My quest for 30mpg

[ChenZhen]

Hey gang-

As I stated in the Gas Prices thread over in the lounge, I've been getting pretty serious about trying to squeeze every last mile out of a gallon of gas in my coug. It's sort of been my latest kick, so I've been spending some time with the hypermilers over at CleanMPG, An authoritative source on fuel economy and hypermiling and learning quite a bit. I'm sure they'd frown upon the way I've been tracking my performance, since the little cougar display probably isn't the most accurate thing, but here's what it reads as an average after driving around for about a week using their advise:



This is a 2-3 mpg increase from what I was getting before my little controlled test. So, for the record, here's what I did (simple stuff):

-Clean air filter (the stupid Weapon R one I got awhile back), MAF and MAP sensors

-tire inflation. I was running quite low on my PSI before. My Kumho's are rated at 44psi max and now I'm running at 40psi. The hypermilers will recommend going all the way to 44, and many of them are running 15% over the max rating.

-Weight reduction. This might be misleading, since I've been without the stock hood for some time now, but I've yanked out a few things to drop some extra mass:



-Driving techniques. I've basically been driving around like a grandma. Steady acceleration onto freeway. No speeding up to a stop sign. Plenty of coasting. etc. In short, giving it as little gas as possible to get where I'm going (kinda makes sense, huh). Driving the speed limit. Also, on the freeway commute to work, I've been using the cruise control and drafting (although you'll get mixed opinions from the hypermilers about using the cruise). In my experience, the coug MPG meter will tick up the fastest when you get behind a semi with the cruise on.

Also, for the record, here is the official government ratings for my car (2000 2.5L ATX):



My guess is at this point that I'm easily getting over 30mpg on the highway. It's really the idling and the stop/start of city and suburb driving that eats the gas.

[SlowCat]

Well if you know it's going to be a long light, kill the car.... watch the lights going the other direct & restart once they go orange.

It won't technically increase your MPG, but will keep it from dropping from idling.

[99mcougar]

I always thought it takes more gas to start up your car then letting it idle for a bit. I'm hitting 30mpg on the highway, and thats setting the cruse at 115km/h, now if i were to set it at 105 or something my gas milage would probably increase a couple..

[bensenvill]

you should be way over 28.6 if your driving carefully!

my record FOR A FULL TANK is 37mpg on the v6 atx.

pulling weight really doesnt add up to too much, trust me on that one, between a car gutted to the hilt and crammed with all my lifes possesions was ~3mpg difference on pure hwy driving. I'm sure it'd be a sharp contrast if it was city.

remember things like making sure your wheels are in proper alignment will make a big difference, along with the condition of your wheel bearings. also may want to make sure your fuel filter is changed and your plugs/wires are in good shape.

[JScullin]

Yea, I've gotten in the mid 30's driving to CF2k1 when we did actually do the speed limit. Back when the car was an ATX with ~55k miles.


To accurately figure out your MPG reset your tripomoder when you fill your tank up. The next time you need to fill up take the miles driven in that time and divide it by how many gallons you needed to add.

[RodneyBur]

be happy with what you got my gas mileage stays about 21 in the summer and drops to 19 in the winter.

[Redlineracer12]

I got 38.8 @ 55mph for an entire tank when I first bought the car With the SVT engine I can only do around 30 @ 55mph.

[skater]

Uh, I think you're doing some things to set yourself up for headaches:

1. Removing the spare? What happens when you get a flat tire?

2. Overinflating the tires beyond what is specified for the car (based on the weight of the car plus some room for extra weight) can make them more likely to be damaged if you hit a pothole. In addition, it can cause them to start wearing in the middle.

[shoult]

Originally Posted by 99mcougar

I always thought it takes more gas to start up your car then letting it idle for a bit. I'm hitting 30mpg on the highway, and thats setting the cruse at 115km/h, now if i were to set it at 105 or something my gas milage would probably increase a couple..

Not so with fuel injection. With carburation the rule of thumb was 20 seconds or less, leave your engine run.

[shoult]

Originally Posted by skater

Uh, I think you're doing some things to set yourself up for headaches:

1. Removing the spare? What happens when you get a flat tire?.

A can of fix-a-flat will fix MOST problems. You can also can go to Harbor Freight (or other tool shop) and get a plug kit for under $10 which will fix 5 or so flats.

You can carry fix-a-flat, a plug kit and a 12v compressor in less space and less weight the even a space saver spare.

Originally Posted by skater

2. Overinflating the tires beyond what is specified for the car (based on the weight of the car plus some room for extra weight) can make them more likely to be damaged if you hit a pothole. In addition, it can cause them to start wearing in the middle.

Wearing in the middle is a definate problem of over inflation. The danger of damage to your wheels and tires due to potholes from underinflation is greater then the danger or overinflation.