new member: questions 'bout '90 Acura Integra

[Peter B]

Hi everyone,
I stumbled upon this very interesting web site just a few days ago, and thought I'd join. I've already read a bunch of interesting threads in the various forums.
Here's my deal: I have a completely stock and unmodified '90 Acura Integra 2-door that I've owned almost 10 years. I've always kept careful track of the mpg, just out of curiousity, not because I'm a hypermiler or anything like that. For the 280 or so tanks of gas I've put in the car, it has achieved an overall average of just over 32 mpg. Pretty good, I'd say, for a not-so-lightweight car. On the highway, cruising at 65, this car gets high 30's and has flirted with 40 mpg on many tanks. I've had about 6 or 7 40+ mpg tanks, with an all-time best tank at nearly 42 mpg.
So... this got me to thinking. I bet I could give my mpg figures a bump with some aero mods. (I think aero mods would be about all I'd want to do on this car due to it's age and high mileage).
If anyone cares to offer an opinion, what sort of boost do you think a full belly pan, rear wheel skirts, grill block, and rear-wiper delete might give this car's mpg figures? (Sorry, but I'm keeping my mirrors!) I would consider doing this if I could scrounge the materials for cheap or free. Any insight or opinions would be welcome. Thanks, and keep up the good work with all your cars!
--Peter

[MetroMPG]

Hi, Peter - welcome to the site.

I'm going to guess (having done & attempted to measure each of those - except the rear wiper delete) that you'd see something around a 5-8% fuel economy improvement with all those mods, at speeds around 55-60 mph. More at higher speeds, less at lower.

With your interest in your car's fuel consumption, I'd also recommend building yourself an MPGuino. You'd have fun with it.

Darin

[some_other_dave]

Note that you can see greater gains than that by altering the way you drive... See the Hypermiling section of the forum for tips on that.

I took my 90 CRX from an average of 30 MPG to an average of about 40 MPG just by modifying the "loose nut behind the wheel".

-soD

[Peter B]

I'm sure that's true. But honestly, I'm not really interested in the whole hypermiling thing. I already drive quite conservatively, as far as habits that produce decent mpg. The last thing I want to do when driving is to be constantly looking at a mpg meter (mpguino thing) and obsessing over mpg and annoying peeps behind me by going really slow, etc. But am I correct when I speculate that some strategic aero mods to my Integra would represent the low-hanging fruit when it comes to gaining a few extra mpg? (Barring radical shifts in driving behavior?)

[i_am_socket]

The aeromods will help a bit (~4 mpg) with an already fairly clean body design. Slowing down will do even more

[groar]

The aeromods will nearly not help in city. DWB (Driving Without Brakes) is easy to learn and doesn't slow you down noticeably. I'm going faster in round-abouts than other people during light traffic. You will also go faster through lights.

With DWB you can coast in neutral or in gear. I'm living a brand new experience by coasting in neutral with my tires pumped-up at sidewall . OK, I'm not yet at sidewall (51 psi) but my current (47) is better than the placard (33), and I have seen a really positive difference from 43 to 47.

And don't forget to have fun, because it's easier if it's a game

I will not say you that aeromods doesn't help : it took me 2 months to equal the single tank I made with my rear wheel skirts. But once the driving techniques are learned they are automatism and you doesn't think about them. I remember how I was focused on my driving at the beginning, now that some are automatisms I'm much more relaxed and it's sort of a game

Denis.