There was so much more I could have done after-market to enhance my 1974 Civic than 2000 5-speed Insight.
On the 1974 Civic: I could have added:
- a vaccum gague
- a tachometer
- if one could be found, an after-market MPG computer instead of a vaccum gague
- electronic ignition
- Muffler bypass to improve fuel economy (I sound hypocritical after slamming "fart pipes"
)
It woudl be harder to upgrade the Insight, but here it is:
- Installing the MIMA
- If it works, cryo-freeze the engine
- After the catalitic converter, but before the muffler, have a bypass valve so on the highway a slight improvement in fuel economy could be realized.
- This is controversial: put a fogger in the air intake (read: vapor injector) to improve fuel economy. Not a "set and forget" accessory.
- Replacing the rear tires with narrower ones to reduce rolling resistance. Idealy, they would wear out at about the same rate as the front tires that have that bear more weight and propel the Insight.
- Replacing the seats with a high-grade lawn-chair type of seat. It would allow for breathing to the extent fans could be attached to reduce the A/C load in the summer. Should be lighter, and it should be easy to make a seat more comfortable than the OEM Insight's!
- An engine block heater (and one for the catalitic converter) to reduce winter warm-up time.
- May be impractical - may be dreaming: replace the OEM IMA with the 2006 Civic's. It deliver's/generaters more power.
- Have a remote that would go beyond locking and security. It would roll down window and put the fans on max (great in during Texas summers). It could turn anything on except engage the drive.
- Been told this is not worth it: Add another batter pack for a possible plug-in capability. Coupled with MIMA, this might reduce gasoline consumption.
- Need a electrical engineer for this one: upgrade the dashboard so data can be downloaded to PC - change defaults.
Many of these upgrades would probably work well on the Civic and Accord.