MPG Cam Results

[nitrofarm]

Nitrofarm, Mark/Zanzer IS currently working on a project for increasing gas mileage. I'm hoping it will be installed in my silver 90 in January. Another 1.3 that I have is being checked for my car before the mods are installed. We plan to run it totally stock for about 4 weeks for a baseline on mileage, add mod 1. then about 4 weeks later add mod 2. I'm planning to dyno the car in stock form and then after each phase of the mods.

Sounds promising :thumbs_up:

[tripod808]

Things that make me scratch my head-
Home Brew Mechanic's who drive a Festiva 1.3L with 62 hp and want even better economy and start modifying the engine and engine management.
Then the same said people who do "Tests" on this new "Setup" and "Report their Findings" on Fordfestiva.com (Really...you ran a couple tanks of gas through it and that's the test?):cry_smile:
So what I've read between these lines is this- Mazda Engineers in Japan didnt get it quite right and I can fix this myself. (You see this thought process on many Car forums,not just here)
Research,development,time and the equipment necessary to legitimize any mpg findings makes this goal very difficult.
Here is my cynical view on the MPG topic:
Make more power than MAZDA but increase fuel consumption = Easy
Make more power than MAZDA without affecting fuel consumption = Not so easy
Make the same amount of power as MAZDA but improve fuel consumption and not effect drive-ability and the longevity of the engines life = You are Legit

Haha, exactly!

[tripod808]

If I were to take on the task of increasing mpg's in my festiva, I would:
1.Buy low rolling resistence tires and keep them well inflated.
2.Shed weight, including interior stripping or carrying less items
3.Create some sort of grill shutter to decrease drag at speed, as well as minimize gaps in between body panels
4.Conduct an average tune up (spark plugs,wires,possibly lighter weight oil)
6.MOST IMPORTANTLY, modify driving style (modest acceleration,coasting to stops,neutral down hills,etc)

This is not new information and I'm sure the majority of festiva owners are well informed of hypermiling, but it seems like there are some who want to throw money at a festiva to gain mpg's and I just don't get it. I think we should accept our cars for what they are and realize that maybe we are the ones who need to change.

[zoom zoom]

Oh no he didn't...

[getnpsi]

haha...I know...im all in these discussions too. I've done lots of speculation. My conclusion w/o owning the piece myself is it makes your engine down on power, training you to drive better. Anyone can drive better and not need a cam swap obviously. The results we want are hard to replicate, because a real mechanical mpg improving mod would show results across the board for multiple drivers multiple scenarios.

[TominMO]

Anyone who can pull off a significant improvement in Festy/Aspire MPG by changing or modifying parts, I say more power to them. If this is possible, it will probably come down to a combination of parts; plus other factors like the ones tripod808 mentioned above, common stuff we all know about.

[sketchman]

I still think there is a good bit on the table with these cars that could be fixed. It's just nobody is doing some of them.

Things I want to do, if I ever get to them:

1. Real flat top pistons that aren't nutzo high comp. The stock CC can be instantly improved with this.
2. Advance the ignition timing. Duh, right?
3. Swap VAF for MAP and get a real TPS to work an uber lean low load cruise.
4. Lower the car.
5. Various cheap and easy aero body things.

I want 50mpg as a norm with casual driving.

[nitrofarm]

If you are serious about MPG,here is some tips that I've found really work.
Tight front end & very good mounts (or poly). When all your components are tight and you run 0 toe. Your car will really just float along at highway speeds. Keeping the toe at zero is the big "Clincher". Because the car is so under powered it doesnt like any resistance. I think a lot of people may miss out on this because of the cost and labor. Everything on these front ends can cause varying toe at highway speeds. ie front Bearings,LCA's,Inner/Outer Tie Rods,Rack wear & Rack Bushings. Got all these tight and I was Blown away at how the car accelerates/Cruise's and uses less gas. I'm using Raybestos LCA's & Tie Rods (made in Korea). They are very pricey but last longer than the cheapos- I recently made a Poly front trans mount for my car and I can honestly say I gained @ 1-2 mpg per gallon. The car doesn't make more power,it just utilizes what it has much more efficiently. This has nothing to do with cams or engines I know,but just thought I'd chime in-

[TominMO]

If you are serious about MPG,here is some tips that I've found really work.
Tight front end & very good mounts (or poly). When all your components are tight and you run 0 toe. Your car will really just float along at highway speeds. Keeping the toe at zero is the big "Clincher". Because the car is so under powered it doesnt like any resistance. I think a lot of people may miss out on this because of the cost and labor. Everything on these front ends can cause varying toe at highway speeds. ie front Bearings,LCA's,Inner/Outer Tie Rods,Rack wear & Rack Bushings. Got all these tight and I was Blown away at how the car accelerates/Cruise's and uses less gas. I'm using Raybestos LCA's & Tie Rods (made in Korea). They are very pricey but last longer than the cheapos- I recently made a Poly front trans mount for my car and I can honestly say I gained @ 1-2 mpg per gallon. The car doesn't make more power,it just utilizes what it has much more efficiently. This has nothing to do with cams or engines I know,but just thought I'd chime in-

Whatever makes a difference is a valid thing to consider.

[sketchman]

^Yes. X2. I have the cam no more, but economy will always be a point of interest.

[getnpsi]

My next approach while thinking on the toilet is too swap in an engine that is obd2. A multitude of add on these is that let you monitor things in real time and let you adjust. You simply remove your cat get a wide bandwidth lambda and factor in if you can run more or less ethanol and adjust your feeul pressure. instant feedback to increase or go lower without pulling plugs all this stupid time. A vacuum gauge monitors load, but a load parameter monitoring load....legit

[Advancedynamix]

There are a bunch of ways to make the Festiva more efficient.
From the factory the Festiva is set up with slight positive camber and toe in. This setup is ideal if you are driving in rutted up fire roads, but not ideal if you want to get good fuel mileage. -2 degrees camber and zero toe on all 4 corners will reduce the rolling resistance of the car significantly (it can be felt even just rolling the car by hand). Lowering the car will also improve milage.
Engine Management systems have come a long way since 1993. The Festiva has outdated batch fired Injectors. Sequentially fired EV-14 style injectors that are lower flow rate than stock, with higher fuel pressure, will improve efficiency. Wide band controlled fuel trim, auto learn, and closed loop operation at WFO will all improve mileage as well. The Japanese engineers at Mazda did a great job on the Festiva, but they were limited by a budget minded theme and by the technology available in that era. We now have the ability to improve old designs, even if we may be "home brew mechanics" who post on a Festiva forum.

[ToSloTrk]

I've been documenting fuel mileage on my Festiva's for years. Never did a lot of experimenting with mechanical changes.

Above is a graph of my old 1.3 Festiva. Notice a significant increase over summertime. The second last summer I drove that car my friends and I had a competition to see who could get the best fuel mileage. Nothing mechanical was done coasting,removing weight, high tire pressure,ect. The last summer I drove the car I was driving normal but I had ported/polished and milled the head and installed an FMS cam. I have no idea how much the increase was due to the mechanical changes and how much was due to changed driving habits.


This is a graph of my 1.6 Festiva. This one only has the FMS cam. Fuel mileage is definitely worse but I'm running larger wheels and tires plus have a roof rack on most of the year. I'm tempted to pull the head and port/polish and mill this head to see if I have the same results on this car.

[nitrofarm]

^ Thats cool thanks for sharing.To bad we cant see your months and the average ambient temps. My MPG gets super crappy in this cold windy wet winter weather. I bet I average 10 mpg less in Dec,Jan & Feb. Between the blower fan,headlites and long warm-ups, I just give up trying to squeeze any economy out of her.

[FestYboy]

^ same here... just pulled a 29mpg last week. yeah, i beat on it no matter what the weather.