Greetings from New England

[SoLarry]

Hello

I just recently joined and thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Larry and I drive a 2004 Toyota Solara. I'm not looking to do any wild modifications to my car, but would like to optimize my fuel mileage. By checking the onboard computer and verifying it the old fashioned way (pen, paper, and calculator) I figure that I'm getting 33 mpg on the highway without really trying, so looking forward to increasing that number.

Larry

[NeilBlanchard]

Welcome to EM from a former Downeaster; now living in Massachusetts.

Have you done things like pump up your tires to the sidewall maximum? I can also highly recommend a ScanGauge or an UltraGauge for better and more feedback information. And upper grill blocks are hardly a wild modification, which will help both in aerodynamics and engine warm up time. Aero is doubly important in the winter, as cold air is denser and causes more drag.

Another possibility is a block warmer.

[SoLarry]

Thanks for the warm welcome Neil. I always thought that you should set the psi in the tires to what is listed on the door jamb? Won't inflating the tires to the max psi cause uneven tire wear? How does it affect the ride and handling? How do most of you block off the upper grill?

Larry

[Angmaar]

Welcome to the forum Larry!

Inflating the tires to max sidewall will actually even out the tread wear. It will make the ride a little bit harsher and actually will improve braking performance. Most people block the upper grill with a piece of corrugated cardboard or coroplast.