Getting the most mileage out of your gas.

[TominMO]

Or he's pulse and glideing!
Can't forget about them hypermilers tom.

Well if so, it is not exactly helpful to not mention that, since it is not "normal" driving practice. I doubt that is what he did tho.

[TominMO]

Or he's pulse and glideing!
Can't forget about them hypermilers tom.

Well if so, it is not exactly helpful to not mention that, since it is not "normal" driving practice. I doubt that is what he did tho.

Plus, going thru his earlier posts, I see he has a carby car. So even less chance that 63 mpg is accurate.

[ryanprins13]

Ray writes re block heater: "I do as well. If your just after saving money keep in mind that block heaters add a decent amount to your electric bill and you should at least use a timer" I just go out an hour or two before going anywhere and plug in the heater. Yes there is a trade off between gas saved and electricity consumed and I wish some government environmental agency would do some tests and give us an idea of what it is. Here in Ottawa you can borrow an electric power meter and plug the electrical cord into it which I've done for the block heater and some household appliances as well. At the time it cost 1.5 cents per hour to use the block heater.

Ray also gives some speeds but Amercians need to keep in mind those are kilometers per hour. My Festiva doesn't get up to 100 in mph.

I'd also like to add I think snow tires increase milage in winter because ordinary tires slip more on ice and snow. But take them off when snow season is over because the rough tread creates drag on bare pavement. You can actually feel the drag riding a bicycle with knobbly off road tires on pavement.

Yup, seems cheap though, You just need to figure out how many watts your block heater draws and you can figure out cost for anywhere. Do you remember what that watts or amps was?
there is also the wear and tear cost you save on your motor which you cant calculate...


Yup, i did mention kmh the first time but it gets tedious to type that every time or convert every time, sorry...








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[FestYboy]

Here's the simplest way to think about it (in relation to the OP): we use heat engines. Therefore, the more heat we can produce within the cumbustion chamber, the more power we make for the given volume. So it comes down to fuel density and fuel type.

As it is, raw gasoline rates at ~114k BTU, but adding 15% ethanol drops the BTUs to <110k. Conversely, kerosene comes out to 128k and diesel @ 129k.
Adding to the better BTU count, diesel also adds to it's thermal efficiency by increasing the compression ratio.

So taking all that in, and then all things being equal for a given fuel, an engine with a higher compression ratio will inherently be more efficient than the same engine with a low compression ratio.

The funny thing here is, you can gain efficiency by making more power via turbocharging (up to a point). Chevy also tried it with a stratified charge compression ignition engine with positive results save for the reliability and some NVH issues.

So if you want more from your fuel, get better fuel or increase the thermal efficiency (or both). The idea is to create or trap more heat.

[WmWatt]

Festy wrties: "So if you want more from your fuel, get better fuel or increase the thermal efficiency (or both). The idea is to create or trap more heat."
Higher heat also probably means better engine materials to tolerate the higher temperatures. I think the thermostat currently opens at 200 degrees F to start cooling the engine.

[FestYboy]

Those two are somewhat unrelated... In fact, if the engine becomes more thermally efficient, there will be less heat leaching into the block to heat the coolant.

The fuel puts out the same BTUs no matter what, it's just a matter of where it goes. Some is used to make power, the rest is radiated into the block or pushed out the exhaust. If you can keep some of the heat from getting into the block it can be used to make more cylinder pressure (power).

[Sid_RallyX_82]

If you are into custom fab work, you can make an intake spacer to effectively lengthen the intake runners, giving you more torque at lower rpm to use when leaving a stop and you can make some super shorty short exhaust headers with narrow runners, which would mostly improve flow vs factory crap exhaust, but also help broaden the power band. Wrap or ceramic dip them to retain heat and get that O2s reading sooner.
But the first thing to do is make sure the engine is running properly. Check idle vacuum, compression, do a tune up when necessary, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT THERMOSTAT, use the right oils, run an injector cleaner maybe once a year, and even air up your tires to 35-40 psi.
Empty out your car; extra weight is a burden. Put the antenna down and coast down hills (unless approaching another hill, in which case speed up a little bit to help you over).

$00.02

[ronnieryanpc]

Do you know the right thermostat for a aspire on a tropical country mate?


Also what is the correct tire pressure for the aspire?

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[FestYboy]

Stock is proper, it should open at 90*c. You should be able to run 40 psi with no ill affect.

[WmWatt]

When inflating the tire make sure all the tread is in contact with the road which should be in contact with the road or you can get centre tread wear and reduced tire life.

I've read that the smoother the ride the greater the fuel efficiency. I drive to save fuel not time and that seems to work. I figure it also puts less stress on car parts. Sometimes more agressive drivers honk and pass.

[fudge]

according to fuelly my mpg is between 26 and 30 with an average of 28. I drive on highway and in the city about 50/50 and I am definitely not an economy driver, I like to have fun a little bit too often
anyways I was just wondering if the way I drive can really make my mpg this bad? I would never guess my mpg was as low as 26 mpg! I've never been over 30 mpg according to fuelly even when I am trying to drive with low rpms. I keep my tire pressure around 34-40psi. is this normal?

[FestYboy]

What's your engine and transmission combo?

Btw, the last few few posts haven't dealt with the title of the OP... Getting the most milage from your FUEL. They're talking about getting milage from the car.

[fudge]

What's your engine and transmission combo?

Btw, the last few few posts haven't dealt with the title of the OP... Getting the most milage from your FUEL. They're talking about getting milage from the car.

stock b3/e tranny

[WmWatt]

OP: "I know there are some gas mileage hawks lurking around here so I was wondering what people are doing to get better mileage from a festiva. I know the basics new o2 sensor, plugs, wires and filters. What else can be done? All suggestions welcome."
Um, OP said "mileage" which I take to mean distance travelled per gallon (or litre) of fuel. Sorry to be so picky.

[firebush357]

stock b3/e tranny

You should be getting more than 28mpg unless you are constantly accelerating through a city or something. On my way to FMX doing about 75-80mph with 14" wheels I was still getting about 36mpg with the windows up and about 34mpg with them down.

Is your car an EFI or Carb? When was the last time you changed the O2 sensor?