MORE fuel economy

Have a 2000 Civic, 1.6 5-spd. Been trying to get this thing to
achieve better fuel economy by all pratical methods - starting from
the simplistic and cheapest to implement first.

Taking out all the unecessary weight in the car. New tires inflated
to 40psi, alignment, no additional plastic wings, or add-ons for
increase air drag. Driving with shifting at low rpms, and staying
under 90mph on the interstates.

What engine/trans modifications are possible with this motor/trans
combo that will net a superior MPG figure? The car has 135,000 miles
on it. It used to get 40mpg, and now achieves about 32-34mpg.

Total engine rebuild/install is a last resort alternative; unless you
want to pay the dealer for that.

How about things such as disconnecting the wiring from 1 injector;
making the engine run on 3 cylinders? More fuel economy, or making
the situation worse?

Change the computer chip for another more economy-style one?

Goal: try to get this 135K 4 year old car to get around 45mpg.

I might have to go to a VW diesel to have those figures. 45-55mpg.

 

When is the last time your PCV valve was replaced.

I replaced my 91 Civic's PCV valve for the first time last year (140k miles) and
saw fuel mileage increase about 15-20%.

No more than around $20 for the part, then add 1/2 hour of labor.

 

On 26 Feb 2004 06:28:15 -0800, (PTS-EXPRESS) wrote:

|Have a 2000 Civic, 1.6 5-spd. Been trying to get this thing to
|achieve better fuel economy by all pratical methods - starting from
|the simplistic and cheapest to implement first.
|
|Taking out all the unecessary weight in the car. New tires inflated
|to 40psi,

Some tires have less rolling resistance than others. Narrower is better, high
tread-wear rating means lower friction.

| alignment,

Specify zero toe

no additional plastic wings, or add-ons for
|increase air drag.

Front air dam, and or lowered front suspension

| Driving with shifting at low rpms, and staying
|under 90mph on the interstates.

Momentum, timing the lights and traffic. Don't give up any momentum
unneccessarily. brake sparingly

|What engine/trans modifications are possible with this motor/trans
|combo that will net a superior MPG figure? The car has 135,000 miles
|on it. It used to get 40mpg, and now achieves about 32-34mpg.

Get it checked by a shop that specializes in Hondas. Something is wrong

|Total engine rebuild/install is a last resort alternative; unless you
|want to pay the dealer for that.
|
|How about things such as disconnecting the wiring from 1 injector;
|making the engine run on 3 cylinders? More fuel economy, or making
|the situation worse?

Worse, the dead cylinder is a drag

|Change the computer chip for another more economy-style one?

Good luck finding one

|Goal: try to get this 135K 4 year old car to get around 45mpg.

If it started at 40, another 5 should be doable



Rex in Fort Worth

 

The Honda Civic Hybrid has tires inflated to 30PSI, but they are special
low rolling resistance tires.

Excessively low RPM might make the engine work harder.
I'm not sure that low RPMs and 90mph fit in the same sentence... looks like
a troll. Try staying under 60mph.

Most attempts to restrict fuel flow impact the power enough that you make
the engine work harder than it used to, and mileage goes down.

Or a Civic Hybrid. I have an automatic, where the mileage is claimed at
about the same as a manual. In practice, the automatic gets better
mileage than the stick. The VW TDI with automatic is 33mpg.

 

This may sound wierd but am in the import racing scene and we acutally get
better fuel milage with an aftermarked short ram intake. I have noticed
this on my 98 civic and my friends noticed it on his focus and mirage. You
can get one for about $60 at a race shop or check ebay. If you dojn't mind
buying on there they can be had for as little as $20. Don't ever run on a
dead cylinder. Starts a lot of problems. Honestly with the amount of miles
on your car your doin pretty good getting 32-34 a gallon.

Hope this helps.
Ryan

 

The Civic Hybrid automatic is rated at (I think) 47/48 mpg. We've been
getting about 43 stop & go city and 50+ on the highway. With gas way over
$2 here (Los Angeles) and rising, this is a good way to go.

Alex

 

Best way to improve fuel economy is to slow down. Try sticking to the speed
limit. Next, replace plugs, rotor and cap.

 

The naturally espired 1995 VX Hatchback is rated at 56mpg on the
highway...

If you got the DX Tranny (standard), the best you'll be able to achieve
is about 40mpg. It's possible to get better then 40mpg if you had the
wind working for you and had the revs at around 1500rpm (approximately
50mph). So, if you ever plan on a long distance trip and you've got the
wind on your back, i'm sure you'll be able to make your target, assuming
you keep the speed down and you've got the lofty dx tranny.

Pars

 

At 160,000km, I'm getting 32-34 mpg on winter tires and moderate to agressive
driving.

Pars
98 DX Hatch

 

Ryan, I seriously doubt that. The short air intake should increase air flow
so since more air is coming in, more gas is being burned. Maybe your air
filter was dirty before you changed to short air intake so the car burned
much more gas since it didn't get enough air.

That's the only explanation possible I think (if you haven't messed with
other parts as well).

--Viktor

 

90mph will greatly increase highway fuel usage compared to 65mph.

 

What is the actual fuel economy you have gotten with an automatic
and a manual Civic Hybrid, in what kind of driving?

33 city, 44 highway for some automatic equipped models in 2004 EPA
estimates. Other years and models may differ.

 

I get 43mpg overall, around 50 on the highway, 55 on secondary roads at
55-60mph. I noticed recently that somewhere between 67-70mph the mileage
drops, and I tend to stay right around 70.

I thought I might get poorer mileage with a stick, because I
wouldn't be inclined to keep the RPMs anywhere near as low as the CVT does.
It will stay around 1500 RPM up to 40mph+. A 60mph cruise is 2000 RPM.

I talked to a guy who had a 5 speed that was totalled in an accident
and got a CVT as a replacement. The CVT gets 3-5mpg better for him.

Yes. I see the 33 that I noted in the EPA guide. I see the same car with
a stick rated 42/49. My point was that the Hybrid with CVT doesn't suffer
a mileage penalty verses the stick, and actual mileage being better than a
stick is understandable to me after having driven many stick shift
vehicles and now the CVT.

The Toyota Prius doesn't come with a stick, only the CVT.

 

How're the maintenance items? PCV, O2 sensor, slipping clutch?

Do you mean 90kph? 90mph is too fast for good mpg, stick to 70max.

Check maintenance items. When was the last time you changed out the plugs?
A larger gap on the plugs can often increase MPG by 1 or 2, but requires a
good ignition system and wires.

Maybe you can pick up a used one and rebuild it as a hobby?

Bad idea. Will prolly screw up the computer and will definitely increase
drag on the engine. If you have a V8 and an I4 engine of the same
displacement, the ONLY reason the V8 would get worse MPG is due to increased
friction of the four extra cylinders and associated moving gear.

Doubt you'll find one. Performance chips are easy to find, economy chips
NOT. If you can find a user-programmable chip, then you may be on to
something.

Try to prevent airflow underneath the vehicle - this is the biggest
aerodynamic drag at speed. some ways to do this are by lowering the vehicle
(can be impractical), adding a front air dam (full body skirt kit is better,
but more expensive), and fitting panels to the underside of the car. The
latter may be problematic depending on the design of your car, and may
increase hot spots, etc. However, the new Acura (or is it Lexus?) has
under-body panels installed w/ golf-ball dimples, to keep the car much
quieter - it does this by reducing air turbulence under the car at speed,
good for MPG, too.

Turbodiesels (or turbo anything) is an excellent idea if you live at higher
altitudes. VW has an excellent idea w/ their diesels, they just need to
improve their reliability. Mercedes is bring back a diesel car to the U.S.,
and DaimlerChrysler will be offering a diesel motor option in the Jeep
Liberty. Rumor has it that Toyota will be offering a diesel truck in the
U.S. market, also.
HTH

 

|
|> This may sound wierd but am in the import racing scene and we acutally get
|> better fuel milage with an aftermarked short ram intake. I have noticed
|> this on my 98 civic and my friends noticed it on his focus and mirage.

|Ryan, I seriously doubt that. The short air intake should increase air flow
|so since more air is coming in, more gas is being burned.

The engine will only take in what it needs.
The aftermarket intake is much less restrictive than the original intake tract,
which on some models offers a very tortuous route for air ingestion. The gains
in economy would be due to lower pumping losses.
For this purpose, the short intake is preferred over the longer cold air
intake, as you want warm air for economy purposes.
Rex in Fort Worth

 

|increase hot spots, etc. However, the new Acura (or is it Lexus?) has
|under-body panels installed w/ golf-ball dimples, to keep the car much
|quieter - it does this by reducing air turbulence under the car at speed,
|good for MPG, too.

And for the top-side, bring it to Texas. We're entering hail season, and can add
those aero-enhancing dimples to all the swept surfaces within a few weeks.
Rex in Fort Worth

 

The Honda Civic Hybrid has a different/larger front air dam than other
Civics, as well as a little rear spoiler lip on the trunk. It also has
underbody panels under the engine area that are not exactly flat, but not
the golf ball effect. The rest of the underbody, probably in common with
the other Civics has been "redesigned for smoother airflow".

 

Any better if you drive 67mph?

You could probably hit 60mpg for a cruise of around 50mph (the EPA rating
of 47mpg highway is 22% lower than the test result (that would be about
60mpg), which is done on a simulated highway course averaging 48mph).
That's how the 90mpg Honda Insight and 63mpg VW TDI reports happen.
Of course, there are few places where a 50mph cruise is desirable or
possible.

That's somewhat different from what the fuel economy database on
http://www.insightcentral.net (for Honda Insights) indicates. There,
the CVT-auto drivers tend to do much worse than the manual drivers
(even when comparing relative to the different EPA numbers).

 

With gas way over $2 here (Los Angeles) and rising, this is a good
way to go.

Gas is hitting near $2/gallon here in Orlando with some of the more
bold stations, usually situated near the tourist traps, premium blend.
I still can get the low grade gas for $1.58, which used to be $1.53
earlier this week.

Maybe that's another cause for poor economy....I'm using the 87 octane
blend REGULAR gas, at the cheapest places I can locate it; as I drive
from Orlando to Jacksonville back to Orlando nightly M-F, almost 300
miles/day.

That's the primary reason why I'm trying to keep the gas in the car as
much as possible; instead of making a donation to the oil industry. I
work for a flat rate, and my cost variables are gas prices and
insurance. Never can tell when either one of those 2 will suggest an
increase in my personal donation to their cause - without reason.

Yesterday, I filled the 10 gallon tank to full. After driving 280
miles, the gauge was reading between half and empty...leaving perhaps
3 gallons in the tank.
280 miles using 7 gallons = 40, about right on the money..but I'd like
better.

Wish I kept that '82 DIESEL Isuzu I-Mark. Paid $250 for it, fixed the
transmission for about $100; achieved 40mpg with a 20 year old car
having 200,000 miles on it. Went down to Miami daily and almost all
the way back up to Orlando for a $10 bill...back when gas was .80 -
..90 cpg. The thing was a rattletrap, had to use earplugs on the
highway...but that diesel motor was STRONG.

Anybody know how to take out and clean the injectors on a 2000 Honda
motor?

 

It was only recently (I-5 at 5am) that I was really in control of my speed
for a long stretch. The car drives fine at 80, but I noticed the mileage
was dropping, below 40 by the bar graph, 42 on the trip indicator. I
slowed to 72, and it was at 46, but I might have been on a long incline, or
headed into a wind, I couldn't tell. The instantaneous mileage indicator
is useless... it's a bar graph of 0-120mpg. The sweet spot of 40-60mpg is
about 1/2" long. So I reset the digital trip meter from time to time. I
can see the mileage take a dive if I hit any sort of a grade. This car
isn't magic, just efficient. I don't know if there's a sensitive speed or
if it's just a linear drop off.

I saw a stretch of 15 miles return 65 mpg, but that was at 40-50mph in
heavy traffic that was oozing along steadily, not much acceleration
involved.

I've found myself "stuck" behind trucks at 45-50 on rural roads. That does
kick the mileage up.

That is an Insight-only mileage rating with a smaller engine, and I don't
know how well it does with the CVT. The Insight is a 67HP 3 cylinder, the
Civic is 85HP 4 cyl. At highway cruise, the IMA isn't being used.

For the most part, I don't drive for mileage. I just drive. A neighbor
with a 2003 Prius gets over 50 consistently, but he drives at about 50 on
the roads where I am accelerating and braking, doing 65 most of the time.
I initially considered the Insight, but the Civic has carried 5 passengers
and luggage in the trunk. I used to drive a truck at 18 mpg, so the
passenger and inside storage space, and probably ride, of the Insight would
have been okay, and the mileage is certainly higher... They both cost the
same, and I really like my Civic.

The 2004 Insight looks like a winner... the mileage of the Insight, with
more room and better acceleration than the Civic.