Pleasure Way

Sweetj38 wrote:
I get 13 mpg while others talk 15-16 driving 60-65 mph. What can I do to improve?

like any vehicle- mechanical condition needs to be tops...sparkplugs and wires...even oil grade.
older american cars spec'd 30, 40 or 50w ( progressively thicker) a thinner oil will allow more MPG IF the motor is built for it- some new cars spec a 0w-10...my pick up specs a 5w-20.

an recent emissions test will give indication as to condition of motor and the controls- my chev 3500 6.0 PW lexor was tested last week and returned great numbers...3 to 4 PPM - 1% of allowable hydrocarbons ( that means no unburned gas coming out the tailpipe)


wind...an unused roof top bike rack can affect passenger car MPG by 10%...all the stuff up there can slow you down...solar panels, vents, antennas, TV dish, ladder racks etc etc. open windows.
sleeker is faster.
a wide body ( excel, 210 series) needs to push a bigger hole through the air.

weight: more weight, more power- don't roll with full tanks- don't carry a bunch of heavy stuff you won;t need

tires: inflation and rolling resistance

fuel; some motors may spec 91 octane ( for instance)...the motor will seem to run fine on 89 octane or 87...however these fuels require the ECM to retard the spark timing.
This will give less MPG- a false economy.
check the manual- IF the manual says 89 octane- there is NO advantage to running 91 octane

ethanol in the gas is good for Iowa, but will reduce the users MPG by about 7% for 10% ethanol/ 90% gas mix

dirty injectors give less precise burn and will waste fuel- a brand name fuel will probably contain better cleaners- costco gas has 5 x the EPA mandated detergent levels. that's what I use for most of my vehicles when I can.

cleaner air filter and MAF/MAP sensor- cleaner air flowing freely into the motor- the MAF/MAP sensor gauges the density of the air ( o2 content) which will vary with barometric pressure ( altitude) and temperature. These are easy to clean- special cleaner at autoparts store.


right foot- leave room in front so that you can slow by lifting the right foot rather than braking. slower starts from a stop. stay in the lane that allows traffic to get by you, so that you don;t feel pushed by other traffic.

I drive a big dumb heavy stupid vehicle that takes longer to get to speed, longer to stop...get over with trucks, you are not driving a car


so far on the Lexor we are at 15/16 mpg usually cruising 65 or lower.

mike