Team Honda Thread

[Pawtuckett]

I just got my first 700-mile tank. I'm freakin' psyched

I still haven't done any aeromods, except sideview mirror removal on both sides. I REALLY need to figure out what I'm going to do for a grill block. And an aero-friendly front bumper. However, I keep reading how there are more gains to be made working on the rear end of my car, so maybe that's my next move.

I'm still too timid/broke to try any of the alt. delete stuff. I wanna swap a manual rack in for my PS system, too. So much left to do!

[MetroMPG]

The rear is where big aero gains are to be found, yup.

But a partial grille block is one of the easiest & quickest mods you can make that will be good for a few percent improvement. I'd do that first. Just make sure you have a way to accurately monitor coolant temperature (ScanGauge etc).

[PaleMelanesian]

The good news is, your 95 already has the upper grille block I had to add on mine, in the form of a smooth curved hood. Think about aero-ing your rims, too.

=========================

I got my first 100 mpg commute of the year this morning. It's my 4th best ever. Tank is up to 89.8 / 274 mi and still above F. Looking good for my goal of 90 mpg / 1200 miles.

[MetroMPG]

Congrats, Andrew.

---

I just did a run to pick up one of my nephews and used it as an opportunity to get an idea about how many MPG I'm giving up (if any) by driving with load (DWL) in lean burn vs. pulse & glide (P&G).

• Segment length was about 8 km (~5 mi) each way

• rolling rural road, 1 stop sign along the route

• IMA assist/charge/regen disabled both ways during pulse / cruise

• P&G: 116 mpg (US) - moderate acceleration pulses, not high load

• DWL (lean burn): 106 mpg

• Average speed was the same there & back: 56 km/h (roughly 35 mph).

Not scientific, of course.

[sheepdog 44]

What confounds me is the higher my mpg goes, the longer i have to keep this up. And trying not to screw up my average for 2 1/2 weeks is a long time. But then i realize, "this is what i wanted in the first place," to save money at the pump!

I can't fathom how hard it is that some people pull astronomical numbers like 90+mpg, But even harder to fathom is they are doing this for over a 1,000 mile tank!

Update, between wind, traffic and force regen screwing things up, i may pull an easy 70mpg without mods or eoc'ing and stuff like that. Thats only if i think more about combining trips to the grocery store or whatever. I find i'm planning ahead and not driving 3-4 times a week for short trips and pizza runs.

[pletby]

Been on the hunt for a Civic of my own lately. Have driven a few in the last few days. It's amazing what people do to these cars. Trying to find one that's stock is a challenge actually. I like the 90's Si for the moon roof, but I imagine it adds weight. Really only a bonus for a few months a year anyway.

Drove a 97 Si today that had such a strong clutch spring and engaged so close to the floor that I kept grinding gears and nearly stalling. What's up with that??? That guy's left leg must be noticeably bigger. When I got into the civic I'm driving after the test drive I took a few blocks to get back in the groove.

[MetroMPG]

Civic folks correct me if I'm wrong, but you might want to avoid the SI since it has the shortest gearing (highest RPM/worst highway MPG at cruise).

Though the short gearing may make for better P&G results (faster acceleration/shorter pulses), if you're willing to use that technique regularly.

[brucepick]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Civic folks correct me if I'm wrong, but you might want to avoid the SI since it has the shortest gearing (highest RPM/worst highway MPG at cruise).

Though the short gearing may make for better P&G results (faster acceleration/shorter pulses), if you're willing to use that technique regularly.

I believe you're right on the short gearing in the Si.
The [EDIT] EX has fairly short gearing, not HX [/EDIT], giving relatively high rpms.
From what I've seen, the HX and DX may have equally tall gearing, and probably also the less common CX also has tall gearing.

[PaleMelanesian]

What bruce said is my understanding as well. It sounds like that particular Si might have leaky clutch hydraulics if the engagement point is too low. That's how mine was when it went out - the engagement point went lower and lower until it would stay in gear no matter what.

Originally Posted by sheepdog 44

What confounds me is the higher my mpg goes, the longer i have to keep this up. And trying not to screw up my average for 2 1/2 weeks is a long time. But then i realize, "this is what i wanted in the first place," to save money at the pump!

I can't fathom how hard it is that some people pull astronomical numbers like 90+mpg, But even harder to fathom is they are doing this for over a 1,000 mile tank!

Keeping it up for a long time is the biggest challenge in these long tanks. Anything at all will break the string and knock it out of record territory. In my case, I'm looking at about 8 weeks to finish this tank. Patience and perseverance are required.

Oh, and a few years of practice and continual improvement. My mileage log tells the story clearly.

But things like this help: I blew away yesterday's commute this morning!
107 mpg / 10.7 miles to work. Best ever!

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by brucepick

I believe you're right on the short gearing in the Si.
The HX also has, say, moderately short gearing, giving relatively high rpms.
From what I've seen, the HX and DX may have equally tall gearing, and probably also the less common CX also has tall gearing.

The HX and DX have the same gearing, except that the final drive ratio is about 3.750:1 in the HX and 4.058:1 in the DX (the EX and LX are shorter still). The CX and VX have the same final drive and same gearing, IIRC (3.250:1, I think). Caveat: all this research done and confirmed via the internets, so judge for yourself the reliability.