New member from PA
 

Im glad I found this site.
I'm currently a student majoring in Mechanical Engineering at PSU.
I was commuting the last two semesters which was 77 miles one way.
Although I'm now living on campus, I still want to learn how to improve my gas mileage regardless of my daily travel.

My vehicle of choice is a a '93 Civic dx sedan, 5spd, 230k on the odometer.
During my long commute I was getting a consistent 43 mpg (speed limits, all unnecessary weight gone, never going above 2500 rpm, 95% highway miles)

Future plans:
- swap in the hx trans I have sitting in the garage.
- find a set of vx wheels (very light)
- possible vtec-e engine install

(I am very fluent when it comes to Hondas and automobiles. Currently own a crx which is strictly for drag racing. 580whp, 135+ mph trap times)

I look forward to learning new techniques and possibly giving some technical advice when needed.

Welcome to the site.

All those highway miles make aero mods your friend! Got any plans in that department?

The VX rims won't make a lot of a difference on a car that's mostly highway driven. Taller gearing is a good idea though (especially since you've already got it).

Instrumentation would make it fun as well - you'll need an MPGuino since you're pre-OBD-II. Instant feedback is what makes drag racing fun. Same thing goes for aiming for better fuel economy.

My goal is to keep the exterior mainly stock. Possibly a grill block, but that's it

The vx wheels are still lighter than the steel wheels on my car currently.
I removed alot of weight from my car when I started the long commutes (spare tire, tools, fluids) Even removed A/C lines and replaced the under dash unit with a non-A/C duct. In total- 106 lbs of extra weight removed.

The HX trans will be installed in the next few weeks after I gather the funds for a new clutch set.

The vtec-e swap will take place this winter for sure.


Some things Ive considered:

-Wheel bearings with much lower resistance than a stock unit?
-An oil cooler?
-And some type of instrumentation as stated above. I still have to read up on how it works with the OBD-1 interface.

do some aerodynamics, and maybe lower the car. Push the Tires up to 44 PSI.
look into a timing advance.

those are a few things of the top of my head.

I used to commute like that for my school in central PA (PCT) every 2 weeks. Too bad I didnt know more about this stuff then. :o