Hi all,
So - been lurking around here for awhile figured time to start posting.
I drive a brick. More specifically, a heavily modified 2007 Nissan Xterra.
I know I'm never going to get good mileage out of this thing - which is fine, since I work from home and it's a hobby vehicle. I do tend to do rather long, adventurous road trips though which often involve a lot of freeway driving before getting offroad.
I'm looking for some tips to improve MPG - I know weight is a huge issue, and my Xterra is a chunky-monkey. I've got aftermarket steel front and rear bumpers, and a steel roofrack. These are needed based on the expedition style trips I do. That being said, I try to reduce weight elsewhere.
For example, when on a long trip, I'll remove the rear seats (super easy to do in the Xterra).
My X is also a 6 speed manual transmission which gives me good control of the engine.
I average around 16 MPG in the city (which is what it's rated for) and around 19 MPG highway - I've gotten 23 MPG highway before, and it's EPA rating is 21 MPG highway - So I've got room for improvement there.
I'm thinking first thing I'm going to tackle are aerodynamics - My aftermarket front bumper created a number of big gaps in the front of the vehicle, which I'm going to try sealing up.
I'm also thinking weather stripping around the hood.
Here's a few shots: (forum won't let me post photos yet, here are links, replace hxxp with http. When I hit the 5 post mark I'll fix them)
A couple notes about those photos:
1 - You should be able to pretty clearly see those gaps the front bumper creates. Going to try and tackle those this weekend. I also have leftover black RTV sealant I'm going to use around the headlights.
2 - The antennas - the one on the drivers side is for an amateur radio setup I've got, and it's not there 99% of the time - I was just playing with the radio that day. Also the regular antenna on the passenger side has been replaced with a much shorter "stubby" antenna.
3 - The holes in the back quarter panels - Beer holders! I have to finish them still, and I'm going to put a hinged cap on them so it stays streamlined.
Any and all suggestions are welcome - I know it's like I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too, but hey - I just love working on my Xterra (as you can probably tell) and anything I can do to help regain a few of those lost MPG's would be great.
Thanks!!
