Comments on: How to Increase Gas Mileage

on 11/22/2005 Being a pilot, there is somthing to be said about drag. Drag increases as speed increases. You end up burning more fuel trying to maintain your high speed. ..duh.. For those who don't like to slow down on open highways, try following instead of driving past everyone. The NASCAR drivers do it. It's called 'drafting' ...the car behind the leader uses less fuel. I don't mean tailgate the guy in front of you. But it is true, the guy in front has more drag. Drive in his wake!

on 11/22/2005 First make sure that your tires are at recommended lever, not lower. My Quest Minivan is supposed to have 28 psi in the tires, buy running them at 32-35 I gained 2-3 MPG. This reduces rolling resistance.

Remember when you were a kid, how hard it was to peddle your bike with low tires and how far it would coast with high pressure in them?

WARNING** talk to your mechanic if unsure of doing this. This also effects the wear pattern of your tire. It will also make bumps more noticeable.

on 11/22/2005 Buy gas when it's colder outside. Gas is more dense, therefore you get more of it for the same amount of money you use when you buy it when it's hot outside.

on 11/22/2005 An alternator is much harder to rotate when it is required to power a heavy load, such as headlights, and even harder for a heater-fan on high. This causes drag on the engine and burns more fuel. Leave the lights and fans off!

on 11/22/2005 I would suggest driving at 2000-25000 rpm (50-65 mph) when on the motor way instead of 80 mph +, as less power is needed in constant motion.

on 11/22/2005 If you replace the stock air filter with a high-flow element (such as K&N), you should see some increase in mileage. Some vehicles take a while to learn that they are taking in more air, so they allow the mixture to run lean (more air, less fuel than usual) until they learn to compensate for the new conditions. I drove to the beach with my intake silencer on and got 30 mpg, then I took the silencer off and drove back with the same style of driving. This slight change in the air intake, before the computer could adapt, yielded an average gas mileage of 34 mpg. There are ways to make this mixture permanent on all vehicles. Some require a different ECU, some take a piggyback unit or reprogramming, and some require chip and resistor mods. For some vehicles, the best way to go is with ProECM, apparently. I haven't tried it, but I will soon. Check some forums specific to your car to see what's best. Some manufacturers (like Honda) make engines that specifically run lean, but just about any vehicle can do it for $250 or less.

on 11/22/2005 Headlights do use energy (more gas) but the amount is relatively insignificant. Never is it near a mile per gallon! Extra weight, open windows, air conditioning, and driving style affect mileage much more. It is, of course, totally useless to use headlights on a sunny day.

on 11/22/2005 I would like to stress how valuable cruise control can be. I've ridden with too many people who bounce between (for example) 40 mph and 45 mph unnecessarily, just because they can't maintain a speed. That kills mpg, and cruise control alleviates that problem.

on 11/22/2005 Remove your canopy. Close the tailgate, and cover the truck bed. I am too cheap for a tonneau cover, so I bolted plywood over the empty truck bed. The tailgate end is hinged for the occasional dump run. My mileage went from 24 to 28! (16% improvement), for only $30.

on 11/22/2005 If you run your car until it is empty, you are drastically increasing the concentration of trash particles (like rust) that are sucked up in the engine. These trash particles accumulate in the gas tank. Yes, all cars, even newer ones, have small particles that reside in the tank. If you run on empty a lot, you will risk clogging your fuel filters and eventually the fuel injectors (which will kill your fuel economy and send you to the shop). I've seen it many times from high school kids who would only put as much gas in their tank as they could afford at the time.

on 11/22/2005 Make sure all your gas is being used in combustion. Install good spark plugs and keep your distributor contacts clean. Replace the distributor cap and the rotor button. These are easy to replace with only a screw-driver, on most cars. Also use good spark plug wires. Fuel is no good if it is just wasted to exhaust.

on 11/22/2005 Drive your car like the way you would a bicycle. Coast down hills and slingshot the car around, this is especially easy to do with a manual transmission. Look ahead for stop signs and red lights, coast your car to stops. Every car has a cruising speed, for SUV's that sweet spot is usually at 55 mph, for cars it's usually 65 mph and higher. Follow these tips and you will get great mpg.

on 11/22/2005 Using factory recommended oil is good, but adding an oil additive (such as Lucas Oil Products) not only increase gas mileage (we're not talking 5 mpg or anything), but will ensure longer engine life if you change your oil and filter no more than every 3000 miles. The oil additives are a little more expensive, but they really are worth it.

on 11/22/2005 1. Exhaust headers will (in varying amounts) help mileage, it depends on the engine type. However, as someone noted, driving habits can turn possible mileage gains into losses. Headers help remove exhaust gases more efficiently, leaving a cleaner cylinder for the next cycle and helping your engine to breathe better.
2. Replace the gear oil in your differential(s) with synthetic gear oil. A friend did this in his 4 x 4, including the transmission and the transfer case, and saw a mileage gain. I believe he used the same SAE number.

on 11/22/2005 Avoid carrying extra weight in the trunk of your car. Remove clutter from the trunk. I like to put somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 tank of gas in the tank. Why should I burn gas to carry gas?