Anyone knows how economical the VTEC 1.6 found in the 5th gen Si (hatch, in my case) is?

According to EPA's fuel economy numbers... it sucks. In fact, the EPA mileage difference between the Si and non-VTEC 1.5s is so important that I'm thinking they perhaps were not driving the Si gently enough during their tests. Opinions?

Since the Si isn't significantly heavier than another hatch AND it has a more efficient engine, my reasoning is that if you're very easy on the gas pedal, mileage shouldn't be worse (and could even be better) than what a 1.5 gets... but that's not what official numbers say.

(I'm probably getting a 92-95 hatch and I've narrowed it down to two cars, both in good condition... a CX with the 8v 1.5 (70 hp), and a Si. That car is going to be my daily driver for a lot of highway miles... and it's likely to remain stock... so performance is quite secondary to mileage)

Thanks a lot!!!

 

There are "many" factors that can influence fuel economy. The Si versions of the Civic are generally considered the high performance models, aren't they? That being the case, I'm not sure I'd expect one to get the mileage that a "lesser" (?) model would normally achieve.

I've got an '04 S2000 that's EPA'd at 20 city and 25 highway. In my local driving, which usually works out to 30% highway driving per tank of fuel, I have no problems getting into the 25 mpg range. I've taken a couple of long trips in the car and easily approach 30 mpg (upper 29's at least) on the freeway, cruising 70 to 75 mph, top up. My all time high of 36.6 was achieved up in the Colorado mountains, above 8000' and averaging 35 to 40 mph, driving easy on twisty mountain roads.

So, the potential for really good gas mileage is there, even in a car like the S2000 which isn't sold as an economy car like the Civic is. Driven properly, I see no reason why the Si shouldn't deliver exceptional economy but the ultimate numbers can vary greatly depending on traffic, terrain, driving style, condition of the car, etc. One thing I have noticed through the years, and I mean no insult here, it that most folks I've met who "think" they drive in an economical manner, really don't. The driver is, by my experience at least, the biggest factor in economical driving!

FWIW!

Best of luck,
Steve R.

 

I think that that's the fact--driver input is key for mileage, and I've always found it easy to exceed the EPA estimates.

One tip is to always drive smoothly, another is to always maintain an average speed, even in traffic. This also decreases wear on the vehicle. Here's a great site, with some fun ideas on how to deal with traffic, too:

http://www.amasci.com/amateur/traffic/traffic1.html

This all really works. Try it out at your next traffic jam. Turn up the tunes, mellow out, and have fun passing the tailgaters as you chill out, in control of the situation--all the while racking up some terrific MPG figures.

(One question: how do you drive an S2000 gently on curvy mountain roads? Gadzooks! Was it snowing?)

 

It may be more efficient for power to fuel ratio (I don't know)

But miles to fuel has many factors. When an engine flows more air it uses more fuel, also higher compression engines require more fuel.

The econo models of the civic have low compression and move less air which means they require less fuel but in turn create less power.

Your ideas are WAY OFF. Sorry dude. I have an S and I have tried to make the best mileage I can get with gas prices and the best I can do in it is 28mpg on the highway.

On the other hand my Honda Shadow 600 is getting 65mpg