Introduction: Part 1
Nearly a decade ago, in the days of the Great Recession gas price shock, I found myself facing a conundrum: I had a very long commute, more than fifty miles each way; I had a reasonably efficient 2005 Honda Civic EX that returned mid-30s MPG; but I was still spending more than I wanted to on fuel. Was it possible, I wondered, to modify my car in such a way that its fuel economy would improve? I still have a fondness for 7th-gen Civics, logic be damned. I wasn’t the only person asking this, of course. Every time gas prices rise a slew of news outlets and blogs are more than happy to publish articles on getting the best gas mileage out of an existing car. Advice tends to range from the basic but useful (e.g. clean out your car so you aren’t carrying around extra junk all the time) to outright falsities (wash and wax it to reduce aerodynamic drag). I was interested in something more. I didn’t keep unnecessary items in my car, I kept close to the speed limit, I grouped errands together s...