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Cheap n Easy Mods to improve fuel economy?

m4gician

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
1,231
Location
Toronto (Woodbridge)
Well...
Here's what I have so far...

Run Berrymans or Seafoam,
Change plugs,
Change air filter (replace with K&N or clean open air intake)
Fill tires to maximum pressure (debateable, if tire says 44psi then I put 44psi)
Remove resonator - replace with 4inch magnaflow or similar
Optimize TB,
LOWER THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR (i.e. empty trunk, don't car pool fat people, etc.) lol
Keep windows closed on highways,


This might be not as cheap...

Rebuild UIM/LIM using FAQ on site,
Add a bolt on exhaust,
 
Forget the idea of "mods".

Do you maintenance. Keep the vehicle tuned and maintained. Do not over-inflate the tires, use the recommended pressures on your vehicle's data sticker.

"Modify" your driving habits instead. Avoid rapid starts and stops. Conserve motion (kinetic energy). Lower your driving speed.

In case you have noticed, fuel prices have dropped by nearly 40% since just two months ago. Surprising you weren't more interested in economy when the prices were peaking.

If you think about it, you'd have a really long payback period for most of those "mods" even at $3/gallon.

Steve
 
So even if my tires say 44psi I should go by what the sticker says? Who should I believe, the sticker or my tires (replaced the stocks with better tires)?
 
So even if my tires say 44psi I should go by what the sticker says? Who should I believe, the sticker or my tires (replaced the stocks with better tires)?


most likely that is the max psi for the tire that is on the tire, go with what the stock sticker says, personally I run one pound higher on stock size tires then the sticker says
 
optimizing the TB wouldnt help with fuel economy. it may increase HP but if you think about it, when the throttle is only partially open (during economical driving), there would be no benifit from the optimization because of the angle of the plate(dont know the technical name). so while an optimized TB may increase HP at WOT, it wont have more power during "economical" driving.
 
So even if my tires say 44psi I should go by what the sticker says? Who should I believe, the sticker or my tires (replaced the stocks with better tires)?

I've heard you get better fuel economy with the tires inflated more. I was reading somewhere to go to the max of the tire for max fuel economy. There is a "correct" tire pressure which will maximise the life of the rubber, if you overinflate you will wear the middle of the tread prematurely, and if you underinflate you will wear the edges (thanks Auto-X-Fil). Depends on tyre, car, driving style and whatever so you need to experiment.
 
I've heard you get better fuel economy with the tires inflated more. I was reading somewhere to go to the max of the tire for max fuel economy. There is a "correct" tire pressure which will maximise the life of the rubber, if you overinflate you will wear the middle of the tread prematurely, and if you underinflate you will wear the edges (thanks Auto-X-Fil). Depends on tyre, car, driving style and whatever so you need to experiment.

Don't inflate your tires to the max. That doesn't make any sense.

You may be saving gas, but its dangerous and you will also be wasting more money for tires.

My suggestion is to learn how to drive conservatively (this can really add a lot to your MPG - don't brake uneccessarily, don't accelerate too hard, coast in gear to conserve kinetic energy, learn how to time stop lights so you can avoid coming to a complete stop before a stoplight, etc).

For city driving 33-34 psi should be fine. If you do a lot of highway driving 35-36 psi could be ok. But that should plenty. Be safe!
 
Don't inflate your tires to the max. That doesn't make any sense.

You may be saving gas, but its dangerous and you will also be wasting more money for tires.

My suggestion is to learn how to drive conservatively (this can really add a lot to your MPG - don't brake uneccessarily, don't accelerate too hard, coast in gear to conserve kinetic energy, learn how to time stop lights so you can avoid coming to a complete stop before a stoplight, etc).

For city driving 33-34 psi should be fine. If you do a lot of highway driving 35-36 psi could be ok. But that should plenty. Be safe!

Note I went on to say there is a correct tire pressure??? I agree that if you overinflate the tires they'll get premature wear which will offset any gas savings. As for dangerous????, if the tire manufacturer says its OK, I'd tend to accept their advice.
 
The tire manufacturer has to cover their behind so that overinflated tires don't fail/

The vehicle manufactuere has to cover its behind because over-inflated tires will often negatively affect the vehicle's safety as to handling and stopping.

Gross over-inflation of a tire beyond the vehicles specification is just a bad idea.

Steve
 
Don't know if this helps but here's what the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration website has to say...

"Tires are manufactured for many different vehicle makes and models of vehicles. And the psi number on the side of a tire only reflects the “maximum permissible” inflation pressure for that tire — not necessarily the correct psi for your vehicle. When filling your tires, always follow your vehicle manufacturer’s psi recommendations. You’ll find this psi number on your vehicle’s tire information label, as well as in your vehicle owner’s manual."

For more info here's their URL http://safercar.gov/Tires/pages/TirePressureFAQ.htm
 
Your tires are also suspension and steering components. Cars are designed for tires that behave in a somewhat predictable manner. By over-inflating them to max tire pressure, I believe you may wear out wheel bearings, tie-rods and struts at a faster rate.. I'm not sure how significant it is, but the fuel savings aren't worth it in my opinion. Your car may also behave in an unpredictable manner under certain conditions, possibly a safety issue.

Honestly, if you're doing things like over-inflating tires to save a little on gas, and desperately trying to save a few dollars everywhere, perhaps a Contique isn't right for you at this time. The cost to purchase a Contour is now disproportionate to its maintenance costs. They have the purchase price of a compact with the maintenance costs and fuel economy of an (arguably expensive) midsize car. There are vehicles that are significantly cheaper to run both in terms of fuel economy and maintenance in the same price range. Or perhaps consider a cheap, easy to maintain beater for the day to day grind.

In my experience, skimping, cutting corners, dealing with questionable garages and driving with a damaged or severely worn component(s) cause car ownership costs to skyrocket.
 
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Your tires are also suspension and steering components. Cars are designed for tires that behave in a somewhat predictable manner. By over-inflating them to max tire pressure, I believe you may wear out wheel bearings, tie-rods and struts at a faster rate.. ...
Lower ball joints, seat springs, engine/tranny mounts.... Basically anything used for suspension or prevention of NVH.
 
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