2003 Suzuki Aerio Ideas (how can I help my lead-foot wife?)

[Gone2]

My wife owns a 2003 Aerio with the automatic transmission. The car gets an average of 30 mpg at 55 mph. I can't coast in neutral as every time I put it back in drive it down shifts and just acts weird. Has anyone done any mods to these cars? My wife is embarrassed by my car, so she wants to take hers all the time. I am trying to come up with ideas I can do to her car without her knowing I've done anything. Oh yeah, she has the lead foot of the family.

[MetroMPG]

Have you gone through this list?

65+ Efficiency Mods

[Gone2]

Yeah, and the bulk of them cannot be performed due to it being her car and she thinks it looks stupid. The only items are grill block and under skirt on the front bumper. But, she doesn't know what to do if a car overheats, so I am reserved about doing the grill block. Also, adjusting the nut behind the wheel is easier said than done. How do you convince someone that this is well worth the effort?

[MetroMPG]

Usually by making them pay for the fuel.

(Oh, and also by showing them how much they can save by doing things differently.)

[Gone2]

Paying for fuel around town has yielded no effect, she simply accepts the price and mileage so she doesn't have to change her style. This summers vacation however should give incentive when I refuse to pay for the gas she burns through. Love these ideas lol

[Gone2]

So I finally found an idea from here that yielded results. I had my wife track her fuel consumption and mileage over five tanks of gas, showed her how to figure out the economy, and then had her compare it to the EPA rating. She was surprised to find out that she was only getting 21-22 to the gallon in town. EPA is 25-28 and I regularly get 30+ when I drive. Now she is giving me leeway to modify her car (to a degree).

[brucepick]

Cool.

Did you air up the tires? Not visibly noticeable and quite helpful for fuel economy.
I go by the tire imprint, not by the car's door frame label.

[Weather Spotter]

Smooth wheel covers can look good on some cars, might try the idea out?

Get her a scan gauge or ultra gauge, feedback is the key to changing behavior. that will show her when she is lower then epa.

also make a game/ bet about mpg, highest each month is the winner. The winner each month gets to pick the date spot and the looser pays for it may or may not work but might be a way to make it fun and ease the tension.

[Gone2]

Aired her tires up to 55 psi months ago, and have maintained it there since. Also installed a custom warm air intake, and told her about it later. She kinda noticed at a gas station three days later when I checked the washer fluid. "What the !@#$ is that?!" lol, but I think she likes it now. She did tell me after that to keep my hands off her car.