Newb with a '99 Saturn SL1
 

Hey guys!

I'm very new to the good gas mileage thing (this Saturn is the first car I've ever had that's averaged over 22mpg) and a friend sent me some links to threads on this forum and I've been very intrigued by all of the hard work and modding some people do here to get as good of gas mileage that I've seen on here. I've even started using some of the tricks that I've learned on this forum to further improve the awesome gas mileage that I'm getting (37.2mpg so far) like EOC, more tire pressure, windows up, A/C off, etc. I have just replaced the O2 sensors, and have a few more things to do to try and get the absolute best MPG I can get while the car is completely stock before I start modding.

I have to say, it's really strange for me to look at mods to get better fuel efficiency. I'm used to looking up ways to make my Corvette faster, handle and stop better, and be more fun to drive but usually all of that just drastically drops my mileage. I've noticed that I've been having a lot of fun trying to squeeze every bit of efficiency out of this little car.

Also, here's some info about the car in case some of you are wondering;
1999 Saturn SL1
5-speed SOC 1.9 I4
manual everything
only options are A/C and the radio (pretty sure you couldn't get the car without these though, not sure, but just my best guess haha)

https://images.craigslist.org/00m0m_...pS_600x450.jpg

Welcome! I joined for the same reason, it is more of an active "sport" per say than adding power which you may use once in a weekend. Though there is nothing like hopping in that v8 and getting instant torque

A lot of us are gear heads of one sort or another. I know I love working on everything from my '51 Ford F1 to my '04 Prius. Going fast is definitely fun, but honestly I've found the fuel economy thing to be even more interesting. You can do so much more with so much less. It just takes some ingenuity and experimentation, and that is what I really love. That, and it costs a ton less and saves you money instead of costing you more. You'll fit right in here. :)

You got a great car to start out with. I just stopped hunting for a new car, but your SL1 was on my short list of vehicles to look for. I'd recommend starting a fuel log and getting some sort of instrumentation to help you see how your driving changes are effecting your mileage.

Welcome to the site!

Yep, lots of us have both fun cars and economy cars. I've had a Vette like yours ('94 6-spd coupe) as well as a Saturn S-series ('02 SC2). Lots of potential with those Saturns.

Welcome, VeryUnoriginal! Lots of members with similar stories to yours.

Welcome! I'll always be a Honda guy, but for some reason Saturn's always interested me. Keep us updated on your improvements.!

I usually try to forget I'm a Honda guy because I've got so much money dumped into mine. :p I'm currently in the process of putting my new block in, but I've got a 1995 EG sedan with a B18 with a Garrett 57mm turbo. Surprisingly it still got over 30mpg. A good friend of mine did a review of it on Youtube and it went fairly viral lol. I haven't actually looked at this video in a few months and holy crap I didn't realize that it's gone up to nearly a half million views! :eek:

edit: I can't post links on this site yet, so I'll just tell you what to do. Go to YouTube and type in "ThatDudeInBlue Sleeper Civic". It'll be the one with about 440k views

And thanks for the welcomes guys! I can't wait to start my build with the Saturn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY32QWM8II4

Looks like a fun car!