Hey, all, new to the forum!
 

Looks like I'm not the first, or even second, Virginia newbie this week! I've got a 1998 Civic DX sedan (manual), bought new, that I expect I'll be driving for quite a while. I've recently looked into increasing fuel economy, and tried some basic hypermiling over the last few weeks, mostly from lurking here.

80% of my driving is an 8 mile commute with a handful of stoplights, where it's sparse enough that I can go anywhere from 40 to 60 without bothering anybody. Up until a couple weeks ago, I was probably hitting 50-55 a lot on 45 mph roads.

First most-of-a-tank result (started changing my driving at about 2/3 full) moved me from a consistent 32-33 mpg to 37! And a more relaxing drive to boot. Nice big early win, I think.

Turns out from further reading that I'm probably accelerating too slow, and I haven't tried any P&G yet. I'm hoping to hit a mod-less 40mpg in the next tank or two. Then it's probably grill block(s? Any point to blocking the little grill with the Honda emblem on it?), belly pan, and I need new tires soon anyway. We'll see where it goes from there.

Thanks for looking!

Jon

Congrats on the progress. I have the same car, except that mine is a coupe. And I bought it at Williamsburg Honda 10 years ago. Check my fuel logs and my car's profile page and you might find ideas for yours. I'm up at 65+ mpg now. And your conditions are excellent for higher numbers. Get an Ultra Gauge. It's worth it. Hypermiling alone should get you across the 40mpg line. You could boost your tire pressure, remove the AC belt, and PS belt easily. Start a fuel log on EM to track your progress.