honda del sol

[crexcrex]

There are those of us who prefer to dabble in certain types of cars, I have modded a 89 crx si.........rear fender skirts, weight loss, narrow tires etc inclusive of the dreaded vortex generators that had about as much pupose as a bird without wings..............gas mileage increase? will leave that to your imagination.

I finally disposed of the rex and moved onto the formidable del sol s model 1.5 liter engine five speed..........the pro's and cons? hell the con's outweigh the pro's at least in some people's opinion. Del slow as many have reffered to the car, that in my opinion is the most important issue with the vehicle as it rev's about five hundred rpm's less than the 1.6 crx si...........less revs equals less gas consumption...........

Improvements?

13 inch aluminum wheels
13 inch convex wheel disks
vented rear bumper
carbon fiber trunk lid
carbon fiber air induction hood
led lites
no door handles
vented carbon fiber front fenders
narrow tires at 35 psi
No spare tire nor jack
tow hooks removed
one horn rather than two

air diverters at the front bumper
96 bumper front bumper cover minus the fog lites
lighter steering Volo
87 brake calipers equals less weight braking as effective as the original stock.
No side antenna
Targa top replaced with lightweight pvc weight five pounds verses twent-twenty-five
run the car with a quarter to hal a tank equals less weight
coasting when possible
move with traffic so that braking is reduced
rear roof wind deflector......my design
Fender skirts mounted flush with three horizontal vents on each skirt
End result better gas mileage than a 88 hf crx with mods so much for those who may have thought that the del sol lacked the aerodynamics and was equivalent to a brick in the wind Jeep
Thanks for taking the time to check out this post from a newbie on this site
crexcrex

[thisisntjared]

The number one disadvantage of the delsol is the aerodynamics. we are talking about a .cd upwards of .4

[GasSavers_TomO]

I have a buddy with a Sol...We've made a partial grill block that sits flush with the front bumer, a lower lip and extended (downward) side skirts on his car.

He runs the D16Z6 (Si) motor and trans and is able to pull off 35MPG tanks without hypermiling.

This summer we're going to design a Kammbach for it. When we're done the car will resemble an MX-3 with the Kamm.

[R.I.D.E.]

There was a member here who put a VX powertrain in his Del Sol, after his VX got smashed. I believe another member put a VX powertrain in a CRX. Both got pretty dog gone good mileage.

I hypermiled my Del Sol to 47 MPG on my best tank, before I ever joined this forum. I could probably top 50 now, especially with a good lesson form Pale Melanasian.

regards
gary

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by TomO

This summer we're going to design a Kammbach for it. When we're done the car will resemble an MX-3 with the Kamm.

i would imagine that would net over 5mpg highway.

[fowljesse]

Originally Posted by TomO

I have a buddy with a Sol...We've made a partial grill block that sits flush with the front bumer, a lower lip and extended (downward) side skirts on his car.

He runs the D16Z6 (Si) motor and trans and is able to pull off 35MPG tanks without hypermiling.

This summer we're going to design a Kammbach for it. When we're done the car will resemble an MX-3 with the Kamm.

That's funny. When I read about the Cd, I was thinking about the rear hatch, and improving it by doing the Kammbach, and how it would then look like an MX-3. This was ? second before reading this post^!
A few people have made "Del Sol" hatches for the MX-3

[palemelanesian]

I'd go higher on the tire pressure. My last set, at 35 psi, wore down on the edges. That's a clear sign of underinflation. These days I run 60 psi. I can't officially recommend anyone doing that, but I have measured a difference in coasting between 50 and 60.

Most of those mods sound good to me.

Try pulse-and-glide driving. It is very effective in these cars.

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

I can't officially recommend anyone doing that, but I have measured a difference in coasting between 50 and 60.

what was the measurement in, feet? or?? anyway what were the results?

[palemelanesian]

There's this one long and steady downhill on my commute. At 50 psi it would maintain 40 mph. At 60 psi, it gained up speed up to 45 mph. Both times starting at 40 at the top of the hill.

[thisisntjared]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

There's this one long and steady downhill on my commute. At 50 psi it would maintain 40 mph. At 60 psi, it gained up speed up to 45 mph. Both times starting at 40 at the top of the hill.