Go Back   EcoModder Forum > Introductions
Register Now
 Register Now
 

Reply  Post New Thread
 
Submit Tools LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 04-27-2012, 01:16 PM   #1 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Prophecy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 91

Maxima - '02 Nissan Maxima GLE
Thanks: 2
Thanked 20 Times in 14 Posts
New Member looking for conservative improvements ('02 Maxima GLE automatic)

New member here. I am liking everything I read on this site, very interesting and inspiring see what everyone does on here and no judging on what kind of vehicle they have. Whats also interesting is I am more than adequately educated in designing, constructing, and maintaining environmentally sustainable Buildings and the practices associated with that. But when it comes to the advanced practices i have been reading about here, I am not extremely familiar with it when it comes to vehicles. I am knowledgeable with cars enough to have already modified my car to be one of a kind and enjoy it more than the average driver. Such as suspension, engine performance, lighting, and handling etc.

2002 Nissan Maxima GLE Automatic 5 SPD. i will post pics after 5 posts.

I am interested in getting the best(or better) gas mileage i can get with out going too far, in other words I want my eco mods to be subtle. I want to keep my car fairly the same on the outside, which may or may not be my down fall to actually reach my 28-30 mpg goals. EPA 17 city 24 Highway. Which I have read in the Maxima world people with autos can get up to 22 city 28 highway. on average at best.
Recently i have been driving wholly concerned with only minimum fuel consumption (fc) in mind. Never going over 2,000 rpm, and staying under 60-65 at high way speeds.
I recently have been manually tracking my MPG (since the ECU is usually ambitious to the point of 3-4 MPG higher than actual) and have gotten at best so far on 90% highway trips 23.78 mpg. Which isnt bad considering that was also before I changed my so called lifetime fuel filter. It is known in the maxima world that changing this fuel filter is recommended even though its supposedly lifetime. I am really excited to see how the change helped. By judging how much I have traveled on my current tank after the fuel filter replacement alone I can easily say i got 2-3 mpg better. Will post updated mpg from that tank.

List of Eco related Mods
-Lowered 1.4 all around
-42 PSI all around
-Driving Habits modifiied/regulated for best MPG at all times
-Regular Maintenance done (ngk platinum spark plugs, filters, fuild changes/flushes, all with in 15k miles)
-Front Lip Spoiler
-No rear spoiler (dont no if bad or good for eco)
-No aftermarket exhaust, or air intake


What are some other things I can do to reach my conservative 28-30 mpg goals? I know my air filter could be changed but i have been blowing it out every so often.

Some things that caught my eye are under body aerodynamics, grille blocking, and rear diffusers. All pretty subtle if done right. i also have a grounding kit, which has helped idle, shifting, and electronics very nicely.

Thanks in advance for any info or advice!

  Reply With Quote
Alt Today
Popular topics

Other popular topics in this forum...

   
Old 04-27-2012, 01:22 PM   #2 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Prophecy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 91

Maxima - '02 Nissan Maxima GLE
Thanks: 2
Thanked 20 Times in 14 Posts
another eco mod I just noticed I have
Advanced Ignition Timing 2 degrees.

I also use 89 octane, and IIRC octane usually dosen't effect mpg as long as your engine isn't pinging.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 03:02 PM   #3 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,058
Thanked 6,957 Times in 3,602 Posts
Welcome to the forum.

Quote:
I know my air filter could be changed but i have been blowing it out every so often.
Believe it or not, a dirty air filter will have a little to no effect on fuel economy. Long gone are the days when a dirty filter accidentally resulted in an enriched air/fuel mixture (pre-computer monitoring - e.g. OBD). Even with a dirty filter, at part throttle openings (ie. at low/mid load engine operation), the throttle plate is the major restriction.

Quote:
Some things that caught my eye are under body aerodynamics, grille blocking, and rear diffusers. All pretty subtle if done right.
Those all sound reasonable. I'd start with the partial grille block (easiest), and monitor engine temps as you progressively tune it for best effect. Do you have a way to accurately monitor coolant temps (digital gauge)?
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 03:47 PM   #4 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Prophecy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 91

Maxima - '02 Nissan Maxima GLE
Thanks: 2
Thanked 20 Times in 14 Posts
that's amazing i never heard that, you always hear advertisements and the auto communities stating a dirty air filter is bad for your mpg.

Also i have a good feeling my butterfly valve of the throttle body is dirty and shows all the specific symptoms of it (immediate surge of rpm after cold start ups, and goes back to regular idle rpm shorty after, and a medium rough idle in traffic and Park). Do you think that would effect mpg?

I have a engine coolant temp gauge, so yes i can monitor how the blocking works. My quesiton with grille blocking is is it still effective if I put it directly behind the actual grille and infront of the radiator etc? In other words I want it to be subtle and not directly on the outside of the car. Again aesthetics on this car is more important to me than a few % of aero. I would think any kind of block is better than nothing.

Thanks for the reply. I am starting to see you're posts everywhere.
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 03:53 PM   #5 (permalink)
Batman Junior
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: 1000 Islands, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 22,513

Blackfly - '98 Geo Metro
Team Metro
Last 3: 70.09 mpg (US)

MPGiata - '90 Mazda Miata
90 day: 52.71 mpg (US)

Even Fancier Metro - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage top spec
90 day: 70.75 mpg (US)

Appliance car - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage ES (base)
90 day: 60.16 mpg (US)
Thanks: 4,058
Thanked 6,957 Times in 3,602 Posts
Blocking directly behind the grille will work nearly as well as in front. Some members do just that for aesthetics.

As for that throttle plate, makes sense that a clean intake would perform best in all regards.

I'm a bit surprised that you're only getting 24 mpg while keeping your speeds down to 60-65. I'd think you'd be exceeding highway EPA by ~5-10% at that speed (assuming you're doing 90% highway).
__________________
Project MPGiata! Mods for getting 50+ MPG from a 1990 Miata
Honda mods: Ecomodding my $800 Honda Fit 5-speed beater
Mitsu mods: 70 MPG in my ecomodded, dirt cheap, 3-cylinder Mirage.
Ecodriving test: Manual vs. automatic transmission MPG showdown



EcoModder
has launched a forum for the efficient new Mitsubishi Mirage
www.MetroMPG.com - fuel efficiency info for Geo Metro owners
www.ForkenSwift.com - electric car conversion on a beer budget
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 08:05 PM   #6 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: pa
Posts: 36

Infiniti - '11 Infiniti G25X AWD
90 day: 29.82 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Try changing oil to a synthetic and go with the 5w-30, which I believe is what your car recommends. Can also go with synthetic trans fluid, check all brakes to make sure they are adjusted correctly and not hanging. While checking brakes, check bearings and axles greased properly. Next, you can seafoam the engine to make sure your fuel inj is working properly. You can also spray carb cleaner on the throttle plate if you are concerned about it not working properly. I have a '95 Maxima GLE, did all of these mods as well as complete tune up, and get 26-28 regularly out of it.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 10:50 PM   #7 (permalink)
GRU
Master EcoModder
 
GRU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Windsor ON Canada
Posts: 373

silver bullet - '00 Honda Civic
90 day: 34.41 mpg (US)
Thanks: 21
Thanked 37 Times in 32 Posts
check your wheel alignment
__________________

  Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2012, 07:04 AM   #8 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: pa
Posts: 36

Infiniti - '11 Infiniti G25X AWD
90 day: 29.82 mpg (US)
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Good point on the alignment, also pump your tires up to sidewall max and possibly get low rolling resistance tires, that should not change the look of your car much.
__________________
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2012, 01:35 PM   #9 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Prophecy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 91

Maxima - '02 Nissan Maxima GLE
Thanks: 2
Thanked 20 Times in 14 Posts
Update: got a wheel alignment, mounted balanced all tires.

I am running on heavy aftermarket 18" wheels but i like them too much and am willing to take the little downfall from them, which I don't really see much. I only use them in the summer months and the blends fuel in the summer months make declines in efficiency a wash.

I have been gettin 24.8 MPG and 24.9 MPG on a few tanks now with 50/50 city highway. I am quite happy seeing 25 mpg but would like to reach 28-30 if at all possible with a 50/50 city highway run.

I also have a rear brake issue with them making contact at all times, so that has to be hurting too.
  Reply With Quote
Old 06-11-2012, 01:37 PM   #10 (permalink)
EcoModding Lurker
 
Prophecy99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 91

Maxima - '02 Nissan Maxima GLE
Thanks: 2
Thanked 20 Times in 14 Posts
do you guys think going from 42 PSI to 44PSI will really do anything?

i am also researching under body aerodynamic material to make a rear diffuser.

  Reply With Quote
Reply  Post New Thread


Thread Tools




Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com