General Chat
Q:
Theres a heated discussion going on in another forum and would like to know the opinions from the people that visit the car talk forum.
Who thinks they have the best technique to get the best fuel economy?
A:
Speaking as someone who formerly competed in "Mileage Ralleyes" in the late 70's, in a Karmann Ghia that returned over 52mpg regularly, I think I have my technique down.
I shudder to think how we could have blown the competition away if we had today's EFI and WBO2 technology available to us.
We did a best of almost 60mpg on a 1600CC VW Type 1 CARBURETTED engine!
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
Post Edited (Aug 27, 12:26am)
A:
i never knew there was such a thing as a milage ralley!
whats the big technique Tony?
Is it that you should lightly press the accelerator and shift gear at rpms where the vacuum actually decreses.
Or should you wide open throttle it until you reach optimum speed.
A:
got 287 miles on a N/A z32 auto.
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1981 n/a 280zx
1952 m38a1 jeep willy's
1971 fairlady 240z
95 300zx N/A
72 240z
A:
All my fuel saving methods consist of are coasting after the end of the 1/4 mile...it helps save a little fuel...lol. If I'm not using fuel in massive amounts and in short distances, I'm not having enough fun.
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James Roraback
1983 280zxt 11.39 @129.38 - FOR SALE
ZCAR.COM member since Nov 1999
A:
That's how I see it too! :) Should be who can burn the MOST fuel rather than the least hehe
85' 300ZX NA
86' 300ZX Turbo
88' 300ZX Turbo
89' 300ZX Turbo
300ZX Turbo Project
A:
That would be too easy.
Chris
76 280z --- turbo in the works
A:
can you guys teach me how to save gas on my titan!
Z's are like woman maintenance,maintenance,maintenance!
1971 240Z gunmetal metalic 5sp 4:11 gears in the rear
illuminas and purchased from the original owner w/136k original miles
A:
"Who thinks they have the best technique to get the best fuel economy?"
forced induction or naturally aspirated? on the highway, turboed engine with lower compression gets worlds better economy cruising than a naturally aspirated model.
If all were equal, none would be strong.
Ballistic,Ruler of Interstates
Stage XX+ 1993 Z32 NA
"SoulTaker"
A:
I measured my MPG on a tank of gas in my 83 280 NA and came out to 25.6 MPG I was pretty happy.
78 ZT, 83 zx engine, T-5, custom 2.5 DP, glass pack exhaust, EVO IC, 2.5 IC piping, Cobra MAF, JWT 450 HP ECU, 440cc inj, 255lph fuel pump, RRFPR, man. boost cont., T-3 w/ clipped exh. .46 trim comp.
A:
Don't ever fill your tank completely (unless maybe you're going to be driving in empty desert for a few hours.)
Usually, when my tank is about to hit empty, I'll go throw 5 or 10 bucks worth of gas in (if i'm just going around town.) If you continually "top off" your tank, you've got all this gas in here. Gas is heavy; any liquid is heavy. If you keep as little gas in your tank as possible, then you're driving a lighter car. Don't go freaking out when gas drops 4 cents and fill up your tank.
Also, it helps not to have a 350lb fatass friend riding with you.
1991 NA 300ZX (z32) Slicktop Coupe, Cherry Red, Pacesetter Monza Exhaust, JWT Pop-charger intake, stainless steel 3" midpipes with high-flow cats.
A:
I've always found that leaning over the steering wheel, and saying "come on, come on" when the needle is below E can improve gas mileage since your car's brain remembers that you depend on it to get home.
1976 280Z
Draw-Through Turbo, 10 PSI, 4 Bbl Holley, E88, L28 (Flat), 10:1 CR, 5 Spd
1974 Corvette Stingray:
350, 400 Automatic, T-Tops, 8.5:1 CR, 78,000 Miles
1994 Acura Integra:
1.8L, 5 Spd, 189,000 and Counting!
A:
I have what I think is a good technique.
NO daily drivers allowed unless they can pull 40 mpg.
We stick to that rule at our house, and it works.
The optomist has no brakes, the pessimist has no motor.
I need a good parts car.........
A:
Hahahahahahahahha ahahahaha ahahahahahahahah
Chris
76 280z --- turbo in the works
A:
Keep your foot off the floor, and your eyes down the road.
-short shift at 3000 RPMs
-when you know you're going to stop, coast as far as possible
-keep the car in tune, and a shade on the lean side
-keep tires pumped up to 35-40 lbs
-headlight covers, and a front spoiler help at highway speeds
-run skinny tires with light weight wheels
-try to time stop lights and traffic so you don't end up stopping
A:
"can you guys teach me how to save gas on my titan!"
Just bought a new Titan, first tank I got 20 mpg. The old truck, a Dodge v6 - stick, I was lucky if I got 19mpg.
A:
I drive my CRX HF regular and thanks to it's high gearing transmission and fuel sipping 62HP engine, I regularly get 50-52 MPG when driving long range, say 200+...basically it's a whopping 7 gallon gas tank and I regularly get 344-360 miles out of it. I can't wait to get a few 'upgrades' and recording any mileage difference such as replacing my 'tank' heavy wheels that came with my car that are cast HEAVY wheels and I have recently acquired some ultra light VX wheelswhich are approx. 9lbs total. They're smaller at 13" but hey that is what the stock HF's came with and these look a lot better than the cheapy stock steelies. :)
I am very happy with that mileage and I don't have to use the 'hypermiling' methods of coasting down hills whenever possible, or shutting off the car at stop lights as described by some in www.gassavers.org.
Here's my MPG beast!
And here are my other poor MPG cars! :P
My bone stock 350Z typically gets me 16mpg in the city, 20 mpg avg, 28mpg on highway.
My 510 with a KA24DE swap...got me 24 mpg avg from San Diego to San Francisco
Last but not least!
My L16 with Webber workhorse...gets me about 18 mpg but that's around town so not too bad.
-2003 350Z Enthusiast Stage 0
-1971 Datsun 521 Inline 4
-1970 Datsun 510 w/KA24DE
-1991 Honda CRX HF
(62 HP and 50 MPG BEAST!!!)
A:
"Is it that you should lightly press the accelerator and shift gear at rpms where the vacuum actually decreses.
Or should you wide open throttle it until you reach optimum speed."
On a carburetted car, back in the 70's many of the competitors would use 3/4 throttle during acceleration and get up to cruising speed as quickly as possible, then drive so as to maximize vacuum (higher vacuum readings the better).
On EFI cars, that's not necessarily the best methodology, where a steady foot and running on the O2 correction loop will return better fuel economy.
Like I said, had I a WBO2 meter and EFI, I would set the feedback loop to around 18:1, and drive with a very light foot, and probably could break 65 to 70mpg on the old coures we used to run.
What the mileage ralleyes consisted of was a set course of known distance, and a calibrated jug of gasoline that was run into your fuel system. You could actually watch the gas run out of the tank from a bracket that attached to the hood/boot. You ran the course, and then the jug was checked for fuel remaining at the end of the course. Corvairs competed against Corvairs, VW's against VW's, and of course there was an overall "Best MPG of the Meet" trophy as well as individual class trophies---usually based on engine size. Those little F10, 110 and Honeybee Datsuns were tough competition against our Ghia, those guys were getting 40mpg off the lot, with a brand new car, and we were competing against them with technology developed in Germany in the 30's!
I guess not much has changed with me in that respect. Now we're competing in a 2 Liter Class in SCTA that pits our 1976 Datsun, with an engine designed and originally licensed to PMC back in the late 50's from Mercedes in Germany, against those bastards in the Honda/AEM Civic from 2004! Nope, nothing's changed...
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
A:
|-ZombiE-| running your tank on E all the time? isnt that kinda bad? i thought most fuel pumps were cooled by the gas around them and keeping tanks dry was a good way to burn 'em up.
A:
Does taking the bus 4 days a week count?
Ed and Jeanne's
ZXelda 1981 280 ZXT: ZXena 1990 300 ZX
1941 Buick Special Sedanette (Betty)
1956 Dodge Royal (Dorothy)
1971 Buick Riviera (Rita)
1975 Ford F-150 Stepside (Fiona)
1992 Firebird (Frieda)
A:
Taking the bus is a good thing....keep it up.
A:
Unless it going on short bus...LOL!
_____________________
Me YORGO...You Not
Post Edited (Aug 28, 1:23pm)
A:
nice , i saw a datsun f10 in the junk yard and no parts pulled! must not be too many on the road. its a funny little car.
76 280 all stock exept full bushings,qwuik knuckles,tokico struts&springs,3-2 header,k&n cai,msa sway bars,konig rewinds with toyo proxis ra1.
78 rust bucket. (4 sale!)
2000 v-dub mk4 jetta vr6
2005 titan 4x4 with nismo cai,banks exhus
A:
im the best MPG driver here , but if i tell you how i do it then i would have to kill you! HEHE!!
____________________________________
1980 280ZX coupe
2001 maxima
1994 F150 4x4 van works custom truck
170000 and never needed mech repairs
1996 ford explorer -they cant all be good
A:
CKelly78Z hit on good points.
I might try higher tire pressures sometime. I keep fronts at 28 and rears at 29.
I run 185/65R14's. I just couldn't bring myself to do 175's. That's just too small.
I shift around 3500 RPMs.
Coast to lights a lot. Don't be in a hurry. I laugh my a$$ off at people who race to red lights. Enjoy the ride.
Run lean. But not too lean. Holed pistons aren't cool.
I change my points every other oil change. It's amazing what effect points have on mileage.
Put your foot on a weight loss program.
If you have lower diff gearing suck it up.
I run 85 octane and get high 20's. My record is 30.5 MPG (that was all highway). This is with the stock 3.36:1 gears.
1973 240Z 4 screw SU's, Tokico HP's, Toyota Calipers
1946 Willys-Overland CJ-2A (restoration in progress)
2006 Ural Gear-Up
A:
Good milage is for wussies :P
85' 300ZX NA
86' 300ZX Turbo
88' 300ZX Turbo
89' 300ZX Turbo
300ZX Turbo Project
A:
Not in California
1971 "Series One" 240z,L28 n42/n42 flattops.primered,work in progress,Tokico Iluminas,Eibach Pro-Kit,1" front swaybar more to come..