New guy here - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

RandyF · 10-10-2010, 11:47 PM

Hello, my name is Randy and I'm from upstate New York. I've got a couple of cars and figured it would be a fun (and cost effective) challenge to get my DD some better gas mileage.

The car I'm working with is a '91 Lexus LS400. I get about mid 20s on average right now, which doesn't seem to be too great compared to what a lot of you guys are getting.

But either way, I've been fiddling around with my driving habits and am thinking about starting some aerodynamic mods and maybe some weight reduction.

By the way, are there any pre-OBD2 mpg meters that you guys like to use?

saand · 10-11-2010, 12:39 AM

Hi RandyF,
welcome you shouldn't be discouraged my your low MPG, i started at low 20s and now im up to around 35, just takes a bit of time and effort.

regarding your question about pre-OBD2 meters have a look at the wiki about meters

Alternative fuel consumption instruments - EcoModder

the preferred one is mpguino, i believe it was developed by people on this forum. They work based on the fuel injector pulses so they can work on any fuel injected car.

RandyF · 10-11-2010, 01:38 AM

Cool, that looks like just what I was looking for.

I was also thinking about a grill block aswell, but I'm very worried about overheating. The area I live in is very hilly, and my other car overheats regularly during the summer if I don't give it a rest. Granted my other car is 57 years old, but it still makes me worried.

saand · 10-11-2010, 01:50 AM

I have a grill block as well, its not ideal though, just a plastic sheet at the moment till i get around to making it properly.
I do still have a gap for a little air flow though so if the fan kicks on it will still cool the radiator down. If you are particularly worried about it you can put an LED on the FAN signal so if the fan stays on for a long time you know its not cooling properly. alternatively a temperature probe near the radiator or engine.

Grill blocks dont have to fully block off all air flow, so you can block off as much as your comfortable with.
There is also a wiki for grill blocks if you haven't come across it, not much discussion about heating of the engine but there are how to's that might interest you.

RandyF · 10-11-2010, 02:00 AM

Maybe ill just give it a shot with tape and see how it goes. That way I can just modify it quickly if I need to.