Better gas mileage

[KStang3.8]

Hello All,

I am looking for good ways to get better gas mileage in my car. I'm willing to do anything for cheap. Right now i have a "performance" 93 octane tune. Tomorrow i'm going to call and order a tune (for free) for "economy" and 87 octane.

 

I only get about 17mpg right now. You can see my mods in my sig. Would buying a set of stock gears get me better MPG? should i stick with the 4.10's?

 

Would lightening the car help? rear seat delete kit? take out the spare tire and trunk carpet? Or is that just stupid ricer BS?

 

Thanks for any advice, i'm tired of getting 17mpg in a car most say they get 21-25 in.

-Kevin

[Scotty2Hotty]

Lightening the car is some ricer shit. Switch to synthetic fluids, check the plugs wires, filters etc... The usual tune up should clear some of your problem up. Not to mention look at the way you drive aswell. The more WOT, the more fuel you're using.

[KStang3.8]

Thought that was some ricer shit. I've had like 4 buddies tell me to do it though. Bastards.

 

I use synthetic oil. What other synthetic fluid is there to use?

 

When i first bought the car (bone stock) it was getting 14-15mpg. Had the fuel system checked and cleaned out and had new plugs and wires put on about 5000-8000 miles ago.

 

Driving hard, i get 15-16. Driving like my grandma, i get 17-17.5. Don't get it.

[Scotty2Hotty]

Depending on where you ordered it, could be your SCT tune.

[KStang3.8]

American Muscle. I was gonna switch to 87 octane and do an "economy" tune. They offer performance or economy tunes. current is 93 octane performance. Think switching to 87 economy is a good idea?

[KStang3.8]

should i spend some money and have VMP Tuning give me an economy tune?

[Scotty2Hotty]

Run 93, honestly don't switch back to crap gas. I even run 93 in my Ram, so I'd stick with the 93. Don't get me wrong the 4.10's are cutting some MPG's off, but it almost sounds like your car could be a hair fat.

[KStang3.8]

fat? what do you mean lol?

 

 

also, didn't mention, has an automatic transmission.

[KStang3.8]

http://mustangs.about.com/od/fuelmileagestatistics/a/mileage-tips.htm

 

3. Remove Excess Weight

Excess weight is another factor. Lighten up your ride. The EPA says an extra 100 pounds in your car can reduce your gas mileage by 2%. Vehicles such as the Mustang will be impacted by this more so than heavy vehicles such as trucks and SUVs.

 

maybe its not ricer bs?

[ansonivan]

Your driving style is the least expensive and most effective approach to getting better fuel mileage, you mentioned driving like an octogenarian, this is not really the correct approach. Conservation of momentum is key, think autocross but without the harsh acceleration or braking. Coasting up to red lights is good, anticipating the green and never having to stop is better.

[KStang3.8]

Your driving style is the least expensive and most effective approach to getting better fuel mileage, you mentioned driving like an octogenarian, this is not really the correct approach. Conservation of momentum is key, think autocross but without the harsh acceleration or braking. Coasting up to red lights is good, anticipating the green and never having to stop is better.

 

i see. so its as much about coasting and slowing down as it is about NOT accelerating fast. thanks for the tip.

 

i was told getting a K&N Cai will help, because metal cold air intakes (like mine) get hot. also diamondfire spark plugs and good wires. think i'm gonna do the plugs and wires for sure. K&N if i can find it cheap.

also true dual exhaust, but i don't want to spend the $ for that.

 

any other ideas for mods? i realize driving style has alot to do with it. but anything besides the obvious plugs, air filter, or oil change that i can do to help it get better MPG?

[RyM3rC]

Back to stock. You sound kind of like you're all over the place here bud.

 

Also, if you're doing any significant amount of driving at freeway speed, ditch the 4.10s.

[Xyster101]

+1 for stock gearing. What RPM do you run on the highway? Do you do a lot of highway or more local driving?

I agree with making the car lighter. I don't see how that is "ricer shit". A lot of V8's are pigs when it comes to weight. Look at the new challenger, 3600 is a lot of weight to be moving around. Usually you can take out the seats, spare tire and tools. You can get crazy and chip out the sound deading material. The amount of gain you will get from that is usually not worth the extra noise though.

[Guest tbutera2112]

stock gearings, 87 octane tune, and put a new fuel filter in it

[KStang3.8]

+1 for stock gearing. What RPM do you run on the highway? Do you do a lot of highway or more local driving?

I agree with making the car lighter. I don't see how that is "ricer shit". A lot of V8's are pigs when it comes to weight. Look at the new challenger, 3600 is a lot of weight to be moving around. Usually you can take out the seats, spare tire and tools. You can get crazy and chip out the sound deading material. The amount of gain you will get from that is usually not worth the extra noise though.

 

Things i'm definitely doing:

-Weight Reduction.

-Diamondfire Spark Plugs and Nice wires.

-New fuel filter.

-87 octane economy tune.

 

Okay, i figured reducing some weight could never hurt. I wouldn't go that extreme though, like you said.

 

I'm giving alot of consideration to going back to the stock ratio. How much of an improvement would i see?

 

My drive to work is 10 minutes down broad street through rush hour (i live in reynoldsburg near broad and lancaster/reynoldsburg-new albany rd.). On the weeeknds i drive to easton alot for dates and stuff. With cruise on at 70mph the rpms are like 3500 atleast, maybe even like 3800, when i accelerate to pass someone easily aroudn 4500. going 50 on broad about 2500. 35mph is about 15-1700 rpms. So, primarily i drive in 25-50mph zones, with probably 1 or 2 trips to easton per week.

 

How much of an improvement in MPG would i see with the stock gears? should i consider 3.73's at all?

[Guest tbutera2112]

if youre primary driving is 25-50mph zones, the 4.10s will probably actually be better for you....and theres nothing you can do, 17mpg in rush hour traffic is honestly pretty good for a v6 mustang...87 octane tune and a new fuel filter are pretty much the only things that are going to help you, and it wont be a ton

[KStang3.8]

Ya i've heard 4.10's can be better on gas at lower speeds, so i'll most likely stick with them unless i get a different job in a couple years and have to hit the freeway alot.

 

Okay. I appreciate the help everyone. This is what i'll be doing:

-Weight Reduction (nothing major, atleast spare tire).

-Diamondfire Spark Plugs and Nice wires (cuz the ones i have are semi old anyways)

-New fuel filter.

-87 octane economy tune.

Also, i need new tires this summer, so maybe that could help slightly too.

 

Feel free to speak up if there's something else that no one here has mentioned, or chime in if you think i should go to the stock gears.

Thanks all.

[Drewhop]

So did you go the math for 100lbs of weight reduction on 17 mpg? Even shaving 100-400 lbs is a waste of time and money. Taking the spare tire out sounds like it will cost you money when you have to have your car towed for 75-150 bucks cause you took your spare tire out and shaved 14lbs of weight off your car. I could take the change out of my center console and save 14lbs.

 

If it needs a tune-up then it is good time to do it. If the car is not misfiring and is properly tuned you could use that money for gas. Unless you need to change plugs as often as some of our nitrous sipping brothers most plugs/wires last quite a while. I think some even claim 100k miles before first tune up.

 

I have sold and serviced about 700 cars in the past 3 years and by no means am I a expert but I have never once had to change a fuel filter on a car that was 2000 or newer or see any increase in fuel economy by doing it.

 

I think everything you listed is a waste of money. Especially weight reduction.

[Mr. Jones]

http://www.tornadoair.com/images/swirlwithtext.jpg

[jerrodh]

Hello All,

I am looking for good ways to get better gas mileage in my car.

 

Get rid of the following and your probably be getting better mpg.

 

2001 3.8 V6 Mustang

BBK Cold Air Intake, BBK Shorty Headers, Magnaflow Catback Dual Exhaust,

Motive 4.10 gears, Ford Racing 7.5in LSD, SCT 93 Octane tune.

[unfunnyryan]

Pump up the air in your tires as high as safely possible.

[FyrhzrdGT]

Don't waste your money on $12 spark plugs you don't need.

 

+1 on getting your priorities straight. I log in about every other week and either you're making this car faster, buying a new car, or making this one not suck. Decide what you want before you pump cash into anything. 3.8 auto mustangs were never known for their mpg.

[Fubar231]

http://www.tornadoair.com/images/swirlwithtext.jpg

 

LOL.

 

Keep your foot of the damn gas. Thatll save you more money than spending money to change shit and whatnot.

[Fubar231]

For the 150$ you would waste on that to cover up the metal where your seats bolt in etc, you could buy 6 tanks of gas.

 

Keep your foot off the gas as much as possible and just don't think of buying things to "Improve" gas milage, cause the money your most likely wasting on them can just be simply spent on gas.

 

And think about this, say you spend 100$ on something that gives you 1extra MPG.

 

Just think of this, if u have a 10gal tank u get 10extra miles per gallon, so instead of 100 you get 110 miles per tank.

 

If each tank is 20$, then it would tank over $200 in gas already to even save yourself a $20 tank of gas. So you would have to spend roughly $1,000 in gas anyways before it even paid for itsself.

 

This.

 

Kind of like when people sell their 17mpg SUV for a 25mpg car. They'll recoup their losses in a mere 9.5 years...

 

And some lols to show you what i mean.

[KStang3.8]

So did you go the math for 100lbs of weight reduction on 17 mpg? Even shaving 100-400 lbs is a waste of time and money. Taking the spare tire out sounds like it will cost you money when you have to have your car towed for 75-150 bucks cause you took your spare tire out and shaved 14lbs of weight off your car. I could take the change out of my center console and save 14lbs.

 

If it needs a tune-up then it is good time to do it. If the car is not misfiring and is properly tuned you could use that money for gas. Unless you need to change plugs as often as some of our nitrous sipping brothers most plugs/wires last quite a while. I think some even claim 100k miles before first tune up.

 

I have sold and serviced about 700 cars in the past 3 years and by no means am I a expert but I have never once had to change a fuel filter on a car that was 2000 or newer or see any increase in fuel economy by doing it.

 

I think everything you listed is a waste of money. Especially weight reduction.

 

thanks for the advice. Someone suggested it. so i figured, why the hell not lol. i don't know how much they cost, but i figure not much? so i guess i thought why not. but maybe you've saved me some time,

as for the plugs, i've read alot in both regards, that they don't need changed hardly ever (i got new ones 10,000 miles ago), or that they matter tremendously and high quality ones can save you money on gas.

 

as for weight reduction, i'm still torn, but i feel like i'd rather be able to drive more than one other person in my car than remove 50lbs (the backseat), you know?

 

thanks for the helpful words, i appreciate it.

 

Pump up the air in your tires as high as safely possible.

 

even higher than what theyre supposed to be at? or are you saying just make sure theyre at the proper level?

 

Don't waste your money on $12 spark plugs you don't need.

 

+1 on getting your priorities straight. I log in about every other week and either you're making this car faster, buying a new car, or making this one not suck. Decide what you want before you pump cash into anything. 3.8 auto mustangs were never known for their mpg.

 

see above comments about spark plugs.

 

The turbo thread wasn't about buying a car, its about knowing whats out there. So in like 5 years, i can have a good knowledge base and know what to look for.

 

I made a thread like 9 months ago about supercharging my car, decided that was a waste of money. Made a thread maybe a month or 2 ago about some minor upgrades, but also decided that was a waste of money.

This thread is actually productive, and is intended to save me money.

My priorities are straight: saving money. It took me a long time to realize my car is shit and i should never have wasted a dime on aftermarket parts, but i know that now, and my priority is now longevity for my car as a DD, which means i want it to get good MPG.

 

 

For the 150$ you would waste on that to cover up the metal where your seats bolt in etc, you could buy 6 tanks of gas.

 

Keep your foot off the gas as much as possible and just don't think of buying things to "Improve" gas milage, cause the money your most likely wasting on them can just be simply spent on gas.

 

And think about this, say you spend 100$ on something that gives you 1extra MPG.

 

Just think of this, if u have a 10gal tank u get 10extra miles per gallon, so instead of 100 you get 110 miles per tank.

 

If each tank is 20$, then it would tank over $200 in gas already to even save yourself a $20 tank of gas. So you would have to spend roughly $1,000 in gas anyways before it even paid for itsself.

 

i'm feelin your mathematics sir. but look at it this way:

$1000 in gas is 50 tanks of gas. a Ten gallon tank would last me a week maximum. there are 52 weeks in a year. Its paid for after one year, and from there i am seeing the money i saved by doing the modification. say i keep it for 5 more years from the moment i do the mod. thats 4 years worth of money i saved on gas, which over the course of 4 years and 208 tanks of gas could really add up to be a significant sum of money, which i used to buy groceries, car payments, house payments. etc.

 

Saving money is saving money. Even if i was gonna save less than 100 dollars (1 or 2 trips to the grocery) i'd still spend the time and money to do it. Its worth it.

 

2 free trips to the grocery for what. an hour or two to go to the store, buy the shit, build it, and put it in?

 

worth it man. if i told you right now for the rest of your life all you have to do is come mow my grass, water my plants, and trim the hedges once a week for two hours and i'd buy you all your groceries for as long as you did the work for me, YOU'D DO IT! Free fuckin groceries! for two hours! that you could have spent doing what? dickin around on CR talking to some punk ass with a V6 mustang? obviously free groceries are better.

 

but i'm still on the fence about weight reduction. so that doesn't really matter.