Best Fuel Saving Tips Page

[realsteelfreak]

With all the buzz on high fuel prices whats the best ways to save on fuel?
Tune ups? carpooling? Heaven forbid ,riding the bus? your ideas.

[pdub]

With all the buzz on high fuel prices whats the best ways to save on fuel?
Tune ups? carpooling? Heaven forbid ,riding the bus? your ideas.

Jerry, back in the 70's when fuel supply was a totally created crisis, we all carpooled. We all took turns driving two or three of us at a time to work. And it turned out, all the driving you did to go pick up people, at least in my case, wasted more gas than all of us just driving ourselves.

It took me a long time to realize that, particularly the guy who lived way across town. I was driving miles in the wrong direction to pick him up, but when it was his turn to drive, he was driving straight toward work and picked me up on the way. But (sigh) I was young and dumb. I'm still dumb, but not so young. He laughed at me after a couple years of doing that and told him this carpooling stuff has got to stop - "peewee, I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out." He enjoyed it, at my expense.

[Barry Donovan]

as like old days..getting to full temp quick is a big help.
carbs did not care if they were cold..injection got all kinds of things measuring.

in the 70s, at leass more than one person could fit in usas definition of a car.

[oldsman496]

I drive a big block olds with a quadrabog everyday about 35 miles a day. I have a little blue truck that gets 28 mpg, but, when i go out to go to work each day and i look at the two of 'em, and wonder which one to drive to work that day,.... well i always pick the gas guzzler. So to save money.... I hyper mile. . allot. I've installed an ignition momentary kill switch which i can press for about 5 seconds and the motor will turn off. I can then use 5th gear and the clutch to resart from a roll. Here in southern Ohio we have plenty of hills, which makes any trip, half way uphill and half way downhill. so the engine is off and i'm coasting every downhill stretch. Good coasting performance is critically affected by tire air pressure. i run my BFG's at about 40psi. Traffic permitting - this can double my mileage, sometimes a little more. and its still more fun than that 4 cyl truck of mine.....

[pdub]

Oh my GOSH. Mike is Hypermilling - on BANGSHIFT! Ohhhh my. Ohhhhh Mike....oh my......

[LORENSWIFE]

I ride a commuter bus to get downtown everyday. I drive 12 miles to where I get the bus so that is 24 round trip, but MUCH better than 80 round trip in the Cherokee (plus the way I drive, ask Loren)! The commuter bus is not so bad it is one of those big fancy ones with comfy seats and foot rests, not like the city buses, plus it is always the same people on it so if you fall asleep they know what stop is yours and will wake you up. You can nap or read, some people knit or you can sneak little airline boozes on there for Friday...

The bus only makes a few stops then gets on the HOV lane and I am the 3rd stop once we get downtown.

80 miles round trip in a car that gets maybe 15mpg with gas hovering right now at $4.75 plus add parking downtown on to that, either $10 a day or $160 per month

~OR~

24 miles round trip at 15 mpg and NBC pays $77 of the $100 so I only pay $23 for the bus pass.

Please if anyone wants to do the math- have at it! I don't do math. It just swirls around in my head then I give up (Catholic school crazy nun math teacher in 3rd grade, I'm blamin' her!)

[oldsman496]

Its really allot of fun to kick start that big olds with 3" pipes and 40 flowmasters next to a Prius in traffic.... or cars with sensitive car alarms in parking lots...i can't quit driving it.....

[pdub]

Its really allot of fun to kick start that big olds with 3" pipes and 40 flowmasters next to a Prius in traffic.... or cars with sensitive car alarms in parking lots...i can't quit driving it.....

HhahahahahahHAhAhaHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hypermilling a hotrod! HAAHHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that will put me to bed for the night....HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAHHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Russell]

Keep your foot out of it if you want mpg! Coast as much as you can, dont speed. I gave up on thats stuff and got a plastic car with a 1.9L engine i can beat on it and get 35 mpg! If i try real heard it will get 40 but the diffrence is not worth it.

[kyhunter89]

I use to car pool, but I live in middle of nowhere and it's thirty miles to work one way. Saved alot of gas. Now I have a 240sx thats 4cly 5 speed and I cant seem to get better than 23mpg. I spend most the time at 70mph which is around 3300rpm or 40mph in forth around corners on the backroads.

My truck was getting around 19mpg, now seems bout 17, Think its time for new plugs.

My monte got 16 mpg with the 305 in bone stock shape. I hope to be able to match it.

[antmnte]

Cut off your catalytic converter that should help a bit. Also pay off your car and keep it rather than trade in, so that way its not the gas bill and car note.

[Barry Donovan]

Its really allot of fun to kick start that big olds with 3" pipes and 40 flowmasters next to a Prius in traffic.... or cars with sensitive car alarms in parking lots...i can't quit driving it.....

even when gas was a buck, gas was a concern in my locale. nothing was close.

a wal mart was 70 mile round trip.
the quadra jet was a favorite...did not want to give up v8 in the twenties.
I am still baffled at the 14mpg equation so many unknowing try to sustain. absurd.

a 305 goes beyond 25mpg...the 80s style tall gearing, its even taller today, on better engines. I don't know what the granpad problem is on the new stuff..its seems to be an asshole.

if I ever drop a four cyl below 30mpg..bye bye four cyl. I learned too much with v8s to put up with 14mpg there..
that 20s mpg realm,, every engine known goes to it. some for good, some for bad. it is funny what people hang onto.

[milner351]

don't under estimate the little things.

tire pressure - and tire rolling resistance (off road tires, performance tires with lots of traction are no bueno for MPG)

alignment - if it pulls, get it fixed, it's costing you fuel.

Conservation of momentum, coast to red lights, if you can afford the time, go 5 under the speed limit especially on the highway if you drive a vehicle with alot of aero drag - van, pick up, suv... put it in neutral at stop lights, shut it off at RR crossings, etc.

With winter coming - don't let it warm up for 15 minutes before you take off - scrape the windows, don't wait for it to melt via defrost.

Accelerate slowly - if you really want to learn to drive for MPG - put a vacuum gauge on it - and keep it as high as you can (wot =0)

[moparmaniac07]

If you have any significant commute, carpooling. You can't burn gas if you're not driving.

[DanStokes]

I was wondering when John would add his comments - he does this stuff for a living. And no - if the cat is not plugged (which happened a lot on older cars) there is little to be gained by removing it (back pressure is on the order of 2"-3" of water, which is near nothing).

We carpooled to EPA for years. Two of us lived within 500 feet of each other (condo project) and the other guy was close but he would drive to a central location so we weren't chasing our tails like Peewee was describing. Worked great. I messed it up by moving to where it was no longer practical.

Dan