28 MPG??!???!? You've got to be KIDDING me!!!

[ShadeTreeMech]

Lowering the car sounds like a great idea, but for the dirt road i must traverse on a regular basis. Generally it would allow for a lowered car, but on occasion the road becomes more akin to a creek bed, which makes the stock height advantageous. If it weren't so expensive to install a kit to raise/lower the car at will that's what I would do.

I'm actually thinking about installing some sort of custom built ground effects to "lower" the car while still having the body high enough for the occasional rock to go harmlessly by. I'd rather damage some homemade air deflectors than the bottom of the car. Good thinking though.

How do you manage only 28 mpg in a Sentra??? My 83 sentra wagon got 35 if i dogged on it, ran the AC and sped. Do you have a 3 speed auto?

[Red Lion]

Ground Controls
Easy to change the height, and you can probably find some on the .org for the $200 range. They're a little stiff though compared to stock, so if you didn't mind paying $400 then buy a set straight from GC and and you can get the springs with softer spring rates (I'd say 230lb/in or softer, but not less than 120, and that should give you a sporty feel but retain some ride comfort).

[Frank Lee]

For zero detectable fe increase (tank-to-tank anyway). Keep it in perspective.

[mcrews]

If your using the car for the wife and kid on trips.....I would not lower it. Use body kit or dams.
Really.
I am on several infiniti sites and somebody is always all hot to lower the car....never fails they go back to stock if they do ANY driving at all.
1. when you lower....you scrap. period. or you drive so slow people honk.
2. you would have to drop 2 inches to notice any gain in mpg. re-read #1
3. Front wheel drives are actually balanced so that ALL the parts are right where they are supposed to be to work effectively. Lowering throws of the basic geometry.
4. with 200k miles + I would buy new shocks and struts and the random rubber parts that go with them (the rubber mounts on the springs) restore the ride comfort and dam it!!!
5. Body kits are pricey (at least for the Q - 4K) but I bet you could pick up something on ebay for 1-300 used. Now you have a factory comfort ride that wifey will LOVE you for AND a cool looking ride that is aerodynamicly tight!!!
6. Seriously look at the next size up in tire. Thats the cheapest way to improve your rear ratio.
7. GOTTA GET A GAUGE!!!!! it really is addicting. I just got home from san fran tonight. about 97 miles. I averaged 63mph and 26.5mph. Now that's not my best BUT withuot the gauge i would have done 70mph, gotten 18mpg and probably a ticket!!! I really have gotten to "LTRL" (love the right lane!!).
you talken to the guy who in the 80's had the "third most incidented driving record in Bexar County (San Antonio)".

[PaleMelanesian]

Bigger tires have been tested here and they reduced FE thanks to worse rotating mass.

+123456 on getting a gauge. That is THE best mod you can do.

[ShadeTreeMech]

I'd love to get a SGII, but the money is always an issue. I know I'll earn the money back, but I have to have it to spare first. I may just suprise the wife and say sorry, we're broke this week, but the car's mileage is bound to improve. Especially for her, since she is fond of the jack rabbit start and late braking habits. Grr, it's frustrating.

I too used to be a regular speeder, and when i was unmarried thought nothing of getting a ticket. But now, it's a big deal.

I've just looked at available body kits, and they are quite affordable ($200-$400 is common) Bad thing is, they're mostly designed to increase airflow into the radiator, not deflect it. Maybe I can get RedLion to experiment and build a nice one for me (hint hint :P)

I'm thinking it I had an air dam that went just low enough to "hide" the ugliness underneath then I'd have a good start for a belly pan. I may need to experiment with the minivan to get one that looks good before touching Her car. She's generally a sweet woman, but she REALLY likes that car. Therefore i don't want to ruin it with an amateur effort. I'm thinking I could start with a grille block; should be easy to pull off a clean look. And maybe a lexan cover on the foglights to make them more streamlined instead of the aerodynamic potholes they are. I'd love to go all Bassjoos with the thing, but that might be the start of divorce proceedings

I do think it could stand for rear shocks bare minimum. It's nothing money can't solve though.

I'm thinking of installing a fuel pump kill switch for now and a pushbutton start. killing the engine with the key also kills the speedo, and while I'm getting quick at doing it, it is still annoying to lose that little bit of distance accumulated. Maybe if I make turning off the engine at lights more convenient my lady might also start doing it as well. She's the primary driver of the car, but I drive it when I have to go a long distance.

You're likely correct about the FWD geometry depending on correct alignment of parts. Having been my own mechanic for some time I know how tight it is around the front spindles. Lowering it makes things get too close for comfort.

[nissanlover90]

Originally Posted by ShadeTreeMech

Lowering the car sounds like a great idea, but for the dirt road i must traverse on a regular basis. Generally it would allow for a lowered car, but on occasion the road becomes more akin to a creek bed, which makes the stock height advantageous. If it weren't so expensive to install a kit to raise/lower the car at will that's what I would do.

I'm actually thinking about installing some sort of custom built ground effects to "lower" the car while still having the body high enough for the occasional rock to go harmlessly by. I'd rather damage some homemade air deflectors than the bottom of the car. Good thinking though.

How do you manage only 28 mpg in a Sentra??? My 83 sentra wagon got 35 if i dogged on it, ran the AC and sped. Do you have a 3 speed auto?

no i have the 4-on-the-floor-no-ac version and i use it to deliver pizza so 28 is good for an agressive driver that has to have at least one window down, right?

[ShadeTreeMech]

holy cow, you have a 4 speed box? ouch. I suppose that means a lot of city driving, so that does explain things a bit.

[nissanlover90]

did some looking online and found a practical solution to safely lower and lift your car as needed @ autoparts warehouse .com just put in year make model and sub-model go to suspension, lowering,leveling,lift kits and its the last one on the page it costs a pretty good bit but its hd and made for frequent use so you can squeeze out efficiency on the road and functionality off

[mcrews]

what is your definition of 'practical"???????????????