87 Mazda 323
 

A friend offered me a old 87 Mazda 323 for dirt dirt cheap, has a bad wheel bearing and some other problems but other than that it seems ok. It's got the B6 1.6L with 5 speed trans. EPA it's rated at 27/31mpg, anyone know what it can get in the hands of a hypermiler? I didn't see any in the garage, hoping someone here's owned one at some point and can tell me about this neat little hatchback. :)

31mpg is underrated. A friend of mine got 35mpg doing 75-80mph, with a couple top speed runs in there. You should be able to crack 40mpg without an physical mods, only driver skill.

The top speed is over 80? w00h00! :P

The car looks to have several opportunities for easy aerodynamic improvements. Kardboard Kammback, big lower grille to block.....

A friend of mine in Austin (~8hr drive) has a now dead 88 Mercury Tracer (same car) he said I could have as a parts car.... his has a AC...

Think it'd be easier to swap my drivetrain into his (auto) car, or gut the AC out and fit it in the Mazda? Summer gets REAL hot here... :(

Or maybe I should just make an ice vest. :D

installing the AC isn't too hard, a few over on clubprotege.com have done it. Join up there, lots LOTS LOTS of info about mazdas there, especially the older ones. mazda323performance.com as well is a sweet site for the old BF chassis (89 and older).

I've had a 323. Completely forgot about that car. Mine was the big bodied one ('91) and I had an automatic transmission so it really is no comparison.

Eitehr way, it's a win/win situation. You should like the car, they are neat.

Central Texas summers, oh how I'll never miss those.

Did your 323 just not come with a/c or yours isn't working?

Didn't come with one, according to a quick peak under the hood. And the lack of any AC options on the climate controls. =\

Man is the rear of that car light... I can just barely lift the back tires off the ground myself, and with a friend it's easy. I imagine in town mileage with P&EOG will be nice.

It might not glide as well as you think. If there is one thing I've noticed about trying to glide in vehicles is the heavier the better.

My 350 pound Rebel glides like crap, it isn't even worth trying even with my 175 pound butt on it. BUT the 4900 pound Durango glides insanely great, especially considering the fact that the front half of the 4wd system is always spinning regardless of transfer case position.

"My 350 pound Rebel glides like crap,"

Your rebel's stored inertial energy is low compared to what it loses via drag. For it's weight, I bet the 323 has much lower drag than a motorcycle. As long as it's rolling resistance and drag is low for it's weight, relatively, it should glide well... right?

Just gotta coast to the next stoplight. ;)

Yup, coasting distance is about speed, weight, rolling resistance, and aerodynamic drag. Increase speed/weight or decrease RR/aero drag and your coast length will increase.

Motorcycles and bicycles have terrible drag coefficients and a huge amount of frontal area relative to their size and weight. This is why bicyclists (who are at the upper limit of their engine) are able to produce real results from drafting even at very low speeds (10-15mph).