Parts to increase gas mileage

sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
in General Civic Wagon Discussion
As you all know, I am going to be purchasing a D15Z1 motor+tranny for the wagovan in hopes of pulling +50 mpg.

I wanted to know what aftermarket parts I could buy that would increase my mpg, or parts that would increase my power and not hurt my mpg.
I want to get as much gas mileage and power as I can.

These are the things I have in mind so far:
-light weight crank pulley with everything unneeded removed
-light weight cam gear
-header
-new 1 and 3/4 inch exhaust with a resignator
-maybe pulstar spark plugs

Is there anything wrong with these? Would you change any of them?
And what else would you recommend?

Thanks.
«1

Comments

  • stampernstampern Senior Wagonist
    Personally, I think a header would rob you of gas mileage. The more air that flows through your head, the more fuel your system is going to put in. I think the light weight stuff is a great idea, might do a synthetic oil, and a nice tranny fluid - like the GM syncromesh stuff. I'd run some lightweight rims and skinny radials at the correct air pressure. A new catalytic converter might help if yours has a lot of miles on it. Of course the normal stuff, clean filter, good plugs, wires, dizzy cap and rotor and o2 sensor.

    And the most important - remove the lead from your foot - this is KEY. LOL
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    I read in a few places where the header would actually improve gas mileage.
    But I could be wrong.

    And I'm aware of HX and VX rims, what other rims are lightweight?
  • jpoopoojpoopoo Wagonist
    how bout boost it..
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    VX wheels are the best mpg choice.THe 3gen CRX HF wheels are just as good,but don't know which is lighter probably very close.
    DO NOT go over a 185 tire.

    All the suggestions on your list will yield very small improvements.
    Belly Pan:I'd focus on making a bellypan.Look under the current Prius,even the 2002+Civic HB.The next time you come up behind a Prius look at the rear tire fairing .The other choice would be a front spoiler,Accord side skirts(has a rear wheel fairing) ,removal of all the Wgn. mud flaps and the rear wing on my Wagon will help.
    Exhaust:look at the OEM D15Z1 pipe size.I'm sure Honda optimized the size already.I think your 1.75" is too big.

    One BIG prob you have is your 1991 Wagovan is around 2OO+ lbs heavier than a 88-89 WagoVan.
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    SiWagon wrote:
    VX wheels are the best mpg choice.THe 3gen CRX HF wheels are just as good,but don't know which is lighter probably very close.
    DO NOT go over a 185 tire.

    All the suggestions on your list will yield very small improvements.
    Belly Pan:I'd focus on making a bellypan.Look under the current Prius,even the 2002+Civic HB.The next time you come up behind a Prius look at the rear tire fairing .The other choice would be a front spoiler,Accord side skirts(has a rear wheel fairing) ,removal of all the Wgn. mud flaps and the rear wing on my Wagon will help.
    Exhaust:look at the OEM D15Z1 pipe size.I'm sure Honda optimized the size already.I think your 1.75" is too big.

    One BIG prob you have is your 1991 Wagovan is around 2OO+ lbs heavier than a 88-89 WagoVan.

    Alright. And thanks for your advice. I've never focused on mpg's before so this is completely different.
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    So, I guess a question I have is, does raising compression yield more power and no gas mileage decrease?

    Also, does increasing airflow hurt your gas mileage?

    And, do dyno's tune for gas mileage apps too?
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    Yes more intake airflow will reduce mpg.Not so much on the street,but at highway speeds.

    Yes you can dyno for increase mpg.
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    SiWagon wrote:
    Yes more intake airflow will reduce mpg.Not so much on the street,but at highway speeds.

    Yes you can dyno for increase mpg.

    Great to know. Thanks man for all of your help.
  • Gasoline FumesGasoline Fumes New Wagonist
    I don't think header/exhaust/intake is going to do much either way as far as MPG is concerned. Airflow is pretty much dictated by the throttle valve at light engine loads and/or low RPM. But if you floor it, the increased airflow will allow you to burn more fuel and make more power. So do the header/exhaust/intake if you want, but you're wasting money if you do it hoping for more MPG.

    50 MPG highway? You'll want to reduce engine RPM (transmission swap) and reduce aerodynamic drag. Things like a front air dam, lower ride height, grill block (watch the temp gauge!!!) will help. Also remove one or both outside mirrors if legal in your state.

    For city MPG, weight is the enemy. Gut it. :cool:

    Try increasing the cam and ignition timing. Just don't let it ping.

    I think a compression increase should help efficiency, but I wouldn't bother unless you have the engine apart for some other reason.

    Tires inflated to the max pressure on the sidewall helps. I've been running 40 PSI on 35 PSI tires for many years, but can't officially recommend it.

    I get about 38 MPG in a '91 Wagon. I've done the grill block. Air dam is coming. I'd love to swap in an HF 5th gear if I found one.

    Check out http://ecomodder.com/ for a lot more info and some extreme mods.
  • The_HeadThe_Head familEE
    The old Insights used tires that had lower rolling resistance than normal tires.
  • BrakeExpertBrakeExpert New Wagonist
    Doing things like a better intake and air filter, and free flowing exhaust will help. The name of the game as Honda would say, is "volumetric effeciency". That is, getting the most power per liter out of an engine. And of course, being able to burn every ounce of fuel that goes into the engine will help this. Creating more power can mean having to go easier on the throttle in a straight line, so your putting less air/fuel through the engine.

    Spark plugs can help. I reccomend NGK's Iridium plugs. NGK does make our OEM honda plugs. The iridium are the best they have and give the most consistent spark. Don't use those plugs with the 4 prong grounds, thats just a marketing gimmick, you want the leads to be smaller and let the burn travel more freely.

    Another trick is to "index" the spark plugs. The idea is to point the opening gap of the plug toward the intake valves (use a mark or letter on the socket extension. This helps, but the difference is not measurable, however it is a free modification. Nets about 1hp on a thousand horsepower drag racer just to give ya a reference of how little it is in terms of power output.

    The best thing is tires. and not just going with teeny ones and little ass wheels, brand makes a difference.

    I have an EK. I have 16s that are not light, and I once ran 205/50/16 tires that netted 27mpg. I also ran 205/40/16 tires that netted 39mpg on the highway. Now the 205/50s were General and they were 7.5lbs heavier per tire and were also garbage. But the 205/40 were a Toyo Proxes. These toyos netted better grip (even a 205/50 Toyo that I ran), performance, AND fuel economy cause the tire compound was just BETTER. Granted they do cost more, tire composition can affect fuel economy by a significant bit.

    A 205/50/16 Proxes4 is 21lbs, and a 205/50/16 Exclaim UHP is 25.5lbs . Thats 4.5lbs at the outermost diameter and 18lbs for the whole car, AND this heavy tire did not give as comfy as a ride. Its about 60$ a tire and the Proxes was about 90$ a tire. My point is tires are the single biggest aspect of fuel economy. Yes I know that the smaller diameter will throw off fuel calculation, but it also can reduce tire weight. Getting THE lightest wheels possible is one factor, but getting GOOD tires is a BIGGER factor for MPG than wheel weight by far, though the one that got better MPG being a little lighter was a nice benefit.
  • XSPower-DerekXSPower-Derek Wagonist
    im all for great gas mileage... but our cars have the aerodynamics of a flying brick, lol
  • wagodizzlewagodizzle Council Member and EDM expert
    drag wasnt that bad actually with a co-eff. of 0.35
  • leWolfleWolf Senior Wagonist
    Check out the AEROCIVIC! That guys solved the aerodynamic issues of civics and got 90+ mpg with an old hf.
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    Consider modding that engine to,"leanburn" for BIG mpg increases.

    :shock: and :lol: .Here's some great ideas for increase mpg.It's serious ,entertaining & funny:
    http://ecomodder.com/forum/fuel-economy ... ations.php
  • turbo_tegturbo_teg Council Member
    Im not very green and my commute isnt much when i do work but i did notice years ago when i got my first wagon that when i lowered it i swear i got another 3-5mpg's I never did a before and after i just noticed i was getting more miles per tank.
  • leWolfleWolf Senior Wagonist
    Yeah, I can agree with that lowering it helps. Also tires being aired up correctly helps tons!
  • yellowmikebikeyellowmikebike Wagonist
    All Hybrid Civic's and Insights have Bridgestone or Dunlop Low Rolling Resistance tires that give them 2-5 mpg better than other tires in the same size.

    The Dunlop SP31 A/S are the cheaper of the two OE Hybrid tires.

    Most of gas mileage increase is due to driver, not car. This is why the new Insight and Fusion Hybrid and the Prius all have interactive displays/games (they grow leaves and change colors depending how you drive) to help 'coach' drivers to be more economical in HOW they drive.

    Read about Hyper-Mile-ing
  • udubrx7udubrx7 Senior Wagonist
    stampern wrote:
    And the most important - remove the lead from your foot - this is KEY. LOL

    I agree!! I used to get ~35 mpg with my D15, and now I have a D16A6. The engine feels so much better, that I want to rev it higher all the time, and so I've been getting like 20 mpg (also fried the wire on my O2 sensor). If you don't ever go over 4k rpms you will save A LOT of gas! How I drive has definitely made the biggest difference in MPG in my wagon.
  • SiWagonSiWagon Council Member
    Read AEROCIVIC's thread.He got that thing up to 95MPG!
  • DividedDivided Band Wagon
    not sure if this really works but i was thinking about buying one for my wagon.

    http://www.partstrain.com/store/?Ntt=to ... src=search
  • Swipe'dSwipe'd Wagonist
    Divided wrote:
    not sure if this really works but i was thinking about buying one for my wagon.

    http://www.partstrain.com/store/?Ntt=to ... src=search


    this thing cant work!
  • leWolfleWolf Senior Wagonist
    Swipe'd wrote:
    Divided wrote:
    not sure if this really works but i was thinking about buying one for my wagon.

    http://www.partstrain.com/store/?Ntt=to ... src=search


    this thing cant work!


    They don't, i have one that was bought for me as a present and it seemed to due nothing.
  • DividedDivided Band Wagon
    alright, good thing i posted it and got reviews before buying it. thanks for the headsup
  • leWolfleWolf Senior Wagonist
    You could also just do a tune up on the car, that helped me alot.
  • skinnyskinny Senior Wagonist
    My .02 based on helping a friend get his vx to over 50mpg! Msd ignition (6a ignition,blaster 2 coil,msd cap with external coil hook up,8mm plug wores), e3 plugs, y8 manifold, b18 throttle body, zc stock header. Reactive exhaust with flowmaster axle back, un plug the egr valve (won't throw codes), hx rims, cold air intake, but all that won't do shit if you don't drive it like a grandma and he also saw higher mpgs with premium fuel. Runnig stock computer and timing retarded I think 2* can't remember if that's where we left it or not. I have also seen boosted b series getting 50mpg if you don't take them into boost. But those require tuning to get that.
  • GraemeGraeme Band Wagon
    Check out the hypermiler sites like Ecomodder. For me the problem is almost everything I've learned to do to improve engine performance kills mpg. Mileage means a BIG change in thought processes. For mileage, we need to think about limiting airflow. Hypermilers replace stock intake with a "warm air intake".
    Too much to go into now, but some investigation of hypermiling is in order. Most of the ideas in this thread are good, but investigate.
  • judebertjudebert familEE
    I used to have a '90 hatch that I ran at 50 MPG. The *only* thing I did was the elementary hypermiling technique: slowly accelerate to a given speed (45MPH in my case), kill the engine, coast to a lower speed (35MPH for me), restart the engine, and repeat until you reach your destination.

    I used the clutch to push-start the engine so I didn't overheat the starter motor. I regularly achieved 49 MPG, with my best run averaging 54 MPG.

    While mods will help -- especially the tires and the belly pan -- aero doesn't have much affect below 45. The biggest difference is how you drive it. Accelerate slowly, stay in the highest gear possible, keep the engine revs low, keep as light a load on the engine as possible.
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    Gasoline Fumes wrote:
    I don't think header/exhaust/intake is going to do much either way as far as MPG is concerned. Airflow is pretty much dictated by the throttle valve at light engine loads and/or low RPM. But if you floor it, the increased airflow will allow you to burn more fuel and make more power. So do the header/exhaust/intake if you want, but you're wasting money if you do it hoping for more MPG.

    50 MPG highway? You'll want to reduce engine RPM (transmission swap) and reduce aerodynamic drag. Things like a front air dam, lower ride height, grill block (watch the temp gauge!!!) will help. Also remove one or both outside mirrors if legal in your state.

    For city MPG, weight is the enemy. Gut it. :cool:

    Try increasing the cam and ignition timing. Just don't let it ping.

    I think a compression increase should help efficiency, but I wouldn't bother unless you have the engine apart for some other reason.

    Tires inflated to the max pressure on the sidewall helps. I've been running 40 PSI on 35 PSI tires for many years, but can't officially recommend it.

    I get about 38 MPG in a '91 Wagon. I've done the grill block. Air dam is coming. I'd love to swap in an HF 5th gear if I found one.

    Check out http://ecomodder.com/ for a lot more info and some extreme mods.

    Thanks for all of your help. I will do all of that hopefully. I got 440 miles on my tank not to long ago.
    Thats with an HF motor and Wago 5 speed tranny.
  • sethwalterssethwalters Wagonist
    judebert wrote:
    I used to have a '90 hatch that I ran at 50 MPG. The *only* thing I did was the elementary hypermiling technique: slowly accelerate to a given speed (45MPH in my case), kill the engine, coast to a lower speed (35MPH for me), restart the engine, and repeat until you reach your destination.

    I used the clutch to push-start the engine so I didn't overheat the starter motor. I regularly achieved 49 MPG, with my best run averaging 54 MPG.

    While mods will help -- especially the tires and the belly pan -- aero doesn't have much affect below 45. The biggest difference is how you drive it. Accelerate slowly, stay in the highest gear possible, keep the engine revs low, keep as light a load on the engine as possible.

    great information about coasting and things. I appreciate it. I will try that.
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