Hey Now...
 

Glad I ran across this sight and hopefully can gain some knowledge and save money on fuel.
A plumber/steamfitter by trade, I've been a car nut almost all my life including a few years of dirt track racing.
We have a '02 Olds Silhouette minivan which averages 20 mpg city (26-28 hwy) according to the on-board computer. (no complaints there really)
We also have a '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 litre. This one only averages around 12-13 mpg around town. Highway is around 22-23 mpg. This is the vehicle I would really like to concentrate on improving & will start reading through the threads looking for tips.

Welcome to ecomodder! Lots of Jeep owners on the site :)

The other owner is Canadian too

Hi gap1927 - I actually have relatives in TB.

Are you tracking mpg aside from monitoring the OEM gauge? That's the first step. Start up a fuel log if you aren't already keeping your own. Heck, start one up anyway, so we can all see how you're doing.

Welcome to the site gap. I agree with the others, start up a mileage log and make sure you do manual calculations when you physically fill up. That is the only way to know your true mileage.

By looking at your city vs highway numbers, it sounds like you could really benefit from looking at our 100+ hypermiling / ecodriving tips to increase gas mileage - EcoModder.com. It is full of useful tips you can start using immediately. Most of our users find their largest gains here. You can definitely pull those city mileage numbers up. :thumbup:

Also, your Olds is the same as my brother's Montana, I think. You might get a kick out of this (and also note the roof rack numbers):

Minivan Kardboard Kammback boosts MPG +3.7% (6.6%, counting roof rack delete) - Page 3 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

Hey Metro....
No I haven't been keeping track of mileage the old fashioned way, mileage between fill ups. Actually this vehicle was very seldom driven (120,000 K, pretty low for a '97) since I had a company truck to drive for the last 10 or so years. Alas, I have now lost my job along with all the perks & am back to driving the Jeep full time. Went over the whole vehicle recently & did brakes, rear seals, exhaust, CV joints, Trans fluid & filter, plugs & wires & it is running like a top (except for the poor mileage)
Will start with upping the tire pressure & maybe changing the O2 sensors as it does smell like it is running a bit rich but no check engine lights to indicate any problems & then I will also keep a better track of the mileage too.

Re: kammback minivan

Looks interesting but I don't think my wife would be too keen on driving around with that contraption on her beloved Oldsy. I am planning on driving the van to Toronto next week, around a 3000 K round trip, & may consider removing the roof rack for streamlining. Also planning on changing the plugs & wires as I now have 160,000 K on the original factory plugs & wires, but I hear that is is a ***** of a job to get at the rear ones!
Has your brother changed his yet Metro?

FYI, my favourite Thunder Bay ecomodder's web site: AtomicZombie Recumbent, Trike, Chopper, Scooter and Electric Bike Plans

(No, he's not a member, but he's an ecomodder at heart.)

Not himself, no. I think he's more of a "drive it until it breaks, then go to the dealership" kind of guy. No driveway maintenance.