Hello everyone, new guy looking for ideas

[NoCO2]

Hello everyone,

I just joined the site this morning after I saw an article on Digg about one of your younger members who created the electric truck (very impressive btw). I am a college student at a technical institute near Atlanta, GA in the United States. I thankfully have a rather short commute to work, less then 5 miles, and with the high gas prices starting to creep into my area (we thankfully were one of the few states with still relatively low prices compared to the rest of the nation) I need ways to increase the fuel efficiency of my 1996 Toyota Camry. It is the 4 cylinder model, thankfully, as my last car was a gas guzzling V6 Honda Accord which got sub 20mpg. Right now I am able to average about 20-25mpg in the city and on the only long, highway, trip I have taken in this car I was able to get about 28mpg, however I was in a hurry so I was cruising at no less then 80 mph the entire trip.

I have commented in the aerodynamics section about some mods as my car has a few minor imperfections in it (it is my grandmother's old car and she was in a few fender benders) that have caused body panels to leave large gaps between each other from not fitting properly. I plan on using clear plastic tap to fix many of these as well as do some other minor modifications to the front of the car to hopefully make it a little more stream lined. I also am looking at making wheel covers for the rear wheels as I have heard that this does a good bit to the aerodynamics as well.

So that's a little about myself and what I plan to do while I'm here (at least in the immediate future). If someone could suggest other things I could do (nothing is really too radical for me to consider doing) I am more then open to suggestions.

Thanks everyone in advanced for your help, I know I'm going to enjoy myself here.

[SVOboy]

Hey there! Thanks for noticing us, it's good to know that some diggers actually stick around,

Ever thought of biking? It's nice and warm down there!

Do add a garage and fuel log entry for your vehicles!

[NoCO2]

Yea I made garage already. I am going to submit this most recent tank of fuel once I finish it up. I have been doing the trip odometer reset thing for years to figure out my own fuel millage for personal benefit and now I can actually log it thanks to this site. So far on this tank though (16 gallons) I have managed to drive about 230 miles and it just hit the half way tick on the gauge yesterday, so far this is the best tank I've managed to do with city driving so I can't wait to see how much further it will go.

As for the biking, I usually do bike to work when it is warmer, however, the last few weeks have been down between 30 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit which is nice to be outside in, but with the wind added in while riding it becomes far too cold even for the modest ride of 5 miles that it takes to get to work.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome to EM.

The first thing I'd do, if you haven't already, is order a ScanGauge. (That's pretty much my first bit of advice given to everyone who joins the forum with a 1996 and newer vehicle.)

Vehicle mods are worth pursuing, but I try to remind people to focus on both the hardware and the wetware: adjusting the nut behind the wheel will usually lead you to the easiest & biggest gains right off the bat.

That said, looking forward to watching your progress.

[NoCO2]

I have looked into the ScanGauge2 and it definitely looks like something I will be investing in when I have the money to do so.