Import Tuner Magazine : Project Sipper ('92 Civic VX)

[Cd]

From the page one link " : "From the get-go, our goals are simple. We're building this Civic as a reliable daily driver that delivers excellent fuel economy, but not at the expense of practicality. The car would have to be visually appealing to the masses with absolutely no compromising on its looks. No spaceship body kit, ugly wheel covers, or teardrop-shaped nose cones. Forget terms like hypermiling, hybrid technology, crosswind barrier, and drafting. These are blasphemous words frequently used by eco-friendly drivers, not us. The complex usage of "pulse and glide" acceleration pedal techniques in an attempt to save fuel isn't what this project is about. We're planning on driving this car like your average teenager trying to impress the cheerleading squad. "

Eco friendly drivers ? You say that as if it's a bad thing ;-)

And as far as making the car visually appealing, why tear out every bit of the interior ?
Perhaps the idea is to make the car look visually appealing at 50 ft.

[gone-ot]

...selling "band-aids" to patients with amputated limps?

[pgfpro]

I think its a good thing. The younger generation is just starting to get into the ecomodding thing and this is just a step in the right direction.

[niky]

So "free" driving techniques are not as important as carbon-fiber bodykits? Not what we preach at our magazine... (then again, we basically sell brand new cars, so call me a pot calling out a kettle...)

[UltArc]

I can't find it now, even after extensive searching, but a more educated individual may have an easier time finding it, or may know exactly what it is. On some planes, or maybe projectiles, there is a small flat part on a pole coming from the front. The air hits it, and the plane/projectile flies with less drag, as the surface area is small for that portion, and the whole thing goes through the wake (?).

I may not be describing it as well as I could, but hopefully someone knows- I didn't want to post a whole new thread on it, nor could I find the thread already here.

POINT BEING- I think these people expect ecomodders/hypermilers to all put giant nose cones or crazy (dangerous) things on their cars to get better mpg.

[Eco_Bob]

Originally Posted by UltArc

I can't find it now, even after extensive searching, but a more educated individual may have an easier time finding it, or may know exactly what it is. On some planes, or maybe projectiles, there is a small flat part on a pole coming from the front. The air hits it, and the plane/projectile flies with less drag, as the surface area is small for that portion, and the whole thing goes through the wake (?).
...

Canards?
Canard (aeronautics) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also found on the "Concordski"
Tupolev Tu-144 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[MetroMPG]

I think this is great!

Even if they're using expensive aftermarket stuff to prove the point (and please their sponsors), the people who read it who are actually interested in doing something similar will quickly figure out the only financially workable route is DIY.

Originally Posted by cbaber

Did they create any type of baseline number in the first issue?

When tested on the road returning back from Sactown, we achieved 45 mpg highway at best, even before we began modifications. We hit 43 to 45 mpg on our first road trip, accelerating normally (no hypermiling here) after doing between 65 and 75 on the highway for the majority of the trip. With future mods, the car will probably average 60-plus mpg without breaking a sweat.

1992 Honda Civic VX - Import Tuner Magazine

[MetroMPG]

The fact that people aren't commenting on the article on their web site is a little sad. Wrong target audience, I suppose.

To date: ZERO comments on either part 1 or 2!

[MetroMPG]

Oh, and they don't copy/paste well. They called it an "MPG Guino" . (Part 2)

[TheIVJackal]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

The fact that people aren't commenting on the article on their web site is a little sad. Wrong target audience, I suppose.

To date: ZERO comments on either part 1 or 2!

I don't think their site gets much foot-traffic in general, most people read the magazines but don't visit the site. Looked at a few other articles, zero comments there as well.
I still think the publicity for fuel-efficient mod's is a positive though.
- Aaron