Howdy!! New Guy with a Swapped Civic

[B16CXHatch]

Howdy folks. Someone on my favorite tech forum put up a link to this place. I drive a 1996 Honda Civic CX Hatchback with a B16A2 engine swap from 1999 Civic Si (1.6L DOHC VTEC with close ratio 5-speed manual transmission). I've joined to see if I can get better gas mileage outta my gas guzzling econobox.

Nice to meet ya'll!!!

[Gary Palmer]

Welcome to GasSavers. So what are you currently gettinng with your gas guzzling econobox?

[SVOboy]

Nice swap! Throw an LS 5th in there.

Also, Elfen Lied is my favorite アニメ。

[B16CXHatch]

Well comparatively to other Civics it's a gas guzzler getting only 27-28 City and 32-34Hwy. My old 95 Civic EX Coupe pulled off about 32-34 City and nearly 40 Hwy. Oh well, at least my B16 is in a hatchback instead of the Si it came out of. About a 300-400lb difference.

Yeah I love Elfen Lied too. Speakin of which I need to get my DVD's back from my friend.

[SVOboy]

What RPMs do you run on the highway?

[B16CXHatch]

Sorry I disappeared there for a little bit. Got kinda busy.

Well I don't rightly know all the RPMs but at about 75MPH I'm runnin about 4,200RPM's or so. I don't know all of them cause I just got rid of my AutoMeter SportComp Tachometer and stock CX gauge cluster and put in an EX cluster with OEM Tach. That autometer was reading way wrong. I know it is at 2,000RPM at 30MPH in 4th which is when I usually shift into 5th on flat roads in neighborhoods.

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by B16CXHatch

That autometer was reading way wrong. I know it is at 2,000RPM at 30MPH in 4th which is when I usually shift into 5th on flat roads in neighborhoods.

Hmm, that would be reeeeeaallllly low gearing or reeeeaaaallllyy wrong tach, I think...

[B16CXHatch]

the old tach was reading too low in Higher RPM's particularly. My motor has an 8000RPM Redline, but the autometer was showin it hittin the rev limiter at 7600. My new EX cluster (which should definitely be right) reads 8200 where my old one read 7500 and not hit the limiter yet (didn't mean to rev it that far, I had no clue I was revving it that high on my old tach). I had both tachs running at once to confirm the inaccuracy.

And yes, the B16 transmission has ridiculously tight gearing. My new tach which is reading correctly, actually showed me 2,000RPM at 28MPH in 4th. Habit from my old car actually keeps me from shifting usually until 35 but there are many areas that I shift at 30MPH into 5th. 2,000RPm at 35MPH in 4th was what my old 95 Civic EX Coupe with the stock D16Z6 did.

[88HF]

hey nice car. My 88 integra used to run high Rpms like that on the interstate. Kinda sucked. Thats why they need a 6th gear like the rsx. But I'm not sure if the RSX 6th lowers rpms that much on the interstate either.

[Dave1215]

What transmission are you running? YS1? I use to have a 88 crx with a b16a1 and barely pulled 20 mpg so you're still doing better than I was. I really don't know what to say those V-Tec engines love to eat gas. Good luck on getting better mileage out of that beast I hope you get it =]