DracoFelis |
06-29-2007 09:26 PM |
Some of the tuning of my CRX (good synthetic lubes, indexed spark plugs, greased wheel barrings, etc.) have not only helped FE some, but have also resulted in even less pedal pressure (then before) to maintain a given speed. As a result, it now requires a real light touch to keep a slower speed (even 60), as so much of the (potential) pedal movement is no longer routinely used!
For the time being, I just have to "force myself" to have a very light touch on the pedal (and if I'm extremely careful, I can actually get down to 25MPH or less in 5th gear, but it requires the lightest of touches/taps to do it), but in the future I plan to make these mods to help things:
1) Modify the tension on the throttle cable (which in my case will require re-stringing the entire cable, as some previous mechanic added in "spacers" on the cable before I got the car), so you need a little more foot movement (then previously) to keep the slower throttle positions I'm now routinely using. This should hopefully make it harder to accidentally press "too hard", by requiring a little more foot movement before the first throttle responses occur.
2) IMHO one of the easiest ways to keep a slow steady speed, is to use a "cruse control". I know this, as I've driving other cars (including my wife's Civic) with cruse controls, and it's really easy to set a speed (even a slow speed), and then just worry about pointing the car where you want it to go! And since my (stick-shift) CRX (which now has over 280,000 miles on it) didn't come with a cruse, I've often found myself missing that option (especially on long trips). However, you can still get (generic) after-market cruse control kits (even for manual shift cars, such as mine), so you always have the option of adding in a cruse control (for the roughly $200 + installation the kits will run you). And in my case, I finally decided it was "worth it" to me to have that option on my CRX, so I recently instructed my mechanic that I would pay him to buy and install a cruse control (he has bought the cruse control, but he hasn't yet installed it, likely soon).
NOTE: A cruse control on a stick shift obviously can't change gears for you. However, the cruse can handle the throttle as long as you stay in the current gear (often you would want to be in "high gear" when you engage the cruse on a stick shift). Furthermore, a cruse on a stick shift varies slightly from a automatic, in that the (properly installed) manual transmission cruse will automatically disengage when you press on the brake pedal OR the clutch (whereas in the automatic you don't have a clutch, so only the brake pedal does the automatic disengage).
3) While discussing cruse controls (and fuel economy) with my mechanic, the point that constant throttle pressure (what used to be known as a "throttle lock") is often (in many driving situations) even better for fuel economy than a traditional "cruse control" (which maintains a constant speed, by varying the throttle pressure) came up. It was at that point, that I mentioned a hack that a fellow gassavers forum member made, whereby they added a power switch to the servo motor in their cruse. This (apparently very simple) mod allows you to take a normal (constant speed, but variable throttle) cruse control, and convert it (at the flip of a switch) into a (constant throttle, but speed may "drift") "throttle lock" (and back again, as needs arise). And in either mode, the original "safety features" (of automatically disengaging the cruse control when you step on a pedal) are fully retained! Once my mechanic heard about that mod (and how it worked), he thought the idea was fantastic! So we plan to also add in this "cruse control to throttle lock" switch to the cruse control we put on my car (so I can choose either operating mode whenever I wish, even switching modes while driving down the road)!
NOTE: If you are really cheap, there are mechanical "throttle locks" on the market for much cheaper than full cruse controls (some mechanical options costing $40 or less). However, the reason I finally decided to go with the cruse (with the "throttle lock switch" hack), instead of one of the mechanical options, is that the cruse/hack combo gives me both options, and retains the full (automatic cutoff when a pedal is used) features of modern cruse controls. So I really get pretty much the best of all worlds this way, except for the initially higher cost of this option.
And remember, in either mode (normal "cruse control" mode or hacked "throttle lock" mode) my cruse control (once it's installed, which will hopefully be "soon") will do the work of maintaining a slower speed (if that's what I want), instead of me having to force my foot back when my foot naturally wants to step harder. So I should be able to "relax" (with my foot off the gas pedal) and just make sure the car is pointed where I want it to go...
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