Sports Cars Team

[MGB=MPG]

Z Car looks like a sports car to me . , just join thats what i did .
and everyone will be glad to see you
i dont know what kind of instrumentation those new Z's have , i mean those real time fuel economy read outs that work off the engine controle computers , , if it has some thats great , if it does not then consider getting one , couple kinds talked about in the wiki , i am not familiar with them since they won't work on my Old English Iron

they sure look spiffy
in addition read some of the topics in the wiki .

Main Page - EcoModder

Alternative fuel consumption instruments - EcoModder

EcoModder Store: Get Stuff, Support EcoModder - EcoModder.com

"throwing a real sports car"
really ?

[MGB=MPG]

''fast, and accelerate quickly. MPG is more important than acceleration, but I would like to have the best of both worlds""

some reading on the forums will reveal that the consensus on acceleration is to accelerate at about 80% power *briskly* they say .. the scan gauge would be invaluable in sorting out that sweet spot

i do not know about those new Z's but if i apply 80% power referencing my vacuum gauge i go up through the gears PDQ..

to join the team simply click on the 'sports car' link on the left , then put a check in the radio box on that page *join team*

put your care in the online garage here and start a fuel log..

[Sporty Modder]

To all you new Sports car team members WELCOME.
As mentioned earlier this team is more alongthe lines of sports car at heart.

[UltArc]

Originally Posted by Titusx24

This is truly a forum for me. I just got rid of my 4.0L mustang (God rest its soul) because it was falling apart at 168,000 miles. Thats not to say that I didn't drive it hard at times. Hypermiling has always been a thing I was interested in (got 32 out of the 4.0L mustang with full mods and a light driving foot) and recently bought a 2005 350Z. about 300 horsepower, and it WILL be modded heavily, for MPG first of course. I've thought about replacing the 6th gear ratio with one that will drop the cruising rpm's down to a low number. at 75mph, I'm going 2800rpms on my engine. Mileage is of course important, so I've driven it softly for the last couple weeks, and gotten 25mpg overall in the Z. There must be more!!! If anyone has some ideas about what I should do to my car, let me know, as I want it over 30mpg's. A car's gotta look good too, while getting awesome gas mileage. I'm actually a licensed police officer (a major change in my life, as I truly want to help people), so the car will still need to be fast, and accelerate quickly. MPG is more important than acceleration, but I would like to have the best of both worlds. Car is completely stock, so if anyone had some opinions about it, I would be more than happy to hear them. Thanks!!!

John

Originally Posted by Titusx24

Oh, and also a request to join the team. Where's my manners??? I also have a 2005 ninja 250 that I will be hypermiling. I must say however, that I drive like someone is chasing me. obviously I can't do that when I'm trying to get mileage out of my car, and nor will I. Should I start my own forum, since I am throwing a real sports car into the picture? Everyone's opinion is appreciated

I don't want to be rude, but throwing in a real sports car? Because if so, when you were typing Lotus or Ferrari or Lamborghini, or Nissan GTR, 350z came out...

287 hp at the engine, not wheels, seven years ago is not around 300hp. At wheels, 250 would be a higher estimate.

And as for handling, the Z prior to 2011 reportedly had terrible handling for the money, very spongey and soft. Not all people like a back breaking stiff, hops on bumps, feel the road ride. But it's desired for a sports car when used for sportiness. IF you had 250 hp at the wheels, your hp / lb ratio doesn't really blow anyone away here.

We here are the closest thing to sports cars on the forum. Not so much us being Ford GTs and Gallardos, rather, as much as we to get good mileage, quoting Mustang Dave, sometimes we have to put spurs to our Pony...


Maybe a nicer way to get started with a new group of people regarding sportiness and performance would be to tell us more about youself in a humble manner, some ideas you have for mods for yourself, and asking us about our mods and any tips, tricks or ideas.

I mean, I don't really see a Honda Fit as a sports car, to be honest, but how does he drive it? What mods are planned? Maybe his budget is more strict, or he NEEDS better mileage and that is his price range. Clearly we prefer more sport than efficiency, but there's no reason to throw that out there. :/

[ksa8907]

Originally Posted by Titusx24

Oh, and also a request to join the team. Where's my manners??? I also have a 2005 ninja 250 that I will be hypermiling. I must say however, that I drive like someone is chasing me. obviously I can't do that when I'm trying to get mileage out of my car, and nor will I. Should I start my own forum, since I am throwing a real sports car into the picture? Everyone's opinion is appreciated

short shift and lower the car if needed/possible. i will argue the "real" sports car part, but then again im driving a grocery getter.

[vrmilionzx]

Originally Posted by UltArc

I don't want to be rude, but throwing in a real sports car? Because if so, when you were typing Lotus or Ferrari or Lamborghini, or Nissan GTR, 350z came out...

287 hp at the engine, not wheels, seven years ago is not around 300hp. At wheels, 250 would be a higher estimate.

And as for handling, the Z prior to 2011 reportedly had terrible handling for the money, very spongey and soft. Not all people like a back breaking stiff, hops on bumps, feel the road ride. But it's desired for a sports car when used for sportiness. IF you had 250 hp at the wheels, your hp / lb ratio doesn't really blow anyone away here.

We here are the closest thing to sports cars on the forum. Not so much us being Ford GTs and Gallardos, rather, as much as we to get good mileage, quoting Mustang Dave, sometimes we have to put spurs to our Pony...


Maybe a nicer way to get started with a new group of people regarding sportiness and performance would be to tell us more about youself in a humble manner, some ideas you have for mods for yourself, and asking us about our mods and any tips, tricks or ideas.

I mean, I don't really see a Honda Fit as a sports car, to be honest, but how does he drive it? What mods are planned? Maybe his budget is more strict, or he NEEDS better mileage and that is his price range. Clearly we prefer more sport than efficiency, but there's no reason to throw that out there. :/

Well said - hopefully he just typed before he thought about how that sounded, but it rubbed me the wrong way too.

Titus, I'm happy to welcome you here; I just hope that you didn't intend to come off quite the way you did with that statement. There are plenty of "true" sports cars, some of them even here. UltArc's point above, about your numbers, is a perfect lead into this next part - know your numbers before you throw them down matter of factly. The difference between wheel horse power and crank hp can be pretty significant - and the loss gets greater as you go from fwd, to rwd, to awd.

I'm trying not to sound like a jerk, just encouraging you to do the same.

Welcome to the club!

One of the things I really like about this forum is the focus on optimization; I've found that mods that create more power (by focusing on optimization) will also get you better gas mileage (if your foot isn't glued to the floor, a problem I sometimes have).

[Titusx24]

I agree with most of you entirely. I'm actually a recovering alcoholic thats in the phase where I still dip in and out of it, and I'm sorry to say that you caught the worst part of me. I do want to apologize to everyone for me letting the @$$hole shine though.

Now, what I would have said if I was collected, is:

I'm looking to hypermile a car that few people think (or care) about hypermiling. Obviously I will need to change my driving style as well, as I can not be the most economical driver at times. Its always in the back of my head to get good mileage when I drive, but I still have that "new car fever" so to say. Hopefully that spark will go out after a month of owning it. The 350Z, to me, is an excellent sports car, however it doesn't touch the other sports cars mentioned, and I did need to be put in my place about that. I'm not a wealthy man, and owning a car like this is truly a high point in my life, so obviously I feel great about getting it at such a low cost, and fixing it back up. But all this aside, mileage is important to me, as is getting information about how to make an inefficient car more efficient. Can we put my douchebaggery aside, and start over to change the way this car sucks gas? Possible mods in a bit.

Sorry,
Titus

[Titusx24]

Obviously I will need to free up the breathing of the Z. A plenum spacer has been known to give the best results when it comes to getting air to the engine, and increasing power, and MPG. Soon after that I will get a cold air intake, Headers, and test pipe cats to see if that will help out any.

One thing I must say however, is that I think my Z has to be putting out a bit more than 250 at the wheels. I had my 4.0 mustang dyno'd, and it was letting 258 out at the wheels after all the mods I did to it(stock 215), and the Z puts my 4.0 to shame. Now, I don't know if you've ever been in one, but that sucker handles corners. I'm sure you like your 2011, but to me this thing feels great, and keeps traction when i go flying around turns (ouch on gas mileage). Maybe I'm just loving that my boat of a mustang didn't feel this great, but I absolutely love my car, and I'm sorry for throwing such a blatant statement about.

Oh! one thing too before I forget, I'm planning on eventually changing the 6th gear ratio to something that will sip gas at highway speeds. The highway speed limit where I live is 75mph, so I think that is an obstacle in my quest for mileage, however all my tests will be done at the posted speed limit unless anyone requests that I drive slower. I'm open to any and all suggestions to improve MPG, and will always listen to someone who knows more than I do about the subject.

[Titusx24]

keep forgetting stuff..... I'm pulling 26mpg's City and Highway combined for the Z, driving conservatively. My daily commute is 80mi round trip, so I can test mpg every time I do to work. The extra instrument gauges are a full trip computer, oil pressure and battery charge gauge(doesn't matter for mpg, but someone asked). If I could get 28-30, I would be happy.

I also know a lot about HHO gas. Did that on my mustang. I can build a killer generator, but unless you're working on a non fuel injected vehicle, good luck

Also, can't find the button for me to join the sports car team.

[vrmilionzx]

Hey Titus,

No worries - we all have moments where we're not entirely composed - thanks for posting that though.
That said: I'm not great at the aero stuff yet, but there are all sorts of good exterior mods to make your car more aerodynamic (I totally understand if you're not as interesting in changing the exterior of your new toy just yet).

In terms of how it runs, which model do you have? The wheels are REALLY heavy, depending on which ones. I had some of the 17" base model on my car until last month, and they are close to 24 lbs each. The new ones I put on there are around 16. Huge difference. You can also see about weight reduction. I highly recommend a lightened flywheel (both for bang/buck and mpg). Spare tire and jack are heavy (if you have triple a, that is) - and a can of fix a flat is like, 1 lb.

Keep us posted (and take some pics to post in your album! I like 350s)