Best Ways To Improve Mpg (all Enter) !!

[ericcamaro]

Just thought it would be a good idea to share ways people have found to increase their gas milage. We should also adress some myths about things that say they increase mpg but dont deliver. So here are the questions, you can address all or just one depending on your knowledge.
#1) what are the best ways to improve your MPG??
#2) what things can kill your milage that you may not be aware of? (obviously a heavy foot)
#3) what are some things that have said to improve milage but have not delivered any sucessful results??

That should do it for now but I may have some more questions down the line. Some things Ive heard of improving milage are K&N filters, Octane Boooster, Performance Chips, Exhaust systems, & synthetic lubricants. let me know what info you have on the subject.

[bullyd]

theres a little screw under the right pedal, unscrew it as far as it will go !!

[Robin-535im]

My 535 gets 25 mpg when I drive very gently, 19 when I drive like a maniac.

Keep in mind I have a 3.5 bar FPR, so the reported mileage is high... nonetheless it's still a 30% improvement regardless the true mileage.

Driving gently means:
* never giving it more than 1/3 pedal
* accelerate as slow as you can without pissing people off too much
* Never go above 1500 RPM, except in 5th gear
* Shift into neutral when you can
* drive slowly, only getting as high as you need to, and stop accelerating when you see the light change to red in front of you

that being said... I can do this for max 3-4 days before I absolutely have to stomp the gas pedal and clean out the pipes. Just can't hold back too long. And when you do that, all those hours of saving gas are wasted, and it drops your MPG almost instantly! Soooo much easier to make your average MPG go down rather than up.

- Robin

[SRR2]

I just posted a couple of things in the other thread, but I'll reiterate:
1. O2 sensor in good order.
2. Good plugs, gapped a little on the open side.
3. Proper operating temperature. I suppose you could generalize this to simply saying that the engine should be in excellent mechanical condition.
4. Synthetic lubricants everywhere, including trans and diff. I like RedLine. It's served me well and has delivered consistently godo performance both in operation (easy shifting in all temps, no peculiar noises from the diff) and economy.
5. Light, wide-range engine oil. Like 0W-40.
6. Drive intelligently. Look down the road, anticipate conditions. Use engine braking -- it cuts off the fuel over 1500RPM and saves those expensive pads and rotors.
7. Don't idle your engine unnecessarily. Don't start it and let it warm up for x minutes before you drive off.
8. Tires inflated on the hard side. Choice of tires is important too. A few years ago Consumer Reports did a piece on tire construction and rolling losses. The tested tires were all over the place, some (I recall the Michelin Energy MXV led the pack) had almost no rolling resistance, and others could consume almost a half horsepower. Considering that you need only five-eight HP to cruise on good roads, those tire losses can add up real fast.
9. Alignment, particularly toe.
10. Pizza signs. Should be aligned with airflow, not perpendicular to it.


Lastly, avoid all those fradulent add-on gizmos like magnets, "turbo-swirl-intake" doodads, and any gunk to pour into your oil or gas. None of that crap works. If it did, the auto manufacturers would already be all over it.

One thing that people like to recommend, and that's basically an old wives tale, is changing the air filter. Unless the filter is virtually plugged, in which case driveability would be adversely impacted, it will have NO, ZILCH, NONE, NADA, ZIP effect on fuel economy.

[632 Regal]

Drafting behind vehicles on the freeway can significantly improve mileage. I cant do that, I have to be passing constantly so I dont reap the rewards of this one.

[ericcamaro]

SRR2 I agree with all you said exept not letting the engine warm up. I find that if I take off right when its cold I get really bad milage till im up to operating temp and My MPG on my OBC stays higher if I let it warm up as opposed to just starting the car and driving. Anyone want to back up the argument that chipping the engine can give a couple more MPG??? Also has anyone noticed a difference when lowering their car?? I would think that it would improve it a little mostly on highway driving due to improved aerodynamics. BTW another way to help MPG while on the topic of driving styles is,
1 keeping those windows up, improves aerodynamics.
2 Speeding up before a hill and just steadily going up.
3 (the best) Put down that #$%#ing cell phone and pay attention to the road.

[liquidtiger720]

If you see a red light, brake early and try to time it so that when the light turns green, you are still going 10 mph. or so.

[Dan in NZ]

Tire pressure!

When I did Inspection II, my consumption dropped a few L/100km... That was all new filters, spark plugs, valve clearances etc. Valve clearances you can check without spending much, just a few bucks for a new valve cover gasket. Spark plugs aren't that much either if it's been a while since they were replaced.

[SRR2]

Yeah. I just love other drivers 'drafting' on my ass at 70 mph.

[SRR2]

Well, you don't have a lot of company there. Every owners manual that I recall reading that mentions the subject directs drivers to take off immediately at moderate acceleration and speed. Faster warmup under load means less water etc. blown into the crankcase too.