Fuel system cleaners/additives, oil change intervals
 

Thanks for your comments, euromodder. This is a good site, and I did find the passage about weight reduction you mention in 65+ Efficiency Mods, where it talks about weight reduction:

Quote:
"Weight reduction can be mild or wild, free or expensive, depending on how far you take it: from simply ensuring you don't carry around unneeded junk in the trunk; to replacing the spare tire with an aerosol can of tire sealant and a roadside assistance plan; to removing unused seats and interior panels; to spending money on lightweight rims/panels; to replacing glass with lexan; to driving only with the fuel tank partially full."

Compared with other mods, driving with half a tank is both free and easy.

I'll add two more tips that I use for better economy:

1. The "cheapest" gas can also be of low quality, in a station that's not a nationally known brand. It won't be good for your engine. I've switched to using a Sunoco credit card all the time at a station in my neighborhood. It gives 5 cents off every gallon and a statement in the mail of all purchases which is a good way to review expenses.

2. I use fuel treatments and injector cleaners to keep the system clean. With good brands the results are noticeable. The best I've found are Lucas Fuel Treatment, with every fill up. And, at every other oil change a bottle of Chevron Techron. I also change the oil every 3,000 miles without fail. Keeping a car at peak performance is best for fuel economy.

I think the fuel "treatments" and especially the excessive oil changing are wastes.

yeah I have to agree, that ones a bit off, either park right near the exit of the shop as you can or near a easier to pull out of space.this technique might put you further away from the exit.

I wouldn't consider changing the oil according to the owner's manual recommendation to be excessive. In most cars and trucks that is at 3,000 miles.

Believe it or not, fuel injectors do get clogged. The least you can do is use a high quality gasoline that has detergent added.

Also, the reason for fuel additives is mainly to overcome the detrimental effects of ethanol which is added to gasoline, (10% where I live).

I won't go into greater detail right now, but you can do the research yourself.

Been there, done that. It is you who needs to crack open the Owner's Manual!

Whatever you say. It's your motor.

2012 Ford Fiesta: As indicated by the message center: do not exceed one year or 10,000 miles (16,000 km)

06 Grand Prix Your vehicle has a computer system that lets you know when to change the engine oil and filter. It is possible that, if you are driving under the best conditions, the oil life system may not indicate that an oil change is necessary for over a year. However, the engine oil and filter must be changed at least once a year. Although they do recommend 3K if the system is accidentally reset.

With the removal of lead from gasoline, fuel injection and the advances in oil technology 3K oil change are not the norm anymore. Best place to find change information is your owners manual.

Thank you nemo, that's helpful.

I have two older cars, a 1999 Buick LeSabre and a 1992 Ford Ranger pickup, both with over 150k miles, and I think it's because I take care of them well. I consider oil changes to be cheap insurance.

I know that you can go longer between oil changes with the synthetic oils out now, like every 5k miles, but I prefer to use conventional oil in those vehicles, and just change it at 3k miles like the manuals say, or when it turns from from a nice honey color to dark brown.

My 2002 Maserati Coupe requires fully synthetic oil, but I'll still change it once a year even if I haven't put 5k miles on it since last change.

It's not worth it to do things the cheap way.

For further reading on how oil degrades:
http://www.upmpg.com/lubricationnews...tes/index.html

And how fuel treatments work:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/...tment/1234233/

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/...t-gas/1315390/

My 1996 Honda Civic and 2004 Honda Odyssey both call for 7500 mile oil change intervals.

Why are we debating oil change intervals in a hypermiling/ecodriving thread? :D

I'll split that discussion off.