Hey guys!
 

Hey,
I came across this forum a few minutes ago when I was looking up tips to get better mpg. This seems like a pretty awesome forum. Its amazing how people are getting 60+mpg in regular cars. Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of a list of simple things to do to your car to get better mpg? I get 12-14mpg in the city and 21 on the highway if I'm lucky :/

Welcome!

Check out 65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com for a list of proven modifications for better MPG.

Welcome to the forums! cbaber is on to something, but don't forget hypermiling techniques. Just by driving 55, maximizing my coast-down distances and decelerating in-gear as long as possible before using the brakes (as well as using an Ultragauge), I'm staying in the mid-to-high 40MPG range.

The biggest secret? My car's made for efficiency and it's got a manual transmission.

Sure, plenty of people on here pull down pretty good numbers in performance vehicles, but the largest gain you will see is getting a more efficient car as a runabout.

Is a cheap commuter car a possibility for you? Some users buy cars for under $1k and break into the 40's and 50's pretty regularly.

Either way welcome! Start a fuel log and become one of us.
One of us...
One of us......

Yeah I suppose my car wasnt made for efficiency. I used to drive an Evolution X (mitsubishi evo) and I got 18 around town and about 25 on the highway. I saw a user on this site who said they averaged 29mpg over a 30 day period with the same car I had. I guess Im doing something wrong. Also yeah a cheap commuter car is a possibility for me. Was thinking about picking up a completely stock early 90s nissan 240sx. They come with a naturally aspirated 2.4 inline 4. They get 30s in the city from what Ive heard. I think Im going to try and get the best mpg possible with that car. I want to start a fuel log on my current car just to really see where it is at. Any idea how I would go about starting a fuel log?

Thanks, Ill check it out.

Oh, man...

Well, I think your biggest handicap is the extremely attractive thrill potential of the Skyline. Great MPGs can be yours if you can just keep your foot out of the big pedal on the right. UltrArc is a guy with a recent Mustang, he's pushing into the 40s with his ride but fighting the lovely GOFASTERGOFASTER exhortations of his free-breathing exhaust system.

So if you've managed to work out some of your sporting urges, you can do a lot just by changing how you drive. I see others have already pointed you in that direction, and it's going to be the biggest bang for the buck (since there are no bucks involved) in wringing extra distance out of every tank.

Pump up the tires and get a scangauge (see link in my signature)

Keep track of miles traveled divided by gallons used. There is a place to input data in the garage section of the site. If you have a smartphone, fuel log pro is what I use.

Fyi, make sure your odometer is reporting correctly also.

To start logging tanks in the Garage here on EcoModder, follow these steps:

1. Head over to your Garage by clicking the Garage link at the top
2. If you have a vehicle entered in the Garage, you will see several links including Delete, View, Edit, etc. Click on Fuel Log.
3. On the fuel log page, click on the link that says ADD another fuel log entry for this vehicle

In order for these to be accurate, make sure you top off your tank, preferably at the same gas pump at the same gas station each time. When you are around 1/8 of a tank, fill the tank and record the information on the page I showed you.

Welcome.

Welcome! And check out the lists recommended by others already. That's where I started nearly three years ago. Keep a fuel log here at EM too. (Get a gauge... they pay for themselves quickly... you'll be amazed how much they help).

The numbers on that Nissan are a lot lower than you're thinking:
1992 Nissan 240SX

An early 1990s plain jane Civic will do better for you... even a 1992 Miata will have ratings more like what you're looking for... Fuel Economy of the 1992 Mazda MX-5 Miata

A stock KA doesnt get that great of gas mileage so I was wrong about that. Ive heard of guys getting close to 30s around town in them though. I think that was probably with the Japanese turbo motor (sr20det). You can tune them to run a little more lean and they get great mpg. I owned a miata a few years ago. Im sure it would have got great gas mileage had it been stock. It had an aftermarket turbo kit and tune. It got around 16mpg city and 24 on the highway :/
A lot of that probably had to do with my driving style though

SR and RB series Nissans run very rich, a remap will pay dividends and stop your car turning black around the exhaust every week.

I get around 24MPG average out of my near stock R32, will remap someday.

So much great info packed into this thread, already!

As it was mentioned, driving style is very important, but it's not all sadness and being a lame duck, as I drive with others and think about my driving 5+ years ago, we as a people waste fuel for no reason.

Racing to red lights, not paying attention to traffic, sticking in one lane while the next has zero traffic- the best thing to think about is keeping momentum. Even if you don't EOC, just coasting will be better than using extra fuel so you have to use more brakes later :)

I drive on a higher speed road sometimes, and at one point it goes from two lanes to one- and I drive 55-60 in the 55, while cars fly past me. 95% of the time, I blow past them and get ahead of them while they wait (IN ONE LANE, IN A ROW!) at the red light they raced to, or see them waiting at the next light that I EOC up to, and then bump start to go up the next hill.

Moral of the story, not wasting fuel often is faster than mindlessly accelerating (not saying you, but compared to the usual driver who doesn't think about driving).