13" vs 14" wheels on 94 Civic - best MPG?

I am looking at
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymodel/1994_Honda_Civic.shtml but I can't
tell why some Civic 1.5L 5spd get better MPG than other listed Civic 1.5L
5spd for the same year. Could it be because of 13" wheels on the DX & 14"
wheel on the LX? The MPG ratings are 42/46, 40/45, 34/40. What trim line
of 1994 Civic 5 speed gets the best MPG with a 1.5L 5 Speed? I assume this
mileage will decline when the car is over 150,000 miles?

 

Some of the cars have VTEC, or VTEC-E, or no VTEC at all.

 

the list you cite does not appear to attribute any different mileage
between the lx & dx. much more likely, differences are due to trim
level, ie. the weight of the vehicle for the higher end models with all
the electric gizmos, a/c, etc.

mpg may increase with mileage, or it may decrease. depends on the car's
service history, how much crud has built up in the engine, state of the
ignition system, etc. as a general rule of thumb, engines in the 40,000
miles & up range are better than engines in the 5,000 mile range because
they're fully run in, their cylinder wall service glaze is in
equilibrium, etc. with a honda, 150k is only about half what you can
expect with reasonable care. there's no reason the vehicle should be a
gas consumption concern. best way to conserve gas is remove the a/c.

 

There were a number of different engines used in the Civic that year:

D15B8: 70 HP, 1.5l 8 valve engine used in the CX hatchback
D15Z1: 92 HP, 1.5l 16 valve VTEC-e used in the VX hatchback
D16Z6: 125 HP, 1.6l 16 valve VTEC engine used in the Si hatchback, the
EX sedan and the EX Coupe
D15B7: 102 HP 1.5l 16 valve engine used in all other varieties.

The VX with the D15Z1 engine was the most fuel efficient one, rated at
47 / 56 city / highway. It had the fuel efficient engine, lighter alloy
rims etc.

The CX was rated 42 / 46 and the DX hatch manual was rated 34/40

 

my 98 CX MT5 is supposedly good for 32/36. it averages about 32.

 

I ended up buying a 1994 Civic LX 1.5L 16valve 4 door tonight - 176,000
miles for $150.
needs head gasket and much body work, etc.

How close can I expect to be to DX hatch manual was rated 34/40

Should I just have the head tanked and reinstall if it passes a leak test or
can I improve on the mileage with new technology by replacing the head?

 

The rim size is not really important. The width of the tire will influence
fuel economy more than the rim. A alight aluminum rim will also help with
fuel economy.