New to Ecomodding, from Denver Co

[ShaneMoMo]

Hello all. Im very excited to get going on my next project. Right now i have a Subaru Wrx, and plan on selling it this month. 15-22mpg's isn't kind to my tinny wallet. I do a lot of driving, i deliver pizza for a living, its not a career but its all i need. I'm looking at buying a 96-2000 civic hx, vx, or dx, ex. haven't decided which would be best for me. I plan on investing a lot money and time in making a car that can do over 40 mpg in the city. I drive an average of 80 miles a day, mostly stop and go, I'm not on the highway that much. Also drive a lot in the mtns. What would be the best mods for getting better gas mileage in the city? Also, If anyone in the Denver area is selling any civics let me know! Look forward to meeting and talking everyone here. Shane

[MetroMPG]

The criteria for good city mileage:

- light weight
- small engine
- low rolling resistance
- manual transmission

Main driving techniques:

- anticipate stops/turns to minimize braking
- engine off as much as possible

(Seen the full list yet? 100+ Hypermiling Tips)

A lean burn engine won't help much in city driving. The magic of lean burn happens at relatively low & constant load (ie: cruising on the highway), not in the accel/coast routine of sub/urban driving.

You would really benefit from a hybrid - we had another member here who recently traded his WRX for a Prius. Makes getting great MPG easier, but it's not strictly necessary. If you can't afford to buy a hybrid, to maximize mileage you need to learn to operate your non-hybrid as if it is one! (It's what I'd probably do, simply because it's easy to find a cheap econo-beater with a manual tranny from which I could wring great MPG - cheap used hybrids are rare.)

You could get 50-60 mpg with a Geo Metro, driven properly in the city. 40ish shouldn't be too hard with the right Civic and the right technique. Avoid the models with "short" gearing (EX). They'll hurt your highway economy.

Welcome to the forum!

[larrybuck]

To bump the city MPG up, weight reduction could be key.

Will you be able to bear losing the passenger, and maybe the back seat as well?

Some people on here say: belong to an Auto Club for flat tire help, and chuck your spare, and the jack. I wouldn't, but that is sharing common info!

A Honda Civic does sound like the ticket, unless you can drive mellow most all the time whereas an early '90's Metro is awesome.

I have heard that manual transmissions in them can be troublesome.

That is probably due to HOW they were treated, rather than a broad brush stroke
of put-down.