new guy, hello

[malibuguy]

hello,

the names Greg, i'm big into racing (drag racing & road racing), trying to up the MPGs in my DD Malibu (aka Malibu4)& the fiance's Cavy


my other Malibu (Malibu1) is mainly performance oriented...& got 11.8mpg on my last driving trip (from central MD to Summit Point Raceway in WV..twice)...thats pathetic, filled up both nights

Malibu4, before the engine swap did the trip around 22-23mpg pegging the speedo out most of the way there, the original 267 developed a rod knock, so i scored a '70 307 with 65ish on the clock for 75bucks...its in the car, just i got many other things i need to do before i get to fire it up hoping to keep basically the same mileage initially, then eventully try to step it up

& my fiance's Cavalier....has been staying around the 27mpg range with a DNX muffler & my homemade ram-air, was around 25mpg before...seems awfully low for a 4cyl, but its domestic & i know the fuel maps aren't that great like a Honda or Toyota, but its a reliable little bugger, i need to redo the scoop on the ram-air & seal it up to the opening on the bumper, so all the air gets forced into it, not some in, some around

anyways, thats enough yapping from my end

-greg

[SVOboy]

Welcome to the site!

You could go ahead and get a scangauge for the fiance, if she's willing to use it, .

Are you interested in detuning the malibu for DD or mussing with the gearing, or are you less excited about that kind of thing than some others?

[WaxyChicken]

Also please put your cars in your garage.
LINK: Forum's EM Garage

[malibuguy]

the stock gearing in the DD Malibu (Malibu4) is 2.41....Malibu1 used to have 2.29s

i think i can squeeze a few more out of Malibu1 with more tuning, but my 10" high-stall torque converter just drinks fuel...at 3.21 for gallon of premium, but its no big deal, the car has a purpose...go fast & corner very well

Malibu4 which is suppost to be my DD (not now, since its still all apart), i'm considering eventully trying out a TBI unit from a truck with Megasquirt controlling it, for some reason, i feel i should be able to get 27-28mpg highway, without too much effort, any more the merrier, i 27-28 is a realistic goal for me

how much is a scan gauge?? i know they clip into the OBD2 port under the dash

we are a little "tight" on money since, i'm "between" jobs...lifes a little hard right now, but if its reasonable, i'd consider getting it eventully, plus i can use it on other cars if needed

[WaxyChicken]

I've been in fast food management. I've worked at 5 different pizza places and at 4 different factories. I went to college for Computer Networking and i spent time as a Realtor. I've had more jobs than i can count.

But i found that if you are in a real tight spot and want an easy job quick until you find something better, then (if you're in a city) Security Guard companies are ALWAYS hiring. And desperately. you may want to give that a try. It can hold you over until you manage to find the right job for you.

Just a thought.

[Daox]

Good to see you over here Greg. Its an interesting change from the performance forums. IMO its more challenging to get better fuel economy than more power. Its also much more practical than modding for power. For the others, I know Greg from a Tercel forum.

I'm actually quite glad your here. I wouldn't mind some input on a new header and exhaust design that I'm thinking about for my Paseo. But, I'll save that for another thread.

[malibuguy]

Yeah, after a few days of poking around, i decided to sign up, thanks for linking me over here Daox

Unfortunaltly, i'm not really in a city, more of a rural town? i guess is the best way to put it, i called the temp agency i once worked for, they have nothing availible anywhere remotly near me

there's a few places i'm going to try next week, see if i can land something

[malibuguy]

heres a few pics of the rides;

Malibu1 in snow mode;



Malibu4



Tracey's Cavy

[RH77]

First Welcome to EM

Nice Classic Malibus! You don't see many on the road in that good of shape these days. My Mom had an '82 Coupe with the 305 -- it lasted quite a while in the family.

It looks like Malibu4 has some potential when complete -- I bet you can get those numbers up.

On the Cav -- I bet you could crack 30 pretty quickly. I've driven a few of the 2000-2005 automatics (rentals) and got about the same, unless driven on the highway mostly and got up to 32-24. What is the typical kind of driving for this car?

The 2.2L has some abilities to benefit your mileage. Exhaust is a hot topic (pardon the pun) for mileage -- a word of caution: too much flow / wave resonance and you may loose some low-RPM power, which is where the best FE is made -- especially on automatics.

I might suggest experimenting with warm-air intakes (I know it's sounds nuts, but some previous race tuners turned EcoModders ended up with results -- depending on the model -- specifically Saturn owners. With GM it varies).

Check out the mods and see what works. Best FE to ya, and enjoy!

RH77

[malibuguy]

thanks

the Cavy sees a mixed route of rural & highway roads, with various speeds from 35-65mph, mild terrain, some hills, but nothing "huge"

i'm trying to experiment with ram-air (still need to "perfect" it) to aid FE at highway speeds, i did breifly try a underhood intake & the car seemed to lack power compared to stock

eventully i'd like to make a header of my own design for it (everything out there IMO is junk, i can easily fab up a better header), along with the rest of the exhaust, it has a DNX muffler now...its a little on the loud side, but sounds pretty mean, it burbles & farts kinda like a SRT4 when you rev it, i would like to replace everything with 2.5" from the header (when i make one) 2.25" after a highflow cat, then 2" right before it goes over the rear axle, should keep the vacuum during valve overlap strong, & the exhaust peak velocity at a relistic & more usable rpm range, rarely this thing sees anything over maybe 3200rpms (no tach)