Gas Mileage

w0158981 · Post by **w0158981** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:18 pm

So looking to beef up the gas mileage, i drive to school for an hour and back every day and end up in traffic along the way, anyway with gas goin up the hole in my wallet keeps getting bigger so i need to improve gas mileage here what i've herd:
CAI- helps, i got on so were good there

MSD coil pack and new wires, spark plugs- help? duno if true
UDP- helps horsepower saving gas??

any other ideas would help alot guys thanks

HairyRodent · Post by **HairyRodent** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:43 pm

w0158981 wrote: CAI- helps, i got on so were good there

Apparently a WAI benefits fuel consumption too, not sure where I read it, but it might be worth looking into.

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm_air_intake

That's where I read it.

01WhiteNe0n · Post by **01WhiteNe0n** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:15 pm

If you are tight on money..
Take the 100 dollars you'd spend on an intake and spend it on gas... Thats more mileage of gas you'll save then from your intake most likely unless you use it for many many years...

Go buy new stock plugs, oil change, Fuel inj cleaner and you should be set.

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:35 pm

UDP would help, if you picked one up cheap. Don't know what the gains are, but over time it should pay for itself. Stock tires wider means more mass, wind resistance. You can go narrowere than stock, but then you sacrifice saftey. CAI will not help as the theory behind it is for colder/denser air = more fuel to compensate. good for power, bad for mileage. If there is any kind of longer duration spark or multiple spark discharge available that would help but the cost would kill any advantage. The MSD coil is the same as the stock unit.

TN.Frank · Post by **TN.Frank** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:50 pm

Main thing that I find is that if I can keep my foot out of it I get way better gas mileage then if I race all over the place. Problem is, I like to race but I still manage 26mpg in town.

aperson · Post by **aperson** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:10 pm

The CAI may help. Colder air + more fuel= power, if you can get that power down low and keep the RPM low then it should help. I'd take out the resonator box if you haven't already, I noticed and immediate increase in power and throttle response as well as better mileage. Also hows the air filter look? If its time for a new one I'd scrap the CAI and get a stock replacement K&N and get rid of the resonator box.

HairyRodent · Post by **HairyRodent** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:21 pm

Clean up your car (if it's cluttered) empty your trunk too. These things add weight that unnecessarily burn more gas.

The difference is slight, but every penny counts right?

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 11:23 pm

Like I said theory. I haven't found anything yet that has had an effect on gas mileage as far as intake, other than my foot. As long as I drive like a civilized person I can still average 32/40 mpg.

Also if you have access to electric where you park at home a block heater, even if tis one that splices into a heater hose, will help, as the engine warms up faster.

evilneon02 · Post by **evilneon02** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 7:00 am

cai will help and lowing ur car will help also. less wind resistances better gas milage.

hansken_yo · Post by **hansken_yo** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 10:19 am

Your gonna get what your gonna get and at best these things will either add or remove your average mpg by 1 or 2 that is hardly worth worrying about cause it will take months to see any sort of savings which won't be much at all.

Paul56 · Post by **Paul56** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:25 am

Assuming your car is running well with no outstanding maintenance issues the biggest immediate effect you can have on gas mileage is to adjust your driving habits.

Generally...

-lower your speed

-drive steady

-reduce brake use (drive ahead... see the taillights light up or you otherwise perceive a reduction in speed of the cars ahead? ...then let up on the fuel early rather than mash on the brake at the last minute)

-accelerate smoothly (pretend there is an egg shell between your foot and the fuel pedal)

You'll need to first determine what sort of gas mileage you are presently getting, make your adjustments, then determine the gas mileage again to see if there has been any effect.

Best way to increase gas mileage? Leave car at home and take the bus. Yes, I know... the bus sucks and isn't an option for many.

Good luck.

-Devil- · Post by **-Devil-** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:33 am

to do a mod .. just to increase gas milage ... you are looking at fuel usage over the next 3 to 5 years min to 'recoup' the cost of the mod ...

better just to make sure the car has a good oil change in it .. good plugs ... is clean .. and no unnesc weight in it ... (and on the weight issue, dont fill it completly up if you can ... go like with half a tank at a time) ...

the only 'mods' you will benefit from are the ones that do not cost you anything to do or change ..

if you have a standard ... use your clutch when you are coasting ... keep the rpm's as low as possible ...

HairyRodent · Post by **HairyRodent** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 6:39 am

-Devil- wrote:(and on the weight issue, dont fill it completly up if you can ... go like with half a tank at a time)

After a brief google search, I found this same advice, and an opponent to this as well.

The 2 arguments were that you wouldn't be saving that much gas by filling your tank only halfway; the additional trips to the pump further reduce the savings.

The second argument mentioned that over time, your tank will develop moisture and that this can kill a fuel pump (IIRC).

Also, paraphrasing that same site, reducing 100 lbs in your car improves gas mileage by 2% though I'd take this with a grain of salt.

Just another opinion.

-Rodent

Post by **occasional demons** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:59 am

Well as far as weight, mine can get 39-40 mpg hwy with just me in the car. with 3-4 ppl total that drops to 32-36. include city driving with passengers and I'm lookin' at about 29-30 mpg. So weight does play a major factor, altho 3 extra ppl add about 450-600+ pounds depending on the ppl. So 2% for 100 lbs. isn't too far fetched.

esteinmaier · Post by **esteinmaier** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:25 am

Pump up the tires to maximum recommended pressure. Rolling resistance of underinflated tires is HUGE. Whenever I go on road trips and it's not too hot out, I go 2 or 3 psi higher than the sidewall says. You're increasing the risk of a blowout if you do that, but on my last road trip, holding 85mph on average (With a few pulls to 130+) I got 29mpg. Imagine if I would have stuck to 55mph. I probably would have been close to 40.

nate-00neon · Post by **nate-00neon** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:53 am

is injector cleaner a good idea to add to the fuel once and awhile.

01neon01 · Post by **01neon01** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 8:24 pm

if you really want to get better mileage google up hypermiling. those people are crazy mothers and get insane mileage from their cars.

oklamopar · Post by **oklamopar** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:32 pm

Paul56 wrote:Assuming your car is running well with no outstanding maintenance issues the biggest immediate effect you can have on gas mileage is to adjust your driving habits.

Generally...

-lower your speed

-drive steady

-reduce brake use (drive ahead... see the taillights light up or you otherwise perceive a reduction in speed of the cars ahead? ...then let up on the fuel early rather than mash on the brake at the last minute)

-accelerate smoothly (pretend there is an egg shell between your foot and the fuel pedal)

You'll need to first determine what sort of gas mileage you are presently getting, make your adjustments, then determine the gas mileage again to see if there has been any effect.

Best way to increase gas mileage? Leave car at home and take the bus. Yes, I know... the bus sucks and isn't an option for many.

Good luck.

Couldn't have said it better myself..

drive ahead.....no Jack rabbit start. don't try to be the first across the intersection

2001 ACR · Post by **2001 ACR** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 2:41 pm

Are you driving a 3-spd auto or a 5spd manual? If the latter, shift gears as soon as you hit 3,500 rpm. I keep my car in 4th when going 35. You can't accelerate at all, but it really helps gas mileage as the RPM's are at 2k instead of 4k.

1badassneon · Post by **1badassneon** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:41 am

there are way to many factors that go into the gas milage.
the bigest is how you drive.

start with the tune up.. the coil will make no diff in MPG.

Wenuden · Post by **Wenuden** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:52 am

2001 ACR wrote:Are you driving a 3-spd auto or a 5spd manual? If the latter, shift gears as soon as you hit 3,500 rpm. I keep my car in 4th when going 35. You can't accelerate at all, but it really helps gas mileage as the RPM's are at 2k instead of 4k.

Rpm is not the only deciding factor in fuel consumption. You also have to look at gear ratios and load when determining where to cruise at for best mpg. Depending on gearing, there is a possibility running in 3rd at 35 will require less horsepower to maintain than 4th gear would. Someone who has more knowledge of gearing would have to speak up on that tho. I do know, tho, that my car does not like 4th gear at all at anything under 45.

gilly02le · Post by **gilly02le** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:12 pm

Tire pressure, and alignment will help you get a little better mileage as well

BlackRoseRacing · Post by **BlackRoseRacing** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 2:44 pm

So now that gas prices are hitting $4 a gallon, were talking about MPG now Vs HP

An unmodded choked up engine with bottom end torque is going to get better MPG than anything. You want to create an engine with a power band below 4K rpm. Granny shifting, double clutchin', keeping the revs under 3K rpm, coast to stops...

esteinmaier · Post by **esteinmaier** » Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:15 pm

Belly cover - reduce to a fraction the wind resistance under the car. Drill "Speed Holes" in the rear fascia with a 4" hole saw.

Reducing weight will improve city mileage, reducing wind resistance will improve highway mileage. If the car weighed 10 tons, your city mileage would be like 5mpg, but your sustained highway mileage would remain the same. Keep in mind which one of these best describes your normal driving habits.

Engine mods hardly ever improve mileage. Keep in mind that car makers are under huge pressure to produce high MPG ratings on their cars, and have already done everything legal and sensible to improve mileage. Chances are that their engineering team has already thought of the idea you are proposing, and if they didn't use a trick to get good mileage, that means it's expensive, and to add it aftermarket would be even more expensive. That means it's not worth doing.

The thinnest tires you can get will help, but driving with a stop under the throttle (Or driving like there's one there) will make the most difference. Always using the highest gear possible cruising does wonders.

Past that, you can remove PS, A/C, or safety features of your car, but then you have to decide if your convenience, comfort, or well-being is worth another 1/8 mpg.

kc2005ptgt · Post by **kc2005ptgt** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:57 pm

I improved gas milage by doing just three things...

1) drive below 3k RPMS always, shifting around 2500k
2) using less throttle at all times, meaning using your gears more
3) coasting, a lot, in gear down hills, long stretches of highway, etc.

This means you will most likely never see above 65 mph (at least in the 3.94 tranny) and taking your time, which also means you need to give yourself more time to get where you go.

jetas · Post by **jetas** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:13 pm

Just cruise to wherever it is you are going. Like it was said above. there is no need to rush everywhere. Ur only guna get there a lil sooner. Pretend your cruising aroound trying to pick up on chicks. n drive slow so they can see you.

Mach · Post by **Mach** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:44 am

occasional demons wrote:Well as far as weight, mine can get 39-40 mpg hwy with just me in the car. with 3-4 ppl total that drops to 32-36. include city driving with passengers and I'm lookin' at about 29-30 mpg. So weight does play a major factor, altho 3 extra ppl add about 450-600+ pounds depending on the ppl. So 2% for 100 lbs. isn't too far fetched.

40 mpg thats impressive. The best I've done is 33 mpg. How do you do it?

Post by **racer12306** » Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:52 am

I've achieved 37-40mpg on a trip with one other person in the car. I just drive.

excon · Post by **excon** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:42 am

01neon01 wrote:if you really want to get better mileage google up hypermiling. those people are crazy mothers and get insane mileage from their cars.

My friend told me about hypermiling so I went home and looked it up. I decided to try some of the tricks and I got 43 mpg on my last tank.

esteinmaier · Post by **esteinmaier** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:35 am

I get 37-42 mpg in my 1st gen with a bad alignment and tires that leak on me all the time. I imagine I could see a few tanks in the mid 40s if I paid attention more.

2GN.ORG

Gas Mileage

Gas Mileage

Re: Gas Mileage