Thread: Need better gas mileage

OK .... so because of gas prices i am gonna ask this for everyone because i am sure we could all use the helpful hint to save us all some money . what are some helpful tips , tricks , mods or anything else we can all think of to get better miles per gallon ?? besides trying to keep your foot off the gas .

i have found taking care of basic maintenance will help with saving gas mileage .
also keeping tire pressure to specs and not let them get under aired .

Ive played with a few things over the years, just in case I ever needed something extra (like for a really long trip or higher gas prices).

The first thing I tried with a lot of success was over pressurization of the tires. I either usually push it to sidewall max pressure or a little over. Ive seen as much as 2.5mpg gains from this and Ive never had a tire issue. Granted, you dont want to run at the track like that, but for fuel economy, it works well.

Next, pay attention to the traffic lights. Coast where you can. No sense in accelerating down a hill when you can coast and save gas. I do not, repeat do not recommend putting the transmission in neutral. In a manual transmission, maybe, not in an automatic. Come to traffic lights like your brakes failed. You dont have to be the first one to the light and the first one off the line.

If you are running a conventional motor oil, try a high quality true synthetic motor oil. I picked up nearly 3.5 mpg in the GP from this alone.

The ignition system has always been good for one or two miles per gallon for me using low resistance wires and more powerful coils.

As you mentioned basic maintenance goes a long way, but thats been so drove in the ground that most are probably familiar with it. A good tune is another place some mpg's can probably be had, especially if you are running rich.

Prior to the GP tranny failing I had hit 34 mpg on the highway prior to the tranny taking its toll on mileage. It started life with me getting just barely getting 28 mpg all highway and was more often in the 27 mpg range.

My Isuzu Rodeo started out barely getting 17mpg and I drove it like that for a month, my wallet a crying, to make sure that would remain constant before I started any work on it. Last week I hit 23.6 mpg. You do the math. When I first got it, I would fill up on Monday, then have to fill up again on Thursday. Now I can fill up on Monday and still have fuel left over to drive around on weekend in town for a bit depending on what I need to do. And I have yet to switch it over to synthetic fluids. Just this past weekend did I switch the transmission over to synthetic fluid. I still need to do the engine and rear differential and I have not even started on the ignition system yet.

My goal is to be consistently in the mid to upper 20's with the Rodeo.

Turn off you car at stop lights if you can easily see the opposite lights. In my '04 Imp, the starter is almost push button, no cranking at all. My GP requires a bit more work, so I don't do it unless I know the light I'm at is going to take some time. If you are not moving for more than 10 seconds, you'll save gas by turning the car off.

Use cruise control if you can, and if you not in a hurry on the high way, find that sweet spot right when it shifts into overdrive. that's where you'll get the best gas mileage. Just using cruise on a trip from Northern Virginia to Atlantic City, I average a bit over 30, and this was going 70-75.

Here's one I don't recommend. Get into a car accident and get your license suspended (medical suspension, not bad driving suspension!) and then when you do drive, you make sure you obey all the laws, especially speed limits. This has carried over to now when I am legal again, and I still keep it slow. I don't have to be first off the line, or 0-60 in 6 seconds. 30 seconds is just fine.

Question: Will gasket leaks decrease gas mileage and performance?

I just ordered new gaskets and o-rings - I hope I see an improvement of both gas mileage and performance. $3.95 a gallon at 20mpg is raping my wallet.

Originally Posted by GreenNirvana101

Question: Will gasket leaks decrease gas mileage and performance?

I just ordered new gaskets and o-rings - I hope I see an improvement of both gas mileage and performance. $3.95 a gallon at 20mpg is raping my wallet.

Gasket leaks won't really decrease gas mileage. But an older engine will. The older your car is, typically the worse gas mileage you get. This comes from everything from compression decreasing to sensors not working as well. Just the nature of the beast.

As for everything else, my roller rockers increased my efficiency a little, CAI helped a little, exhaust helped a little. Everything makes a difference. But most of the time, it is not worth the cost of the parts to mod for efficiency reasons. You won't get your money back.

And it has been said time and time again, driving style is the biggest factor of your efficiency. I can drive the same route two different ways, and get gross changes in my mpg. Just in the past week, on my daily 50 mile drive to work, I have changed my driving habits even more. I have decreased my speed by 5 mph down to 60 mph. And trying even more to be conscious of taking off from stop lights. Last tank of fuel was 26.6 mpg. And this tank is reading somewhere around 28.5 mpg. So it definitely makes a huge difference. And I am only getting to work about 4-5 minutes later. Big difference in cost savings versus leaving 5 minutes sooner.

Holy cow, talk about a post from the past.

i try to ALWAYS keep rpm's 3k and under when driving in town...highways with speed limit of 55mph and less i try to lock in cruise at that sweetspot GP's have (1500-1600)rpm range ,i cant really complain about the mileage i get though for bein a slightly heavy v6

i keep seeing alot of u guys talking about 91,do alot of states not have 93? 93 is all i use and would be upset if i couldnt get it anymore.