Planning a Few EcoMods '98 Civic DX Hatch

[JMac]

Hello everyone. I'm new here, but I've been reading the forums for a couple weeks. You all are very creative and have some great ideas, so I'd like to bounce some ideas off y'all if you don't mind. Here's my ride:

1998 Honda Civic DX Hatchback MT

Current Mods:

*Accidental Antenna Delete - (previous owner did it, but I'll take credit for it ) The housing is still there, along with a nub.

*Slight Tire Overinflation - Front tires rated at 44psi, running at 48psi. Rear tires rated at 36psi running at 39psi.

*Removal of Trunk Area Cover - ~8-10lbs weight reduction (I know it's almost nothing, but hey, it doesn't rattle anymore)

Future Mods:

*UltraGauge - I have it on order, maybe a couple weeks 'till it gets here. My understanding is that it's on par with a ScanGauge II, not quite as accurate as a good MPGuino, right?

*0W20 Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil - It's time to change the oil, and I found a decent deal on this stuff. The Civic Owners Manual calls for 5W30 regular or synthetic (not sure what's the previous owner put in there, but I know it's regular [non-synthetic] oil), and after doing some reading, the 0W20 seems like a popular and safe oil. The engine doesn't leak any oil, and as far as I can tell, it's not burning any either (or almost none). It does have 163k miles on it, and I'll keep an eye on it. I know there's not a whole lot of FE to be gained here, but it's an easy mod, and I'm curious.

*Pennzoil Synchromesh Transmission Fluid - Picked up two quarts of this after reading MetroMPG's post about the stuff. Again, I know there's not much FE to be gained here, but I'm changing the fluid anyways, so I thought I'd go with the good stuff.

*Aftermarket Cruise Control - I'm looking at a Rostra unit. I know the foot+brain can do better, but I'll be making a few 1k mile trips in the next year, and the foot+brain can only take so much. Any recommendations?

POSSIBLE Future Mods: (This is where I REALLY, REALLY need your input)

*Mudflap Delete - The mudflaps on this civic are more like solid air scoops. Not sure how much they effect FE, but they look like four little airbrakes sitting behind my tires. I'll post pics / maybe start a thread in the near future.

*Insight Wheels - I understand these are light (10.5lbs vs my 18lbs stock) and also fairly aerodynamic (almost as good as mooncaps). I'd really like to get my hands on a nice set of four of these, and I'm willing to spend around $300 (Hopefully much less). Some junkyards in the area have them, but I want to be careful. Any thoughts on where to get a set at a good price? How about making sure they're true? Etc.

*Bridgestone B381 Tires - If / when I get the Insight wheels, I'd like to get some LRR tires, and my understanding is that these are as good as it gets with 185/65 R14 sized tires. Are there any better at this size for LRR? Also, having trouble finding these for less than $100 a pop shipped via a Google Shopping search, $120 per at the local Firestone shop. Anybody know a good tire place which gives discounts, or an online etailer that would ship them at less than $100 each?

Note - The above wheels + tires would save me about 10.5 pounds rotational weight per wheel (7.5 on the wheel, 3 on the tire), plus give me slightly better aerodynamics. I know that rotational weight is factored in a bit differently than regular weight, and if I could shave 42 lbs of rotational weight in a car that usually weighs about 2,474lbs loaded along with the aero improvement, I think that'd make for some measurable gains. Thoughts on this?

So the last two mods are pretty costly. Any cheaper recommendations that I should look into first?

You guys rock!
JMac

[California98Civic]

Hi. I agree on the fluids changes, not much to be gained maybe but worth it when you are changing them anyway.

For tires, I got a tire-guy to do some research for me because the Bridgestone Potenzas do not come in our tire size as LRRs. There is a Chinese make Kumho with a series called "eco-wing" that are LRR tires in the 185 size. Try those, I will soon when I need new tires.

Wheels... I wondered about new wheels too. I have custom wheels that were on the car when I bought it ten years ago. Good looking but possibly not as efficient as they could be. Still, I think the new wheel direction is under-proven still and even if it has some benefit, is it good enough to justify $300? From the budget and eco perspectives, keeping the old metals on the car sounds better to me (unless you are reusing froma junkyard, of course.) BTW, the older Insights seem to have smaller wheels than ours.

I think you'll have better proven and cost effective results with a grille block and a side mirror delete.

Good luck (I have an ultragauge on order too)

[California98Civic]

One other thing... take a look at my profile for my car and my millage log... I wrote quite a lot of detail about what I am doing and it might help you too. Our cars are nearly identical, some frontal area, same displacement, same transmission...

[JMac]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Wheels... I wondered about new wheels too. I have custom wheels that were on the car when I bought it ten years ago. Good looking but possibly not as efficient as they could be. Still, I think the new wheel direction is under-proven still and even if it has some benefit, is it good enough to justify $300? From the budget and eco perspectives, keeping the old metals on the car sounds better to me (unless you are reusing froma junkyard, of course.) BTW, the older Insights seem to have smaller wheels than ours.

From what I read, Insight wheels are 14x5.5, with 4x100 lugs. I believe that is the same as the wheel measurements on the 6th gen DX Civics. Can anyone confirm this?

I could also sell my old rims and tires to recoup some of the cost, but yes, from a financial perspective, those rims probably won't ever recoup their cost based solely on their effect on my FE.

I understand that lighter wheels do also improve the ride of the car, is this true? Also, I like the looks a good bit better than my stock wheels with cracked plastic wheel covers.

I was thinking about a grille block, but not sure how much I'd want / need one as I'll be in Florida for most of the summer. What has the grille block gained you in terms of FE? Also, what climate are you in at the moment?

As far as a passenger side mirror delete, I was thinking about that, but there is the rare occasion where I do like having that mirror. How much FE would that net me?

Good suggestions, I'll look into them.

JMac

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by JMac

I was thinking about a grille block, but not sure how much I'd want / need one as I'll be in Florida for most of the summer. What has the grille block gained you in terms of FE? Also, what climate are you in at the moment?

As far as a passenger side mirror delete, I was thinking about that, but there is the rare occasion where I do like having that mirror. How much FE would that net me?

Well, I have relied on the ABA testing and other reports made by members of the forum. Search for grille block testing and you'll find some results posted by people. As for FE and the mirror deletes, I remember I think MetroMPG posting about an industry study suggesting 3-6% of total drag on some cars can be attributed to mirrors, which could mean 5-10% of the total mpg rating--seems high to me. If you search for mirror delete and FE or drag, you'll find it.

I recommend giving it some thought. My grille blocks are not optimal because I chose a "stealthy" install and so they are not flush with the outside of the bumper and body, but are sunken into the grille instead. I want the mods to look good too, as much as possible. Also, check your state's laws re: mirrors. I am in California and by my reading, I need two mirrors that can see at a distance in the traditional directions, but the law says nothing about any being outside. But I am not a lawyer, so consider your own take regarding the driver's side mirror in particular.

Oh, I'm in coastal Southern California. Weather is great, but the topography is full of hills.