Increasing Gas Mileage

Post by **marshallh** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:15 pm

Ah, the old acetone trick. It's been around since the last half of the 20th century yet it's never gained much following.

You'll have better luck with this on larger displacement engines (domestic V6s and most V8s). Most imports with low compression engines (economy cars) will not do better and may do worse.

It's your call if you want to risk this. I tried it on my old Buick wagon (5.0L V8 ) and didn't see any gain.

Some real tips -
1. Make sure your tires are inflated to specs. You can risk going over a few extra psi but you're putting yourself at risk.
2. Get up to date on maintenance. If you don't know the last time your car went in for a major service, you need to! Changing the oil is great and all, but DO follow the manufacturer's recommended service schedule. Even more so for imports.
3. And the easiest (and yet hardest) one is drive casually! Go the speed limit. Don't speed unless you're causing a traffic obstruction. If you mash that pedal down, you're dumping more gas but seeing less acceleration the more your push. Only push as much as you need to.
You can install a vacuum gauge that will tell you engine load and consequently how much gas you're burning.

If you can't do all three of those steps, then you have no business complaining about your mileage

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm

ghosstt wrote:Well, through a nice chain of events, I ended up getting this truck for the price of buying a new title. (which cost a few hundred bucks) So, I would like to use this as long as possible.

In that case, you'd make almost 100% profit from selling it (checked a local classifieds, '01 Sport Tracs are listed at $6k+). I'd really consider selling it if I were you. 2WD, little bed, not much of an advantage over a car, IMHO. Pretty much any station wagon would equal its utility. Plus, SUVs generally cost more to insure. I'm not anti-SUV or anything (we have 4 vehicles, 3 are trucks or SUVs), but they just aren't the way to go if you want mileage and don't need their capabilities.

I'd be careful with acetone, I've heard it can eat away at seal and such. It seems that the verdict is mixed, some people see several more MPG, some see no difference, and others completely FUBAR their car. In my opinion, there are much better ways to save money.

robm · Post by **robm** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:27 pm

15 mpg?

I'm jealous. My GMC 1-ton gets 7 on a good day.

Anyway, there are Hyptertec programmers you can buy from your local parts store that are supposed to be able to re-tune your PCM to become more fuel efficient

They run about 300 bucks.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:18 pm

I second the selling idea.

I own a focus wagon (It's pretty narrow, but my family's tall and we can all drive it rather comfortably), and it gets roughly 27 mpg stock. Sure, it's not a car for everyone, but it has decent (read: DECENT) acceleration and power. It's no sports car, but it has just enough power from it's 4 cylinder engine to get you out of a pinch if need be. Something like that would be good. It's a 2004, bought it with 100k kms roughly, and it cost $9000 after taxes and crap from a dealer.

Civics are really nice, too. Don't bash them if you've never sat in one, they're surprisingly spacious. Just don't find one with plastic bumper kits and a modified muffler. Those ones are for fags.

Robm: Thanks for giving my future baby cancer.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Sun Jan 18, 2009 11:41 pm

Kurt_ wrote:I own a focus wagon (It's pretty narrow, but my family's tall and we can all drive it rather comfortably), and it gets roughly 27 mpg stock. Sure, it's not a car for everyone, but it has decent (read: DECENT) acceleration and power. It's no sports car, but it has just enough power from it's 4 cylinder engine to get you out of a pinch if need be. Something like that would be good. It's a 2004, bought it with 100k kms roughly, and it cost $9000 after taxes and crap from a dealer.
Civics are really nice, too. Don't bash them if you've never sat in one, they're surprisingly spacious. Just don't find one with plastic bumper kits and a modified muffler. Those ones are for fags.

I prefer driving our '97 Civic over our other vehicles. I like its small size and lower CG. It has the weakest engine available and a manual tranny, it can accelerate pretty decent when needed. Gets at least 30MPG in city, 35-40+ highway. Ours cost $3.5k or 4k.
And like kurt said, don't get a riced one.

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:08 am

Acetone? Bad idea if your engine is over 70k miles. Put to much in and you end up blowing a valve.

I went from 12mpg to 18mpg by doing the following to my 99' Jeep I-6 4.0L. Just hit 135k today.

1. Installed a larger oil filter
2. Change Spark Plugs
3. Change Spark Plug wires
4. Replaced Distributor and Rotor
5. Transmission flush and filter change
6. Radiator flush
7. Seafoam the Engine
8. Seafoam Transtune
9. Air Filter change (want to go to a cold air K&N setup soon)
10. Seafoamed the injectors
11. PSI on tires check every week

Still left to do before MGC

1. Change transfer case fluid
2. Change differential fluid
3. U-Joint replacement
4. CV-Joint replacement
5. K&N filter
6. Transmission cooler

I baby my jeep as much as possible

Post by **Triton** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:18 am

adding anything to your fuel system carrys risks keep in mind acetone is a solvent that will eat many kinds of plastic and can erode rubber same with toluene but its been used by dragracers and the like for decades. neither of those are going to gain you anything unless your engine is designed to run on high octane fuel

Gordon1 · Post by **Gordon1** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 12:40 am

As a driver who gets 11mpg in his v6 dodge dakota, I have taken all of the following and have selected the best thing here..... the vacuum gauge. I bought a boost gauge (for anti economy) that measures vacuum as well. I put it in a couple days ago and oh man, it is the best. Now I actually feel bad when I mash on the gas, cause that gauge goes into the "your dumping all of your fuel into your engine, you tool" zone.

Also, what is sea foam? I have heard about it but never seen it.

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:27 am

Gordon1 wrote: Also, what is sea foam? I have heard about it but never seen it.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 6:25 am

Theres a video on youtube somewhere that talks about it.

Essentially to save gas you can:

1) Park in the shade. Gas Evaporates.

2) Turn ALL extra power sources off before turning off/on your car. So, before you turn your car off, turn off the radio, etc. This way your car doesnt have to struggle to turn on each time.

3) When filling up your car at the gas station, once your near the end, turn the handle upside down. You will get an extra CUP of gas, which usually stays in the hose. (You turning the hose upside down, causes it to come out.)

4) Make sure your tires are completly full of air. Driving on flat tires or tires without enough air, makes you lose MPG.

robm · Post by **robm** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:21 am

Robm: Thanks for giving my future baby cancer.

No problem dude, I am there for you.

My son loves it. He's going to be sad when I sell it this week for something more economical

Bibin · Post by **Bibin** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:38 am

Why did my '88 Pontiac 6000 SE and our current Volvo 940 both get about 25-30 MPG, while these newer cars tote around 15-20 as being good MPG? When did the standards become total crap?

Post by **bicostp** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:47 am

What gas are you running? Sometimes going to a higher octane will get better mileage. My dad's V6 Grand Am gets about 22 on 87, but near 30 on premium. The extra miles per tank is worth the extra 20 cents a gallon.

Kurt_ wrote:I own a focus wagon

Is the interior really that spacious? I've ridden in a Focus hatchback a few times and it's like riding in a freakin' go-kart. It had nice seats, though. (No I'm not used to Excursion-size vehicles; my car's about the same size, and it doesn't have plastic parts bulging out everywhere.)

The only downside to trading your SUV in for a car is you'll get peanuts for it. They can't give those things away, and dealers around here might give you half the KBB value, if you're lucky enough to find one that will take it at all.

ghosstt · Post by **ghosstt** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:02 am

bicostp wrote: The only downside to trading your SUV in for a car is you'll get peanuts for it. They can't give those things away, and dealers around here might give you half the KBB value, if you're lucky enough to find one that will take it at all.

Well, actually, where I am, at the dodge dealer, they were giving away a free dodge neon(new) with any purchase of an SUV.

rekarp wrote: 1. Installed a larger oil filter
2. Change Spark Plugs
3. Change Spark Plug wires
4. Replaced Distributor and Rotor
5. Transmission flush and filter change
6. Radiator flush
7. Seafoam the Engine
8. Seafoam Transtune
9. Air Filter change (want to go to a cold air K&N setup soon)
10. Seafoamed the injectors
11. PSI on tires check every week

I'll probably try all of those, considering it's almost got 200k miles on it.

I'd love a K&N cold air intake, but I need some more money first. (Don't know if its worth it to put it on this truck anyway) Do recommend doing all that yourself, or having a shop do it? (I have a lift available)

Can someone give me some more information on the vacuum gauges? How exactly do they work, and how do you know when your doing good or bad.

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:42 am

HotDog-Cart wrote:1) Park in the shade. Gas Evaporates.

2) Turn ALL extra power sources off before turning off/on your car. So, before you turn your car off, turn off the radio, etc. This way your car doesnt have to struggle to turn on each time.

Yes, gas evaporates. Should much of it be leaving your gas tank? No. If it could escape from the tank fast enough to hurt your fuel economy, every parking lot would smell like a gas station.
If your car has problems starting because your radio is drawing a few amps, you probably need a new battery. Plus, most accessories get turned off when you turn the key to "start". I pull into where I'm parking, set parking brake/put shifter in park, turn off the car (which kills the radio on most older cars), turn off headlights, unbuckle seatbelt, and exit car. Whole process takes 10-15 seconds. So even if the radio doesn't turn off til I open the door, the energy used by it is negligible compared to the energy wasted by leaving the engine running a couple more seconds to turn the radio off.

ghosstt wrote:I'd love a K&N cold air intake, but I need some more money first. (Don't know if its worth it to put it on this truck anyway) Do recommend doing all that yourself, or having a shop do it? (I have a lift available)

The intake should be fairly easy to do. Probably just depends on the vehicle though.
Aerodynamics will probably help you the most per dollar spent. Rear wheel skirts, belly pan, cover for the bed, grill cover. Check Ecomodder for more, there are people with SUVs and trucks that have increased mileage by quite a bit for not much money. But, in all honestly, you'll probably never get the same mileage from your Sport Trac as you could get in a car.