I'm back!
 

Well I'm back at it again after what must have been a 10-year hiatus. The last time I had considered hypermiling, I was a broke college student who needed every last penny. Unfortunately, now I'm a broke working adult who can't afford $4 a gallon gas nor can I afford to buy a more economical car. Besides, I love my car and wouldn't get rid of it for anything.

I'm driving two 6th generation Honda Accords. The oldest is a 1998 with the 3.0 J30A1 4AT. It's got 307,000 miles on it and going strong. The second is a 2002 2.3 F23A1 5MT with 227,000 miles, also in solid condition with recently rebuilt front end.

I'm hoping to get a consistent 30 MPG from the V6 and 35 MPG from the 4 cylinder. I've got a scan gauge on the V6 right now and I've pumped up my Falken Sincera tires to 40 psi. The V6 is my preferred ride in spite of the mileage so I'll be driving it the most. Hopefully y'all can give me some feedback on the tires. I'm particularly concerned about excessive tire wear because tires have gone up just as much in price as gasoline. They ride great at the placard recommended 32 psi but rough as hell at 40. I have noticed a few MPG improvement however.

My next goal will be to fix the undercarriage which is pretty raggedy and diminishing my aerodynamics. Not sure what else I can do beyond that. I took out The driver's seat because it was worn out and replaced it with the passenger seat. It's down a seat so I've lost some weight there. If anyone else has attempted to hypermile this vehicle, please chime in. I was getting pretty terrible mileage 18 to 20 before making a concerted effort to improve it. The vehicle has a p0420 catalyst code which may be hurting my mileage but I haven't checked the fuel trims yet.

I'm glad to be back even though I prefer not worrying about fuel consumption under normal circumstances!

What about Greenie - '94 Geo Metro LSi -- 55.23 mpg (US)?

The frame rusted in two! Haven't driven it in 10 years. I let my father take the Mitsubishi when I was in college and one day it died on him and left him stranded. He never could figure out what happened to it and it was eventually scrapped. Pontiac was involved in a collision with a deer and leaked water like a sieve after the insurance company had it repaired. I gave it to my brother because I couldn't stand the moldy wet dog smell any longer, and it ate up brake pads yearly.

I do have some classic econoboxes I'd like to restore and get back to hypermiling. My dad has an 87 festiva he parked and left for 5-10 years. I got it running but foolishly drove it a few miles with varnished gas and clogged up the carburetor so it's parked again (I live 6 hours away, otherwise I'd have already fixed it since he doesn't want it). He's also got a Metro that will run as long as I get a new fuel tank and pump, but it has title issues that I would have to sort out. My grandfather passed away a few years back and had a 95 Metro which ran and drove up until the day he died but has been parked since. I won't be able to fix that one up until his late wife also passes.

It's pretty hard to find those old econo boxes in the urban area, I live. My dad and my grandpa were both mechanically inclined and had the land to buy a few junked vehicles to use for donor cars. If I lived nearby i would cobble something together and make it run, but right now I can't find anything like that in my area. Too many wealthy people who aren't interested in such vehicles.

I did see a fully restored festiva with a fantastic paint job. I'll upload the link if I can find it, but it wasn't for sale and is someone's daily driver. I really like the festiva and its look more than the Metro and would rather drive it even if it gets worse FE. Those Mazda B series engines are bulletproof.

So.... now?

Where is the frame damage? Could you turn it and the one with title problems into a stretch limo?

Well swell, a picture I took myself and uploaded to an Ecomodder album has been disappeared. Proof is here. Undettered, I found this on DDG:

https://bangshift.com/wp-content/upl...eo-541x685.jpg
bangshift.com/general-news/car-features/chevy-car-features/rough-start-stretch-geo-metro-real-thing-solution-parts-hauling-problem/

I misspoke. I should have said his widow. She's still hanging on.

It's just not an option for me to move those vehicles. I live 320 miles away in an apartment and I don't have my own shop. I also have never used a welding machine.

The Festiva is a prime candidate to start back up. I just need to get the fuel system sorted out and it will run and drive. I can do all the maintenance to get it back to solid condition and it isn't rusting in two. I could tow that to the shop I work at and get it going quick enough. I've also got a donor car that was wrecked with plenty of parts to pick from.

For now I'm very satisfied with my Hondas and have no intention of getting rid of them. I learned how to wrench on them and they've served me well and also spurred me into pursuing a career in automotive repair. I expect that they will outlive me.

It's Okay. Since I got the XFi I'm becoming something of a zealot.

That 5mt 4cyl is going to be your go to for FE.

Living in an apartment always has such downsides. Had space not been much of an issue, I guess you'd be tempted to get a trailer and go save those econoboxes.

No doubt. I'd prefer a small house with a huge garage. Or I could just live in the garage, no house required.

I always liked the idea of an apartment over a two-car garage, with an outside staircase and an inside fireman's pole.