Newb Milelage Charts
 

Hey People,

So glad I found this forum. My friends and family get sick of hearing me tell them a Honda Civic VX (1993) had a smaller carbon footprint and is more efficient than their Prius. I thought I would post up tanks #3-#8 MPG, measured by dividing miles driven by gallons used.

#3: 275 mi. 6.7 gal, 41.2 MPG
#4: 323 mi. 8.4 gal, 38.5
#5: 366 mi. 9.7 gal, 38.0
#6: 387 mi. 8.7 gal, 45.0
#7: 328 mi. 8.0 gal, 41.0
#8: 325 mi. 7.7 gal, 42.0

I added things up and got this:

2004 miles, 49 gal. 41.0 MPG average

In my notes, now about a year old, I wrote "350 mile max. tank range." I was going from northern to southern cal. and mostly driving flat land. Always stay to the right and keep it 65-70 mph. Just cause I'm old and careful now. The great thing about the VX is that you can drop down to 3rd gear on the freeway and push along pretty good. I got it up to 95 in 4th to get away from a nutcase outside LA one night.

People have come up to me and made offers on the car more than once. Trades too. It has 170K miles and I'm the second owner. The old timer (88!) who sold me the car had $6400 in receipts from 2003 to 2009, when I bought it. I had to only install a clutch, now I'm looking at a new CAT and having some trouble finding one for the CA model.

I recorded 48mpg on one run around the LA basin off peak hours in no great hurry. 40 is normal commuting long and short here in San Diego. IACV is giving me trouble and throwing a code occasionally, but it resets when the ignition cycles.

You fanciers of this model would be jealous of the condition. The inside is flawless and he repainted it after some city dings and scratches. I'll post some pics.

Enjoying all your posts. Doug V.

You're not getting as good of mileage as I think you should be getting. Your car could use a tuneup..

You're doing well, Doug. When you want to kick it up a notch, try 55-60 mph. That should get you high-40 mpg tanks.

This guy should not be getting low 40s high 30s doing 65mph, no way... I get 50mpg in my Civic LX with a 1.6L, stock transmission that has a 4.058 final drive when driving 55mph.. The VX not only has an optimized engine but has a taller final drive in the transmission (3.25) which makes the engine spin slower at highway speeds. Like I said, this car needs a major service/tuneup...

if you really want to talk about carbon footprint of the prius, talk batteries. the batteries use a lot of raw materials and energy to produce and they have to be replaced about every 5 years or so.

for some reason, this little factor isn't incorporated in the prius owners calcuations of carbon footprint

I was about to say im getting bonified 40mpg at 70mph looks like I am on par with a vx probably less polluting too seeing that the average vx is at 170k+ and probably needs work done, if thats the case I have put alot of effort into getting my car to that point yes, I agree tho I have seen way higher vx mpg on this board.. Carbon footprint is not/or maybe as important as heat neutrality which is the only factor that should be looked at while trying to reduce global warming, I actually came up with that term. I have also come up with the term hybrid effect to describe a wai better effect in the city vs hwy carbon credits are not necessarily what you may think they are I have proof not jim inhoffe and tea tardy proof. I mean REAL science. I have personally taken part in that process. I use my measument instrument, a laser temp sensor to take most of my readings..

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...38&ft=1&f=1001
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0127134721.htm

pavement(flat black) in the sun is 10-15+ degrees warmer than in the shade
unfortunately for grass that difference is alot less

then think about how this works:
https://inventorspot.com/sodacan_solar_furnace
it is the same color as pavement
Therefor pavement is a culprit

I have been doing intensive research on this subject, as I've been a decided environmentalist since the age of 8(unpaid, getting paid ruins your righteousness!), it's really just becoming fun to disprove people left and right because I know so much about it

according to the links above air pollution is alot less the cause of global warming, hose links are proof that pavement and rooftops are a big factor possibly even up to 1/4-1/3 or more of the cause of global warming..but regardless, I have done an estimated small math formula to describe the warming rate of black surfaces vs other more relfective/white surface
1 foot of square foot of black pavement= 20 cubic feet of air volume warmed by 1 degree farenheit, based on the square footage I was doing this in(had a solar trap built in).. That is probably way off.. in combination with home heating and cars engines running hot... its not like I'm even trying to brow beat this into you guys, mores

don't get me wrong I'm not saying we should be spewing pollutants into the air, I'm all for electric engines

Batteries don't have to be replaced every 5 years... Prius taxis have been known to be working fine with their original batteries and 300K miles on the clock. Anyway those batteries are being recycled and each have a $200 bounty on them by the manufacturer. I'm not saying the Prius is particularly cleaner or dirtier but I do want to point out it isn't as bad as people often are led to believe (like that Hummer vs. Prius article).

there were a lot of dead prius' on craigslist a few years back. all they needed were batteries. maybe it has gotten better with time.

Needing tune-up
 

Really now? The distributor is new, along with plug wires and plugs. I think I saw an ignitor and coils in the paperwork too. No, no tune up. I drive it like I stole it most days. I'm in measured high 40's when I get to cruise it easy for the bulk of the tank range.

Southern California in general does not allow for really safe and efficient driving strategies. I get the high 40's when I drive off hours. Some of those numbers I posted include stop and go for an hour on the 405. Some include mountain passes.

I haven't had time to change out my tranny oil to a minimum viscosity yet. Right now using stock spec 10-30W dino. I'm sure straight 40 true synthetic would be better. All my smog numbers indicate a good state of tune, not to mention great performance. I'm still surprised how much get up and go my VX has when wound up.

Since your car is a CA version, unless it has been modified it would not have the federal AOO ECU. And, therefore, no wideband LAF sensor. So if you're driving it without conservation in mind, I feel mid 40s mpg is about right. Replacing the IACV should help with mileage, because when in traffic that's where you're spending your time.

As for locating a CAT, try calling these guys: 916-638-3311 and ask for Matt.

Congratulations on your find. I understand your exhuberance.

Did you adjust valve lash? PCV valve? One member on here gained a few mpg by adjusting the valves.. You could also get the injectors rebuilt or high pressure cleaned off the car..

Valves are in spec as per honda tech who inspected it before the sale.

I noticed a real loss in FE when the shop I used for a brake flush overfilled the crankcase. They put in the specified amount of oil, but failed to drain it all the way. Instant loss of 5 mpg.

The injectors were replaced a few years ago with OEM parts, so I'm good there. My driving kills the high mileage numbers I should be getting.

Doug,

Post some pics so I can drool.

Well if it really is from your driving habits, then I guess you're fine. I just figured that since you're on this site, you'd be serious about improving your mileage. Just remember that if you drove conservatively, you might be able to eek out mileage in the 60s..

Just playin,

I'm just playing here to learn about my VX because that's where my CAT search led me. FE tuning tips are good tuning tips generally speaking, and I can tell there are some gearheads here that offer really good info.

I suppose I fall into the category of hypermiler just by being aware of how all the small things affect mileage in general + the desire to tweak them. i don't track FE unless I go on trips in the car because it bums me out knowing I can do better. Trying 89 octane next tank after reading suggestions here.

I'll take some pics soon for the VX fanciers.

Oh btw, 89 octane may very well be a waste assuming your engine is in top running condition when you consider that all Honda Civics from 1988-2005 have an Octane requirement of only 86.. Requires 86 octane yet most pumps are 87..

Don't know how accurate a survey of craigslist would be? Without going down and looking at the item yourself, a listing can have no grounding in reality. The dealer bounty for the battery is $200, but the nickle in them is actually worth more than that. Perhaps the listings were salvaged cars where the battery was already sold. Early Insights weren't as conservative of protecting the battery as they needed to be. It was possible to overdraw from it and kill it early

The Prius taxis ************* mentioned were the 1st gen model which was introduced in Japan in 1997. Premature battery deaths would have been news.
Besides, the battery is part of the emissions control equipment, and would be replaced under warranty if it died early. At 8yr/100k miles for the fed and 10yr/150k miles for Carb, a hybrid car manufacturer wants to avoid paying to cover it.

Pics as promised
 

These are the views of the Civic VX 1993.

404 pics not found

Darnit guys and gals, I have weak photo-fu. Will ask GF to make some happen. They work as my desktop photo??

You have to upload them to a photo hosting site like Photobucket.com or tinypic.com.