Decided I could keep the z28, new question/problem

[xinthenight]

Okay, so I was very close to having to sell the camaro and buying a honda since I had to quit my job to go to college. I was able to work out a few things and keep the camaro.

Now a new problem is here. I'll be starting a new job after the summer and it requires a lot of driving. I do not want to have a DD and a camaro parked for the weekend, I only want one car. Since I will be driving a lot I figured out I needed to get 20-21 MPG with about half and half city/highway driving in order to not be losing(a lot actually) of money from the driving.

Right now the car is stock, 94 z28 with a LT1. I get about 17 MPG right now when I take it easy. If I was to get a upgraded exhaust, cold air intake, and maybe a 200-300 pound weight reduction could I come close to the 20-21 MPG mark? What all mods can I do to boost MPG up some, but not slow the car down as I've had the worst thoughts about driving a 4 banger

[Wesman]

I think its going to be difficult to average 20-21MPG with an LT1 with half of the driving being city. I think your best bet would be to get full intake and exhaust, and possibly headers. Then get it dyno tuned. The engine should be running as efficient as possible at that point.

Is the car auto or manual?? If you do all those mods and you still can't manage 20MPG, you could try swapping out the rear for some 2.73's out of an auto if your car is M6.

I wouldn't waste your money buying a Honda, especially an older one with higher mileage. They are prone to repairs just like any other car, difference is that they can be quite expensive to fix. And not only that, but their engines are gutless, which takes all the fun out of driving and makes getting onto the interstate or passing a pain. I think you would end up regretting your decision.

Another option people often consider is getting a "sporty" Honda, like an RSX or Civic Si. They think that since its a 4 cylinder, it will get good fuel economy. Problem with that is its a "performance" 4 cylinder, and getting 200HP out of a 2.0L requires just as much fuel as getting 200HP out of any other engine. So you still end up only averaging low 20's for fuel economy, and you are hardly any farther ahead then you were before, except now your car is slow and ugly.

[xinthenight]

I think its going to be difficult to average 20-21MPG with an LT1 with half of the driving being city. I think your best bet would be to get full intake and exhaust, and possibly headers. Then get it dyno tuned. The engine should be running as efficient as possible at that point.

Is the car auto or manual?? If you do all those mods and you still can't manage 20MPG, you could try swapping out the rear for some 2.73's out of an auto if your car is M6.

I wouldn't waste your money buying a Honda, especially an older one with higher mileage. They are prone to repairs just like any other car, difference is that they can be quite expensive to fix. And not only that, but their engines are gutless, which takes all the fun out of driving and makes getting onto the interstate or passing a pain. I think you would end up regretting your decision.

Another option people often consider is getting a "sporty" Honda, like an RSX or Civic Si. They think that since its a 4 cylinder, it will get good fuel economy. Problem with that is its a "performance" 4 cylinder, and getting 200HP out of a 2.0L requires just as much fuel as getting 200HP out of any other engine. So you still end up only averaging low 20's for fuel economy, and you are hardly any farther ahead then you were before, except now your car is slow and ugly.

The honda I was going to be getting was a 92 or a 93 civic sedan with a 96 H22a swap. It was fairly quick for what I expected out of a honda, and the fastest honda i've seen in person. It gets about 26-27 MPG on premium, but it still has low torque and I'd pick torque over HP any day.

The camaro is a m6.

I was thinking about headers as well to go along with the exhaust, I'm just curious to how much of a pain it is to put them on. I know I could put the exhaust on in my autobody shop but I'm not sure if the instructor would allow me to do the headers.

In about 2-3 weeks I'll have my bills cought back up and I'll be able to get back into working on the car. I'm trying to find time when someone is home to help me get the hood off to make a mold of it and make a fiberglass hood to lose some weight. My goal is to lose at least 200 pounds after all of the weight reduction is done.