Hi guys New Kid to the thread
 

Hey guys my name is Dom I'm 18 and i've always had a few philosophies in eco modding the more power you have the easier your car can move and the less gas you'll use.. to an extent
Therefore i have a few simple steps i always do to all of mine and my family's cars and my friends cars who want to save gas too
K&N filters, flowmaster muffler (always with turndowns for trucks, saves about 65-100 pounds depending on truck) and run shell 91 V power, a few other things too but those are the first that are neccesary

Soo sorry guys you probably are gonna hate me

I'm a hardcore eco modder but i'm also a muscle car guy. have been since i was born can't really help it.

However I was also one of the main mechanics at my high school so lots of friends would always come to me to make their cars faster and save more gas

that's when i became a fan of Eco modding
Once again sorry i'm all about fuel economy and eco mods but i'm a total performance guy too
I'll introduce you guys to my car a little later when i have time to post pics and stuff

Hi and welcome,

Sorry to break it this way for you, but you're more power less work theory, well it's just not the way things work. Making modifications to increase power may get you better fuel economy too, but they need to be geared toward improving low end torque mainly.

I suggest you do a bit on reading on bsfc and downsizing.

Welcome to EcoModder! :thumbup:

I second Martin's comment, good luck!

Welcome to EM.

Ditto to SVOboy and Tas. More power definitely doesn't mean better mileage. Read up on brake specific fuel consumption and you'll see why.

Hi Dom,

More efficiency helps, but the others are right, too. One example of power not helping fuel efficiency is a cold air intake. Colder air means denser air, which means more power, but more fuel used. Ecomodders go with warm air intakes instead.

Another example is lower gearing for power. Lower gearing works against fuel efficiency. Hot-rodders want lower gearing. Ecomodders want higher gearing.

Thanks for the welcome guys, I know to an extent the power helping fuel economy works against itself but everything i've done so far has improved both on mine and family and frineds cars i've worked on I know a supercharger or different gearing would hurt me i'm not saying that helps fuel economy i'm just talking about small stuff like air filters and exhaust those both have always improved mileage for me

If air filters and exhaust have proven gains in efficiency for you, there are other problems most likely with your setup that are causing inefficiencies, or you're not operating the engine as efficiently as you could be.

An engine will only pull enough air and fuel to make the power it needs to do what you're telling it to do. If the engine can rev to 5,000 RPM under load on it's own, it will continue to do so whether or not you put a high-flow filter or exhaust on it. The only difference will be how fast it does it.

Your OEM air filter is not restrictive at all, contrary to popular belief. The K&N filters do flow more air, but does the engine really need it? Do a little math and find out how much air in CFM your engine really needs at the speeds you operate it at. Chances are, the OE filter will accommodate that and more.

The exhaust is a similar bet. Almost universally, when you open up your exhaust system, you lose low-end torque. This has nothing to do with back pressure, which your engine does not need to operate efficiently.

The only way you don't lose torque is if you build the exhaust in such a way that it supports the flow rate at the desired RPM. Remember, your power curve is like a game of Jenga. If you add up top, it had to come from the bottom.

Got any pictures of your cars?

Domman,
I'm really sorry, but given the 'level' of you posts for the last 24hours, I can't 'buy' what your sellin on your ride.
You claim 24+ mpg over 90 days on a 76 chevy el camino that has a 305 and weighs 4500 lbs. What.....is it downhill both ways to your job?????

Fishy MPG... where's my pole I want one!
 

Not to play kettle in this, but it is possible... I used to get between 22-25 mpg in an 89 Lincoln Towncar with the 5.0 V8 (yeah, you know I'm talking about the square boat) and that was in late fall, winter dropped it down to around 20. It takes a really light foot to keep the tranny shifting low in the RPM range, but that car did great under 70 mph. I don't have much else to say but the "proof is at the pump".

Additionally, I did have tires that were an inch larger in diameter than stock.