pmjr0987

so a new question to ask im researching my 01 civic ex on what to expect etc i haven't put it on the road yet but planned on it this week coming up its going to be replacing my regal GS as DD

My regal gets about 17 mpg town which shoudl just about double from what the mpg rating is on the civic. But on the highway cruising at 80-90 mpg im getting a steady 25 mpg.

I see this car likes to rev and the EX transmission has shorter 1st and 5th gears than LX models, is this right? at 60 mph its looking like im getting about 3000 rpm. im scared to think what this car is going to do on the highway. traffics always flowing about 80 mph on the highways and im used to passing cars at that speed while still getting over 25 mpg.

what kind of gas mileage can i expect from this civic on the highway revving at 4,000 rpm plus for hours? am i just asking too much of this car keeping an 80+ mph pace going, or will it still see over 30 mpg on the highway at those speeds? if not the huge power loss im taking switching to the civic wont be worth it

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I rev at about 3-4000 all the time and I do about 25-30mpg constantly. If I slow down to 60mph I can get 34-36.

MatthaiN

iTrader: (1)

Honda motors are built to turn at higher RPM's. You wont really be sacrificing all that much MPG at those speeds. It will depend entirely on how the car has been maintained and whether or not it will need anything. When I had my 97' EX, I was getting about 30 MPG at 80 MPH on the free ways for my 130 mile commute between my college town and home. You will also save a lot more in town too.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

Low 40ish mpg is just about best out engines will do under the most ideal conditions

pmjr0987

Thanks yea the town mpg is the main reason why im switching up to a civic. stop and go etc the regal gets 16 mpg pretty constant with its ratings but the highway i can do 70 or i can do 100 it gets 25 mpg at those speeds. 60 mph in top gear is about 1400 rpms lmao. this will take some getting used to! I plan to take it to myrtle beach next month so im just trying to find out what to expect for the 750 mile trip

MindBomber

Drive 60-65mph and you'll burn less half as much fuel, it's not just about the length of the gears, wind resistance increases exponentially with speed.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

when i did a paper about aerodynamics (back when i was an aerospace engineer major) i found that having a properly waxed/washed car gave you 7-12% increase in mpg according to reseach and studies.

pretty amazing.... wind is a very very bad enemy

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

? Up north, from my way from canada i hit 44MPG. (65 max speed, so i came at 70MPH)
when max speed upped to 70MPG, i hit 42MPG at mostly 78MPH. car full of stuff in the trunk and rear seat.
naturally, releasing the throttle during downhills do wonders.

lazlong

About 25 mpg. If you're smooth and can keep it at 3400-3500 you can expect 33-35 with the A/C on. At 4000rpm you can also expect an eventual headgasket failure.

pmjr0987

dam that sucks, who the hell wants to drive 65 mph on the highway! 25 mpg... man i hope not lol. cars going on the road in a few hours first this im going to do is fill the tank and take it on a little trip and then fill it again and see what it gets.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Been there, done that with the head gasket failure. I rev 4000 all the time and I've replaced it once roughly 30k miles ago. I'm just waiting for it to happen again now because my driving habits haven't changed. I do agree with this information though.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

hey tom, how much did it cost when u got your headgasket replaced? or did you do it yourself?

MindBomber

Tom did his himself, he's actually put quite a bit of work into a couple DIY articles on the subject.

Gear had Honda do it for him.

(hope you don't my answering a question directed at you Tom)

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

holy crap. i just looked at his diy. it looks like it'll take way too much time.

how long does a HG usually last? i have 144k on civic. mostly commuting.

MindBomber

Depends how high you rev, but in 225-300k kilometers seems to be the average range.

I don't think it really would take that long for you Sl33py, you're pretty experienced. I bet Josh could do it in two hours he has so much practice at it.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

ok, last thread jacking question...i promise

did tom (or whoever did it) get his head milled??? did he get a compression check afterward? i am curious. do u have to get it milled/compression checked?

lazlong

No but, it's cheap insurance. Plus you would have to do the labor all over again if you get it back together and the heads need to be milled/checked

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

mine was not over4heating, just loosing coolant, so i did not mill the head and is working fine. Josh would have taken less time if not for the surprises :P

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

No, I cheaped out, and risked it. I never did get my head checked or milled. However, you have to be extremely careful when you put the head back on the block because the surfaces that mate have to be completely clean. All the old gasket has to be removed. The other thing to consider is that aluminum is a very very soft alloy. Which means that your method of cleaning the surfaces has to be proper. The absolute best method is a die grinder with a soft plastic attachment designed for aluminum. They call it aluminum safe. I cheaped out on that too. I used a 2x4 with 1500 grit sandpaper and evenly rubbed the surface until all the gasket was gone. I got lucky because everything is okay and my problems are resolved. I do recommend getting the head milled but it's totally up to you. And yes it is a big job. No compression test afterward but my car runs like brand new.

It took me a total of 3 days, working at it about 5-6 hours a day Taking my time, and learning as I went.

Head gasket should last a very long time depending on how you drive and if you let it overheat by missing other problems and not doing maintenance. Mine went at 80k because I missed a leaking thermostat and failed to check my coolant levels regularly Which I do now.

I have around 110k on the car now. Maybe more, don't feel like converting Km to miles.

It cost me a total of 700 dollars but I replaced a bunch of stuff:

Timing belt
Power steering belt
accessory belt
head gasket
manifold gasket
intake manifold gasket
water pump
timing belt tensioner

a bunch of other odds and ends while i was in there, and its more expensive in Canada, you can do it for around 450 yourself in the states doing all the same maintenance I did.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I just went over my DIY again... heh, not bad for removal.. however it does not go over removing the fuel rail and injectors... That's always fun.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

JEEEEEZE......replaced at 80km?!??!?!

i have 231,745km (144k miles) on my car and it seems to be holding up ok.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

noo 80k miles, it was around 140k km

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

JEEZE 80k miles ??? I am not looking forward for the hg to take a dump.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Keep an eye on your coolant, make sure it never gets low and bleed air out of the system every once in a while and you really shouldn't ever have to replace your HG.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Poor newb got his thread all hijacked.. lol

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

It happens, LOL

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

you can do that when you carry the banning hammer

jk.

its good useful info anyways

he's prob learning something as well

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ LOL

true..

pmjr0987

lol

maybe we can use this as an open discussion about highway mpg and whats the best speed to maintain. obviously 55 would be the best, but where does the mpg really start to nose dive because 2,000 miles at 55 mph while everyone's blowing past me will get old quick! would 75 mph be ok? i will trade off an hour of travel time to get 35+ mpg that would be fantastic.

and if u want to talk about HG's please help me out on my other thread posted in the problems forum

got2run5

Even going 75 in an ex with shorter gears than an LX/DX I still get over 30 mpg.