New (again) to the forums
 

Greetings all.

I was on the site briefly when I had my 2007 Mazda 6i (which saw no mods). The car has been gone for a while and I thought I would return with my 1996 Honda Prelude. Both the wife and I drive this car for commuting, so my mileage will probably be all over the place with different driving styles. However, I feel that this might make for an interesting variable when it comes to mods. If there's an improvement in MPG with a non-hypermilling driver, then that should mean I'm on the right path.

The car is loaded with all the options (and I'll have to keep them, as we use the A/C and cruise control), an aftermarket intake, and giant 17" wheels (for now). Beyond that the car's stock and it's nearing its 190k mile mark. I'm looking forward to recording my first real MPG average (my numbers below are only to get the sig working). I don't have any scan tools at this time, but I'm consider using the Torque app and the receiver (I haven't checked prices).

I did my first "mod" last night by removing the spoiler (which was kinda' loose and making noise), so it's a win-win there. The trunk is empty save for a pair of jumper cables. My interior actually has an old car phone. I went to take it out one day but it's currently supporting the radio too, so I'll need to source the OEM bits to make things fit right. I doubt I'll go "crazy (no offense)" with mods, and I want to maintain potential resale value, ahem (you never know, some people like faded red-pink exteriors). I'm going to focus on subtle exterior mods (mostly under car stuffs) and keeping the car in good maintenance. Who knows, maybe I can convince the wife to let me pull the a/c out (and retain the parts for resale). That would let me put in the smaller civic radiator (although I'd have to compare weights, might not be worth it). I might also relocate the battery to the trunk for better weight distribution (in my mid that "might" help with overall efficiency, though I don't know how). Beyond hypermilling though, I think that getting lighter OEM style wheels (reducing un-sprung weight is beneficial in all ways, braking, acceleration, handling) will be high on my to-do list.

Sorry for the long post. Where is the best place to post build/mod threads?

Welcome back.

I'd put a mod/build thead in ecomodding central.

Good luck with the Prelude.

Welcome!

My only thought is, there is only one fill up. It will be hard to really see much difference without past numbers. Regardless, look forward to seeing your progress!

(I had the same issue, because I took a brand new car (no baseline) and started modifying it before the break in period was over. So I can kind of calculate some stuff from YOY results, but as long as you keep driving known effective mods, things should improve.)

(Though getting her engaged with a few of these: 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com may do more than a lot of mods.)