justmyluck Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Everyone has their toy, and some of us daily drive our toys, but what if we wanted to mod a car to get the best mpg's possible? 1. What car/engine would be your base? 2. What modifications would you make? 3. what would you budget for your build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unfunnyryan Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Old beat and ugly CRX or Golf. Should be 40+ mpg out of the box. Biggest mod is change driving habits. Then assuming everything is in order on the car, pump the tires up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewtoys Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Motorbike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyM3rC Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Grey market small VW tdi. Delete EGR or any shenanigans, tune, done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pomade Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 COTA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Bastard Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Are you looking to build something fun to drive with good gas milage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffro Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 crx with a prius engine/drive train Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelSpin Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Geo metro. 5 speed with the skinniest tires possible. Might as well duct tape all the seams while your at it. I've heard they have diesel 3 cyl metros as well but I've never seen one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrxRcr Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 http://www.importtuner.com/tech/1308_1992_honda_civic_vx/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Geo metro. 5 speed with the skinniest tires possible. Might as well duct tape all the seams while your at it. I've heard they have diesel 3 cyl metros as well but I've never seen one. This. No rear brakes. No seats except for driver (and use a lawn chair for that). Maybe sacrifice the extra weight to have a harpoon on the front that attaches to semi trailer bumpers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robochan Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I really want to do this if for some reason i have some spare time and money lol http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/1994-honda-civic-d15-3-stage-vtec-turbo-11881.html "55+ MPG while still making 230 HP at the wheels" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justmyluck Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 haha the geo metro with a harpoon ftw. On a serious note, I am looking to do this to see what mods (other then weight reduction) actually make the biggest difference. I want to hit 50+mpg's at 70mph straight highway cruising Right now my plan is a early 2000's civic as the base. Its a very cheep, reliable platform, with easily obtainable parts. The CRX would make a good platform as well, but finding a clean running one is becoming a thing of the past. The VW diesel idea sounds good, but I have a GTI now...and working on VW's are a pain. So, as I sit, my plan is a civic, gutted, skinny tires, with a tune to get the base mpg's. Things I have thought of to try ( NOTE: all of these things are just ideas, yes some are crazy, and some are really expensive) 1. intake/exhaust: we all know it helps with power, but can it help with fuel economy 2. Aero: Tapped seams, wheel covers, lowering, front lips, holes in the bumper, etc. you can go wild with this one. Where does your ROI dip into the negatives? 3. Engine: port and polish, forced induction, engine management 4. Trans: lightened flywheel, taller gearing what would you add to the list? What would you do first? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farkas Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 You definitely don't want to make holes in the car anywhere. You'd be better off making panels for the entire bottom side of the car so there's no turbulence or drag beneath. I also wouldn't suggest a lightened flywheel as it's used for momentum... you want all the momentum you can keep in that car when cruising/coasting. I would remove the big mirrors for very very small ones, or really anything outside the car that could cause drag. Cover any possible holes or openings with tape and remove wipers etc. over-inflate your tires and get moon caps. lowering the car will definitely help. Lose all the weight you possibly can in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Lowered, block off as much of the grill as possible, seal all panel gaps, replace side mirrors with smallest possible, flat underbody panels... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Ford Fiesta 1L - 65mpg. Boom done. http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/car-news/197883/2014-ford-fiesta-with-1-liter-ecoboost-la-auto-show.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
o0n8 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Diesel > Gas on highway mpgs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 The import tuner article (all 5 parts) was an interesting read, but they spent multiple thousands of dollars to save a few bucks per fill up. Seems pretty silly to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Alex- Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 The import tuner article (all 5 parts) was an interesting read, but they spent multiple thousands of dollars to save a few bucks per fill up. Seems pretty silly to me. I couldn't find the rest of the project, but this is exactly what I was going to say. I understand the want/need for a daily to save wear and tear, and the more it saves on gas the better, but any mpg mods over ~$100 or so, I just don't see the payoff unless you put a ton of miles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 my dads stock jetta TDI pulled 52mpg the whole way to Cincinnati last week. Problem solved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaSSon Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 I couldn't find the rest of the project, but this is exactly what I was going to say. I understand the want/need for a daily to save wear and tear, and the more it saves on gas the better, but any mpg mods over ~$100 or so, I just don't see the payoff unless you put a ton of miles on it. LMGTFY... Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 my dads stock jetta TDI pulled 52mpg the whole way to Cincinnati last week. Problem solved Project sipper, VeeDub Edition? Add an underbody tray/front lip/aero spoiler, lower it, replace windows with lexan and hood/doors/trunk with CF parts. Maybe hit 55mpg? Edit, forgot the expensive 1 piece forged rims and low rolling resistance tires. 56mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Karacho1647545492 Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 So, as I sit, my plan is a civic, gutted, skinny tires, with a tune to get the base mpg's. Things I have thought of to try ( NOTE: all of these things are just ideas, yes some are crazy, and some are really expensive) 1. intake/exhaust: we all know it helps with power, but can it help with fuel economy 2. Aero: Tapped seams, wheel covers, lowering, front lips, holes in the bumper, etc. you can go wild with this one. Where does your ROI dip into the negatives? 3. Engine: port and polish, forced induction, engine management 4. Trans: lightened flywheel, taller gearing what would you add to the list? What would you do first? Not just skinny tires, Low Rolling Resistance tires. Shit for handling, great for MPGs as long as the cost difference of the tire is not enough to outweigh any potential savings. Underbody tray/cover will be a big difference. If it has power steering, get rid of that for sure. Drain on resources, and you'll make it lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigOxley Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 1st gen Honda Insight stripped of everything with a VW tdi engine. There are couple out in the wild and get +70s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Geo metro or ford festiva/aspire if you want cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Ford Fiesta 1L - 65mpg. Boom done. http://www.autotrader.com/research/article/car-news/197883/2014-ford-fiesta-with-1-liter-ecoboost-la-auto-show.jsp My Dad still has one of these, over 200k and runs fine. I had one in high school, fucking hated the turd, but it was cheap as shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Prius with an LSX swap. Amidointhisright? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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