NEED MPG IMPROVEMENT ADVICE

[swshawaii]

Kidding aside, have a serious fuel mileage issue. Daily commute 7 city, and 20.6 highway.

Only P mods are an XCAL 3000, K & N Drop In, and the amazing Zabteck TB.

Full synthetic fluids throughout. Combined mileage is 16.3 MPG after 1456 miles.

My Trac purrs, and I am very light footed. Opinions and advice greatly appreciated.

Moving to flatter ground not an option, I live on an island.. LOL

 

[scott degroot]

Just my opinion but I think that's about what you should be getting. My 08 v6 was only getting 14.5 ish since the day it was new. People who claim to get more than this on anything other than an extended freeway trip must have someone else pushing.

 

[Jim parnell]

Gonna depend on how much/heavy the traffic is, long idle periods at lights, stop & go waiting your turn in rush hour, etc. ? You don't give any details. Always have the AC on?? Alter you travel times (before/after rush hour) if possible, turn off AC, google hypermiling and might learn some tips/tricks you could use.

 

[Jerry Medlin]

That wheel just needs a 'Cat of 9 Tails" whip to go with it, and the party is oooonnn!!!:haveabeer:

 

[swshawaii]

A/C compressor is always disengaged, (vent only) and I never rev over 3K from stops.

Do not exceed 60 MPH on my daily work commute, as the highest speed limit is 45 MPH, en route.

Maximum time at traffic lights at idle, is no more than 5 minutes, on my 30 minute weekday drive.

 

[Jim parnell]

could try new plugs, make sure the injectors are clean, do the seafoam thing, inflate the tires up to @ least 35 psi or more.

 

[swshawaii]

Thanks guys. I do the Seafoam treatment every other oil change at 12K. (Full Synthetic 10W-30)

Tires are "rubberband" stock 235/70R16 at 35 PSI. Plugs are OEM original at 53K.

Regular 87 is almost $3.50 per gallon in Honolulu, any gain would help. :banghead:

 

[Kevin Lang]

Never go over 60 mph??! Geez, people must be more forgiving down there. 60 mph makes mathematical sense, but if you say you never go above it, I'm led to believe that you spend a fair bit of time under it (when it would be possible to travel @ 60)



Anyhow, the last 2 tanks of gas have shown me that it isn't so much the speed at which you travel, but how fast you accelerate to said speed. Keeping under 2500 (for under 2000 is pretty much impossible on major roads due to incline here) has taken my mpgs from the low 18s to the high 19s for these last two tanks.



ScanGauge shows trips that used to get 20 mpg getting 23, and my morning commute through horrendous traffic went from 13-14 mpg to 15-17 mpg.



My 2 cents.

 

[Richard L]

KL is correct. It is not the speed that is eating the gas it's the acceleration and speed changes. Everytime you slow down and speed up again it really eats into your gas mileage.



I find that i gan drive at about 68-70 mph on the interstates so that I can stay in the right lane keeping pace with the vehicles in that lane gives me the best gas mileage. I rarely have to pull out to go around a slower moving vehicle and I watch out to avoid getting pinned behind a slow moving truck and having to slow down and then speed up again.



If you like to drive in the left lane you constantly find yourself slowing down and then speeding back up again which makes it seem like the higher speed is killing your gas mileage, but it's not.



I have always gotten my very best gas mileage driving late at night through the wee hours of the morning when there is no traffic. I drove from Texas to Ohio and left at 11PM. I live about 1 mile from the interstate and once I got on the Interstate I set the cruise for 72 MPH and I don't think I had to touch my brakes until I had to stop for gas when I was near the Texas Arkansas border about 6 hours later. No traffic means much better fuel mileage because you are not slowing down and speeding back up... and that makes all the difference



...Rich

 

[Robert Caffyn]

Steve, I know mine is an '08, but I found out that as the weather warms, I lower the temp control. The A/C compressor engages on every setting except "floor". Sounds wierd, but it makes a 2-4 mpg difference on my truck. Just my experience. BC