mnbv

I bought a 96 HX civic and I have filled it up twice now (you can gauge how long I have had it). I got 30.6 mpg last time I filled up. I know that driving it like a grandma will give you better mpg, but what are some other ways? Such as down-shifting, 2cd or third when stoping at a sign or a light etc.
My more importent question is how can I increase the reliablity of my civic? The car has fresh oil, but I want to change it anyway. I have no idea (no records!) of what has been done to it in the past or what needs changing now. I have a helms manual and an owners manual. It has fairly new tires. Performance is not my goal, I am aiming to achive the honda reliablity it is so well know for. What fluids and other Misc. tasks should I do?

itsJDMyo

don't rev up too high...but many of us just can't help it

nota-ex

better gas mileage= drive a moped. just take it easy, don't drive the car like you're trying to race all the time. driving the car hard will both eat gas and wear down the engine. not saying don't dog it everyonce in awhile, but not all the time. 205k on a d16z6 and its still running strong.

piscorpio

Keep a clean air filter in it, as well as fresh spark plugs, that should help fuel effeciency as well as reliability. Depending on mileage, the catalytic converter could be starting to wear out on you, as well as some O2 sensors. Hard to say really, just make sure all your basic maintainance needs are taken care of.

The Helms manual can tell you all you need to know, just look at the maintainance schedule in there.

As for downshifting to stop, that would probably use more gas and clutch, since you would be using the engine to slow the car. Just use your brakes to stop, not the engine. Drive like a grandma, and you won't use much gas.

nota-ex

oh, speaking of clean air filters, check yours. i didn't until i went to guy my airbox and the retard i bought the car from had stuffed a plastic bag under the air filter.

Outrun

I get 38-40mpg in my 206K D16Z6 Civic EX.

Make sure your car is in good running order...engine, tires at proper pressures, alignment within specs, etc.

Also, the biggest factor is driving style. Be consistent on the throttle on the freeway. Maintain a constant speed or use cruise control if you have it. In the city, you don't need to go fast after a red light. Be gentle and smooth. On the freeway, stay within the speed limit and if you're slower than the rest, stay in the right two lanes. Changing lanes and speeding up and slowing down all the time isn't efficient.

Dacalac

shift at low RPMs, I usually put it in nuetral while coasting. But if you have to put it back in gear make sure to rev match to avoid any possible tranny damage. Make sure everything is in good working order.

Weight reduction?

piscorpio

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Outrun &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I get 38-40mpg in my 206K D16Z6 Civic EX.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is impressive, I don't think I ever did that well in my VX!

nota-ex

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dirk Lance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">shift at low RPMs, I usually put it in nuetral while coasting. But if you have to put it back in gear make sure to rev match to avoid any possible tranny damage. Make sure everything is in good working order.

Weight reduction? </TD></TR></TABLE>

someone told me that coasting in neutral was bad for the clutch/tranny. mabe they were talking about holding in the clutch pedal while coasting in gear. im not sure.

Outrun

My fuel tank is 11.9 gallons and I usually go at least 370 miles before I fill up (usually a 9-10 gallon fill up). The most I went was a tad over 420 miles but it was scary because I had fuel pick up problems on hills and in corners.

Worst mileage was 11 or 12mpg during a track day at Willow Springs.

mnbv

I will go with the helms manual suggested maintainence for my HX. I still have a few questions though. How can I check if the O2 sensors are going bad? What about the water pump or belts? Apparently I can put 87 gas in the HX, is this ok?

My brother says I drive like a grandma, I guess I got that taken care of. I still need work on taking off and shifting in general, still don't have the feel for the friction point quite yet, but it is getting better.

bbcnet

i have a stupid question about maintainence? when that light turn to red color what do i have to do ??? never read about that do i just change the oil that is or what ?

Outrun

The service light thing is just a guideline for the recommended service interval. If it's red, it just means you should probably go in for a major maintenance service (ie the ones you have to do every 30,000 or 60,000 miles or whatever the recommended schedule suggests).