Fuel Economy The Thread to End all other MPG threads
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Champion
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: New Jersey
Fuel Economy The Thread to End all other MPG threads
Introduction:
If you are really serious about your gas mileage and you do a lot of highway driving, use your cruise control (if you don't have it get it) it really boosts your fuel economy up a lot, Iridium spark plugs help out and save you money, also a CAI will help a bit as well as MMI as they help translate more power to the ground thus increasing efficiency of the motor. you can also get a high flow cat. which will increase the burn efficiency as well as reduce back pressure just a little bit which helps the motor "breathe" essentially... those are just a few ways to increase your mileage... things that don't work are:
1) oil additives (they actually hurt your motor as they break down the oil's components that reduce friction, and break down the oil molecules in a lot of cases which makes you need an oil change a lotttt sooner.)
2) fuel additives creates an inefficient burn as they don't create the correct chemical bonds with the fuel you use, thus creating an inefficient burn.
(both 1 & 2 actually may also hurt the longevity of your spark plugs, in some cases it may foul them all together...)
3) Octane Boosters - our cars have a very strict timing map that does not allow for any different levels of octane to be used, so if you have a base model neon (ES, SE, or SXT) you should be using "regular" fuel (87 octane), if you have a neon with the 2.0L "High Output" motor ( r/t ), then you need to use premium fuel (91 - 94 octane), if you are using any other octane then you are going to lose fuel economy. thus boosting the octane is a bad thing to do unless you have a standalone ECU/PCM system in which case you can program for any fuel or octane you wish.
4) Little "Chips" on ebay - these are the biggest waste of money in the world there is NO modification that consists of ONE little piece that will give you an increase of 10 or more HP and a ridiculous boost in fuel economy, most of the time these "chips" are just a wire with a resistor tapped into the line which does nothing but reduce the signal strength which is suppose to "trick" the PCM into using LESS fuel but the problem here is that when the PCM checks the O2 sensor(s) on the exhaust system it can show a dangerously lean air/fuel mixture or an extremely rich air/fuel mixture both of which are bad (lean is MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE), so when the PCM detects this discrepancy between the inlet sensor system and the outlet sensor signals and the corrections that it implements have little or NO effect, the PCM will then go into LIMP mode which runs the motor directly off of a BASE MAP which basically will cause our cars to run PIG RICH (LOTS OF FUEL USED) and will also in most cases not allow you to rev past, i think 3k or 4k RPM and with Automatic Transmissions you will usually not be able to drive past 40 or 50mph... sometimes less... and running in this mode for more than 30-50 miles will usually result in some costly repairs and a very unhappy wife and wallet...(unhappy wife and wallet comes in pairs btw)... just a little information CHIPS do not work on ANY NEON as they our PCMs are programmed to not allow those types of modifications, use the search feature and you will find a more extensive write-up on these chips.
5) Coolant Additives - these are the same as fuel additives sure they will increase cooling efficiency but they decrease the longevity of the coolant, as you may/may not know our radiators are aluminum, so we need aluminum safe coolants which are generally coolants that are formulated to last for 80k-100k miles, which is a great thing because the cooling efficiency is kept very steady over this long period of time, but when you introduce an additive sure the cooling efficiency is increase for a few thousand miles but the additive breaks down thus causing the coolant's bonds that allow it to last for a long period of time break down causing a dramatic drop-off in cooling efficiency, which can damage your motor and cause a drop in fuel economy, so only use coolant additives if you plan on draining and flushing your entire coolant system at every other oil change (very time consuming and costly).
---- Now a quick overview of what WILL help:
1) Certain performance modifications -
a) Cold Air Intake - increases amount of fresh air that will get to the motor as well as decreases the temp. of the intake air.
b) Motor Mount Inserts - reduces parasitic loss in the drivetrain thus allowing a more efficient burn cycle.
c) High flow cat. - reduces back pressure and allows motor to get rid of the dirty exhaust gasses more efficiently.
d) Iridium spark plugs - hotter spark and longer life as well as allows the car to burn all/mostly all of the fuel that has been injected through the fuel injectors into the cylinders upon each cycle of the engine.
e) Upgraded ignition coil - Allows for a more consistent voltage within the ignition system which will increase efficiency of the entire motor.
f) Upgraded ignition wires - also allows for a more consistent voltage from the coil pack to the spark plugs, and it will also reduce resistance in the ignition system as well which ensures a more complete burn, increasing the efficiency of the motor.
g) Lighter & Smaller underdrive pulley - will reduce the parasitic drag the motor caused by the accessory belt, A/C, Power Steering, Alternator will all suffer a little bit as they will be slightly underdriven but you will see an increase in power especially when the a/c is on, but you may see a drop in the alternators output.
2) Using the correct fluids (fuels, oils, etc.):
a) Royal Purple Oil (5w-30 and/or 10w-30) is proven to increase fuel economy as well as power output, and from personal experience i can and will agree and i will never use any other oil.
b) Use the correct octane 87 for base model neons, and 91 or 94 for neons with the high output motor.
c) Use the correct coolants and transmission fluids and keep them up to date as far as changes go.
3) Driving habits:
a) If you are racing around town in high gears with your foot to the floor your gas mileage will suffer.
b) use cruise control on the highway (if you don't have it, consider getting it, as i personally have gotten 33 MPG using cruise control)
c) Don't excessively idle the car (specially in summer & winter seasons), as it will be wasting a lot of gas over the course of the season(s). Deal with the heat/cold.
d) Close your windows when traveling above 45mph as open windows create wind resistance which will decrease your gas mileage, as it will take more power from the engine to move the car. (i know its hard to do this in the summer or in hotter weather.) in cases where you are going on a longer trip it is actually slightly more fuel efficient to use the a/c sparingly over your trip instead of keeping the windows open.
e) don't use the A/C when you can just as easily open the windows when you are cruising around town.
4) Tire Pressure - Tire pressure is very important to getting good gas mileage, if you are driving with under inflated tires, sure you will get a little more traction off the line but at normal driving speeds you are actually causing a ton of parasitic drag on the car as the wheels are no long perfectly round. With properly inflated tires you will get way better gas mileage, usually it is safe and best to fill your tires up when they are COLD (ie. you have not been driving for awhile), then look at the sidewall of the tire and check your MAX PRESSURE, next... pay attention this one is trickyyyyy... subtract 5-7 PSI from the max pressure you read and fill all of your tires to that pressure (assuming you have the same tire on each wheel). You can go out driving and when the tires are HOT (ie. you have been driving enough to warm the tires up and the air they are filled with), check the pressure and if it is ABOVE the maximum pressure let some air out so that you are at least 1-2 PSI UNDER your Maximum pressure, as if your tires are at the maximum pressure then you run the risk of a blow-out, specially if you hit a bump in which the tire absorbs which momentarily increases the pressure within the tire a bit.
well that is about all i have time for today ill be adding to this and refining it some more when i get more time to do so.
If you are really serious about your gas mileage and you do a lot of highway driving, use your cruise control (if you don't have it get it) it really boosts your fuel economy up a lot, Iridium spark plugs help out and save you money, also a CAI will help a bit as well as MMI as they help translate more power to the ground thus increasing efficiency of the motor. you can also get a high flow cat. which will increase the burn efficiency as well as reduce back pressure just a little bit which helps the motor "breathe" essentially... those are just a few ways to increase your mileage... things that don't work are:
1) oil additives (they actually hurt your motor as they break down the oil's components that reduce friction, and break down the oil molecules in a lot of cases which makes you need an oil change a lotttt sooner.)
2) fuel additives creates an inefficient burn as they don't create the correct chemical bonds with the fuel you use, thus creating an inefficient burn.
(both 1 & 2 actually may also hurt the longevity of your spark plugs, in some cases it may foul them all together...)
3) Octane Boosters - our cars have a very strict timing map that does not allow for any different levels of octane to be used, so if you have a base model neon (ES, SE, or SXT) you should be using "regular" fuel (87 octane), if you have a neon with the 2.0L "High Output" motor ( r/t ), then you need to use premium fuel (91 - 94 octane), if you are using any other octane then you are going to lose fuel economy. thus boosting the octane is a bad thing to do unless you have a standalone ECU/PCM system in which case you can program for any fuel or octane you wish.
4) Little "Chips" on ebay - these are the biggest waste of money in the world there is NO modification that consists of ONE little piece that will give you an increase of 10 or more HP and a ridiculous boost in fuel economy, most of the time these "chips" are just a wire with a resistor tapped into the line which does nothing but reduce the signal strength which is suppose to "trick" the PCM into using LESS fuel but the problem here is that when the PCM checks the O2 sensor(s) on the exhaust system it can show a dangerously lean air/fuel mixture or an extremely rich air/fuel mixture both of which are bad (lean is MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE), so when the PCM detects this discrepancy between the inlet sensor system and the outlet sensor signals and the corrections that it implements have little or NO effect, the PCM will then go into LIMP mode which runs the motor directly off of a BASE MAP which basically will cause our cars to run PIG RICH (LOTS OF FUEL USED) and will also in most cases not allow you to rev past, i think 3k or 4k RPM and with Automatic Transmissions you will usually not be able to drive past 40 or 50mph... sometimes less... and running in this mode for more than 30-50 miles will usually result in some costly repairs and a very unhappy wife and wallet...(unhappy wife and wallet comes in pairs btw)... just a little information CHIPS do not work on ANY NEON as they our PCMs are programmed to not allow those types of modifications, use the search feature and you will find a more extensive write-up on these chips.
5) Coolant Additives - these are the same as fuel additives sure they will increase cooling efficiency but they decrease the longevity of the coolant, as you may/may not know our radiators are aluminum, so we need aluminum safe coolants which are generally coolants that are formulated to last for 80k-100k miles, which is a great thing because the cooling efficiency is kept very steady over this long period of time, but when you introduce an additive sure the cooling efficiency is increase for a few thousand miles but the additive breaks down thus causing the coolant's bonds that allow it to last for a long period of time break down causing a dramatic drop-off in cooling efficiency, which can damage your motor and cause a drop in fuel economy, so only use coolant additives if you plan on draining and flushing your entire coolant system at every other oil change (very time consuming and costly).
---- Now a quick overview of what WILL help:
1) Certain performance modifications -
a) Cold Air Intake - increases amount of fresh air that will get to the motor as well as decreases the temp. of the intake air.
b) Motor Mount Inserts - reduces parasitic loss in the drivetrain thus allowing a more efficient burn cycle.
c) High flow cat. - reduces back pressure and allows motor to get rid of the dirty exhaust gasses more efficiently.
d) Iridium spark plugs - hotter spark and longer life as well as allows the car to burn all/mostly all of the fuel that has been injected through the fuel injectors into the cylinders upon each cycle of the engine.
e) Upgraded ignition coil - Allows for a more consistent voltage within the ignition system which will increase efficiency of the entire motor.
f) Upgraded ignition wires - also allows for a more consistent voltage from the coil pack to the spark plugs, and it will also reduce resistance in the ignition system as well which ensures a more complete burn, increasing the efficiency of the motor.
g) Lighter & Smaller underdrive pulley - will reduce the parasitic drag the motor caused by the accessory belt, A/C, Power Steering, Alternator will all suffer a little bit as they will be slightly underdriven but you will see an increase in power especially when the a/c is on, but you may see a drop in the alternators output.
2) Using the correct fluids (fuels, oils, etc.):
a) Royal Purple Oil (5w-30 and/or 10w-30) is proven to increase fuel economy as well as power output, and from personal experience i can and will agree and i will never use any other oil.
b) Use the correct octane 87 for base model neons, and 91 or 94 for neons with the high output motor.
c) Use the correct coolants and transmission fluids and keep them up to date as far as changes go.
3) Driving habits:
a) If you are racing around town in high gears with your foot to the floor your gas mileage will suffer.
b) use cruise control on the highway (if you don't have it, consider getting it, as i personally have gotten 33 MPG using cruise control)
c) Don't excessively idle the car (specially in summer & winter seasons), as it will be wasting a lot of gas over the course of the season(s). Deal with the heat/cold.
d) Close your windows when traveling above 45mph as open windows create wind resistance which will decrease your gas mileage, as it will take more power from the engine to move the car. (i know its hard to do this in the summer or in hotter weather.) in cases where you are going on a longer trip it is actually slightly more fuel efficient to use the a/c sparingly over your trip instead of keeping the windows open.
e) don't use the A/C when you can just as easily open the windows when you are cruising around town.
4) Tire Pressure - Tire pressure is very important to getting good gas mileage, if you are driving with under inflated tires, sure you will get a little more traction off the line but at normal driving speeds you are actually causing a ton of parasitic drag on the car as the wheels are no long perfectly round. With properly inflated tires you will get way better gas mileage, usually it is safe and best to fill your tires up when they are COLD (ie. you have not been driving for awhile), then look at the sidewall of the tire and check your MAX PRESSURE, next... pay attention this one is trickyyyyy... subtract 5-7 PSI from the max pressure you read and fill all of your tires to that pressure (assuming you have the same tire on each wheel). You can go out driving and when the tires are HOT (ie. you have been driving enough to warm the tires up and the air they are filled with), check the pressure and if it is ABOVE the maximum pressure let some air out so that you are at least 1-2 PSI UNDER your Maximum pressure, as if your tires are at the maximum pressure then you run the risk of a blow-out, specially if you hit a bump in which the tire absorbs which momentarily increases the pressure within the tire a bit.
well that is about all i have time for today ill be adding to this and refining it some more when i get more time to do so.
Last edited by Izero; Oct 8, 2008 at 09:35 PM.
Section Moderator
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,584
Likes: 7
From: Northern California
I don't think a coolant additive, like RP Purple Ice, was ever meant to increase MPGs. They are intended to help lower water temps, which it does according to the Autometer gauge in my Mustang where I use it, and is to be re-added every year (at least Royal Purple's is, not sure about others).
Good post thus far though! I can't wait to see if the MM inserts help me since I highly doubt all of that kicking the engine does helps.
Good post thus far though! I can't wait to see if the MM inserts help me since I highly doubt all of that kicking the engine does helps.
Section Moderator
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 5,584
Likes: 7
From: Northern California
Maybe so, but that is not their intention with it. It doesn't even say that on the bottle! "[Insert additive here]....add the contents of this bottle to your radiator and watch your gas mileage go up!" Didn't know you'd get so *** hurt over it, never mind...
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Champion
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,313
Likes: 8
here's some MPG tips
from a professional engineer
who used to work for Ford
and who now runs a small company
building custom engine equipment
and programming his own simulation software
for engines, suspensions, airflow benches,
and the very good 'Fuel Economy Calculator'
http://performancetrends.com/blog/?p=3
from a professional engineer
who used to work for Ford
and who now runs a small company
building custom engine equipment
and programming his own simulation software
for engines, suspensions, airflow benches,
and the very good 'Fuel Economy Calculator'
http://performancetrends.com/blog/?p=3
Rookie
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
From: SL,UT
23-25 city with my driving good write up though
