HX Disappointment

[1slw4dr]

Need some help from the HX guru's on here. So far according to my GPS mileage and the gallons the pump says I'm putting in I'm barely touching 33-35 MPG. If I went by the car odometer it would be even worst lol I keep the tires at 40 psi. It's lowered and I keep the RPM's between 2500-3k. When accelerating I try to keep them below 3k but sometimes the hills require 3500 shift points. Any thoughts? I'm also using 93 octane just because the extra $2 a tank doesn't bother me much.

[Xist]

I am not a guru at all. What was your mileage on 87 octane? How fast do you drive? I do not drive much, but I try to drive 55 MPH.

[user removed]

If he lives around the DC beltway 55 MPH would probably get him killed, or he could just shut it off in neutral and let the tailgaters push him there. One of the nations biggest traffic nightmares, especially with this winters artic vortex.

regards
Mech

[Superfuelgero]

You're not going to be able to maintain lean burn at those speeds. If you insist on driving that fast, you have to options: 1) accept the mpg or 2) seriously aero mod, and drop in a vx trans.

[1slw4dr]

Originally Posted by Xist

I am not a guru at all. What was your mileage on 87 octane? How fast do you drive? I do not drive much, but I try to drive 55 MPH.

Never ran 87. Plan when I got the car was to just run straight 93 based off of what others had posted.

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

If he lives around the DC beltway 55 MPH would probably get him killed, or he could just shut it off in neutral and let the tailgaters push him there. One of the nations biggest traffic nightmares, especially with this winters artic vortex.

regards
Mech

Yes you are correct. Our speed limits are 60-70. Even when I'm in 45-55 mph speed zones if I'm not doing 55-60 I'm getting pushed fairly hard. I can deal with it but when I'm on the interstate I'm not taking my chances with the semi trucks.

[1slw4dr]

Originally Posted by xntrx

You're not going to be able to maintain lean burn at those speeds. If you insist on driving that fast, you have to options: 1) accept the mpg or 2) seriously aero mod, and drop in a vx trans.

Hell idk how to even tell if I'm in lean burn yet. I keep coming across all these HX articles but no one posts what speeds they are driving at so I can't really gauge what I could accomplish.

[Superfuelgero]

Originally Posted by 1slw4dr

Yes you are correct. Our speed limits are 60-70. Even when I'm in 45-55 mph speed zones if I'm not doing 55-60 I'm getting pushed fairly hard. I can deal with it but when I'm on the interstate I'm not taking my chances with the semi trucks.

The last thing a semi is going to do is hit you. I've had a cdl since I was 20, and they aren't going to chance an accident when their job depends on it. Thats not to mean some won't try to "push you around" with their bigger size, but its all bark. After wasting time behind you, the last thing they wanna do is slow down in front of you enough to come close to cutting you off. I went from a speed demon, to driving like an old person. Old people definitely have wisdom that comes with age. it will take a couple weeks to adjust fully to it.

Do some research on lean burn, but main point is its vacuum dependent at lower rpms. At higher rpms, the slow burning lean mixture doesn't have time, and it gets locked out.

[steveo539]

No guru here either. In fact I've been here a day now. Are you driving manual or auto trans? Your comment about shift points hints at manual. I don't own one, but I thought I read the automatic HX's take about a 4MPG hit over a manual trans. Are you running stock HX rims? What kind of tires? I bought new tires (supposedly LRR) and lost about 2MPG. Are you doing lots of stop & go or cruising at highway speeds? My 96 manual trans HX usually gets 40+MPG if I keep it just under 65MPH cruising on the flats. Drops to the upper 30's at 70-75MPH.

[California98Civic]

Hi hi. Sorry for the disappointment.

As someone who grew up in and around NYC, lived for 10 years in VA dealing with DC regularly, and now has lived in Southern Cali for nearly 8 years, lemme say that I have driven--even hypermiled--the beltway and each of the rush hour traffic hells named already. I respect your comfort level and your assessment of what is safe, but I don't agree that it's objectively a fact that you can't drive 55 and 60mph on the beltway safely. That said, I'll concede there were a few spots on the western portions of the beltway that were a bit hairy. Maybe that's your zone. But other areas, no so much, IMO.

But we all judge our own comfort for ourselves.

I do think you need to pump the tires up more, since you're possibly not even at max sidewall, and you will have to reduce your RPM shift points to 2200 or so to get better results. That's what I do in my 98 DX, and it is what the legendary PaleCivic always did. Others have noted that 3000K rpm is too high for lean burn. If you want LB, you gotta try taller gears and/or slowing down.

Above all... keep at it! It takes a while to adjust to the new realities of this kind of driving, I think.

Cheers!

james

[sarguy01]

Wait, the car odometer is off? Do you have stock wheels and tires? OE tire size?

How stock is the car?