RidingPaseo's 1992 Paseo Build

[RidingPaseo]

I figure I should start off with a nice BEFORE photo. This is the car the day after I purchased it.



And now it begins.

DELETED:
Front license plate
Bug deflector
Heat shield on exhaust manifold

MAINTENANCE:
Changed oil to AMSOil Signature Series 100% Synthetic Oil
Filled tires to 40 PSI, going to add Nitrogen first chance I get

[RidingPaseo]

I am debating removing the rear speakers and upgrading the front speakers, but I am also in my car for about 3 hours a day, so I may sacrifice some MPG's to put a small bass tube in the trunk.

[McTimson]

Nice Paseo... How many miles are on it? Auto/manual?

I would suggest getting instrumentation in there so you can get realtime monitoring of your MPG. The MPGuino wires up easily, I have mine where the factory clock was, it's a nice spot for it.

If your commute is mostly highway, then the extra weight from whatever audio stuff you put in won't make too much difference, once you're moving, you're mostly fighting aerodynamic forces, not friction. There is a larger electrical load though, which means your alternator will be putting more strain on the engine.

For aero mods, the basics are grille block, belly pan, wheel covers, and wheel skirts. Grille block is easy, just have to make sure you don't end up running the fan too much. Actually, depending on where your license plate was, removing it might actually make it less aerodynamic.

Different gen Paseo, but you should still check out Daox's Paseo build thread if you haven't already

Why nitrogen in the tires?

[oil pan 4]

Nitrogen tire inflation:
Barry's Tire Tech

[Fat Charlie]

Regular air is over 78% nitrogen. Increasing that to 100% doesn't help you much. Using specially formulated seasonal tire air has been proven more effective at reducing rolling resistance than simply using nitrogen alone.

If you do go with the bass tube, get a few CF of violent bass air to make it sweeter.

[RidingPaseo]

I can get that Violent Bass Air at a discounted price here in Canada

I cannot believe I have been had by those "Nitrogen is the best" scams. Thanks for the heads up.

[RidingPaseo]

So we finally used up our first tank of fuel in the Paseo on a tank that started off with about 60 km of hard city driving, followed by a 580 km drive through mountains and highways with 100 km/h speeds, and huge steep climbs and descents. I was extremely happy to find out that we were able to get 630 km in total out of the tank and we achieved 40 MPG which is +48% from EPA. The tank was 94 octane from Chevron with a bottle of AMSOil P.i. Performance Improver Concentrate to give the engine a good cleaning(it was free). I was practicing my EOCing which really helped with the fuel economy and I am excited to learn some more techniques.

I have also decided, after tonight, that I will be making the car a two seater and removing the rear seats and any other unnecessary pieces from the trunk as it is way to uncomfortable for anymore a third passenger as the rear window sits extremely low. Now, the option to hit your head on the window won't even exist but I will keep the seats in storage for resale or in case of emergencies. I also plan on building a block for the front bumper but I am toying with the idea of some great fog lights as the main headlights do not put out enough light.

I found out that I will be taking a To route and a From route for work as I can EOC on a major downhill taking one route to work and return using a different downhill on another road.

[Sven7]

Very cool. Did you do any mods to get 40mpg?

Inclines and declines seem to be good for mileage because of all the EOC'ing, at least in my experience. Easier to do than on a flat road.

[Daox]

Congrats on the first good tank. You'll be up to 50 in no time.

[RidingPaseo]

I have not done any significant modifications but everything so far is listed in the first post. It definitely had something to do with my driving habit. As for EOCing through the mountains, I am definitely going to take Daox suggestion and build a vacuum reservoire for those extra couple of pumps on the brakes. I am pretty excited to find a vacuum gauge to monitor my right foot and build a MPGuino for the dash over the next month or so. 50+ MPG here I come.