With gas prices averaging close to $4.00/gallon;

GasBuddy.com Gas Prices Average (http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Price_List.aspx?cntry=USA)
GasBuddy Gas Heat Map (http://gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx)
AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report (http://fuelgaugereport.aaa.com/?redirectto=http://fuelgaugereport.opisnet.com/index.asp)
US Retail Gasoline Prices (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_home_page.html)

I wanted to find ways that I could make my gas dollar go farther. I had read a few places in the forum where some people go to extremes to increase gas mileage but I was wondering what are some ways to achieve this either with no cost or with little cost.

Some ways that I have found are;
Driving more efficiently

Reduce use of air-conditioning (or don't use at all).
Reduce automobile weight
Drive efficiently (no excessive speeding)
Reduce idle time.
Use cruise control
Use over-drive (if available in your auto)


Automobile Maintenance

Keep Tires properly inflated
Use recommended graded oil or premium oils
Replace air filters regularly
Keep to regular scheduled maintenance plan


Some other ways I found are;

Hypermiling (http://www.gasolinecreditcards.com/ecotrekker/2008/03/04/the-ultimate-guide-to-hypermiling-100-driving-and-car-tips-and-resources/)
Upgrade your exhaust or muffler system - better air-flow leads to better gas milage
Upgrade to performance air-filter (K&N Air filters, etc..)
Upgrade to performance spark-plugs/wires (recommendations?)
Upgrade to performance chip (recommendations?)
Upgrade to synthetic gear and transmission oil
Clean fuel system and filters regularly


These tips and ideas I found here in our forum as well as throughout the internet. Some, I do not believe, may not apply to ALL vehicles, but most do.

These tips are either no-cost and just need driving style/awareness adaptation and some are low-cost initiatives. By low-cost, I categorize that as possibly sub $100 - $300.

Would you have any other input on how we can improve gas mileage that fits this criteria?

Thank you,

Good Tips, I follow most of them ;)

Thanks Malo83!

Part of my post was looking for input on any other methods and how ppl manage with the ones I did post.

Also was looking for input on the upgrades; transmission, gear, spark plugs and wires etc..

If ppl did any of those upgrades and saw any performance/gas mileage boost.

Thanks,

Very good list. One to add along with keeping tires properly inflated is if you are due for new tires, you may want to consider Low Rolling Resistant Tires! “Fuel Saving”

You could add another 1- 3 MPG if you are over concerned. Only problem I find with doing that is most of the time you loss performance in many area’s that are needed!

3-4 MPG increase using Ethanol free gas,more zip.

I try to coast as much as possible and stay off the throttle as much as possible. I tend to drive between 60 and 65 mph on the interstate with the cruise on as much as possible. It helps if you can maintain a constant speed with as little throttle as possible. If I see a traffic light up ahead turn yellow I take my foot off the gas pedal and start coasting. I have only had my 4 cylinder Malibu for 3 months but, I consistantly get between 23 and 26 mpg every week. That's mostly city driving.

The best way to increase fuel economy is to use Cold or Ram air intakes. Cold air intakes bring the cool air into a car's internal combustion engine regulating the temperature of air that enters the engine's intake tract. The cold air contains more oxygen compared to warmer air. It means that it has higher density. Thus, cold air intake increases performance, fuel economy, and efficiency.

A ram air intake is the special intake manifold system, which uses the dynamic air pressure created by the car motion to enlarge the static air pressure inside the intake manifold on a powerunit increasing the power of the engine. It ensures more combustible air for the engine than ordinary manifold system. Due to simple design, the ram system transfers cool outside air to the combustion chamber of the engine's motor.

All Malibus are equipped with cold air intakes from the factory. There is a small-ish snorkel outside the engine bay that brings air from behind the right headlight into the air filter box, and from there into the engine.

Adding a scoop to help reduce the manifold absolute pressure (MAP), or possibly even pressurizing it, can help add power through providing a larger mass of air to the engine during the intake portion of the combustion cycle. It might not produce better mileage.

Getting pressurized air to enter the filter box requires adding ductwork with a large frontal area that delivers it to the filter and intake system. Modifications to the exterior of the filter box will probably be necessary to keep from choking off the increased mass of air.

The best way to increase fuel economy is to use Cold or Ram air intakes.

Sorry but that is essentially a old wives tale.......and a "pitch" used by people selling the things.

Making ANY signigicant change to any of the components of the air intake or exhaust on a modern computer controlled FI car is likely to result in less power and fuel economy. Simply stuffing more air into the intake often does NOT result in anything good happening.

The explanation of air density is essentially correct but the claimed advantage doesn't apply to most simple "ram air" arrangements.

I try to coast as much as possible and stay off the throttle as much as possible. I tend to drive between 60 and 65 mph on the interstate with the cruise on as much as possible. It helps if you can maintain a constant speed with as little throttle as possible. If I see a traffic light up ahead turn yellow I take my foot off the gas pedal and start coasting. I have only had my 4 cylinder Malibu for 3 months but, I consistantly get between 23 and 26 mpg every week. That's mostly city driving.

I drive pretty much the same way you do, lots of coasting when lights are red, cruise control as much as possible, easy acceleration, especially when another light is just ahead and you know it will turn red. I'v had my I4 now for almost a year, about 10 days to go. I drive 94 miles a day around trip to work, approx 2/3 highway, and I average in the 30 to 31 mpg. There have been some weeks were I don't drive like mentioned above and my mpg's will drop to the 27 to 28's.

Several long road trips have netted me 36.6mpg as a best.

While I don't have the 4-banger I do have a trip coming up. I keep track of all my gas consumption so I'll be able to see how it goes. I drive with a bit of a lead foot around town but when I'm on the road I pay careful attention to getting the best mileage I can without causing any issues to those following me.

Another one that I have heard off is to stop using drive up windows. You can easily burn a bucks worth of gas idling in line.

Another one that I have heard off is to stop using drive up windows. You can easily burn a bucks worth of gas idling in line.

AND getting your fat butt out of the car and walking a few feet will help burn off those excess calories too. :rolleyes:

Yes, I include myself in that picture. :D

Almost anything you do to add power can detract from fuel mileage. Be very careful when buying aftermarket solutions to problems you may not have.

The mileage myths:
Aftermarket Cold Air Intakes
Low restriction air filters (ie K&N)
Low restriction cat back exhaust
Low restriction exhaust with low restriction cat
Low restriction exhaust with low restriction cat & headers

The mileage facts: (taken from first post with edits)
Reduce use of air-conditioning (or don't use at all). (proven by Mythbusters twice even at highway speeds)
Reduce automobile weight
Drive efficiently (no excessive speeding)
Reduce idle time.
Use cruise control
Use over-drive (if available in your auto)
Keep Tires properly inflated (adding 2psi to the recommended pressure will increase mileage at little reduction in comfort)
Use recommended graded oil or premium oils (no question, use synthetic oil)
Replace air filters regularly
Keep to regular scheduled maintenance plan

First, the myths. Your cars factory computer tune is a careful blend of factors that are important to the manufacturer. The factory, GM in this case, has a vested interest in maximizing fuel economy for CAFE standards. But, they also have to consider other factors such as noise abatement, driveability and the biggie, emission standards. Not to mention producing an engine that lasts through the warranty period and beyond to compete with the foreign manufactures. Lets start with low restriction air filters. While it could be successfully argued that a low restriction air filter can increase fuel mileage, common sense tells you that in order to do that the microscopic holes in the filter have to be larger allowing more air and larger particles to enter your engines intake tract reducing engine durability. Also, the oil impregnated aftermarket air filter are known to contaminate some MAF & IAT sensors to give false reading to the computer which will drive the computer buggy resulting in very poor performance. The last point to make about cold air intakes is that it negates the effect of the EGR valve. For performance buffs, the EGR valve has been a bad guy for decades. But for mileage aficionados the EGR valve is your friend. It heats the intake air resulting in better combustion in the leaner operating conditions your computer senses you need. Deactivating your EGR valve is known to increase power and reduce fuel mileage by 2 to 5 mpg.

Usually the biggest restriction in your exhaust is the catalytic converter. Changing to a cat back (everything after the cat) system will increase the sound and perceived performance of the car, but does little else. Changing to a low restriction exhaust with hi flow cat will make your car more efficient for power and fuel economy as long as the reduction of restriction doesn't drive your air to fuel mixture out of the range of the oxygen sensor. Once the oxygen sensor is driven out of range the computer will change from closed loop operation into open loop operation which many times will increase power at the cost of fuel efficiency. Adding a header to the equation will only make the previous situation worse. Having said that, if you change the cat and/or add headers to an aftermarket or GMPP cat back system and then have a custom (in person) tune on your computer to maximize fuel efficiency then significant gains in fuel efficiency as long as you can keep your foot out of it. 5 to 10 mpg is not out of the realm of possibility. Of course, you can also get a custom tune on the OEM exhaust system and get better fuel economy with slightly degraded performance.

The best advice I've every heard is to observe all the items in "mileage facts" above then install a vacuum gauge and drive to always seek the highest vacuum. Also, drive like you have an egg between your foot and throttle pedal.

Question in regards to drive up windows and parking and getting out "fat butts" out and walking in to the get our "fat butt" food;

If your in a drive-up window you burn a particular amount of fuel..what do you think would be the amount of fuel it takes to park, turn engine off and then cranking it back up to continue on your way? Does cranking the engine to start take any additional fuel over normal running?

Curious.

(Hello, my name is Greg and I have a fat butt(membership is available))

Back in the "old days" it was recommended not to idle more than about 2 minutes. If you were gonna idle that long then shutting it off would save gas, since restarting usually meant you stepped on the throttle and squirted more gas into the engine to start it.

Nowadays, with precisely metered fuel injection, you can turn it off at any light or even a long stop sign. I don't know how many seconds of idling it takes to consume as much gas as a warm restart, but it isn't nearly as much as on the old carburetors.

So, parking and walking definitely saves gas, especially if you're in the line I was in the other day. It took over 10 minutes to get from order to paying to getting the food. I've parked a few times and am gonna do it more often.

Back in the "old days" it was recommended not to idle more than about 2 minutes. If you were gonna idle that long then shutting it off would save gas, since restarting usually meant you stepped on the throttle and squirted more gas into the engine to start it.

Nowadays, with precisely metered fuel injection, you can turn it off at any light or even a long stop sign. I don't know how many seconds of idling it takes to consume as much gas as a warm restart, but it isn't nearly as much as on the old carburetors.

So, parking and walking definitely saves gas, especially if you're in the line I was in the other day. It took over 10 minutes to get from order to paying to getting the food. I've parked a few times and am gonna do it more often.

I can see how waiting for a stop sign to change woud waste gas... :)

I hate my 4cyl- i bet i average 23-25 mpg and its mostly highway- my V6 impala got better mileage....

I hate my 4cyl- i bet i average 23-25 mpg ....

Bets like that are often lost. :)
Why is it that you don't "know" ??

Speed and driving "style" has a lot to do with fuel economy on the highway.
80 MPH was mentioned in another thread. Compared to 60 MPH, the extra 20 MPH would have a DRASTIC impact you the gas consumption, especially for an engine that is somewhat underpowered to begin with. Having the AC on doesn't help either.

But the trend in horsepower is DOWN, not up. In another 10 years or so, I suspect that you're gonna have to pay close to $100K to get a car that has really good performance, as measured by late 20th century standards.
Might as well get used to it.

But the trend in horsepower is DOWN, not up. In another 10 years or so, I suspect that you're gonna have to pay close to $100K to get a car that has really good performance, as measured by late 20th century standards.
Might as well get used to it.

Ahem.

I think you MIGHT want to actually compare RWHP stats of cars.

They seem to be trending upward still, even with smaller and smaller motors in them.

RwP

They seem to be trending upward still, even with smaller and smaller motors in them.

I might be wrong but I was referring to overall industry averages.

The recent engineering has been pretty good; with a given displacement yielding BOTH more HP and better efficiency all at the same time.

With fewer and fewer "monster" engines on the road, I can't see how the overall total or average could be going UP though.

As the CAFE standards keep going up, the bigger engines may become even more scarce.

malibuken's observations regarding speed are dead on and are something that most people don't even think about. Once you break the 60mph barrier fuel economy is going to drop like a rock. My Malibu was averaging between 26-31mpg highway. The variable was that on "family" trips I'd drive 60-70 mph. If I was driving the car to work (72 miles each way) I'd be driving between 70-80 mph. The work trips would cost me a half tank of fuel but the family trip (even with the added weight of 2 other people) wouldn't be nearly as fuel consuming. As for the underpowered engine, My wife's Trailblazer averages 26mpg highway when I drive it. I am a set the cruise and go type of driver so it's usually between 60-70mph and that's with the 4.2L V-6. When she drives it the average is around 22-24 as she has a lead foot and seems to forget about cruise. My top fuel saving items are tire inflation (especially now with the awd Subaru), eliminating dead weight (clean out the trunk), pick a speed and stick with it on long drives and be sure that air/fuel filters are maintained regularly.

wind resistance (drag) increases as the square of increase of velocity......at any speed.

Mechanical friction is a constant that is greater than the drag from air when operating a car at low speeds. The most efficient speed for any vehicle is where those two cross. If you do a little checking you'll find that the national speed limit during WW2 was 35 mph. It was determined without computers that the friction from mechanical items remained constant but as speed increased the drag from air increased. At about 35 the drag started to be a larger factor in fuel consumption than mechanical friction so going faster just consumed more fuel for the sake of speed, but the most efficient use of the fuel was 35, so the speed limit was set.

Go forward a few decades and the national speed limit of 55 (the old "Double Nickel") that began in the 70's was the result of a fuel crisis and the improved aerodynamics of vehicles. I'd wager that 55 was not the most efficient speed at that time. But who would have observed it if it was 45?

Now we have vehicles with overdrive standard, better aerodynamics, fuel injection, and highly refined fuel monitoring and metering systems. I can get better mileage at 60 in 6th than I can at 50 in 5th.

Part of the equation has to do with the amount of work derived from a quantity of fuel and then gearing a vehicle to be able to be at the peak of efficiency while operating at a given speed. Coefficient of drag plays a large part in that (see comments in previous posts by Tyrod and others), as does gearing and reducing mechanical friction.

There's no magical silver bullet. But there is common sense!