Just wondering some simple mods to improve my gas mileage. How are the K&N air filters? Thanks for the help, I am new with Acuras so be patient with me lol

 

Intake mods don't increase gas mileage, that's a huge internet myth.

Driving style is number one.

Exhaust mods will help as long as you don't drive it harder to hear the new sound.

Make sure you use premium fuel.

Tires at or near max pressure.

That's all I can think of right now.

 

take a look thru the thread list or use search and find several threads on the topic

K&N has various benefits and may incresse mileage slightly- the advantage is never buying an air filter again

 

Tires at or near max pressure.? if they recommend 32psi, what do you put? I think over 38psi is not good.

 

that suggested 32 is bs-

you have to look at the max cold rating on the tire and at what weight
Then take the percentage of weight you actually have on the tires and subtract the differance
average example for TL, 50psi max cold at max weight
actual car loading on tires is 80% of tire max- subtract 20% from max pressure
50- 20% = 40, then add a pound or two depending on how it rides and steers.

If you want to get technical- take hot tire temp readings and adjust pressure to equalize temps across the tire

 

I keep 35 psi with nitro...

and conscious about how I drive, and notice Castrol Synthetic improved a lot, I'm around 6500 miles since my last oil change and still have 10% oil life on my MID...

 

Look on the tire itself for max and maybe just keep it a few psi under that for ride comfort. Also I removed the mid muffler and resonator and put on a AEM intake and maybe gained 1mpg average around town. Also look into weight savings, if you was planning on buying aftermarket wheels look for some lighweight wheels maybe a lightweight battery, Im not one that likes to strip the car for a 1/2 a MPG so I don't really like taking away the luxuries.

 

You're the first person I've ever seen post the correct way to do this on an internet forum.

 

But the MID is just a calculation, an algorithym based on many factors. It doesn't sample the used oil so it will count down the same no matter if you have $.99 dino or $12 premium synthetic.

 

Another option would be put the TL on diet Like the manual and spare tire. If you are interest how much it would improve your overall performance/gas mileage, go to switch "TL on diet"

 

Actually I must say that this makes no sense to me, as max inflation pressure (44 to 51) can vary according to the load limits of the tire. If the car is loaded with 5 people and luggage, or if you intend to run the Autobahn for a few hours at over 100 mph, then I can see raising the cold pressures slightly, but even then not into the 40 lb range when cold, but for everyday driving with a cold pressure of 43lbs, this is really over the top, poor traction, uneven tire wear, let alone the stagecoach like ride.
IMHO much too high, but I suggest that the TL, or any car owner, put this amount in their vehicle and see the overall results.

My son in law installed oversized Michelin (265/70-17) tires on his Hemi Grand and the Jeep couldn't be driven safely with even 37lbs cold pressure. When the truck hit an elevated tar strip, the rear actually jumped off the ground and if in a slight bend the rear would jump to the side. Lowered the pressure to 31, drives great, and with the heavy carcass of the tire, no uneven tire wear. They have been on there for 2 years.

My apologies to the OP, but I couldn't resist responding. This may be a topic for another thread, however everyone seems to have their own opinion on the subject. Just keep it light on the skinny pedal and make certain all tires are inflated properly, according to your specifications. and a clean air filter.

 

It looks like a good place to start with pressures. If the max cold pressure is there for when the tire is at it's max load, starting at some % lower based on the car's weight vs the tire's max load rating makes sense. I did a few calculations and they came out very close to what we actually run. It's not set in stone and there are plenty of variables as you mentioned, it's just a nice ballpark to get you started.

FWIW, my new tires have a 50psi max cold inflation on the sidewall. I'm at 34F, 30R so far. Don't know why but traction has been going up as I lower pressure. Maybe I should've given them more time to heat cycle before I started adjusting pressures.

 

And just the basics make sure the car is running right with a checkup...plugs, oil is newish and so on. Basic things like that. Alignment sometimes can throw off gas mileage if its way off.

 

Air Filters and proper air pressure will help gas mileage, but these only go so far. The biggest factor I notice in gas mileage is how I drive. For example, the route I choose to take to work will affect my mileage by 1-2 mpg alone. I could choose to drive along the coast and stop at a number of extra lights on my way to work or I could take the freeway for 4 miles- choosing the freeway saves me 2 mpg consistently. It's not as pleasant as cruising the coast though, but it's faster and more efficient so I do that 90% of the time.

I could also choose to idle the car in a long drive-thru line and get roughly ZERO MPG for 10 minutes or park the car and go inside. You do the drive-thru on a daily basis and that will affect your mileage by another 1-2 mpg on a short city commute.

I am by no means any hypermiler or anything to that affect. I do share my mileage at www.fueleconomy.gov though. At that web site, you'll see huge variances for the TL and it's all based on the driver's commute and environment. Generally people that live in 'open' areas like Montana are going to get better mileage than people in congested areas like LA or NY- it makes sense because the city folks are always stopped at traffic lights.

Average Miles-per-hour has a HUGE affect on what your MPG and must be the reason Acura chose to calculate and display it. Even when you choose to fill up makes a difference- someone always filling up at 1/2 tank will get a fractional less MPG than when someone else waits until E since the car is not carrying the extra weight of 7 gallons or so of gas.

I have now 3 years of record keeping at the .gov web site that consistently shows when my MID reads 25 MPH my actual MPG is 19.5 and the MID calculates 19 MPG- actually conservative most of the time. I finally broke this 19 barrier last weekend when I got to drive my TL out of town and up into the mountains- got 26.7 MPG with a 80mph freeway speed and rapid speeds on the mountain roads- that was fun!

The TL will never beat a Civic in mileage in a city commute but for what it does and has I think it's a great car.

 

An airfilter won't increase mileage even .000001mpg.

 

Ive been on 40lbs for about a year now.... I have pretty even wear... I think havink your car out of allignment will do more harm to your tires than a bit higher air pressure,

 

i say anything making the car breath better will increase gas milage such as intake, headers and exhaust upgrades but moderation is key

 

nitrogen in tires also helped alot

 

ohh and ur brand of gas is key me and boys did a test and we found shell and bp to give you a much higher gas milage than the other cheaper brands as well regulating between plus and supreme...1st fill on plus then supreme then plus and so on and so on

 

It's an obvious that if you don't fill up with 91 octane or more you will lose gas
mileage. Air filter will not increase MPG or does it decrease it whether it's dirty or not, you will only feel a slight loss in performance with a dirty filter. Only aftermarket options that increase MPG are exhaust and exhaust componets. PSI at 38-40 PSI and light on gas and brakes go a long way in saving gas.

 

I've seen this posted before:
NEW INFORMATION:
Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG
A new study shows that replacing a clogged air filter on cars with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines does not improve fuel economy but it can improve acceleration time by around 6 to 11 percent. This kind of engine is prevalent on most gasoline cars manufactured from the early 1980s onward.
Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine may improve fuel economy 2 to 6 percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects drivability.