Maximizing your MPG, post tips - TriStateTuners.com :: Home of Tristate Auto Enthusiast

CleanNeon98 · 08-06-2009, 07:12 PM

With people always looking to save money I figure this would be good to have. Post how you drive to save gas. Here's what I do

More RPM and less throttle input on acceleration
Downshift to pass instead of adding throttle in current gear
Coast to lights and stop signs in gear since the engine doesn't take fuel doing so and youll save brakes too
Coast down hills in neutral...yes the engine will take fuel to idle but youll maintain more momentum and use less fuel to get back up the hill

With this technique, I've managed to get anywhere from 23-26mpg in the city with my short geared turbo car, and it's only rated at 21mpg by the old standard which was optimistic to say the least.

What do you do?

jcr557 · 08-06-2009, 07:21 PM

i think your wrong. lesser rpms, the less gas you waste so shift at around 3 or 4rpm if you wanna save gas. also for intersections dont down shift from 5th to 2nd like an idiot lol, knowing you car is the key. and always coast in neutral when theres no need to go faster or its a hill. i would explain better but im in a rush.

mg23 · 08-06-2009, 07:24 PM

drive like your 90 years old

DsmRob · 08-06-2009, 07:25 PM

If you coast in N to a red light or stop sign your using more gas then you would leaving it in gear and letting off the gas.

jcr557 · 08-06-2009, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DsmRob

If you coast in N to a red light or stop sign your using more gas then you would leaving it in gear and letting off the gas.

how so?

Nors · 08-06-2009, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcr557

how so?

Because the engine is idling when in neutral. When in gear w/ no throttle input the wheels are driving the transmission and in turn driving the engine. Modern ECUs spray no fuel when RPMs are above a certain threshold (usually 1000rpm or so, when warmed up) and there is no throttle input. This is easily verified by being in a car with a wide band o2 readout since it will either be ridiculously lean or just two dashes depending on the model.

omgjacki · 08-06-2009, 07:37 PM

I Flintstone everywhere.

omgjacki · 08-06-2009, 07:40 PM

Who said they drive fast to save gas?

russiankid · 08-06-2009, 07:49 PM

Dunno, I can rev my Accord to 6 grand ever gear and still maintain an average of 26mpg, though if I don't and drive it easy then I can get a significant increase.

In my BMW, if I do at least 70mph on the highway, I get around 23mpg. If I go under that, I get around 21mpg.

jcr557 · 08-06-2009, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

More RPM and less throttle input on acceleration
Downshift to pass instead of adding throttle in current gear

i dont agree with these two. so your saying i can go all the way up to 7000 and then shift but as long as i do it slowly ill waste less gas? personally i'd say just shift at lower rpms while going through gears

and wouldn't downshifting to pass make you waste more gas cause when you downshift your going to a lower gear at higher rpm's. i think it'd bee better to just remain in same gear.

i drive like the quote says but imo to save gas i would do otherwise.

russiankid · 08-06-2009, 07:55 PM

Honestly, if you want fuel efficiency, buy a car that has that. Its like buying a Corvette and complaining that it sucks on gas mileage.

DsmRob · 08-06-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcr557

how so?

My wideband reads between 14.0:1 and 15:1 coasting in nuetral. And the gauge goes blank when I'm coasting in gear. (no fuel is being used)

jcr557 · 08-06-2009, 07:58 PM

lol tru that

howielong · 08-06-2009, 08:02 PM

Fuel economy whats that, I don't follow really any of these tips and get about 21.6MPG, more or less depending if I'm in boost or not.

-Shift around 3k
-Engine brake for stop lights

Really the other two things I do on a daily basis.

R22B · 08-06-2009, 08:07 PM

Speed limit.

I used to use a tank of gas every 4 days. I've been doing the speed limit since Monday (I would fill up today) and I'm still at a half a tank

.

turboman808 · 08-06-2009, 08:07 PM

Moving 1 block from my office has done more for my gas mileage then anything.

DsmRob · 08-06-2009, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turboman808

Moving 1 block from my office has done more for my gas mileage then anything.

Same here, my works is 4 miles one way so I dont really care abt my mpg's.

The Captain · 08-06-2009, 08:13 PM

I get 200mi for the first half of the tank....and then like 80-100 for the second half. doesnt make any sense to me. No change in driving habit.

turboman808 · 08-06-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DsmRob

Same here, my works is 4 miles one way so I dont really care abt my mpg's.

Yeah and you save tons on wear and tear. Then if your car breaks down you can walk or ride a bike.

I really don't like being dependent on a car. They are my hobby not a necessity. Think I drove about 6k miles last year. I bet half of those I was flooring it or hitting my apexes with a big grin.

DsmRob · 08-06-2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turboman808

Yeah and you save tons on wear and tear. Then if your car breaks down you can walk or ride a bike.

I really don't like being dependent on a car. They are my hobby not a necessity. Think I drove about 6k miles last year. I bet half of those I was flooring it or hitting my apexes with a big grin.

This is why I can dd my Tsi, if it breaks I'm good.

08-06-2009, 07:12 PM	#1
CleanNeon98 TST Ruined My Life! Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Philadelphia Member #2029 My Ride: "Honey Badger" Turbo Miata iTrader: (8)	Maximizing your MPG, post tips With people always looking to save money I figure this would be good to have. Post how you drive to save gas. Here's what I do More RPM and less throttle input on acceleration Downshift to pass instead of adding throttle in current gear Coast to lights and stop signs in gear since the engine doesn't take fuel doing so and youll save brakes too Coast down hills in neutral...yes the engine will take fuel to idle but youll maintain more momentum and use less fuel to get back up the hill With this technique, I've managed to get anywhere from 23-26mpg in the city with my short geared turbo car, and it's only rated at 21mpg by the old standard which was optimistic to say the least. What do you do? __________________ 2004 MAZDASPEED MX-5 : 328whp / 308wtq / 2500lbs 2012 Toyota Prius 2 : Daily Driver

08-06-2009, 07:21 PM	#2
jcr557 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: May 2008 Location: Philly Member #7777 My Ride: Fiesta ST, Subaru WRX iTrader: (0)	i think your wrong. lesser rpms, the less gas you waste so shift at around 3 or 4rpm if you wanna save gas. also for intersections dont down shift from 5th to 2nd like an idiot lol, knowing you car is the key. and always coast in neutral when theres no need to go faster or its a hill. i would explain better but im in a rush. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

08-06-2009, 07:37 PM	#7
omgjacki Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Gilbertsville, PA Member #5869 My Ride: 2018 CX-5 GT Premium, 2018 Honda Grom iTrader: (4)	I Flintstone everywhere. __________________ Ryan M. Sherwood September 9, 1985 - October 7, 2009

08-06-2009, 07:40 PM	#8
omgjacki Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Gilbertsville, PA Member #5869 My Ride: 2018 CX-5 GT Premium, 2018 Honda Grom iTrader: (4)	Who said they drive fast to save gas? __________________ Ryan M. Sherwood September 9, 1985 - October 7, 2009

08-06-2009, 07:49 PM	#9
russiankid Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: May 2008 Location: Lincoln University PA Member #7769 My Ride: 2012 Scion tC iTrader: (0)	Dunno, I can rev my Accord to 6 grand ever gear and still maintain an average of 26mpg, though if I don't and drive it easy then I can get a significant increase. In my BMW, if I do at least 70mph on the highway, I get around 23mpg. If I go under that, I get around 21mpg. __________________ 2012' Scion tC 6-speed M/T. Last edited by russiankid; 08-06-2009 at 07:51 PM.

08-06-2009, 07:24 PM	#3
mg23 Tri-State Addict Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Philadelphia Member #6216 My Ride: 2008 Nissan 350z iTrader: (1)	drive like your 90 years old

08-06-2009, 07:25 PM	#4
DsmRob Tri-State Addict Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Pottstown, Pa Member #10847 My Ride: '90 Talon Tsi, '91 Talon Tsi, '92 gvr4, '04 Escape iTrader: (17)	If you coast in N to a red light or stop sign your using more gas then you would leaving it in gear and letting off the gas.

08-06-2009, 07:55 PM	#11
russiankid Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: May 2008 Location: Lincoln University PA Member #7769 My Ride: 2012 Scion tC iTrader: (0)	Honestly, if you want fuel efficiency, buy a car that has that. Its like buying a Corvette and complaining that it sucks on gas mileage. __________________ 2012' Scion tC 6-speed M/T.

08-06-2009, 07:58 PM	#13
jcr557 Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: May 2008 Location: Philly Member #7777 My Ride: Fiesta ST, Subaru WRX iTrader: (0)	lol tru that __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

08-06-2009, 08:02 PM	#14
howielong Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Langhorne, PA Member #586 My Ride: Grandpa Cruiser iTrader: (0)	Fuel economy whats that, I don't follow really any of these tips and get about 21.6MPG, more or less depending if I'm in boost or not. -Shift around 3k -Engine brake for stop lights Really the other two things I do on a daily basis. __________________ I drive the grand kids around *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.* To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 signatures.

08-06-2009, 08:07 PM	#15
R22B Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Allentown, PA Member #5854 My Ride: 88 Merkur XR4Ti \| 92 Mazda MX3 \| 98 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer \| 91 Ford Ranger89 \| 89 Yamaha FZR600 iTrader: (0)	Speed limit. I used to use a tank of gas every 4 days. I've been doing the speed limit since Monday (I would fill up today) and I'm still at a half a tank . __________________ Half the wheels, twice the fun. That's motorcycles.

08-06-2009, 08:07 PM	#16
turboman808 Tri-State Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: North Jersey Member #5285 iTrader: (0)	Moving 1 block from my office has done more for my gas mileage then anything.

08-06-2009, 08:13 PM	#18
The Captain Tri-State Post Whore Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: West Philly - FBG$ Member #3369 My Ride: Prelude iTrader: (2)	I get 200mi for the first half of the tank....and then like 80-100 for the second half. doesnt make any sense to me. No change in driving habit. __________________ Thank you for flying Air force Airlines. Oh me? They call me The Captain. - "America is all about speed - hot, nasty bad-ass speed." Eleanor Roosevelt (1965)

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