New Members: Welcome Thread
 

For those who are new...Welcome to GasSavers :)

I started this thread with the intent of directing folks here to get an idea of what to try first (just my opinion -- others can feel free to add-on).

1. Get a good baseline started. What kind of mileage do you get now, and what is your short-term goal?

2. There are essentially 2 basic ways to increase "FE" (fuel economy): Modifications and Driving Technique. Both can work together to achieve your goals. There are mods and techniques that range from Beginner to Advanced.

Good threads to review when new:

Busted and Confirmed Mods List (what usually works, and what doesn't)
Gas Saving Tips from Best to Worst
List of Aero Mods for Your Car or Truck

3. Don't forget to tell us about your vehicle: especially year, engine, transmission. Also, make an entry in the Garage and keep track of your mileage with a GasLog, found in the garage.

4. Feel free to introduce yourself...

5. And Have fun.

Don't hesitate to ask questions or post ideas :thumbup: Lots of folks are here to help...

RH77

WATER INJECTION Hello I have been working on a system of water injection (NOT WATER SUCTION). I estamate a mixture of 8-12% water to gasoline at all time except at idle and when the engine is cold. Using a Shurflow pump 30-40 lbs pressure to a fuel injector in stalled about six inches from the throttle. It has to be distalled water (the minerals will clog the injector) and water solable oil to prevent rust in the injector. It is slaved off one of the engines injectors. The fuel/air mix needs to be leaned to about 25/1 (this will burn the exhaust valves if done alone) Information on making a circut is at better-mileage.com. The part I need help with is adjusting the duration of the injector used to inject the water to control the water to gasoline mixture. I figure about a 50% increase in gas mileage. I'm thinking using a 555 timer?? Any ideas?? Thanks, Dennis

thanks for the links!

howdy
 

this is fun site. My mileage vehicle is a weedwhacker bike. It's a 1953 schwinn black phantom basketcase with a robin/subaru 1.4 HP 4-stroke positioned over the back wheel. It has a 14-tooth drive cog and a 156-tooth driven pulley with a toothed belt and an idler pully. If I keep it around 15 M.P.H., It will pull 150-175 mpg depending on the terrain. But best of all, it gets huge reactions from people that see it and makes them think about how easy it is to achieve killer mpg for not so much $. The whole package was $650 from www.goldeneagle.com. and it takes less than an hour to assemble. Mine will go 25 MPH with my fat *** on it. They have other engine choices and offer individual parts so you can design your own. I bought the complete kit because it was the easiest installation and It is very reliable. Never had a problem with it in 2 years. The robin engine that I use is intended for a ditch pump and is very quiet and has a centrifugal clutch on it. 2 strokes of the pedal and feed the throttle and off you go. It climbs the hills in Michigan with no assistance. It induces profuse grinning to the operator and passers-by. Seeya! Trash can Bill

I see in the best to worst methods to increase mileage is a suggestion to "accelerate more slowly". I don't believe that improves one's fuel mileage. Is accelerating more slowly the consensus of this group?
Dennis

Just my $0.02, but it would be better stated as "brake less".

For a stickshift, you can run the engine into it's most efficient range (typically 1/2 to 2/3 throttle and shift a little over 2000 rpm, VERY generally speaking). You need enough throttle to keep the manifold pressure high and minimize pumping losses, but you don't want to wind it out or hit the fuel enrichment circuit.

For an auto, the less you floor it, the less the converter slips, which is a much larger factor that the pumping losses of the engine. Also once you get on the hiway, you want to avoid too much gas so the torque converter stays locked up (if so equipped).

Either way, if you have to use the brakes heavily at the next predictable stop, then you probably wasted gas getting there.

Hi . . :)

I'm a new member of this best MPG site. I live in Medan,Indonesia and until now I still drive a 2,5 L Isuzu Diesel ( In Indonesia we call it Isuzu Panther ). I just finished my first "Warm Air Intake"project which I adapted from many sources include Internet. Thanks to all people who got this idea to save my money from "Oil Company" :)
Next time I will post my project in this forum and I hope for critics and suggestion for it :)

Notes : Sorry for my "Bad English" :D

VX engine
 

My 92 Civic VX seems to have jumped timing but it didn't bend the valves. The engine has 220000 miles on it so I removed the head and found some carbon deposits on the pistons and valves. I am proceeding with a valve job but would be interested in one of those low mileage VX engines. Has anyone tried modifying their VX for more power or economy? I presently have a K&N air filter and no other mods. I have averaged 44.6 MPG over the last 90000 miles of 80% hiway driving. The AC still works but I would love to have cruise control. Any ideas?
I am recently retired so look forward to working on my cars more and doing some experiments.
I live near Nashville TN. and have several other cars including a Toyota MR2 and a 1972 honda Z600.

Cal

Not Usually This Long Winded...
 

Hello,

I joined a couple of weeks ago and have been taking my time, reading a lot of good posts. Through the following introduction I hope to connect with others with similar and complementary backgrounds.

I?ve been interested in energy efficiency since I was a kid. Every day I marvel at the overall wastefulness of our society and am appalled at the energy and global warming situation we have gotten ourselves into.

That said, I?m conflicted by my lifelong love of the internal combustion engine. I have always done all of my own work on my vehicles, which I always run into the ground. I have a BSCS, but I have a strong analog and digital electronics background and have been designing embedded control systems for the past 15 years. Several of those years were spent designing electronic fuel injection systems, (gasoline and continuous LPG) and I have always had a strong desire to get back into that.

Vehicles:
Preferred: Counterpoint Presto and Bike-E recumbents

2003 stock base model S-10 (extended cab) 4 cyl, 5 speed. I get 28 on the highway at 60. In town 26 in the summer, winter 22.

2000 stock base model Caravan with the 2.4L. Gets 26-27 at 65. Lousy around town where the 3 speed auto never locks up.

Planned mods:
After reading this forum, increase tire pressure. Still a little leery about tire wear?may need a bit more convincing.

Lean Burn:
Ideally I?d like to build my own controller, but the wiring harness, OBDII state emissions test and time make the following a bit more realistic:
-Design an HC12 based controller that will read the crank sensor, MAP and a wideband O2.
-Based on MAP and RPM (load condition) the controller will:
-Interpret the wideband O2, bias it for desired AFR and drive the stock O2 sensor input.
-Read the crank sensor, adjust the timing and drive the stock crank sensor input.

The controller for the above is actually pretty simple. I have base code that I?m using on my HC12 based clothes dryer controller, that will interface with a nice GUI. The real problem is motivation. After doing this kind of stuff all day at work, it?s tough to get excited about it by the time I get home.

Major desire, but not so simple:
Determine engine torque real-time. This, along with injector pulse width and RPM enables real time measurement of engine efficiency. Real-time efficiency would be great for driver feedback, but it could also provide controller feedback for ignition timing and mixture. Patent number 5856922 is intriguing.

I have a lot more if anyone?s interested, but I think that?s enough for now.

Sean

I love seeing new driving techniques that help save Gas money! I am so excited about hypermiling and can't wait to lose more, after reading several tips from this forum I saved 2 MPGs on 1/4 of a tank. I cna't wait to see what happens after a full tank!

Camry Hybrid 2008 Owner
 

I just bought a 2008 Camry Hybrid. I believe it has a 2.4 4 cyl engine and is expected to get 33/34 city hywy mpg
I already drive slower ad less aggressively. I ease up the speed on down hills and not on uphills, coast to lights and kick it in neutral on downhills if traffic allows. I even "float the stop signs to keep the kinetic energy going. I am on my 1st tank. I was wondering about bumping my tire psi above the max some to see what that might do. I haven't looked at the tires yet, but if hey say 36 psi like most, how far should I go up?

I just want to max out my mpg without getting too radical. By that I mean I don't want to alter the brand new car's look with skirts or something like that or void my warranty in such a way that the dealer can easily tell. I don't mind breaking the rules and even the law a bit though.

Dave

Honda-oriented New Member
 

Hello,

It is great to find a site of like-minded gas savers who drive the way I do! The creativity of many of the members is quite impressive and I look forward to learning a lot.

I've always been fond of simple cars and trucks, and love vehicles with high utility per gallon burned. I used to be an SCCA racer and autocrosser so handling and speed are of interest, however with age, the handling takes precedence over the speed.

Though I collect little minimalist European cars (Fiats, Renaults, etc.) I have admired Honda automobiles for their fine engineering and super efficient design. Recently, with a partner, I started Civic Duty, LLC (www.civicdutyparts.com) to sell New Old Stock and salvage Honda parts for our favorite Hondas - mostly 80s models. We are still building inventory but have lots of stuff for 3rd and 4th generation Honda Civics and all CRXs.

Vehicles

My daily driver is a 1998 Honda Odyssey minivan with almost 200K on it. This vehicle had an EPA highway rating of 24 and I regularly get 28 out of it. In fact, we've never gotten as low as 24 under any circumstances! My wife has the exact same vehicle too, but for some reason her (more pristine Odyssey) gets 1 mpg better than mine.

We also have a 1992 Honda Accord EX Coupe that gets 33 mpg, even with 176K on it.

Finally, I have an '87 CRX Si that will be our super-mileage getter.

Goals

My aim is to get 45 mpg out of the CRX. It is still undergoing a few preliminary repairs before hitting the road.

Another goal is to reach 29 mpg with 7 people aboard my wife's Odyssey (we've done 27.5 so far).

OK, that's enough - look forward to returning to this site on a regular basis.

HEY YOUINS!
Tomato man here. Just joined up. I achieved 33.15 mpg in my Nissan Maxima. thats a 27% increase for me. Auto trans. 112 000 miles on her. Thats a 3.0 liter 6 cylinder. My additive recipe and procedure is in the garage section. Coastinfg on large hills where possible, and rpms kept under 2000. Anyone know a good place to buy Zylene?
Ed

possible VX for sale
 

I was curious to find out what the current value of a 95 VX in excellent condition W/AC &130K miles. It also has new cd & amp & speakers, no dents or rust 1 yr old paint & a compressed air system that operates the semi horn which is tied into the viper alarm, new free flow SST muffler,K&N air filter & a lockable 3/16 alum plate over the spare tire compartment for better cargo carrying ability

Jeep Wrangler looking to improve 18 mpg.
 

Any Idea's would be greatly appriciated.:cool:

GEO Metro gas sippers
 

Hi Folks,
I live in upper Wisconsin. I own several Metros in various stages of repair with one running. Looking for knowledge on getting the best MPG.

I'm a brand new member
 

I have a 2001 Jeep GrndCher with the 4.7, a 1997 F350 with the 7.3 diesel and a diesel pusher MH with a 330 Cummins and a 6 spd Allison.

The Jeep gets 17 MPG, the Ford gets 14 MPG and the MH gets 7.5 MPG. What mechanical things are available to improve milage in these vehicles?

Thanks (and if I'm in the wrong forum, please direct me to the right one)

Dakota woes
 

I have a 99 Dakota with a 3.9V6 and it is a hog on gas. Oh it is a 4x4 as well. In the winter my FE tanked to around 12 and not running the 4x4. When I do that is goes to about 10. In the summer it stays around 15. I love this truck and I do not want to get rid of it. It is paid for and just turned 110000 miles. It is a nice truck. I am looking to squeek more mileage out of it. The nice thing about this is that I have a company car so I don't drive the truck much because of Gas$$$. I would like to drive it more but it just sits so anything I do to it I have a backup car to help me out. Where do you start around here? I am looking for something that I can install or modify on the truck. My boss and some of his friends are making Biodiesel for there diesel trucks but after watching them it looks like a pain. Anybody got a starting point that could help.

Thanks

dakota4x4

Intro
 

I was ready to join as soon as I read through some of the forums with the good tips then after reading the faithbased snake oil thread, I had to join immediately to put in my $.02. :D If nothing else, she gained you one more member. ;) I made my first post there, then came to intro myself.

I have a 2000 Olds Alero with a 3.4L, auto tranny and a Ford Windstar, 3.8L, auto tranny.

I have been trying to adjust my driving habits but compared to my soon to be old habits, this takes the patience of Job, especially in Austin, TX.

Hello Everyone
 

Very interesting site, informative. I have 2 94 Acura Integra's and I may be picking up a 91 Accord soon. I've been tuning Honda's for racing for about 8 years now and I am interested in learning more about fuel economy.:thumbup:

I have a similar car to your Alero, a '99 Pontiac Grand Am with the 3.4 auto. If you look at my mileage log you will see a steady increase from mid-20's to mid-30's. The difference? Mainly driving technique. Sure, I pumped my tires to 35 pounds (I should probably do more), and I keep the car tuned and serviced. But my commute is now almost entirely SoCal freeways, and I average 60 mph. I accelerate slowly and anticipate stops. The a/c is only used when I have passengers and I keep the windows cracked slightly if it is hot--otherwise the windows are closed. The car is always clean and polished which may also help some. But driving technique makes the biggest difference. SoCal freeways can't be any better for driving slow than Texas. I get tailgated and glared at but I move out of the way at interchanges and I make room for those entering the freeway. I have books on tape so I enjoy the drive and let people do what they do.

Hi. Just found the website, great stuff. My most recent Civic purchase a 98 ex sedan 60k get's the worst gas mileage of any of the Civics I've owned 31 to 34 mpg. I'm going to start with a good tune up. I do all my own work. But after that I need to see what is best to do. Looks like this is the place to find out.

hi everybody, I have been looking at this site for a while now, and decided to jump in. I own 4 diesels , a gasoline subaru outback, a gasoline nissan pickup , and a honda valkyrie motorcycle. I have been experimenting with various ways to improve gas mileage, and look foreward to sharing ideas and learning all I can on the subject. gas in my area is 4.00 a gallon, and it's only going to get worse.

Hi All

My vehicle is a '99 BMW 2.3. It is fitted with an onboard MPG calculator which I always have on.

So far my average is 29 mpg.

I've been researching the best way to get it over 50 mpg, that's my goal.

I've collected quite a few good tips so far.

Seems I've come to the right place for more!

Vintageman
 

Hello to all...as the name implies I'm fast approaching middle age (now 75). :D I have two vehicles, 1 that needs help badly, and 1 that can do much better. The first is a Chrysler T&C minivan, 1999 vintage w/110K on it, and the other a 2006 VW Jetta TDI. It was a great discovery for me to find this great group and I look forward to many months/years of sharing methods of getting better mileage.

Basically up to now I have made two electrolysis units to produce hydroxy gas (Browns gas) but am having much difficulty getting information out of VW about my diesel.

Anyway glad to be here.

Hiya From Munising Michigan
 

Grr...wrong place for it. Sorry

Hello all
 

HI everyone Goofy1 here. to start off, i have NO experience in fixing cars. i've always paid to have someone else do it. but i have a 97 Toyota Tercel(blackhawk)it has a 1.5l inline 4 with a 3 speed automatic. I know most here have standard transmissions, but being Tall in a little car makes it very hard to drive stick. But anyways, i have been tring different things on the car(simple things really) and here are the Results(all results are mixed driving city/hwy. i drive between 250-300 miles a week)

1.Starting out i was getting 27-28 mpg
2.got rid of all un-needed weight. no change
3.Did The Gumout professional fuel cleaner(yes the one at Walmart) up to 31.5 mpg. a nice increase if i do say so.
4.Tune up with a K&n air filter(the normal one, not the cone) a BIGGER increase. 35.7 mpg and that was checked today.
Not but of start considering the epa on it is 29mpg city.
But i'm looking for more ways to increase the mpg. but i need more experience in fixing cars to save some $$$.
Any thoughts or ideas would be great.
Thanks for reading and many BIG mpg's for you all.

need MOJO for GEO
 

I am Sewerratt007, I live in central Ohio, right in the middle of a biofuel field. How bout some working ideas. I have a 1992 Geo Metro two door hatchback. Stock car it has 216,000 miles. It has had only one valve job at 150,000 miles. In the past month I have done the following new struts all round, new tires 12 inch are getting hard to find, flushed cooling system, removed oil pan and cleaned pick up screen, (suprisingly very clean) new front wheel bearings brake rotor and pads. Replaced all filters, spark plugs, pvc valve. inspected all hosing. everything done. I am going to drain and refill 5 speed gear box soon. I am interested in grill blocking. I have read all the tips on this site and am familiar with driving techniques. I am currently getting 46 mpg, would like to get it over 50mpg on a continous basis.

Hi, Just like everyone else here trying to stretch a buck and see how much I can improve my MPG.

EPA average combined for my car is 19mpg, I have been getting an average of 23.2mpg over 12,000+ miles but would like to be able to get it up over 25 mpg.

I just looked at your car's description. Considering how awful it is and how much you want it to die, I'd go ahead and experiment with EOC. I'd love some data on EOC's effect on automatic transmissions...

i got a 92 metro, if your tinkering with them, be sure to check the front calibers they tend to draw water in the two bolts that hold them on and will corrode your metal sleeves so caliber will not slide. when you press on the brake they will hold pads against the rotor. i took mine apart, cleaned and filled rubber boots with 'never seize' to keep water out. i noticed the difference next time out with it.

He guys just wanted to introduce myself and say that like everyone else im here to learn everything i can about FE and getting the most out of a tank of gas.

92 CX w/vtech e - issues
 

Greetings - I have a CX with a VX engine, and it occasionally has problems starting. My mechanic blames it on the wiring harness. Advice on this anyone?

Hi, I've been a pretty avid hypermiler since I read about Wayne Gerdes a few months ago. I've been applying EOC, P&G and other tactics on my daily commute with my wife's Passat Wagon but was unsatisfied with the 30 mpgs I could finaggle out of it, so I bought a 94 Tercel automatic two weeks ago. So far I'm pretty happy with the results, and as soon as I have a weekend off of work I'm going to start messing with the guts and interior of it to maximize efficiency and minimize weight.

welcome! this thread is just for intros. post your question as a thread starter in the "general tech" section. there're many honda people that might help you.

Hi;

I'm Kendall Weaver from Hendersonville, NC. At present I drive a 95 Honda Civic CX hatch with a tired motor in desperate need of a tune up and regularly achieve 40-42 mpg. At present the car has mid-level weight reduction (approximate vehicle weight is 1900 without people) and is lowered beyond what is realistically perceived as sensible. I'll be taking it though a MPG oriented build over the next few months and figured I would share this with everyone while trying to learn a thing or two myself.

I have a long history dealing with modified Honda's. I'm hoping to curb my performance oriented roots and use some of those lessons in the pursuit of efficiency.

newbie
 

Hello to all the group;
I am getting 41 mpg in my Accord EXL V6. Just installed a Cyclone fuel saver but it will take 2 tankfills for it to kick in. Hope it works.
I get 33.6 on my 08 Odyssey that is not broken in yet.
would appreciate any tips or advice.

MPG is the new HP

Thanks for an awsome site
 

I have been browsing this site for a month or so. great ideas!!

I drive a 5.5 MPG big rig all day - and dont pay for the fuel:D
I own a 1991 geo metro 3 cyl, 5 spd 54.00 MPG on last fill

I just bought a 1993 geo metro XFI for $500 -deal of the century!!:p

Does anyone have any good leads for fixing the windows on these geos?:confused:

Thanks again all!!!!!

Adam

What's wrong with the windows?

Just want to know where I can get one of those xingyue 3 wheel enclosed scooters. I live in WA State.
N