Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: 1 year with my 2014 DE 5 speed

  1. #1
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts

    1 year with my 2014 DE 5 speed

    Ahhh, its been just over 1 year with my 2014 Mirage DE 5 speed manual. Its been an interesting year as well, with lots of mods and fun with the car. I'd like to do a recap and share my thoughts on this car as I've used it over the past year.

    My Mirage just a few minutes after purchasing it.





    I got the Mirage in December of 2017. I had been watching it on craiglist as the dealer slowly lowered the price more and more. Finally, he dropped it enough, and I went and picked it up one day with Spork (who had been bugging me to get one after she got hers). The Mirage replaced a 2004 Honda Civic DX which I had been driving for the past 6 months. The Civic replaced a 2001 Honda Insight that I had been driving for about 6 months. The Insight replaced a 1999 Chevy Metro (1.0L hatch) that I had been driving (and fixing) for 2 years. I share this because I'd like to give an idea of where I am coming from. Coming from that background, I was very excited to get the Mirage. It fits right in my wheel house of small cars that get good mileage.

    However, I would like to go over my dislikes and negative aspects of the car first as there really aren't many.

    I really did not like the handling when I first got the Mirage. I had driven a 2015 that Mitusbishi had loaned me for a week with the CVT. The 2015 had slightly revised suspension vs my early 2014 model. I decided if I was going to daily drive this car, I wanted something a bit more sporty. That is when I went ahead and designed the rear sway bars that I now sell. This substantially changed the way the car handles, and makes it still soak up bumps like a champ, but now it doesn't wallow around corners like a 70s caddy. I still really would like to try out some stiffer springs and I think I'll probably get either a set of Eibach or H&R springs for it come spring time.

    Other than that, the only repair and/or problem I had was the heater core that I had to replace. The heater core ended up being plugged with some blue gooey substance. It was a cheap fix, but wow it took a long time to do.

    Now, lets move on to the positive things about the car as there are many.



    Number one has to be the great fuel economy. I daily drive my car 14 miles to work, and 14 miles home each day on country roads. I hit a max of 50 mph. It is the dead of winter right now and I am getting a very nice 45+ mpg. Granted, I do have several modifications that help increase fuel economy. But, none the less, this is impressive to me.

    Next up, is the power it has. I know most reviewers nag on this one big time. Its sooooooo slow they say. Well, I don't find myself 'needing' to floor it... ever. It always has plenty of power. If I am flooring it, its just for fun. Is it fast? Heck, no. But, it is plenty fine for daily commuting. That being said, I am working on a nitrous oxide system for it, but that is really just a fun tinkering project. I don't anticipate using it that often.

    I gotta add this one, because I love to tinker. This car has been awesomely reliable. Its also very easy to work on this car. It been so much fun messing around with and modifying this car. The last car I really spent time doing any real work on was the Metro. About 3/4 of my time was spent fixing the dang thing, and the remaining 1/4 was spent doing fun things to it. It is so refreshing and nice to have a car I don't have to worry about fixing.

    Initially, I wasn't sure how long I would keep the Mirage. I kept talking to Darin about possibly flipping it and going back to the Insight which I still have. I got a screaming good deal on it, and the possibility of a few thousand dollars of profit wasn't out of the question. Alas, I have kept it and I am very happy with that decision. I look forward to future mods, and more fun with it as I tinker and probably eventually break stuff... and then fix it.

    My Mirage as I left work yesterday.

    Name:  IMG_20190114_160324600_HDR.jpg
Views: 940
Size:  100.2 KB

    You can see a list of my current modifications in my garage. But, I'll also list them below for those who can't be bothered to click a link.


    Wheels & tires
    12/17 - Sport Edition D5 wheels
    12/17 - Fuzion HRi - 185/60 R14 @ 50 psi

    Body & exterior
    1/18 - Coroplast lower grill block
    6/18 - MirageForum decal
    8/18 - LED running lights
    12/18 - 3d printed upper grill block

    Interior
    12/17 - Disabled automatic air conditioning
    12/17 - Glove box light
    1/18 - OEM cruise control

    In car entertainment
    12/17 - Scangauge II
    6/18 - 3d printed SGII mount

    Under the hood
    12/17 - Kats 1000W circulating block heater
    1/18 - Group 24 deep cycle battery
    11/18 - Warm Air Intake (WAI)

    Suspension
    1/18 - Rear sway bar


    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Daox For This Useful Post:

    Cobrajet (01-15-2019),fc321 (01-23-2019),MetroMPG (01-25-2019),Top_Fuel (01-15-2019)

  3. #2
    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    3,699
    Thanks
    2,582
    Thanked 2,537 Times in 1,471 Posts
    I'm embarrassed to say that I have your sway bar and glovebox light...but I haven't installed either one of them yet! They're both on the "To Do" list (along with my arm rest) as soon as it warms up.

    I think you did everyone a huge favor with your heater core work. I'm convinced that every Mirage that's still under warranty not only needs a 4-wheel alignment check, but a test of the heater output temps!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


  4. The Following User Says Thank You to Top_Fuel For This Useful Post:

    Daox (01-15-2019)

  5. #3
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    Thanks. The heater core was a big job. I still have to get to testing that sludge stuff too to see if there is an easy way to just flush it. So many fun projects, so little time.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  6. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,421
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 456 Times in 308 Posts
    What's that protruding black round thing on the front under the headlight?

  7. #5
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    Its a plug receptical for plugging in my block heater.

    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Daox For This Useful Post:

    MetroMPG (01-25-2019),Pryme (01-23-2019)

  9. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    SW, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    7,401
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 2,688 Times in 2,106 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Daox View Post
    Its a plug receptical for plugging in my block heater.
    I just ordered an engine block heater. Could you tell us more about your plug receptacle?
    Price?
    Purchase place?
    Did you drill a hole to install it?

    Thanks!

  10. #7
    Senior Member Alex1a1f's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Portland, Oregon
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,541
    Thanks
    754
    Thanked 926 Times in 520 Posts
    Just installed this in a friend's car... cheap and easy.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-1...d/273098992329
    (blank signature)

  11. #8
    Administrator Daox's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Germantown, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    4,999
    Thanks
    2,892
    Thanked 1,804 Times in 1,017 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    I just ordered an engine block heater. Could you tell us more about your plug receptacle?
    Price?
    Purchase place?
    Did you drill a hole to install it?

    Thanks!
    The current price is $16.95 on Amazon.

    NOCO Black GCP1 13 Amp 125V AC Port Plug with Integrated Extension Cord


    Yeah, you gotta drill a hole. I think I used a 1-7/8" hole saw. It was a snug fit, I think I had to take a file to it to open it up a little. The listing says to use a 2" hole.
    Custom Mirage products: Cruise control kit, Glove box light, MAF sensor housing, Rear sway bar, Upper grill block

    Current project: DIY Nitrous oxide setup for ~$100

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage DE 1.2 manual: 47.2 mpg (US) ... 20.1 km/L ... 5.0 L/100 km ... 56.7 mpg (Imp)


  12. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    SW, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    7,401
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 2,688 Times in 2,106 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Daox View Post
    The current price is $16.95 on Amazon.

    NOCO Black GCP1 13 Amp 125V AC Port Plug with Integrated Extension Cord


    Yeah, you gotta drill a hole. I think I used a 1-7/8" hole saw. It was a snug fit, I think I had to take a file to it to open it up a little. The listing says to use a 2" hole.
    Thanks for the info. Not sure I want to cut a hole in front & tap three screws in. I'll have to give that more thought. It doesn't look bad on your black car, however.

  13. #10
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,421
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 456 Times in 308 Posts
    That looks like a electric car with the cord plugged in



Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •