well, i've gone from 16 to almost 19 mpg just by changing driving habits. my check engine light is also on, for "egr flow excessive". replaced the egr valve, but that didn't help. theres some little sensor i'll replace next (can't think of the name right now). The gas station i get gas at (Sam's Club) now has "up to 10%" ethanol. i'm not really thrilled about it, but the gas has always been cheaper. now its around .17 a gallon cheaper (up from .11) than the rest of town (have to have a Sams Club membership to buy the gas) which probably has the same ethanol mix as well. and yes, it in a part of town where i run weekly errands, so i don't "lose" by driving to the cheaper prices.
however, i just did the best thing for mileage vs. cost. I cut my daily commute to 20 miles per day instead of 40 with some careful planning. My wife finally got her shift changed to be similar to mine (we work less than a mile apart). so now we can carpool. we decided to alternate weeks taking her car and my truck. she's got a new car, so i don't want to pile on miles by taking it all the time.
at current prices/mpg, my plan will reduce my monthly gas bill (work commuting) by approximately $150. almost $200 before, around $50 after. thats pretty darn good. her bill will also split in half, but she doesn't fill all the way up, so i'm not sure how much she spends.
Its an '08 pontiac G6 sedan. 3.5L auto. Fully loaded, and has its own 'scanguage'. i can keep the "instant mpg" between 35 and 40 on the highway, so thats a big plus.
I guess i should post some pics, huh?
my wife's g6
insurance paid for it after he other car (that we had just bought, less than 10,000 miles) was rear ended by a loser in a dodge dually that hit her going 70+ mph (in a 55) after she slowed down for a disabled car in the road. she was not seriously injured, regular doctor visits show no back/neck injury. flat road, daylight, bright red car, and he had nothing but lame excuses.
Heres my rig
and the camping/fishing project
