The lower the rpm and the higher the gear the less fuel wasted. Get into 5th asap. Even with civic I doubt I'll get the scangauge. I'd rather waste $180 on some LRR tires.

NOTE FROM BEN: I moved this from another thread and made the title, this discussion wasn't prompted by compaq but was clogging another thread, though it's important so it has its own now.

Text moved back to the proper thread...

Not to get off topic, but instant feedback is THE most important tool if you are serious about efficiency. Without it there is no way for an individual to answer questions like this. Getting LRR tires vs. properly inflating the set that you have would be a waste vs. getting a ScanGauge or equivalent (like a MID).

I agree completely. One has to determine whether he she wants to spend 180 dollars to be lazy and get 3% or spend 180 dollars, try, and get 20%, for me the choice is obvious.

I believe jangeo and darin have done some serious testing on the hill matter and both decided that the highest gear still wins. I feel the same way based on what I've noticed during the small amount of hill driving I've done. Even with little torque and being at 1200 rpms I've not had to downshift, and I can scoot along just fine at 1000 rpms. Hell, at 30 mph I'd practically have to be in 2nd gear to gear to get up to 2500 rpms, :p, and then my throttle is open more, anyway.

I know about tires. In fact I used to run 55psi in my last car.
The only reason I'm not running high psi in my civic is because the rear tires need replacing. Once they are replaced I will bump up the psi.

I also know about bump starting, different coasting methods, aero mods and etc. Once I get the clutch thing right then I'll start to focus on fuel economy.

There are plenty of Honda owners here who report their findings, I already know what improves fuel economy and what doesn't. Getting better fuel economy is reading fuel economy websites and experimenting with your own car.

In a manner of speaking, yes. And the key to making experimentation meaningful is results. You can wait for a tank to burn down to get one datum, or you can keep track of each individual trip to get data day after day after day, improving much more quickly as you see what works with your car and what doesn't. It's not even debatable IMO.

Knowing the theory is only half of it. Feedback is the only thing that will tell you if you are applying it properly.

I totally agree with you, brick. Reading GS can't tell me exactly how much I should feather the gas pedal to get that extra 3mpg during acceleration, nor can it inform me about how much EOC I'm doing relative to distance traveled.

I have more than a year of feedback. I started with a 24mpg car and the last tank before I sold it was a 31mpg tank. Mixed driving for both figures.

With this manual now I don't really need a scangauge because most of the time the highest gear and the lowest rpm will give me the best mpg. The only use for it would be to see how much of a difference the mods would be. Or to see which version of the aero mod works better than the other.

Metro, Dan, nor Bajoos haven't even does this.
So the only reason to buy it is if you hit the max of your car and to see if you modify your aero mods if it improves fuel economy.

See, but you're wrong.

I don't not what you're saying about dan, darin, and basjoos. Basjoos is the only one getting great mileage without one. Zpiloto took a car almost as sucky as yours and gets 40mpg with it, because he has a scangauge, :p

I have more data in a two weeks of driving from my mid than you will in two years with tank reciepts, and I still think I'm missing a lot that can be done.

One day dart vader will throw you down a whole and you'll realize that your overconfidence did indeed lead to your downfall.

Zpiloto has a car with a 2.0 engine. I had 2.4
He also screwed with his transmission, I didn't. Picking up another 3-5mpg was too much risk for the transmission.