unnecessary weight gone, never going above 2500 rpm, 95% highway miles)

Future plans:
- swap in the hx trans I have sitting in the garage.
- find a set of vx wheels (very light)
- possible vtec-e engine install

(I am very fluent when it comes to Hondas and automobiles. Currently own a crx which is strictly for drag racing. 580whp, 135+ mph trap times)

I look forward to learning new techniques and possibly giving some technical advice when needed.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome to the site.

All those highway miles make aero mods your friend! Got any plans in that department?

The VX rims won't make a lot of a difference on a car that's mostly highway driven. Taller gearing is a good idea though (especially since you've already got it).

Instrumentation would make it fun as well - you'll need an MPGuino since you're pre-OBD-II. Instant feedback is what makes drag racing fun. Same thing goes for aiming for better fuel economy.

[90civicstdgold]

My goal is to keep the exterior mainly stock. Possibly a grill block, but that's it

The vx wheels are still lighter than the steel wheels on my car currently.
I removed alot of weight from my car when I started the long commutes (spare tire, tools, fluids) Even removed A/C lines and replaced the under dash unit with a non-A/C duct. In total- 106 lbs of extra weight removed.

The HX trans will be installed in the next few weeks after I gather the funds for a new clutch set.

The vtec-e swap will take place this winter for sure.


Some things Ive considered:

-Wheel bearings with much lower resistance than a stock unit?
-An oil cooler?
-And some type of instrumentation as stated above. I still have to read up on how it works with the OBD-1 interface.

[Prophecy99]

do some aerodynamics, and maybe lower the car. Push the Tires up to 44 PSI.
look into a timing advance.

those are a few things of the top of my head.

I used to commute like that for my school in central PA (PCT) every 2 weeks. Too bad I didnt know more about this stuff then.