New from Wisconsin

[longbow327]

Just wanted to say hey from Wisconsin (actually Minneapolis right now). I commute from western Wisconsin to downtown Minneapolis every day (~90mi RT) in a 98 Civic EX. I started tracking my mileage last summer with the aCar app for on my andriod phone and started making it into a game. I have a good bit of racing and fabrication experence so I am excited to tackle a couple of projects that I have found and see how well I can do.

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. Do you have any modifications in mind for the car?

[longbow327]

Originally Posted by Daox

Welcome to the site. Do you have any modifications in mind for the car?

I am planning rear fender skirts, air dam and partial grill block. I'm hoping to get most of that done this spring/early summer so i can touch up the paint in a few places.

I have already removed the power steering belt, replaced the shifter with a short throw (loose bearing trashed the linkage end), changed trans fluid with Amsoil, and just replaced the plug wires again. Coming up on 3 years owning the car so some of the routine maintenance stuff is coming up again.

Also thinking about porting the exhaust manifold and doing a short ram intake to allow for some better breathing. Was considering a TB spacer, but man they are expensive, might have to buy that milling machine after all.

I will also be replacing the passanger side axle soon, but that shouldn't have much of an effect of FE.

[Daox]

That all sounds good except the porting and intake. When you're driving at lower rpms you're not using the full output of the engine, so you don't need the exhaust and intake to flow any better. In fact, opening up the exhaust and intake could hurt your mileage. I also wouldn't bother with a throttlebody spacer.

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by longbow327

I started tracking my mileage last summer with the aCar app for on my andriod phone and started making it into a game. I have a good bit of racing and fabrication experence so I am excited to tackle a couple of projects that I have found and see how well I can do.

How about a gas log here also? We LIKE that stuff.....

[jrscteg]

Welcome, I'm also in the twin cities I know traffic on 94 can be a pain during rush hour

[larrybuck]

Welcome! Sounds like you're ready to rock soon.
My Mom grew up in a little town called Poynette, a little north of Madison.

It would be interesting to find out the possible differences between your going
to work mpg, versus going home in regards to the sometime classic
predominance of wind coming from the west.

[longbow327]

Hey guys, thanks for the replys. I will be trying to post mileage logs soon (haven't been tracking electronically much lately due to shattered phone screen). As for traveling down 94, I wish. I'm on 36 most of the time, that is until they shutdown the stillwater bridge in the fall. Stop and go is a killer. I have noticed the difference in mileage even with a strong cross wind so that might be something intresting to try. Although it will likely be skewed by the freeway speed bumper to bumper commuting that I am usually in.

Just have a couple follow up question for Daox, why not the TB spacer? This will lengthen the intake runner length and should increase low end torque which would really help most cars. It can also help with harmonics in the intake. I haven't researched it for mileage claims, but would think that it couldn't hurt if you can keep your foot out of the gas.

Porting the exhaust/intake install is a little different, but increasing the volumtric effiency is the goal and generally in factory intake and exhaust systems are restrictive for NVH and have the biproduct of decreased VE.

But I could be way off based (used to modifying for power).

[gsasquatch]

Have you noticed a difference in mileage from Wisconsin gas vs Minnesota gas? The Mrs just took a trip from northern MN to Madison 400 miles one way. She noticed with the scanguage on the way out she was getting 21.5 mpg at 80 mph and on the way back with WI gas it was 19 mpg at 70 mph. She didn't think she was going into a headwind on the way back, and the 19 was consistent between the westerly and northerly portions. To add to the discrepancy one tire went from 45psi when she left to 35psi when she returned 4 days later. Temperature was similar.
My thinking is the gas in WI has more ethanol. I'm be curious to see if others have experienced a similar drop with one state's gas vs another.

[longbow327]

I have not noticed a difference between state gases (MN v WI), but definately have with gas brands. I just cannot get the same mileage with holiday gas for some reason.

I have noticed some stations in Wi sell midgrade for the same price as 87 and i think that they are blending higher amounts of ethanol to get to the same price point, but i have not been to those station in a while. Have not seen that in MN, but i typically buy gas close to home (rewards card).

As for the mileage difference... Elevation maybe? Or temperature was higher? I don't know if they have switched over to making summer grade gasoline or not. More likely than not she was driving into a slight headwind also, but its hard to tell.