Here's my car...

[diesel_john]

Nice ride, Chris.

there is a thread about an alternator cut out.

[XFi]

I just picked up an Xpire recently myself. Haven't got a tank of gas through it yet, but not expecting real great numbers till I replace the O2 sensor(s) and get the Check Engine light out. I'll be following your build. By the way, what rims do you have on there?

[Christopher Jordan]

Originally Posted by cbergeron

I currently get 47 MPG with it, and I'm hoping that I can get up to 60+

EXCELLENT CAR! My '95 Aspire is automatic w/air and that hurts mileage, but stripping out the inside boosted mpg from 35 to 40. I haven't put any aerodynamics yet. Welcome to Ecomodder- I will be especially interested how to get 60 mpg from an Aspire!

I put a side-to-side mirror inside with plans of removing ouutside mirrors, fender skirts, underside pan, etc.etc., but I stick out like a sore thumb on either trike; so I left everything else on the Aspire very plain.

[RH77]

Sharp ride

Were those Civic Si 15's? That may have helped the gear ratio compared to stock, which was, what -- 13?

I see great potential in the vehicle. It looks like the Mk3 Euro Ford Fiesta -- very nice.

Enjoy the site and Best FE to Ya...

RH77

[cbergeron]

My mileage numbers were based on the stock wheels - 165/80 13"s

I put the 15"s on there, drove it for a few days and pulled them right off. Larger wheels severely hurt a small car like mine. The car felt heavier, it coasted less and it was much more difficult to steer. I'll take thinner wheels (with safe weight distribution tolerances) any day.

Function > Form until Function == Form.
Form > Function == salesman/marketing.

[cbergeron]

Were those Civic Si 15's? That may have helped the gear ratio compared to stock, which was, what -- 13?

The difference between my factory wheels and the "rims" seen in the picture was a total difference of two-tenths of a percentage (.2%) on the odometer.

I didn't bother to take an empirical sample because it was quite obvious that the wider wheels were severely hurting the vehicle as it coasted and during steering.

[cbergeron]

A few weeks ago, I removed the 15" Civic SI 15" wheels because they hurt my mileage significantly.

I've been driving on the factory steelies for the weeks since, but tonight I installed 2 very thin tires on the rear. I'll post pictures on my blog in the next few days with the results.

[cbergeron]

Here's a picture of the back of the car with the new rear wheels:


It should be noted that THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT. I am not advising anyone to drive with smaller wheels than those that were recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer.

[LostCause]

Would you mind posting the tire/rim size? The skinniest tires I've ever seen on a conventional car were 185/55/13's. If your tires are smaller, would you mind posting where you bought them?

- LostCause

[cbergeron]

Heh, a factory Ford Aspire has 165/80R13s. It's a little bit smaller than a conventional car.

I'll post the details here and (on my website) after I test it in production.
(or, PM me your email address)