Improving fuel economy
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A basic list of techniques for improving fuel economy. | A basic list of techniques for improving fuel economy. | ||
| − | *Keep tires inflated to proper pressure. | + | ==Tires and wheels== |
| − | *Keep up with regular maintenance | + | *Keep tires inflated to proper pressure. Keep a small tire gauge in the glove box and check the pressure monthly, be sure to check all four. If you don't have an air compressor get one of those mobile emergency use units, or use the gas station's air pump. |
| + | *Exercise wisdom when choosing tires. Wide tires look nice, but present more rolling resistance to the ground. Use only the width you need. Also, take a look at the tire manufacturer's website and look at the actual tread width. The section width listed with the tire size is not indicative of the actual tread width that sees the road. | ||
| + | *Use that same wisdom when selecting those big 22" heavy wheels. Although wheels won't affect steady state MPG, the added rotating inertia can affect MPG if a lot of speed changes are used. It takes more right foot input to get big wheels up to speed. | ||
| + | *Another consideration is the tire's rubber compound. Touring and economy tires usually use harder compounds which sacrifice grip for longevity. As a very general rule, tread block size is often correlative. Smaller treadblocks like can be found on touring and utility tires often correspond with harder compounds. Harder compounds and smaller treadblocks can mean a little extra MPG help. | ||
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| + | ==Maintenance== | ||
| + | *Keep up with regular maintenance: clean air filter, properly gap and clean spark plugs. | ||
*Maintain proper front-end or four wheel alignment if your car has IRS. | *Maintain proper front-end or four wheel alignment if your car has IRS. | ||
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| + | ==Driving technique== | ||
*When stopped at a red light, shift to neutral until it turns green. | *When stopped at a red light, shift to neutral until it turns green. | ||
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*Put a block of wood under your accelerator. No kidding. It really works, because of driving habits. Be mindfull of how you apply your fuel, think of it in terms of energy, like the cyclist who is trying to keep his legs from aching by pedaling too hard. Coast down hills and get a bit of a run before upcoming hills. And whatever you do, DONT keep working the accelerator on and off. Find a happy speed and hold it. Acceleration is the biggest energy burner. | *Put a block of wood under your accelerator. No kidding. It really works, because of driving habits. Be mindfull of how you apply your fuel, think of it in terms of energy, like the cyclist who is trying to keep his legs from aching by pedaling too hard. Coast down hills and get a bit of a run before upcoming hills. And whatever you do, DONT keep working the accelerator on and off. Find a happy speed and hold it. Acceleration is the biggest energy burner. | ||
| − | *For the more adventurous, fold in your mirrors and tape up the gaps around your grille and headlights. | + | |
| − | *Consult with others who have the same model of car before hacking into the suspension, but most cars can gain a little MPG by finding the right stance | + | ==Miscellaneous== |
| − | *Don't assume a gear swap or overdrive will help. | + | *Avoid the temptation to remove all the smog equipment in search of MPG. In many cases they help, especially EGR. The smog equipment started becoming mainstream in the early 70s, ushering in SAE standardized dynomometer testing and heavy EPA mandates on emissions. The low MPG associated with that era is mistakenly blamed on smog equipment, when in fact it should be blamed on abyssmally low compression and lack of today's technology. They were neutered muscle car motors. |
| − | *Modern EFI cars are often tuned with a fuel map that keeps things a bit rich. | + | *Consider diesel in your next vehicle purchase. Although diesel prices are much higher right now, the associated mileage you can typically achieve almost always more than offsets the cost. Other benefits are monster torque, resistance to the fuel being ignited in an accident and the ease of using environmentally-friendly biofuels. Plus, the resale value alone will usually more than offset any additional maintenance cost. |
| − | *Resist the temptation to use a low-temp thermostat. | + | *For the more adventurous, fold in your mirrors and tape up the gaps around your grille and headlights. A respected diesel magazine was able to get almost 2 more MPG from a Cummins diesel Dodge with this modification. |
| − | *Avoid using exhaust crossover blockers. | + | *Consult with others who have the same model of car before hacking into the suspension, but, depending on the aerodynamics of your vehicle, most cars can gain a little MPG by finding the right stance. |
| − | + | *Don't assume a gear swap or overdrive will help. Best mileage occurs usually just below the torque peak, at or near peak VE. Making the RPMs too low can cause lugging, which means you'll be using more fuel trying to maintain speed. If you have a very high-rpm torque peak, then all bets are off, but chances are you're not worried about mileage anyway. | |
| + | *Modern EFI cars are often tuned with a fuel map that keeps things a bit rich. This is for two reasons; first, to favor NO emissions at the expense of a little added HC emissions and secondly, to allow for a small buffer against detonation. Experienced reprogrammers (even Jet and Hypertech) use this information. By pulling a little fuel out of the curve, you can usually pick up 5 hp and sometimes just a little MPG. | ||
| + | *Resist the temptation to use a low-temp thermostat. True, it can make power, but at the expense of MPG and oil life. Drivers like their engines to run cool, but engines like to run hot for their health. Using a 195 stat can often times really make a noticeable difference in MPG, and your healthy oil will thank you. | ||
| + | *Avoid using exhaust crossover blockers. The hotter the intake air is, the better mileage it can get... of course at the expense of power. | ||
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