Bob Holton

How do I go about acheving maximum fuel economy. Besides getting my foot out of the fan that is . am going on search next. Thanks

anthrax

Um buy a TDI Volkswagen...

Thats what I did

Don't drive it like you hate it, make sure your air filer, fuel filter, and catiltic converters are not cloged.

They arn't the most fuel efficent cars in the world...

LongDuck

Lots of things that you can do, but question is, are they worth the effort. If you're getting really bad fuel economy right now (defined as <12 city, <15 highway), then you might try looking into one or more of the following;

Brakes - are your brakes in good shape? Do they drag at all, or do you notice that one brake seems to get hotter than the rest when you stop driving? Brake dragging can dramatically reduce total mpg. Change your brakes and lube the pivot pins to keep things in good working order.

Intake/Exhaust - a restrictive intake/exhaust system, clogged by long passages and/or debris on your air filter can cause poor mpg - get a new air filter element, fix that leaky fuel injector, or retune your carb for a leaner mixture.

Wheel bearings - do you hear squeeks and/or groans from the wheels under light braking or turning? Could be that you need new wheel bearings and grease seals. If yours are worn out, not only will they cause toe problems, but will wear your tires more quickly and increase front-end drag. Get an alignment, replace wearing parts, and set it for minimum toe-in for better mileage.

OMP pump running well? Premixing? Having plenty of oil for internal seal lubrication will decrease internal engine resistance which is a big determinant of mpg. Change your oil and go to a lighter weight (10/40 instead of 20/50) to decrease internal friction.

Tire pressure - 28 may have a nice, comfy ride, but 32-34 (based on tire size and manuf. recommendations) will definitely net you as much as 1-2 more mpg. Less rolling resistance means better efficiency, AND performance.

By far, the biggest contributing factor to poor mpg is your own driving style. Stay out of the secondaries, drive highways when you can, and keep it below 65 on the highway. Use your cruise-control more, and don't drive like a 'rabbit' - drive like the 'tortoise'. Slow and steady wins the race (and pays less at the pump). HTH,

Tanjo

But its so boring!

anthrax

Wow that is amazing Longduck.

I have never concidered thoes things when looking at gas milage.

But when you think about it the force of friction adds up when you have enough of it acting against you.

Reading the portion on tire pressure, the recomended 28 psi is too low for safety IMHO. I used to work at a tire shop and we put most pasenger tires at 35 psi. The Firestones on the Ford Exspolers were suposed to be at 26 psi according to Ford recomenations and we know how that turned out...

FB II

i run mine at 40psi. it's awesome. helps to ease the "breaking loose" of the rear tires as well. AHAHAHHAA

anthrax

Ya and running at that pressure will help you put the tire shop owners kids through school

Running at high pressures like that cause the centers of the tires to ware out prematurly...

But 40psi is not too bad, its when the morons at quick lube run them up to the max rating on the tire that you have to worry

riceburner1r2001

iTrader: (4)

355 miles on a tank of gas i went .. gsl-se

efi12a

I routinely get 25+ at 80 mph cruise. The secret, I think? All the friction reducing items mentioned, nonrestrictive exhaust (mine's actually fairly quiet) and no carb. The EFI and wideband combo will let you cruise at a nice 15.1 A/F all day long .

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

my gsl-se gets 25 on the freeway too, the 12a only gets 22-23.

taking the cats out helps. making sure the tires are inflated. synthetic in the tranny and rear (doesnt help much). when you're going a constant speed make sure its at a sane rpm, theres no point in cruising over 4k. the efi helps, as to the 14" tires etc etc

LongDuck

Riceburner - I barely make 300 per tank (15.5 gal, useable), but I think this is primarily due to the aerodynamic stuff that I've added to my car. The Front Airdam increases frontal area, and the rear hatch actually forms a 'bubble' behind the passenger head area that increases aerodynamic drag. I know this because leaves and stuff collect here during the drive, and you can look out the back window and see the stuff swirling around, back and forth. My rear spoiler also prevents air from sliding down the back bumper, which is more efficient than causing it to split and form a boundary layer area behind the taillights.

If I removed all that stuff, I may be able to get my mileage back up there, but I rarely drive on long trips. Back and forth to work is freeway miles, but usually rush-hour traffic, so top speed performance isn't needed.

I think I'm doing great if I can pass 250-260 miles per fillup, but I also don't like to drive on fumes. This comes in at about 19-20 mpg, mixed city/highway.

What's amazing is that the more engine/exhaust performance parts I added to my car, the better the fuel mileage got. I think that's because the engine develops more horsepower, and I still drive it the same way I used to - i.e., I'm burning less fuel to do the same amount of work.

Rutnick

I run 42lbs with my 225 55 16s on my maxima.

heb09

I get 350km to a tank, whats that in mpg? I think its around 16Litres/per 100km. Hmm thats alright for a bridgy aint it?

MIKE-P-28

iTrader: (1)

1.6km=1 mile

Bob Holton

Thank you to all someone forgot , coast all the hills too . Thanks again guys. Bob

Bob Holton

Thank you to all. someone forgot , coast all the hills too . Thanks again guys. Bob

Bob Holton

Thank you to all. someone forgot , coast all the hills too . Thanks again guys. Bob