Gas Saving Myths

[jake75]

#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning#2. Change Your Air Filter#3. Use Premium Fuel#4. Pump Up Your Tires#5. To A/C or Not A/C#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-InsFor full info and explanation see http://finance.yahoo.com/famil...Myths

[Kamikaze]

One thing I would like to point out... is doing all these things together can increase you fuel efficeincy.Sometimes it's not all about getting 1 more MPG... but if EVERYONE could save 1 MPG that would add up to A LOT LESS consumption...Hint... air filter..

[northvibe]

ah yeah i saw that on digg yesterday. best way is standard maintenance and driving slower (speed limit). otherwise as long as you beat brent your ok.

[Kamikaze]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »ah yeah i saw that on digg yesterday. best way is standard maintenance and driving slower (speed limit). otherwise as long as you beat brent your ok.what is it.. pick on brent day?Brent's not going to be too happy with you Parnell... Brent likes talking in 3rd person...

[northvibe]

HAHHA im just bored at work and your online. that and remember rip on Parnell day at the MN vibe meet...yeah i dont get my baby back till Monday :/ I dont think i remember how to drive stick or boost either.

[Daox]

I'd disagree with pumping up your tires being dangerous. Autocross racers use higher tire pressure for better handling, not worse. Obviously, if they didn't get better handling from higher pressure they wouldn't do it. Law enforcement patrol cars do the same thing. Inflating your tires to a higher pressure (max sidewall pressure) results in better mileage, better handling in all conditions (other than snow), and better tire wear. Try it out, I gaurentee your car will handle better.The rest is fairly true. The filter can be a restriction if its insanely gunked up, but rarely is. Gas saver gimmik mods are 99% bogus. However, there are mods you can do for better mileage. I recommend checking out ecomodder.com if you are interested in modding for fuel economy.

[northvibe]

yeah ive seen some crazy mods, like making the car as aerodymanic as possible by covering wheel wells and grills etc. Its fun to mod to try and get the best mileage, but my need for speed usually takes over :/Chevy engineers wanted to put the dynamic gas mileage gauge on new cars but the marketing people were saying maybe. a study showed with a gauge there, people will drive different to try to get a better mileage so it is probably worth it. I know i do...hence why i have to disable mine in the ms3 sometimes

[Daox]

Aerodynamic mods are great because they not only help you get better mileage, but with less drag you can accelerate faster too. If you take lift into consideration when moding you'll also get better handling.

[Kamikaze]

I think this post was created to get people like me all aggravated... LOL...I pretty much only will agree with:#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning#3. Use Premium Fuel#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-Insdepending on the bolt ons... if bolting on hybrid system to my vibe would be considered... I could get better MPG and more than 1mpg...I'm not sure about the whole fill your tank in the morning thing... our tanks are in the ground where it stays a pretty constant temp.

[NibCrom]

As far as tires go, proper inflation (not too much or too little) is best. Just follow what the manufacturer says.Also, when it comes to autocrossing, under-inflating your tires would actually be better, because your tires get hotter when racing. If properly done, the low pressure will become ideal as the tires warm up.

[northvibe]

Hey this site is good http://gas2.org/some guy with a TDI bettle got 76mpg

[Kamikaze]

Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »As far as tires go, proper inflation (not too much or too little) is best. Just follow what the manufacturer says.Also, when it comes to autocrossing, under-inflating your tires would actually be better, because your tires get hotter when racing. If properly done, the low pressure will become ideal as the tires warm up.you are correct for a lower tire pressure for grip in autocross, but this thread is for better MPG.. you will be able to obtain higher MPG with over inflated tires.

[northvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze »you are correct for a lower tire pressure for grip in autocross, but this thread is for better MPG.. you will be able to obtain higher MPG with over inflated tires.he was i think referring to doax's post.....

[NibCrom]

Correct.

[Kamikaze]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »he was i think referring to doax's post.....Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »Correct.My bad..

[NibCrom]

No problem. Let's all hug.

[northvibe]

ehug!!

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze »I think this post was created to get people like me all aggravated... LOL...I pretty much only will agree with:#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning#3. Use Premium Fuel#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-Ins#3 bugs me. Yes, knock sensors are going to prevent enigine problems when running a lower octane than recommended, but it's also going to hit MPG's and performance as you're advancing the timing to a place that the engine isn't designed to be at. Using premium in a car that doesn't recommend it? Sure, that won't make a difference. Using it in a car that does however, will.

[zionzr2]

just keep in mind how much you are spending on any mod to increase MPGs as to how long it takes to recoop the cost. In most cases you may be spending more on the mod then you will ever get back in gas savings.

[jake75]

A bit "off topic" but this reminded me of my decision not to run a natural gas line for my bbq grill (had that at my prior home). I figured that I would likely never recoup the cost of running that gas line in my lifetime. Might as well just buy the propane one tank at a time.

[kunkstyle]

Ahhhh but the convenience of never running out halfway through a steak. We've hardpiped our bbq in the last two places, won't go back to propane.

[ToolGuy]

The air filter change is not a myth. Sure performance can diminish but then what happens when performance diminishes? You step on the gas more or harder to make the vehicle perform! A new clean filter will keep the engine running at its best. After that your foot will dictate the best MPG you can get. And the tires, yeah PROPER inflation is key, not pumping them up!I hate Cons Reports!

[Daox]

Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »Also, when it comes to autocrossing, under-inflating your tires would actually be better, because your tires get hotter when racing. If properly done, the low pressure will become ideal as the tires warm up.Sorry, I'd have to disagree. For example, check this out:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...id=58All those listed tire pressures are higher than the manufacturer recommendations. Plus, they recommend going even higher in the rain for better traction.Obviously going too high is going to be detrimental for handling. When is the last time you took a street corner as hard as you do on a track? I dunno about you, but theres no way I could do that around here with the roads in the condition they are in. So, I'll take a little higher pressure, loose a little bit of traction (still better than underinflated) and take my better mileage which is still perfectly safe.

[NibCrom]

Well it kind of depends on where you are autocrossing. If you're in a parking lot where you never go about 25, you might be able to get away with that, but if you're at Road America you're tire pressure will probably increase to at least 40 without overinflating because of the heat the tires are generating.

[keithvibe]

i love how people think.Lower your air pressure and you create more rolling resistance, inturn making your car work harder getting worse gas millage.Over inflate your tires and you create a narrower tire patch in contact with the road. You will wear out your tires quicker.Yes you will get better gas millage but you will endanger everyone around you by driving on over inflated tires because if you inflate them to the max psi on the side wall when they are cold, then start driving on them. the pressure rises as the tire generates heat causing a possible tire falure. ONLY inflate your tires to the proper psi.. the car company puts that crap on a label for a reason people...

[Daox]

Your tires will not wear out faster. I'm on a forum that people reguarly inflate their tires to max sidewall. They usually get 1.5 - 2x the rated life of the tire and maintain even treadwear from inside to outside. They do not balloon in the middle out because of the steel belting.The quote below is directly from tirerack. I don't dispute the damage idea, but haven't seen anyone damage their tires from overinflation. I have also not seen irregular tire wear. Perhaps their definition of overinflation is higher than max sidewall? Perhaps I'll give them a call to straighten this out.Quote »Disadvantages of OverinflationAn overinflated tire is stiff and unyielding and the size of its footprint in contact with the road is reduced. If a vehicle's tires are overinflated by 6 psi, they could be damaged more easily when encountering potholes or debris in the road, as well as experience irregular tread wear. Higher inflated tires cannot isolate road irregularities as well causing the vehicle to ride harsher and transmit more noise into its interior. However, higher inflation pressures reduce rolling resistance slightly and typically provide a slight improvement in steering response and cornering stability. This is why participants who use street tires in autocrosses, track events and road races run higher than normal inflation pressures.

[Whelan]

Quote, originally posted by jake75 »#1. Fill Your Tank in the Morning#2. Change Your Air Filter#3. Use Premium Fuel#4. Pump Up Your Tires#5. To A/C or Not A/C#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-InsI am going to offer a rebuttle on a couple of these. #2 Change your air filterSo your saying a dirty filter works just as well as a clean one? That getting more and better flowing air into your chamber will not help to keep mileage up. I find that impossible to believe. Otherwise why sell air filters when you can just let yours get dirtier and dirtier.#5. To A/C or Not A/CThe question is not A/C or not. It is windows up or down. Your A/C runs off the serpentine belt so it's already spinning when you engage it. With windows down you disrupt the airflow around the car and can lose mpg's. The reason they put those little plastic flaps on sunroofs to keep the airflow smooth, and if you open all 4 windows instead of the front 2 you do not get the helicopter effect because the air is flowing better through the interior of the car.#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-InsOK, bolt ons I can see, but pour ins do help your engine maintain mpg's. I use a bottle of fuel system cleaner in each tank after an oil change and it helps to keep it clean and running efficiently, by not doing so you can risk over time buildup and loss of mpg's.Maybe I am reading this thread wrong, as they will not GAIN you mpg's but not keeping some of those items maintained on a regular basis can work to worsen your mpg ratings. I never use my A/C, drive with my windows open, drive normally, use fuel system cleaner and change my air filter regularly, keep my tires inflated per manufacturers recommendation. And in an AWD Trix I get 28mpg consistently.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »I am going to offer a rebuttle on a couple of these. #2 Change your air filterSo your saying a dirty filter works just as well as a clean one? That getting more and better flowing air into your chamber will not help to keep mileage up. I find that impossible to believe. Otherwise why sell air filters when you can just let yours get dirtier and dirtier.#5. To A/C or Not A/CThe question is not A/C or not. It is windows up or down. Your A/C runs off the serpentine belt so it's already spinning when you engage it. With windows down you disrupt the airflow around the car and can lose mpg's. The reason they put those little plastic flaps on sunroofs to keep the airflow smooth, and if you open all 4 windows instead of the front 2 you do not get the helicopter effect because the air is flowing better through the interior of the car.#6. Bolt-Ons and Pour-InsOK, bolt ons I can see, but pour ins do help your engine maintain mpg's. I use a bottle of fuel system cleaner in each tank after an oil change and it helps to keep it clean and running efficiently, by not doing so you can risk over time buildup and loss of mpg's.And a rebuttal of a rebuttal.1. The original article doesn't say that having a clean air filter isn't important - just that it doesn't result in significantly better fuel efficiency. The engine performance will suffer if the air flow is blocked by a clogged filter, but the engine controller will still maintain an efficient air/fuel ratio. Fuel mileage may even increase if the sluggish engine performance leads you to drive more conservatively. Kind of the opposite effect of what many have reported here after installing a CAI - the gas mileage frequently decreases, not because of the CAI directly but because they tend to accelerate more.So yes, keep changing the filter when it gets too dirty - but do so for the better performance, not to save gas.2. On a hot day there is an obvious link between having the A/C on and being able to keep the windows closed. At highway speeds the added wind resistance caused by rolling down the windows cuts fuel economy just as much or more than running the A/C. So you may as well use the A/C and enjoy the greater comfort.And although the pulley for the A/C is always turned by the serpentine belt, there is very little resistance when the A/C is off since the compressor is turned via a clutch that only engages when it's turned on.3. I've never used fuel system cleaners and have not noticed any decline in fuel economy as my cars get older. Kept a VW Rabbit for 12 years and at the end it was still getting exactly the same mileage (25 mpg city, 35 mpg on trips) as it had when new. Same with the Chevy Nova (Corolla clone) that I bought new in '87 and still have. It still gets the same mileage as it did in '87.4. If an AWD Trix gets 28 mpg then I'm glad we bought the 2WD Vibes.

[Whelan]

I hate A/C personally, never have a big need for it, windows down driving works fine for me instead of the chilly air, if I could I would have opted for it not to be on the car at all.Fuel system cleaners on older cars may not have been worthwhile as they were not fuel injected, but used carbs. So it is similar to cleaning out a carb as regular maintenance. You may not notice decreases immediately, but 1-2mpg over the course and not to mention if you plan on keeping the car (especially electronically controlled FI cars), it only helps for the prolonging. Especially since I put over 20,000 miles a year on my car. Only two years, bought it with 29k, I am up to 69,000 currently. (will be two years in august).AWD system adds a few hundred pounds of weight to a car with the same engine as yours. 2WD is not something I would be caught it given my commute and where I live. Between the slick roads from rain in the spring, the wet leaves in the fall, and the snow/ice in the winter. The fact that I have a 50 mile round trip commute through hills and turns throughout, makes the AWD worth every penny. 28mpg for an AWD is a really good number for sitting in traffic and backroad driving. When on trips on the highway maintaining speed I can get over 30mpg easily. I bought this car over a Mazda 3 for the fact that AWD was not offered by them.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »So it is similar to cleaning out a carb as regular maintenance.Yes, I agree it's similar - similarly unnecessary unless there's a specific problem. The carb in my '87 Nova has never been touched in 250 kmiles. The one in the Rabbit was not as fortunate. But it needed to be taken apart from time to time to fix a design problem with the valve seats coming loose, not for routine cleaning. And I've had the same experience of not seeing any decline in mpg figures over time in our fuel-injected '97 Camry despite never using extra fuel additives.And I think the reduced mileage with the AWD models must be due to something besides a bit of added weight. Almost all of our longer trips with our Vibe have been with the vehicle at close to its maximum rated load limit of people plus cargo and we still get around 40 mpg unless there's something big on the roof. I suspect that the problem is added power losses in the transfer case and other components to drive the rear wheels.

[scott_h]

Quote, originally posted by Whelan »I hate A/C personally, never have a big need for it, windows down driving works fine for me instead of the chilly air, if I could I would have opted for it not to be on the car at all.I'm the exact opposite - I hate the wind and road noise created by rolling down windows. If I'm going maybe 30-40 I don't mind it so much, but any faster and I can't stand to have the windows open. I my A/C!

[Whelan]

Weight increase and the fact that we get no extra hp to combat the transfer and driveshaft. It's not AWD all the time, only when needed as it uses a viscous differential, all mechanically when it engages based off of front wheel slip. It's saved me enough times to merit having it.Maybe I'm a consumer but I haven't seen any problems in any of my cars by doing the fuel system cleaner bottle so something must be workin right.

[Whelan]

Weight increase and the fact that we get no extra hp to combat the transfer and driveshaft. It's not AWD all the time, only when needed as it uses a viscous differential, all mechanically when it engages based off of front wheel slip. It's saved me enough times to merit having it.Maybe I'm a consumer but I haven't seen any problems in any of my cars by doing the fuel system cleaner bottle so something must be workin right. And for windows down with the noise. You notice a HUGE difference when you lower the back windows as well. It equals out.I must say lately I have been contemplating those turbolator air diffuser things like they have on the Evo MR.

[VivaVibe]

#2 I don't recall anyone saying changing the air filter will give a mileage boost. Rather, as part of general maintenance, and optimal performance of the engine. I agree with Whelan that it's a good idea to have a clean filter. Mine gets changed at recommended service intervals or whenever it looks needed. #6 I also agree with Whelan on the Techron injector cleaner. I gained 1 to 2 mpg using it. Now, if you normally use top tier gas, they have the cleaner included as part of their formulation. So, your using it even if you don't add it. I tend to go with the lowest price, so I think adding it once or twice annually will help.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by VivaVibe »#2 I don't recall anyone saying changing the air filter will give a mileage boost. Rather, as part of general maintenance, and optimal performance of the engine. I agree with Whelan that it's a good idea to have a clean filter. Mine gets changed at recommended service intervals or whenever it looks needed. #6 I also agree with Whelan on the Techron injector cleaner. I gained 1 to 2 mpg using it. Now, if you normally use top tier gas, they have the cleaner included as part of their formulation. So, your using it even if you don't add it. I tend to go with the lowest price, so I think adding it once or twice annually will help.I think we're all agreed that a dirty air filter isn't good for engine performance. The issue was whether it makes much of a difference for fuel economy and I was responding to Whelan's statement above that getting more air through the filter will help to keep the mileage up.As to the fuel system cleaner, I always go to whatever station has the cheapest gas around. But I also keep track of my mileage on each tankful. If I see a decrease I then look for a cause and fix it. So far that has never involved adding any cleaner to the gas. And I certainly don't see any reason to routinely add such a cleaner when there hasn't been any decrease in mileage. But I'll be spending the next three days bicycle touring with a chem engineer for Chevron - I should check with him on what studies they've done on Techron.

[darcmater]

have beens eeign a lot of different things on the news about gas and gas saving ideas, like on yahoo's pod cast http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/v/8159382 that talks about different gadgets for the car to save gas and if they really work or not. They also had a pod cast about people runnign out of gas on the highway. I miss the highway patrol guys they had when I lived in virginia, for those emergency issues that arrise on the highway.

[Mavrik]

anyone see the 2007 mythbuster's episode of drafting a semi to save fuel? While they stressed over and over how unsafe it was... 20 feet behind a semi showed 39% increase in fuel economy.

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »anyone see the 2007 mythbuster's episode of drafting a semi to save fuel? While they stressed over and over how unsafe it was... 20 feet behind a semi showed 39% increase in fuel economy.ha! i'm sure hardcore hypermilers have some practices that are just as unsafe.but wow. 39%...

[NibCrom]

I heard somewhere that if you drive a car made ENTIRELY out of balsa wood, you get excellent fuel mileage. Anyone else heard this?

[ramenboy...]

Quote, originally posted by NibCrom »I heard somewhere that if you drive a car made ENTIRELY out of balsa wood, you get excellent fuel mileage. Anyone else heard this?yeah. but i also heard that the price for the big rubberband used to run it is about as expensive as a toyota prius. so i just got the vibe.

[moongdss]

^^ LOLZ!!! Too funny! I draft. You see big rigs doing it too. As long as you leave a sensible amount of room, you can still be safe. Besides, mack trucks don't just stop on a dime like cars do... so you have a *bit* of warning if they're stopping

[engineertwin2]

I would llike to say that #1 - filling up in the morning does not affect mileage, but it does have an impact on local air pollution. Even the slight increase in fuel temperature causes more gasoline to vaporize, affecting local ozone levels and also impacting PM10 and PM2.5 regulations.