Saving money through hypermiling
 

Hi all, I have recently joined the struggle against gas prices with my little Civic. I was paying huge amounts of cash with the last vehicle I had and now I'm trying to save every penny.

I am going away to college this August and would like to be able to come down from northern FL to South FL to see my fianc? every weekend and still be able to afford books & supplies, so I'm saving money everywhere I can. Improving my FE is one of the priorities I've set so that I can use a minimum amount of money in the 120mi trip there and back and so that I can save money during my commute to work before I start college.

I already inflated my tires to 40psi, emptied the car out, drive without AC (in south FL nonetheless!), drive it gently enough that the AT shifts at between 2k and 2.5k RPM, shut the engine off at stoplights, coast as much as possible (FL is FLat so that's not very much) and I use cruise control whenever I'm not accelerating or decelerating. I'm planning to make some VGs for the rear section of the roof right above the window to reduce flow separation and maybe will be blocking some of my grill and cooling intake (the one under the bumper).

I have yet to see my first fill-up (at 270mi now) after all of these changes, it should be coming up later this week or early next week. I'm hoping to see at least 38mpg with all of the changes I've made.

I'd like it if some more experienced members could share with me some possible (very cheap) modifications and tips to bring my FE up. A scangauge is out of the question since that cost $170, or appx. 5 tanks of gas and it will take forever for it to pay for itself as far as saving gas goes (if it ever does). Remember; my budget is essentially zero.

Thanks in advance!

Well welcome to the site. I can see that you have read through a lot of the threads on the site already. You seem to have a grasp on the major things that will help improve your FE. The only other things I could think of, would be to do an under body tray/cover and/or wheel well covers. A lot of members seem to have gotten good gains from things like this. You might also think about bumping up your tire pressure even more. I am currently running around 52, and haven't experienced any problems.

Most anyone will tell you though that the biggest factor is the driver. If you are committed to getting good mileage, and work at it, then you will succeed. Keep reading through other people's threads, and exchange ideas with people who have cars similar to yours. Good luck!

Welcome aboard!

I can relate to lacking green stuff, so let me just give you an opinion on the ScanGauge -- no pressure intended. I'm relatively new to both GasSavers and the SG... but both have already saved me a lot of money.

A ScanGauge isn't an expense, it's an investment that pays dividends. The instantaneous FE readout alone is worth the price. Not only will it give you fast feedback on the various mods you might try, but it will also help you mod your driving. There are times when the slightest movement of your foot on the accelerator can triple your instantaneous gas mileage. I started out like you, keeping my revs below 2.5K during acceleration -- until the SG taught me that that's not always the best approach. It showed me that if I shifted into neutral at lights that were too short for an engine shutoff, I could save 10% of my idle fuel. And on and on.

And then there's the MAP readout, timing advance, engine load, air intake and water temperature gauges -- all tools that can help you check your mods and improve your numbers.

So, it's not a question of "if" but when a ScanGauge will pay for itself... and if you're serious about saving gas and are receptive to what it can tell you, it'll happen a lot faster than you'd expect.

Then there's the scan tool. Had a check engine light yet? If not, you likely will! Not sure where you are on your warranty yet but if you have a 2003 the end's probably coming before long. Up here just to get codes checked costs about $50. Every time you can read a code and either work out what's wrong and fix the problem or avoid the shop having to run a scan, you've recouped a third of the unit's cost. Not too shabby.

Or, offer to read other student's codes or clear their CEL for ten or twenty bucks. It could be a money-maker if you get creative! ;)

I expect my SG to have paid for itself before the year's out. Seriously.

By the way, if you buy through Amazon.com you can get it for $10 less than the $170 you mentioned.

Like I said, I'm not trying to push you in that direction... just know that a ScanGauge is a very valuable tool, and if you eventually have an opportunity to get one, you should definitely consider it.

The best of luck to you in your FE efforts. Keep us all posted! :)

Rick

As above - the ScanGauge will make a huge difference, expect 10-20% improvement on the first tank, and more as time goes on!.

How fast do you drive on the highway? How many of your weekly miles are in that commute to see your fiance? (120 miles round trip isn't too bad). How many miles do you do each day, during the week? What kind of driving is it? These questions are important on what to do first!.

I would suggest that you see your fiance every other week instead of every week. Not only will that save you money, which is your ultimate goal, but will save you from racking up so many miles.

Sell the newer Honda and buy an older one. That'll open up your budget big time! ;)

in your gas log i see that you are going 80mph. 55 is the best for fe on most cars what would be the slowest that you would feel good about going?

I appreciate the replies and advice coming in so quickly, I have an advanced knowledge of technical things and a great interest and lots of study and experimentation into aerodynamics but there is no substitute for good ol' "been there, done that, did/didn't work" experience.

Erdrick: I am thinking of going up to 50psi after this tank for experimentation purposes.

Rick Rae: It isn't that I don't want a scangauge, believe me, I would absolutely love it, being a pilot, I have a love for digital gauges that tell me everything about my craft, whether it be land or air. It's the fact that I'm leaving in a month and a few days and need to save every penny possible. It takes serious $$$ for books, gas and supplies (headset, etc., I'm taking a commercial pilot program). Also,my civic has an extended warranty to 75k miles.

omgwtfbyobbq: see above, extended warranty, it's not worth it to sell a nice new car for a beat old one (trust me, it's very difficult to find ANY kind of econobox in south FL that isn't riced and beat up.

Landspeed: It's appx 120 miles highway travel both ways, so 240miles. On I-95 I can expect to average 60mph.

Hockey4mnhs: That was an emergency overnight trip to North Carolina, It was late, traffic was smooth, and I needed to make good time, so I wasn't thinking of FE.

well then thats pretty damn good fe then for that kind of speed. if you usally drive 55-60 then that alone will show some great gains.

Iono man, you could get something that's still an auto, gets better mileage, and have lots of cash left in your pocket. If you don't want to deal will the hassle of repairs, that's fine, but it's way cheaper to buy older and fix than to buy new and not fix. Because no one else wants to fix anything...

I think you have me read wrong omgwtfbyobbq, I absolutley hate automatics, I was born and raised racing everything from go-karts to sprint cars and drag cars and have the need for control. I long for the control my old truck gave me over it's performance being RWD and MT. I also worked as a mechanic for a while, I'm totally capable of fixing just about anything on the car, just won't have time in school.

Ah, welp, there are prolly plenty of M/Ts available too. I still don't understand something though, how can you not have time to fix something, but have time time to let a dealership fix something? Heck, for the price of that Honda, ~$10-12k, you could have a couple econoboxen, and a ton of cash.

Well, from my experience with cars, my perfectly maintained 03 is alot less likely to break down in the next few years than a car 10 years old with unknown maintenence, miles and age working against it. Plus, I like my Civic for the most part, it's a pretty nice car. It's not missing any parts and has no interior or exterior damage, the paint is in excellent shape, the headlights aren't crazed at all, the engine has never been beat on, it has no poorly done "mods" performed and reversed, etc. Great FE is a must, but if I can do it in a nice car, that would be a huge plus.

Yea, I'll grant you the joys of having a new car. Personally, I could never afford the payments, so I just try and keep the repairs down to under $350-400 per month (and I'm still ahead, if you factor in insurance and all). I do all my own work, so it usually takes quite a bit to rack up that kind of monthly expense.

However, I completely agree with you on knowing the car's history. I'm finding new problems with the Jeep everyday, things that are caused by a lack of preventive maintenance (not greasing suspension/seals, for instance) To each his own, I guess!

Well, it seems you want your nice car more than saving money. You'll probably end up saving the same amount (~$1500/year) by photocopying your books compared to driving efficiently and averaging ~50mpg instead of ~35mpg. The extra, probably near $10k, difference, just isn't worth it for someone interested in saving money imo. An older car will break down more often, but not that ($6-10k) much more often. You could buy two older cars that get better mileage than you Civic and still have ~$6-10k left in pocket. If you were a mechanic you'll know what to look out for such as rust, low compression, gasket problems, oil leaks, etc... and already have the tools to fix stuff. Wanting a nice car is fine, but it seems like you want it more than you want to save money, which is fine too, but you're still going to end up paying ~$3500-5000 per year for gas. I'm not saying this to insult you, but imo what you should have done before hand was planned ahead and nabbed a diesel engine from one of the importers, dropped it in a car, and found yourself a source of WVO. :thumbup:

I'm not into selling it and buying an older vehicle. I simply don't need the headache. Plus I want a vehicle that I know is taken care of and will not need repairs as often, regardless of whether it's cheaper to repair an older car. I am fine on money right now, I just want to save more. I do not need an old car that's going to break down on me because the previous owner is not taking care of it. I am going to need a vehicle all the time and I do not want a car that is going to break down and put me through the trouble of finding, buying, installing and removing, parts. I chose to keep my well-maintained, newer car instead of getting an old one that I don't know anything about a long time ago.

Instead of insisting that I get rid of my car, which I like and is practical for me, I would appreciate it if you would do what I asked earlier and that is help me get better mileage with what I have. I am not considering getting a different car at the moment, end of story.

I'm not insisting you get rid of your car. I'm simply stating that it's the best way to save money imo. You won't save more than $1500/year even if you can get your car up to 50mpg so that's just about the limit given what you seem willing to do. That should be possible simply by limiting your city travel and going a steady 55mph, or lower when traffic is far behind you, on your highway commute. Since the car is new and under warranty, that makes it slightly harder to work on since suitable M/T gearing may be expensive and will void your warranty. You can use nothing but engine on P&G, where you accelerate at ~3/4 throttle up to some speed, say 70mph, and coast in N down to 55mph, wash rinse and repeat, if traffic allows you to, in order to see maybe ~70mpg(?), but that puts way more wear on the clutch packs.

Knock it off, or I'm going to pull this car over and spank you both.

Pick up a motorcycle for the trips - Fla has some great weather and if the math works out you could save a lot of gas money that way and save the car some mileage.

I started in may of this year, my "normal" mileage was 25mpg, or LESS! AFter adding some air to the tires 39 vs ~35 or so, and changing my driving my last 3 full tanks have been right about 38mpg, thats real world driving to/from work in a large city from the burbs. Just throwing together some quick rough numbers, I am saving about $60 per month. Thats 18,000 miles per year, and 25 as my old average, and 38 as my new average. Gas costs figured at 2.90 per gallon. For me, thats incentive enough to keep it up. thats a cell phone bill per month!

Back off on the old car thing already. I already politely declined this "advice" once. I am not scared of old cars, I don't know you got that incredibly stupid idea but you need to lose it. My first car was a 1972 Dodge Dart, my second a '95 Chevy Pickup (which I even said I liked better than my Civic) for god's sake!

Simply put, In this thread I asked for help with what I have and not people telling me to sell my car and buy an older one. I am not interested in that. I want to get the best mileage possible with what I have. If you don't want to help me with that simply don't reply to this thread.

Now I'm going to let this thread die if it wants to and continue just experimenting because it really hasn't helped me. I'll be fitting VGs tonight and filling up tomorrow, I'll probably go through the trash at work tomorrow looking for coroplast as well, it frequently is used as packaging and disposed of...

Jeez man, calm the hell down. No need to get upset because someone is offering you the best of advice. If that isnt an option, just ignore that part of the responses and pay attention to the other parts. Seriously, we can't read your mind and dont know your limitations...

Just slow down, best improvement hands down..

The absolute best advice is getting realtime feedback from your car, i.e. scangauge, but you cannot afford one (but you are fine on money?).

If you posses "advanced knowledge of technical things" and no mula then you can help yourself and others by helping sort out the diy mpg gauge:
https://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=4250

We could use a program for a laptop that reads the line-in from the sound card at CD quality and does basic signal analysis on it to determine injector duty cycle and distance travelled, etc, AND displays it/logs it/makes trip functions, etc.?

Or you can persue the obdii path (I'm not going that route), your flavor of obd might be iso and fairly easy to hook up to a computer, links are in the thread above.

Your 2003 has got to be close to end of warranty, so maybe you would consider a trans swap to a manual? google will probably find you a civic forum with lots of good info.

It sounds like you are using a lot of good ideas (you probably need to use more throttle when accelerating though, then lift the pedal slightly to get it to upshift at, say 2300rpm), but if the only feedback you get is when you refill the tank then it will take a long long time to figure everything out.

Correct, I'm fine on money as far as things I need goes. I don't have a lot of disposable income and that is what I need to purchase a scangauge. I'm feeling out the DIY fuel mileage gauge thing. It would be fairly straightforward in analogue with some hacking done to your vehicle's wiring, some serious programming knowledge would be absolutely necessary for a digital solution though, I don't even know how to interface with obdii, I've never looked that far into it. My knowledge is far greater along the mechanical lines than it is with ECUs and such. One of the real problems would be calibration, and it's probably more trouble than it's worth in the end.

It takes two to argue. Just quit taking the bait. Part of this is people poking on you to see how serious you are. Now that you have established that you won't switch cars, that building a digital mpg gizmo is too much work, and that an uncalibrated analog consumption meter is probably useless to you, people understand you better and can meet you where you are at. Just hang in there.

Hey Blue03Civic, I'm with you....keep the newer car, and drive it sensably. I too do not buy this old car thinking....if you want to save money keep the newer civic, go to school as you say, and get great grades, then graduate, get a high paying job, and that is really the best way to save $$...to get a high paying job, through education...

OTHERWISE....you'll find yourself an old fart, having to pinch here and there to keep your 2 or more 10+ year old beaters working.....someone mentioned $300-$400 a month maintenence/fixing expenses...this is rediculeous, to be sure....I expect to spend no more then $50/year on maintaining my 2007 Toyota Yaris....NOT $300-400$ month...not that is most peculiar.....


....stay on the college track son, keep the new Honda too....just drive sensibly....educations mean options in your future...otherwise you get stuck with old beaters, and living in poverty is sooo Un American, to be sure.

Im with you there Blue. Dont let anyone pressure you into anything but at the same time dont bite anyone's bait. It just seems that some people are pretty passionate about their views and beliefs. Do everything on YOUR terms. People cant complain about someone trying to improve their current situation in a REASONABLE manner. If you feel that its impractical to switch to an older car then DONT do it. You probably LIKE your newer, more comfortable car and PAY the monthly premium (assuming U R still paying) for a reason. You have a achieve a BALANCE for yourself that may not be inline with what others want.
ANYway.. with that said, I havent done crap to my car. Just driving slowly (went from 65-80 down to 50-60) and trying to keep my rpms below 2000 so Im not racing the engine has increased my mpg from 29 to my last tank fill of 36mpg!!!!! Personally I think that awesome and Im proud of that. I think I might even do better this tank. I also just got K&N stock filter for my car and will order digital tire guage and Scanguage this week, as SOON as I get feedback from a few users here.
Since you know how to fix cars I KNOW that you must have heard about K&N. If you just get the STOCK size for you stock air intake the cost will be minimum (<$50) and it may pay for itself within two-three filter changes. My K&N filter was $50, but surprisingly I was able to buy it on a link HERE for $33. Total bill was $51, including K&N refresh kit and free shipping. I would have paid more at PepBoys for just the filter alone after tax. AND... Matt gets a few pennies from the link to help pay for this site.
Hope this helps, my apologies for the novel :)

Thanks MorningGaser and StanleyD, I appreciate it.

Yes, I have heard of K&N, I was never a great fan of their products. As I can remember, setting a cone shaped K&N "performance" filter down hard on a table would cause dirt to come out of the inside of it, I could only think of going over a pothole causing a handful of sand to go flowing into my engine. I've just got a $10 Purolator filter in there, just like my last one, which worked fine for me.

KNN filters are good - for increased air flow, but, on many performance car forums, there is a lot of discussion about the fact that smaller particles are indeed let through into the engine!

Have you tried any modifications yet?. I was going to say grille block / air dam, but I see you already have this on your list of future things to do :)

In terms of accelerating, is your gearbox a 'normal' automatic gearbox, or a constantly-variable transmission?. In a family member's Nissan Primera (like an Infiniti G20), with CVT transmission, I managed to get about a 15-20&#37; improvement, despite driving fast, just by changing the acceleration tactic. I would basically use more powerful acceleration, so that the engine is in a more efficient range, while keeping the revs low and using the torque. I went from 28 - 37MPG (UK) by doing a journey like this!

I suppose, with a new car like yours, and with the main aim to reduce fuel consumption, the cheapest mods would be aero mods, so grille block, front air dam, and also front undertray if at all possible, could be done cheaply. You could hide the grille block behind the grille (like I have done), to avoid damaging the looks of the car as much. You could also try rear wheel skirts - these wouldn't even look bad if you made them out of decent material, and bought some spraypaint to match your car and sprayed them up first! The lower front grille looks like a good candidate for blocking with e.g. black coroplast. Just keep an eye on the temp gauge for a while, although I run my car with a total upper + lower block and it seems fine.

Obviously driving more slowly will also save gas - but not so slow that the auto gearbox shifts to a lower gear, or the torque convertor unlocks. 56mph might be a good speed to drive :)

Glad to see you have stayed around!

Glad to see you stayed

You folks really should have a look at metrompg site , he tested the filter thingy and did an insanely good job of documenting it:

https://www.metrompg.com/posts/air-filter-part-1.htm