Figured I'd join up and read about some of the techniques I can use to save gas. I'm not really interested in any major changes, just looking up what I might be missing.
My car is a 2001 Taurus w/ 3.0 OHV engine. I usually average around 27-30 and I've been able to pull 35mpg out of it on the highway cruising at 70 (I do not use cruise control - it wastes gas).
I also drive a 2008 wrangler rubicon quite a bit during the summer and I can get around 20mpg with that (good use of the georgia overdrive)
I dont think I'm a great driver ... I've done many stupid things while driving ... but I am a smooth driver with the gas, steering, brakes. I've had quite a few people comment on being a smooth driver - probably helps with the mileage.
I only drive (and pay for) the 8000 miles a year I put on my car. The shortest trip I do is 20 miles to work and unfortunately, I live in a hilly area. When I'm at college, it isn't uncommon for my car to sit from a week to a month.
Ah, I know the "car sitting at college" thing well, .
Are you interested in doing any aero mods? That'll help some on the highway. Other than that, slowing down will help a lot. Could also grab an MPGuino or scanguage II.
The car at college thing is bad for the car. Tires shake, gas gets water in (if you don't keep it FULL while parked), car rusts, gas tank rusts, people hit the car ... not good all around. I do drive pretty slow and conservative for a 19 year old.
I've been pondering the idea of getting a scangauge for about 2 years now. Still haven't made the decision haha.
The closest I was going to do to aeromodding was blocking off the upper and lower grille in winter. I have extra cooling on the transmission. In the winter this causes it to not heat up enough and the torque converter clutch doesn't lock because the transmission oil isn't the right temperature
.
