New Member in Statesboro - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

ptsmith24 · 08-25-2008, 11:23 AM

Hey all,

I've visited this site a few times and decided to join. Looks like a neat place. I drive a 1990 camry. Look forward to conversing with y'all and I hope to eventually to contribute something worthwhile.

Johnny Mullet · 08-25-2008, 11:44 AM

Welcome to Ecomodder

Daox · 08-25-2008, 01:45 PM

Welcome to the site. I see you are above EPA (congrats). What are you currently doing to get better mileage? We can give suggestions with a little insight into that and your daily commute.

ptsmith24 · 08-25-2008, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

Welcome to the site. I see you are above EPA (congrats). What are you currently doing to get better mileage? We can give suggestions with a little insight into that and your daily commute.

Thanks. Well, I start with regular maintenance. Regular oil changes as well as an aftermarket air intake system (just a cheapo because my stock one broke and it was going to be the same price to get a used stock replacement). I also clean the throttle body thouroughly every 6k miles or so in addition to adding a bottle of FI cleaner during that tank of fuel or next. Also, lately I've been paying more attention to my driving habits. I've been trying to accelerate slower (paying attention to shift point RPMs). I've also been trying to use the brake less when approaching red lights or am about to turn (traffic limiting, naturall). I've skimmed through the tips page on this site and there are some things I'm doing and some things I'm not. I am planning on building the MPG gauge from the plans/ideas in that section of the forum on this site.

I don't really have a commute, per se. I am a student and live approximately 4 miles from campus. I also go to campus in Savannah twice a week (100 mile round trip each time). I take a back road in order to maintain a speed of about 60mph, instead of 70-75mph on the interstate.

Any suggestions? I think I addressed all of your questions.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Oh, another thing. I removed the backseat from my car. This wasn't done with the intention of increasing mileage, but due to the fact I spilled motor oil everywhere back there and found it best to just have a bigger trunk. That's also where the name for my vehicle (El Camrino) came from.

Daox · 08-25-2008, 02:37 PM

Well, getting mileage up on that 4 mile commute isn't going to be easy. Those short trips are mileage killers. Definitly look at the 100+ hypermiling tips on the site. That'll show you the largest gains. As for mechanical stuff I'd pump up your tires to the maximum sidewall pressure. This will help your car roll easier. Other than that, I'd suggest some sort of grill block to try to warm the vehicle up faster (less time at high idle). Maybe even a block heater if you have access to a power outlet where your car is.

ptsmith24 · 08-25-2008, 07:49 PM

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into them.

Another thing, I hardly ever use my A/C. I mainly just crack two of my 4 windows (happen to be the only two that actually work,

)

Can't wait to get that gauge together so I can get some realtime feedback.

Edit: About maximizing tire pressure: Does that not decrease life of the tire? I keep mine at the recommended cold pressure on the inside of the door. I check the pressure weekly.

Edit2: I don't know about adding a block heater or blocking the front of the car. I live in south GA, so I think the time to warm up is negligible.

kaveman12 · 08-25-2008, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptsmith24

Edit: About maximizing tire pressure: Does that not decrease life of the tire? I keep mine at the recommended cold pressure on the inside of the door. I check the pressure weekly.

It may cause the center of the tire to wear a little faster than the edges, but the difference isn't huge. I keep mine averaged between the manufacturer's recommended (32 psi) and sidewall maximum (51 psi) as a compromise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptsmith24

Edit2: I don't know about adding a block heater or blocking the front of the car. I live in south GA, so I think the time to warm up is negligible.

It stays pretty warm here also, so the need for that isn't much. I tried blocking my upper grille, but didn't like the temps I was seeing in summer. I may try it again in winter.

One final note: Welcome!

bikin' Ed · 08-26-2008, 10:28 AM

For the four mile commute, buy a bicycle. They get thousands of miles on just a few ounces of pertol based lube, and four in town miles on bike is only slightly more time than by car.

ptsmith24 · 08-26-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikin' Ed

For the four mile commute, buy a bicycle. They get thousands of miles on just a few ounces of pertol based lube, and four in town miles on bike is only slightly more time than by car.

Well, the problem with that is my schedule. I have to leave from campus here to Savannah and there just isn't time to bike back home to my car. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

cfg83 · 08-29-2008, 05:14 AM

ptsmith24 -

Welcome to EM! I like the car's name. For a minute I thought it looked like this :

1990_camrino.jpg

The missing rear seats is a nice "accidental ecomod". I keep thinking I should do the same, but I use the excuse that I have no place to store it.

CarloSW2

ptsmith24 · 08-31-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfg83

ptsmith24 -

Welcome to EM! I like the car's name. For a minute I thought it looked like this :

Attachment 1553

The missing rear seats is a nice "accidental ecomod". I keep thinking I should do the same, but I use the excuse that I have no place to store it.

CarloSW2

Well, my seat was leaning on the back of my apartment for a little while. One day, it disappeared. No complaints from my end, lol.