Hey all. You know the JDM bB comes with a 1.3L engine standard.
We here all get the up-sized, fuel-thirsty 1.5L version.

What if (and I do me if), the engine could be downsized. Would you sacrifice acceleration in exchange for super gas milage in city and flatland driving?

I bet: my stripped xB, which carries only me on flat roads here in Fl, would be verrrry happy with a tiny engine.

In fact, I know I would not mind a smaller engine. I drove a 20HP Model T in town for 25k miles... it weighed the same as a stock xB. I had no trouble keeping up with the traffic here.

Only on I-95 did I get passed a lot. But then again, I could only do about 50- 55mph in that 80 year old car.

A 70hp xB would be like.... a rrrrrrrace car, by my standards. I'd like to get 40mpg in city driving.

How can I shrink displacement? (semi serious question)
Would you have an xB with a 1.1 L engine?

 

No. I need my precious few horses.

I don't think I would go with any less power regardless of the fuel economy.

 

I had an 87 nova with 84bHP and 42mpg. Yes, I could do it.

 

I live in the mountains and hills of WV, a smaller engine would be very depressing.

 

Hondas with the CVCC engines are rumored to have 55 mpg, but only 55 hp. My parents had a '77 wagon and a friend of mine is restoring another '77 hatchback. All I know is they had a 3 barrel carb and lots of vacuum hoses.

 

Wasn't this the precursor to the GEO line from Chevy? Figures, the only vehicles Chevy can sell that get better than 28 mpg are built by the Japanese.

 

yes, i'll take a smaller engine

its just a daily driver to and from work... no need to go fast

if i wanted to go fast id get an LS1 Camaro/Trans Am

 

Not a lot of long drives and open road in Japan, I guess.

I'm happy with the performance of my xB, but I don't think I'd be comfortable with less. I have to merge onto I-95 to go almost anywhere not local, and most of the local drives involve some fairly serious hills.

The xB is pretty close to the minimum, in terms of performance and access and interior capacity, that we could imagine living with for the next 10+ years. That's why we bought it.

RichC

 

if the gas prices reaches $4 a gallon, then i have to get one of those 1.1L if they made one...

 

Geo Prizm.. They're toyota corollas. That was the good old days before the japanese started making gas guzzlers too.

 

A 1.1L might have a difficult time in the hills and distances I traverse (remember, my driveway is second gear for 1/3 mile).

If I lived in a more urbanized flat area and used my xB as only urban transport (it's original reason for being) then a 1.1 might be just fine. Thing is most of the urban areas 'round here are NOT flat...

Considering that we often think of driving distances a bit differently in the western US than they are thought of in Japan or much of the eastern US, a 1.1L might be a bit of a hard sell, especially since we have minor hills that are taller than the "mountains" on the east coast.

Still, with increases in fuel prices I could live with a 1.1 so long as there was a really decent auto-transmission set to get the most from it.

 

I could do very well with say, even 50HP.

It's the torque curve that matters most to me. But with an automatic even that is of less than vital importance

(peak torque at relatively low rpms is a good thing for an underpowered car ... otherwise you're buzzing relatively more of the time)

-same gearing, same everything....gimme half the power or even less and I'd get some serious in-town mpg where I do almost all my driving. And on the highway? Whoooo-eee. Would not be so terribly far behind Prius.

Am ready, Scion/Toyota. I even hope (sort of) for 6 buck gasoline just to.... get all the #@* hummers off our roads.

 

Just drive it slower. Super slow accel can make a difference. It's like the NRA and rappers say: It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...

maybe look into a CNG conversion?

The way I see it, Time = Money. I'll give up a few MPGs in place of a few MPHs. Some are willing to go the other way...