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Old 02-17-2008, 08:44 PM   #1 (permalink)
Weight Reduction
 
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4x4 - '06 Nissan Altima 2.5 Special Edition
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Teen with lead foot checking in for rehab...

I'm just a 17 year old with a lead foot (like most other teen guys) and am trying to change my ways. I used to drive like a jerk and such never worrying about gas mileage, but then I got into an accident (rear-ended at a traffic light not my fault) and figured that I could afford to save some fuel. So anyways here I am.

Don't really have any good shots of my car but I'll post my bone stock altima anyways. I just made up the nickname "4x4" because of the horrendous wheel gap.





Don't worry my mirror is now fixed.

Do you guys suggest that I get rid of the sunroof deflector for FE?


Look forward to learning from this site.

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Old 02-17-2008, 08:57 PM   #2 (permalink)
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The sun roof i can't answer.
But I also had to have lead foot removal surgery done on me.
The continuing therapy i am using is my Cruise Control.
When i get on the freeway i set it at 55mph and let it stay there. Cruise Control is not the best way to save gas, but i found it to be the best way to remove my lead foot.

My cruise Control can be activated at as low as 30mph, so - needless to say - I have also started using it on city streets.
All of my driving is done on business days.

The end results of this Lead Foot surgery:
Before:
Highway - 85+mph
City - 55Mph
1 Tank Of gas - 4 Business days

After:
Highway - 55Mph
City - 35Mph
1 Tank Of Gas - 7 to 8 business days

For an added challenge i see
1 - how far i can coast w/o CControl or gas pedal before i lose my nerve and step on the gas
2 - how slow i can go on the city streets before people honk at me.

So I'm still driving like a jerk, but I'm doing it in a completely different way and saving gas while i do it.

I hope your lead foot surgery goes just as well as mine.
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Old 02-17-2008, 10:55 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Yea, remove the deflector, it's probably doing the same thing as a roof rack. creating drag. I think more young people should drive eco-friendly, less crashes, go farther, and if you get gas money from your parents, less hassle from them.

That's a nice car you got there, especially for being 17. I think about cars before 18 should go like this-if you paid for it, that's great, if not, then you should be even more responsible than you would if you paid for it.

I see kids all the time around here with nice cars ('05-'08) while they still have their permit's at 15, who drive them like they don't care, act like they're on a race track, and think along the lines of "whoops, hit a tree... oh well, i don't care, I didn't pay for it" and think it's just stupid. You obviously care about your vehicle, and what happens to it, so it sounds like your responsible.

I think your first car should be simply.. a beater. One that runs good, is falling apart, and you can tell your kids stories on how one day the bumper fell off while you were driving it, or that the front end was crooked from the rest of the car. And when you get in a wreck, or fender bender, it doesn't matter, it was crappy, and probably had dents to begin with. plus you don't have to worry about getting a scratch in it all the time.

I don't know if that was and still is your first car. And I'm not baggin' on ya, I wish that my car was even crappier and cheaper that what I got, We just found it for a good price, (2k) and was in good condish, ran good, and my mom didn't want me driving around a non reliable car. pshhh, That's what I wanted!!!

I'm not that far off in age than you, in fact, I'm younger at 16, so don't think I'm some old hag who doesn't like teenagers, I'm just a teenager that realized that were all stupid... even I'm stupid, I made vinegar and baking soda grenades today and exploded them on the street. That's how stupid I am.

Good thing is, your wanting to drive more economically, I don't know why people insist on flooring it to the next stop light anyway. your gonna get there and have to stop no matter what anyway, so might as well just go smooth.

I like driving slow simply because... I like driving. if I drive fast, that's less time I have behind the wheel. why get to school faster anyway? we don't like being there, so might as well enjoy driving to it while we can.

Of course I'm courteous though, if I've got friends or family, I drive a little faster, but not much. instead of driving 50-55, I'll go 60 for them. still accelerate like a turtle though.

I think of it as a game, try and see how constant of a throttle I can keep on the highway (not constant speed) and see how far I can coast and etc. Newer vehicles, I've found out, have really touchy throttles, my pedal has more resistance because of the nasty stuff that has built up at the throttle plate, (from the 13 years of commuting) and is really easy to keep a constant throttle. just try and make it fun.
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Old 02-18-2008, 12:39 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Welcome to the site! Always nice to see some similarly youthful youths around,
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Old 02-18-2008, 08:50 AM   #5 (permalink)
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Aw you dang whipper snappers.

Welcome to the site . Nice car. I had a Maxima, great car and was able to pull some good numbers from it. I think on the sun roof if you use it quite a bite keep it if not lose it. I know there expensive but if you can swing for a scangauge it will pay for itself in no time and can help answer questions if mods are working out or not. It looks like you already figured it out but changing driving habits is the biggest bang for the buck.
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Old 02-18-2008, 12:14 PM   #6 (permalink)
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Ecomodder has certainly cured my lead foot. I actually enjoy driving slow behind someone else, reveling in the fuel savings increase, instead of being angry.
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Old 02-18-2008, 12:21 PM   #7 (permalink)
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Old 02-18-2008, 01:12 PM   #8 (permalink)
Weight Reduction
 
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4x4 - '06 Nissan Altima 2.5 Special Edition
90 day: 29.04 mpg (US)

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For Different Point Of View, my first car, beat the hell out of it.




I wish it had lasted, got it for only $900. I had so many plans for it since it didn't cost much I had money to spend. But the heavy rims and uncared for engine gave me horrible gas mileage and the reliability didn't say honda so I had to get rid of it. People keep thinking that I'm spoiled or something with a nice car but my parents just got a really really nice (5k under book) deal on the car from a friend and so for the same money I got a newer car.

Also, 2k for the jeep doesn't sound bad at all.
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Old 02-18-2008, 01:41 PM   #9 (permalink)
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Ankit-You don't have to justify your ride. That's not why we are here. If you are interested in saving gas then you come to the right place. Poke around you'll find lots of info to help with the FE quest. There's a great search engine at the top of the page to help you look for things and if you have questions just ask. Look forward to watching your gas logs as you move forward.
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Old 02-18-2008, 10:26 PM   #10 (permalink)
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yea, I wasn't justifying your vehicle. if it's cheap enough, why not? lol.

Does that Altima have an instant MPG instrumentation, or not? I was mad when I was told that they've never been in a ZJ WITHOUT an instant MPG indicator on the overhead console what's up with that? whoever bought the thing was friggen cheap, it didn't even have 4 wheel drive!!! but they bothered to get an auto tranny.... what kind of people were they!? buy a car if you want an auto tranny, not an SUV...


Have you inflated your tires to max yet? that actually seems to help.

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