gas saving with hand controls.
 

Well after being shot in the back last feb i have had to install hand contols in my honda civic ex automatic. It has all the maintance done to it and it runs perfect i have 40psi in all 4 tires and i average about 32mpg which is not bad but as a previous vx owner i want more, What are somethings i am overlooking that might help? I have been looking at a ultra gauge but i am waiting and hopeing the price goes down on them.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Shot in the back???? Hope you're ok. Wow. Sorry but that totally distracted me from the original intent of your post.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Yeah im still trying to recover i have a spinal cord injury at t10.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

This guy may have some insight.
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=11511
He lost a leg but wanted to continue using manual transmissions, so he was looking at hand controls to allow his remaining leg to operate the clutch pedal.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Sorry to hear that man. I wish you a speedy and full recovery.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

silversol,

I am the member that holycow was referring to. I have a few ideas.

1. If your 99 civic has a TCM (a computer that controls the shift solenoids and torque converter lockup), I think you could work out a way to manually override it (with buttons on the steering wheel) so that you could force it to upshift at low rpms and immediately lock up the torque converter. You couldn't get rid of the added drag of the transmission's ATF pump, but you should get closer to to efficiency of a manual transmission in city driving.

2. Maybe you could swap a final drive set with a better ratio into the transmission (assuming you could find a set that would fit)

3. Try a warm air intake and a hotter thermostat

4. If you have a big budget, there is a company that makes the Drivematic automatic clutch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApQ_f0btB50

I called them a few years ago and they charged about $9K to install it- they would not sell the parts outright. This could enable you to get another VX.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Thanks for the insite eric! Yeah my budget is not that big and i dont have use of either of my legs to attempt to drive a stick shift. the tcm and sterring wheel shifter sounds like a good idea! My budget is streched I also have a fully restored 67 mustang that im going to install power sterring and power disk breaks to make it safer to operate with hand controls.

I have thought about finding another vehicle but this little honda civic saved my life so i have grown attached to it, To those wondering i was dating a girl with a ex boy friend that was upset i was dateing this young lady. So insted of talking to me he slased one of my tires in the parking lot, But when i got in my car and tried to leave he shot at my car 6 times with a .45. Lucaly my civic was cold and the high idel at the cold start i was able to get almost a mile away!

https://www.fuelly.com/attachments/fo...d88fbe7ca1.jpg

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Please tell me that guy is rotting in jail.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

^^^ yep 40 years with a min of 25 years to serve.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

It's good to hear about the justice system working...usually we only hear about it when it doesn't work.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Wow! Good to hear you're still with us. Consolidate your trips to get/keep the engine warm & avoid mileage-killing short drives. Best speeds are the lowest you can keep the torque converter locked - usually high 30s to low 40s. Coast as much as possible, in neutral if you can do so safely. Most people are still on the gas half a block from stop signs. I'm coasting 3-4 blocks to the same stop sign.

Most important, keep your speeds down. Cruising at 70-80 mph is 30 mpg or less. Cruising at 60 mph is 40 mpg or better.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

I came across this about a month ago.
https://ecomodder.com/wiki/index.php/...nverter_Lockup
Aside from actually getting to the wires, it's a simple mod.

Not mentioned on that page, but in the discussion, is that with the TC locked up there might not be enough fluid following to the cooler. A way to monitor the transmission temps would be prudent. The scangauge should be able to do so.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

^^^ Thanks for that link. I put in 8 gallons today fearing gas prices would go up over the weekend. With a mix of atlanta city driving and hwy driving at around 70mph I was able to get 32mpg! Not bad but I know it can do better. I have been looking around at a scangauge/ultra gauge I just can bring myself to spend the money, What kinda results are you guys getting with them?

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

IMHO, cooling shouldn't be an issue since most of the heat in an auto trans is created by a slipping torque converter. Locking up the converter should eliminate this heat source. But yes- I agree that monitoring fluid temps would be the safest thing to do.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

Consider the TurboGauge IV too. I recently found out about it.
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=13848

I'm not sure I can quantify exactly how my SGII affected my results. I had my best results ever with it, and I believe I couldn't have done as well without it.

Entry dated 3/20/1999 appears to be where I began using the SG.
https://www.gassavers.org/garage/viewgaslog/1399
I apologize for my verbosity back then, I think I'm more concise now.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

It's mostly the instant feedback. Seeing how driving style effects fuel economy in real time has more affect on the driver than seeing the results once a tank.

I didn't have the SGII in the Prius, but the built fuel economy gauges helped me.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

The instantaneous feed back helps alot. You don't have to wait until a fill up to see the results of a mod or technique. All cars should have a basic, easy to read, display.

Since I've used the SGII from the get go with the HHR, it's hard to quantify how much it is responsible for. Consider that driving behavior can have an impact of 30% or even more, though. These gauges make the driver more aware of their behavior.

Re: gas saving with hand controls.
 

I've found the current trip average to be more useful than instantaneous. Instantaneous really can't tell you how well something is working, it's too depend on too many transient variables.

Even current trip average isn't good enough to declare something a success or failure, it's just good enough to give some encouragement to continue trying something for a few tanks.