dont care about adding power...just want to get some more mpgs. im at about 22 mpg right now. any ideas?also i need a new headlight assembly. where can i get one?

 

There are plenty of threads about mileage, so I'd suggest searching first. 22 MPG is actually VERY good in my book as the only thing I've ever owned that got near that is my Civic. Ok, two of my Civics. What model do you have, 2.5 or 3.2? From your mileage, I'm assuming you've already gotten your tyres at the proper pressure, kept the engine oil fresh, and replaced the air filter regularly. For an extra 1 or 2 MPG, you can switch to an aftermarket intake and custom exhaust, but the added power might tempt you to push the pedal down a bit more, effectively rendering any efficiency gains null. Try removing dead weight, maybe tools for changing a flat (get AAA first, hehe). If you carry alot of junk in the back like sodas, water, etc., take those out. Oh, don't let fat friends ride in the car too much, and lose some weight if you fall into that category yourself, . Someone once calculated that the US would save 938 million gallons of fuel a year if everyone lost a few pounds or so. Other than that, enjoy your mileage remembering that after 4 or 5 test runs, I went from a little under a half tank of gas to less than a quarter. Running rich FTL...

~Cheers~

 

it's all about the way you drive imo.

think about it this way, the harder your car has to work the less mpg you'll get

so if you go up a hill you get worse mpg than going down the hill

 

basic list, not sure if this has been posted here before but a reiteration wouldn't hurt anyways. Found a list of 29 ways to save gas and edited out ones not applicable to us (manual transmission, buy a hybrid, etc) or already mentioned
Original Article
i get around 25/27 (average)/(all highway), but i do use CC and i drive the speed limit (+5/-0) (car hits 100,000 today)

1. A car consumes most gas as it accelerates. A moving car doesn't require much gasoline to keep moving (due to inertia). I see guys speed up and slam on the brakes. Obviously, the guy following close behind will be nervous and he too needs to brake and accelerate constantly. In really heavy traffic about 90% do this. It is easy to hold speed without the brake. Just keep a bit more distance. If traffic moves along, you rarely brake, unless everything stops. Pay attention to cars ahead, you can anticipate slow downs and ease off the gas. This means you won't lose all inertia and can keep your speed without having to accelerate as much.

3. The air conditioner loads my car more, which reduces fuel economy.
Park your car in the shade if you can, so you won't have to keep the AC working when you drive. Turn off the AC 5 minutes before you reach your destination and don't keep it working until the last second.

5. If you have cruise control you probably should use it (it will keep the speed constant and hence doesn't need to accelerate).

7. Shift into neutral when you are standing still to reduce transmission strain.

9. When you turn on a car, it uses a bit of gas. When the car is idling, it uses a fixed amount per unit of time. In most scenarios , the energy balance will be positive if you turn off your car more than 20 seconds. Any time you can foresee that you will not be moving for more than 30s you should turn off the engine. (starter trouble anyone?)

Drive slower
10. Yeah right. While it's proven that driving fast will increase drag and thus your fuel consumption, I simply cannot bring myself to drive below the speed limit. There is not much difference between 60 and 65mph in terms of fuel consumption. However a car racing along at its maximum speed 140mph, would consume much more gas than if it were driven at 60-65mph.

12. Opening your windows will increase turbulences and cost you fuel. I believe that opening your windows at low speeds and using the air conditioner at high speeds gives you better fuel economy.

15. Avoid heavy traffic and lots of traffic lights. The shortest route is not always the most fuel efficient if you have to stop a lot.

17. If you don't need Snow Tires or Chains, remove them. Don't drive all summer with Snow Tires. They are softer and have a deeper profile which will increase friction. (again, true but a better substitute for his meaning is 'rolling resistance')

19. Why are you driving around with that rack on your roof if you don't need it? Seriously, removing those will save you a bit of gasoline.

24. Every electrical equipment is powered from the alternator which will increase its load on the engine to produce more power. So when you can do it safely, turn off those headlights.

29. Don't fill up unless you are on empty, since all this gas weighs a lot.

my personal (more specific) tips in addition to what's already been said.

going along with #1, don't tailgate

smaller rims help, as larger rims put more weight toward the outside of the tire, increasing the moment of inertia and requiring more force to get it to start turning again. Of course these help you maintain your speed better since your car now has more inertia, so I'm sure there's a break-even point somewhere.

spoilers aren't as gas-efficient, since they increase the down force and therefore rolling resistance

of course, most of these tips are small beans compared to # 1,3,10,12,15, and Go90go's advice of intake/exhaust

Go90go, he has a 96 2.5 w/ 175000

 

You forgot avoid short trips or combine trips so the car stays warmed up.

 

dropped in a K&N air filter yesterday ( even though i was warned about the oil from the filter causing problems over time) and after the first tank +1 mpg. hey better than nothin right?

I came across an ad in popular science for Pulstar pulse plugs. have you guys heard of these? they claim increased fuel mileage and performance? any reviews on these?

 

^ No worries on the oil as long as you don't over oil the filter. And stick with either the OEM double-plats or get Iridiums. Forget about those E3s and all the other hyped ones like Bosch +4s.

~Cheers~

 

NGK IRIDIUM or NGK Platinum for the die-hards and dinosaurs
and Seafoam!!! clean injectors-valves and piston tops
makes for better combustion-better mileage

 

There's probably not a lot you can add or do to the car to improve it much.
Work on your driving habits (#1 on Jerm's list) -
If you are in traffic a lot, look far ahead and increase your following distance so you can go a steady speed. If there's a red light 1/4 mile ahead, let your foot off the gas now, maybe it'll be green by the time you get to it.
Try to time things so you never have to stop - cars get the best mileage at a constant speed.
Go easy on the starts, too; I know it's not as fun, but keeping the revs under 2500 will help mileage.
Try to not vary the gas pedal too much; on-off-on-off with the gas kills mileage too.
If you choose to do this, let us know how much it helps; it could get you 20-30% better mileage, depending on your habits now.
Thanks!!