festiva 4 speed auto conversion

[htchbck]

Green Car, our '93GL auto has had several tanks over 35, and averages around 31. Those are all going strictly off the odometer, which reads about 4% low with the tires we have, so the average is really a little over 32. But thats with a completely rebuilt Aspire motor that has just hit 10K. My old '90LX auto was averaging 30 with a best of 33.2, it had about 180K on it.

* all numbers are in 'merican numbers so Geneva can read them

[Skrapbob]

I am getting 29-32 MPG around and highway driving only brings it down some unless I find a vehicle to follow ti break the air stream.

[Damkid]

festiva 4 speed auto conversion

Jeez you guys should drive my festiva for a week then try and complain about 36mpg :lol:

[Advancedynamix]

Both my auto festivas (89 and 93) get roughly 28-32mpg on average with mixed city/highway driving.

[Movin]

Jeez you guys should drive my festiva for a week then try and complain about 36mpg :lol:

Nothing like being at the top of the list!!

[Bert]

Ok...for us US guys....can you do the math for us or me and tell me what the MPG are for your Auto and your 5 speed..

Imperial gallon is 1.2 times more than a US gallon. Therefore dividing Imperial mpg by 1.2 should equate US mpg. In that case best I could ever accomplish with an auto was 36 USmpg and I managed 42 USmpg in a 5 speed over a 100 mile perfect highway run in 2011. One of these days I'll try to drive careful enough to see what an Aspire-swapped Festy can do.

[Spike]

I once got 36.6 MPG over three tanks of PURE GAS. Then everything went back down. I average somewhere between 32-34, 100% floored (regular ethanol 87). The poor guy's usually at 3500+ RPM, and 5000+ on hills (I haven't driven a manual - but when you 'foot to the floor, hard' an automatic, it increases its RPMs by around 2-3k, sort of an.. 'underdrive'?). I drive this way because.. well, I have no excuse. It's just entertaining to keep up with traffic.

Although I've never tested pure city driving (I like in rural Indiana), I drove it 200 miles roundtrip in the middle of the night once, never going over 45MPH. Somehow, my MPG actually went down, to 29. I was really easy on it, too. Sometimes I think the guy just lived with abuse for 200k miles, and won't accept any kindness. :p

[fezzy]

OK I'm back.
I took my festy off the road for about a year or so, it's back on and starts first up, not a worry.
Wish it had that 4th gear though, but I'll live with it for now.

Re-read this post and forgot about the suggestions regarding all this emission sensor stuff.
There is a "growl" like a sore throat sound when slightly upping the revs manually with the hood up.

As a spare car when I'm buying and selling in between, this car is kept out of the weather, so it's looked after while not on the road.

So my question/s now is,
1a. Has a 1300 to 1500 conversion been done ?
1b. Is it as simple as changing crank/rods and pistons ?

2. It leaks exhaust from front part of exhaust pipe, sounds like a "frt".
If I go the way of new custom exhaust, what size/diameter is better than original stock diameter exhaust pipe ?

3. Rims and tyres, I'm thinking of putting wider steel rims and tyres, any suggestions ?

Yes, I *know* economically to consider getting another later model Festiva all together.
This will do just fine till I find another one at a good price.
Preferably 5 speed 1500, any condition within reason.

Thanks

[TominMO]

Filled with fuel today, numbers are, 30.8 litres at 310 kilometres.
Has power steering, air/con and mainly city driving.
Is this the average fuel usage for this model car or is better expected?
Thanks.

If you are doing mainly city driving, I'm not sure that the expense and hassle of converting to a 4-speed auto would be worth the effort. I'm am also inclined to say, get larger tires to alter engine RPMs. Yes you would take a hit in city driving, but it would be made up on the hwy. I think the largest tire size you could fit, from my experimentation on this, would be about a 24" diameter. 185/70x14 is 24.2", for example, and would work fine. 175/80x13 is 24.02" diameter. Any larger and you will hit the fender or rear inner body panel on the front; on the rear, you might need wheel spacers, depending on the width and offset of the wheels you are using. I strongly recommend studs vs. lug bolts, if your car does not have them already.