Am I making the right decision in getting a Civic? - Page 2 - Fuelly Forums

Click here to see important news regarding the aCar App

Go Back   Fuelly Forums > Fuel Talk > General Fuel Topics
Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-08-2008, 04:51 PM   #11
Registered Member
 
1993CivicVX's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,069
Country: United States
Send a message via AIM to 1993CivicVX
You are also getting a lot more for your money buying a Civic. you are getting a fun to drive, reliable and stylish automobile with good ergonomics and overall very solid design.
__________________

__________________
three stripes the charm!

Car mods are overrated. Just gotta adjust that nut behind the wheel for best mpg.



Forget about World Peace...Visualize using your turn signal.
1993CivicVX is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2008, 05:35 PM   #12
Registered Member
 
suspendedhatch's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 445
Country: United States
Send a message via AIM to suspendedhatch
Get an HX.



Quote:
Does anyone know if the alternator in a 2001 or 02 civic constantly runs? Can it be disabled or can its belt be isolated from the engine while the alternator is not in use? I don't want the alternator to constantly be adding to the engine's mechanical workload if the battery is charged.
Honda alternators are pulse-width-modulated and have been since 1988 and possibly earlier. What this means is that the alternator is controlled by the ECU to output power on demand. This is one of the features that makes Japanese cars better than domestics.

Quote:
Can an integrated starter alternator be installed on a 2001 or 02 civic?
I don't know what that is. I hope you're not talking about how the starter is integrated into the electric motor on a hybrid.

Quote:
I assume the radiator fan is electric. Does it run constantly and can it be hooked up to a thermostat? I don't want the fan to constantly be draining the battery if the engine doesn't need cooling.
Whoa buddy you need to catch up with the times. I don't know of any crank driven fans (except on trucks) since the late eighties. The electric fan is indeed controlled by the ECU to turn on only when the coolant passes a certain temp. This generally only happens at idle or in stop and go traffic.

Quote:
Are the air conditioner and the heater one unit in the 2001 and 02 civic? I want to remove the heater because I don't need it since I live in the desert south west.
The heater consists of a coolant/air heat exchanger mounted in a box that is downstream of your blower. You really don't want to remove this. There's no mpg gain from removing it, and it can be quite complicated re-routing or looping the coolant lines. It's a good thing to have in case your car begins to overheat.

The blower itself and all the ducting can be removed for a small yet significant weight reduction, but I wouldn't recommend this if you ever want to sell the car someday. It's going to be a lot of work to remove the dash and pull all the components. You'll have to eliminate the AC. Truth be told you'd be lucky to pick up 1 mpg but the value of the car will plummet. Some parts of the AC system are difficult to remove without damaging them. And you'll have to pay to have the AC system drained and recycled (about $40 or maybe free if they're nice).

Quote:
Where is the air conditioner located? I'd like to locate it somewhere else in the car if it is located in the engine compartment. The engine compartment gets hot. I makes no sense to put the air conditioner in there.
The air conditioning is a large system that has components mounted on the engine, in the engine bay, and under the dash. You can't relocate any of this and for much of it there would be no benefit as you are assuming. The A/C pump is driven by a belt off the crank pulley. The A/C radiator (not the technical term) and fan are in front of your coolant radiator and can't be moved for obvious reasons. Various lines are routed through the engine bay but these do not soak up heat. In some places these lines are insulated. Under the dash in your air ducting attached to the blower motor is the condensor. This is the part of the A/C that actually cools the air.
__________________

__________________

Civic VX, D15Z7, 5 Speed LSD, AEM EMS, AEM UEGO, AEM Twin Fire, Distributor-less, Waste Spark
suspendedhatch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2008, 06:05 PM   #13
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 408
Country: United States
"Under the dash in your air ducting attached to the blower motor is the condensor"

I think you gave him very good advice, but one minor correction: that's the evaporator. The condenser is the part that looks like a radiator, and is either in front of or beside the radiator.
monroe74 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2008, 08:28 PM   #14
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_Minger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 98
Country: United States
I say a Civic is a great decision...over 70 degrees or longer distance, I get 40-42 mpg which is pretty decent. Just wish there was a 5th gear on the autos.
__________________

Quote:
Originally Posted by theclencher View Post
P.S. I must be a wierdo as I think just because a guy can afford to do something, doesn't mean he should. I can afford to buy 100 gallons of gas several times a month, pour it on the ground, light it (or not)... but I don't think I should.
GasSavers_Minger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2008, 07:16 AM   #15
Registered Member
 
Danronian's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 652
Country: United States
I would go with a 5spd civic, but try to find (or at least test-drive and look into) a VX or HX. The gas mileage savings will outweigh other things in the end.

Good luck.
__________________


On the never-ending quest for better gas mileage...
Danronian is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2008, 09:01 AM   #16
EH3
Registered Member
 
EH3's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 70
Country: United States
he can't.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wayneburg View Post
Physical issues with getting a manual. Man I would love one though.
it's very unlikely he'll find a near stock VX or HX. they are so rare now it's likely going to require a cross-country drive to get it or he'll have to pay a lot more than it's "worth". other trim civic's get great mileage, even automatics. as we all know, it's easy to attain +30% epa estimates in driving style alone.
__________________
EH3 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2008, 04:25 PM   #17
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 14
Country: United States
Well, now that I've been told the Civic HX was never a hatchback, I've had to do a little more research. So I'm going to go with the 1997 Civic hatchback which got 29 MPG city / 35 MPG hwy.

Well, actually I'll go for any of these cars in the order they are listed:
1997 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.6 L 29 city / 35 hwy
2004 Scion xA Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.5 L 27 city / 34 hwy
2002 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.7 L 29 city / 35 hwy
2003 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.7 L 29 city / 34 hwy
2003 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.7 L 29 V-Tec 26 city / 34 hwy
1996 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
1997 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
1998 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
1999 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
2000 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
2001 Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.3 L 26 city / 31 hwy
2003 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.7 L 25 city / 34 hwy
1996 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.6 L 25 city / 33 hwy
1998 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.6 L 25 city / 33 hwy
1999 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.6 L 25 city / 33 hwy
2003 Toyota Celica Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.8 L 25 city / 33 hwy
2000 Honda Civic Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.6 L 25 city / 32 hwy
2002 Toyota Celica Hatchback Automatic 4 cyl, 1.8 L 25 city / 32 hwy
1996 Ford Aspire Hatchback Automatic 4cyl, 1.3 L 25 city / 31 hwy
Wayneburg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2008, 04:55 PM   #18
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_RoadWarrior's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,652
Ford Escorts 1.9L automatics are worth a look also, they are easy to get into the 30s in with the auto. When I got mine all tuned up and dialled in, I'd have to pound the crap out of it with the A/C on to pull less than 30 city, I was pulling 32-34 tank averages with 50/50 city-hwy, and that was "going with the flow" at 75mph, and in a wagon. Hatch does better for aero with a Cd of .34 Parts are dirt cheap, the cars are dirt cheap, but suffer from "disposable car syndrome" meaning, find one that has maintenance records.

I'd think you might want to think about Geo/Chevrolet Prizms as well, the 1.8 though not the 1.6. Like the Escort the EPA numbers look a little low, but they are well known for exceeding them.
__________________
I remember The RoadWarrior..To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time..the world was powered by the black fuel & the desert sprouted great cities..Gone now, swept away..two mighty warrior tribes went to war & touched off a blaze which engulfed them all. Without fuel, they were nothing..thundering machines sputtered & stopped..Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage would survive. The gangs took over the highways, ready to wage war for a tank of juice
GasSavers_RoadWarrior is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 08:39 AM   #19
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 77
Country: United States
I am partial but I love Honda's. I drive a '96 hatchback and am getting anywhere between 42-46 mpg, and my car has 188k miles on it. Honda's in general are great on gas and require very little maintenance. I haven't had to do much more to mine than change the oil and the brake pads since I've had it. And they are super easy to work on.
__________________
96hb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2008, 08:58 AM   #20
Registered Member
 
theholycow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 6,624
Country: United States
Send a message via ICQ to theholycow Send a message via AIM to theholycow Send a message via MSN to theholycow Send a message via Yahoo to theholycow
Heh...Civic beats Metro for sure, but you might want to take a look at the "Hypermile sleepers" thread:
http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=7449
__________________

__________________
This sig may return, some day.
theholycow is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
new link for Mobile after submit Pontiac Fuelly Web Support and Community News 1 02-07-2009 04:48 AM
Toyota Yaris NorthAmerica 2007/2008 RningOnFumes Car Reviews 16 01-29-2008 10:59 PM
Concentrating photovoltaics advancements ... cfg83 General Discussion (Off-Topic) 4 03-01-2007 06:24 AM
Just got my '95 VX whychug Introduce Yourself - New member Welcome 7 01-30-2007 06:24 AM
The Honda Fit GasSavers_DaX General Fuel Topics 54 05-13-2006 12:52 AM

» Fuelly iOS Apps
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 05:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.