imagerockone

Let's comprise a list of all the products, parts, and practices out there that can increase the gas mileage on our TLs in this time of soaring gas prices. I'll start it off:

1) Use the AC less.
2) Decrease the weight of your car.
3) Ensure that your tires are properly inflated.
4) A better flowing air filter element or an aftermarket air intake system.
5) Use Seafoam or BG44K.
6) Replace your spark plugs (assuming your TL needs it).

05TLRIDER

Well there's the obvious.....don't push the gas peddle so hard!!!

From what I've heard, installing the thermoblock spacers and UR pulley should help. I have the thermoblock spacers and an AEM CAI, but haven't had time to install either yet. Hopefully this weekend. Also, I should be getting the UR pulley by end of next week or early the following.

I'll let you know more, when I have them all installed.

01tl4tl

Gentle on the gas pedal is the biggie on fuel saving devices!
Agree with others except= AC
Its actually more aero efficient to leave the windows closed on the freeway or other sustained speed, and run the AC- than the drag penalty created by open windows and all the buffetting of air thru the car.
Slow speeds- sure- windows down if you prefer

warthogUSAF

Agree on this... I get better mileage with windows "up" and AC set around 70. Went to Texas from Kentucky and avg between Louisville KY and Memphis TN 30. From Memphis TN to San Antonio TX 34. Even got 36 between Dallas and San Antonio.

P.S. TL 05 Auto.

TunedTL

1) Use 0w-20 engine oil, especially if you drive short trips.
2) Get those free STP/Gumout Complete Fuel System cleaners after rebate at Autozone. That is 12 oz of less gas you need to buy right there. Plus clean up the carbon deposit if you have some.
3) This may seem obvious, shut off the engine after you park, avoid long idles.

sbuswell

keep up with your maintenance is the biggest thing and I mean everything from plugs, tires, oil, fuel system cleanings, etc. I drive my car hard a lot and still get 26-27mpg in mixed driving conditions. Solid highway only I get 30mpg.

Mods that should help increase gas mileage are CAI(not a short ram as that may actually hurt your mileage), Thermoblok spacers, exhaust and lighter rims(as long as the rolling diameter is the the same). The UR crank pulley will more than likely do nothing plus or minus for your mileage.

laidback93

How often should the plugs be replaced? My TL-S has 69K and I'm noticing a rough idle every now and then.

Also, how often do you use the fuel system cleaner? I used a bottle about 8 months ago. I wonder if it's about time to do it again.

imagerockone

What about stop and go / city driving then? When I have the AC on while driving around Chicago, I see a significant hit to my gas mileage.

TunedTL

I use those free (not low quality) every 3-5K because I fill up at Costco. If you use top tier gas, probably only needs to do that once every 6 months, just to make sure you don't hit a bad batch of gas.

Costco gas is sourced from BP, Chevron or Shell, just minus the additional additives and $0.20 per gallon cheaper.
Gumout Regane Fuel System Cleaner is made by SOPUS, same company that sells Shell V Power gas. For me, Costco gas 91 octane rated + Gumout Regane >= Shell V Power.

$ saved and engine is free of carbon deposit in the long run.

adamlee05

Whoever thinks using your AC vs. rolling your windows down is better on GM, think again. The aerodymanic drag on a car like ours is FAR less than the resistance the engines recieves due to the AC compressor.

Think of it like this. Mythbusters recently tested this theory out that AC is better than windows down. Guess what, AC lost. 5 gallons of gas, two exact same full size SUV's, and both set to cruise at the same speed on an empty race track. Now, if a gas guzling BOX that isnt even HALF as aerodynamic as our cars is using less gas with the windows down compared to windows up/AC on, then its easy to see which one is the winner.

Also, doing 600 miles every weekend on the same interstates to the same location, i've tried both. Windows down wins, hands down.

But thats just my , im SURE someone is going to argue this with some amazing story of "i got 500 miles to the tank with AC on" or something

TwinTurbo335

where do you purchase seafoam? how much does it cost? I only get like 220 miles mostly city for a full tank

greenapple001

I agreed. AC on is will waste more gas than air resistance on your car. I saw that same Mythbusters show you're talking about. AC will drain the gas from your car so quick you wouln't know what hit you.

warthogUSAF

No arguement here... but I have done both; the girlfriend "had to have" the windows down and rooftop open. Damn bald spot burnt like hell!!! That was going to FL and after Atlanta had flat land to run on. I do believe that like running your defroster... the AC is not running all of the time if you set the temp to around 70 or even 74. Now my windows are well tinted and when the sun is blaring it dosn't bother me as much as if I did not have it.

Your post does make sense though... I guess it could depend on the driver (i.e., cruise control, temp setting, gas your using, geographic layout) could affect the outcome.

JetBlackAC

i get close to 300 miles from F to E and putting shell v power in all the time, do i still need to try the fuel system cleaner every 6 months?

sbuswell

gumout regane and BG44K IMO are the two best fuel system cleaners regardless of price. I usually go with gumout because it's OTC and a lot cheaper than BG, but with very similiar results. I also use octane booster often, not every fill up but maybe every 3-5 fill ups. I use Outlaw and NX boosters and my car does respond better, runs smoother and gets better mileage when I use a booster. I also have 225 tread width tires, but my mileage has never suffered from switching to a wider tire.

I use seafoam every 5k miles as well. If you use if this often you really shouldn't have to worry about fouling your plugs as there shouldn't be that much carbon buildup. I pulled a few plugs a few months back and they still looked brand new and that was after seafoaming my car probably 3 times since I got the plugs put in. Another good cleaner is Amsoil Power Foam. It is a very fast acting and aggressive cleaner. Amsoil claims it will clean your spark plugs as well, something that seafoam doesn't do. It is about the same price as seafoam and does the same thing plus cleaning your plugs so I consider this a better value over Deep Creep. The drawback to Power Foam is just that, it's a foam in an aresol can, while regular seafoam is a liquid and better at cleaning the entire intake and combustion system because it's a liquid.

01tl4tl

A few points: Mythbusters are not scientist- they are special effects makers for movies and dont know S%#* about REALITY

In town: stop and go with AC on- of course it uses more gas because of the throttle useage and extra drag of ac compressor running
On Open Road- we are not driving a big box which has no aero to start with-
so comparison to SUV not relevant
our cars suffer massive airflow change with windows & add moonroof up or open- yikes!
spray water on the back glass and go for a drive- watch the spoiler action when the moonroof is up
Wear a hat if girlfriend insist on open roof!

Seafoam cleans everything IF you do the high rpm burn off run after treatment
The plugs only suffer if over 70k miles old and you dont do the clean out run
I do it every 5-6 k miles to maintain max cleanliness inside engine and run Chevron gas.
The built in Techroline helps- but is not as strong as a dose of any type cleaner added to 1/4 tank of gas

If you have near or over 60-70 k miles on the plugs, replace with a set of NGK Iridiums
Do a full can Seafoam to the intake vac line first and then clean out run, then next day or so- change the plugs and enjoy

0W20 thats a scam by the car makers to comply with govt mileage requirements
thinner oil 20W vs 30W = less resistance- so ~slightly~ better mileage
How is this in the long run for those who put hi revs and hard runs on the car-
you do the math!

Keep it clean, waxed and aligned- thats as good as anythign else!

01tl4tl

A few points: Mythbusters are not scientist- they are special effects makers for movies and dont know S%#* about REALITY

In town: stop and go with AC on- of course it uses more gas because of the throttle useage and extra drag of ac compressor running
On Open Road- we are not driving a big box which has no aero to start with-
so comparison to SUV not relevant
our cars suffer massive airflow change with windows & add moonroof up or open- yikes!
spray water on the back glass and go for a drive- watch the spoiler action when the moonroof is up
Wear a hat if girlfriend insist on open roof!

Seafoam cleans everything IF you do the high rpm burn off run after treatment
The plugs only suffer if over 70k miles old and you dont do the clean out run
I do it every 5-6 k miles to maintain max cleanliness inside engine and run Chevron gas.
The built in Techroline helps- but is not as strong as a dose of any type cleaner added to 1/4 tank of gas

If you have near or over 60-70 k miles on the plugs, replace with a set of NGK Iridiums
Do a full can Seafoam to the intake vac line first and then clean out run, then next day or so- change the plugs and enjoy

0W20 thats a scam by the car makers to comply with govt mileage requirements
thinner oil 20W vs 30W = less resistance- so ~slightly~ better mileage
How is this in the long run for those who put hi revs and hard runs on the car-
you do the math!

Keep it clean, waxed and aligned- thats as good as anything else!

laidback93

that reminds me. i'm due for an alignment.

jizno

thats pretty sad, i get 375-415 from F -> E on V-Power gas. that is also taking in to consideration that i get stuck in traffic everyday going to and from work. i dont drive my car like a granny, BUT dont drive it like an indy car either. you should go to a different shell station and see if you can get better MPG.

ThreePointTwoTeeEl

iTrader: (1)

THey actually tested that out on Mythbusters, Same exact car (I think ford explorer) same gas going around an oval track. I believe A/C kept going I forgot what the outcome was. You could prolly check it out online.

fsttyms1

use neutral when coasting, shut motor off when at stoplights, and coming up to stoplights, take corners faster so that there is less acceleration needed to get up to speed.

imagerockone

So this is what we have so far:

1) Use the AC less (TRUE with at least city / stop & go driving).
2) Decrease the weight of your car.
3) Follow the maintenance routine - keeps tires properly inflated and aligned, replace your spark plugs (if you need it), oil changes, other fluids, and so on.
4) A better flowing air filter element or a CAI.
5) Use Seafoam, BG44K, or Gumout Regane.
6) Be gentle on the gas pedal.
7) When coasting, use neutral.
8) Take corners faster.
9) Turn off the car when idling for a long period of time.
10) Use an octane booster.

TunedTL

You said it right, better mpg. But the fact certain advanced features save gas does not mean it is a scam. For example, fuel injection replaced carburetor for better power and fuel effeciency, but that does not make fuel injection a scam feature.
As for high RPM application, , from http://63.240.161.99/motoroil/105.html
Good enough wear protection for 15K rpm, good enough for the TL.

websters03

whats wrong with this picture? i havent filled up in awhile cuz cali gas prices are out of this world but i usually do half tank fills, im getting about 150mi before gas light pops on. when i did fill up often i was getting less than 300mi with tank topped off above F. its really killin my pockets and im jealous of u guys gettin well over 300mi F to E. my car has 30k miles whats wrong?

P.S. wheels inspect+balanced 2months ago, psi always at 35, 30mi highway daily plus alot of street driving.

adamlee05

there it is! The one to contest the arguement, lol.

A few points for you: Think about what you said. If a ZERO Aerodynamic box gets better GM with its windows down, wouldnt it make sense that a car with much higher aerodynamic efficiency would as well? Comparison= relevent. "Throttle usage"...that would be any time you are going above idle-speed, whether its stop-and-go or cruising for 400 miles non-stop.

Lastly. True, Mythbusters are not "scientist" (you forgot the "s" to make that plural), but they DO provide experiment-produced facts. Something your arguement has not.
Just try to have something to back your arguement up before you go falsifying information. That's something every automotive thread has too much of already.

OH YeaH....another thing to add to the list of getting better gas mileage...
6-Speed conversion , although not sure if the costs would justify the reason

TCM 01 CL-S

My list:

-Coast to red lights (without impeding other drivers!) , stop signs and turns instead of keeping the gas on and then braking last minute (which also adds unecessary wear on the brakes).

-Try to get into 5th as much as possible and keep r.p.ms as low as possible.

-Smooth and slower acceleration.

-Use a thinner oil as mentioned above (if your not in a cold area), CAI, UR pulley. I noticed a consistant increase in gas mileage with each additional item.

-Remove unnecessary weight, don't use a/c.

-Keep air filter clean and car maintaned including tire pressure.

-Don't leave the car on unecessarily.

I get 25 mpg + easy on mostly suburban driving.

One important thing that is often overlooked is correctly figuring out your MPG! When you fill up set your trip A or trip B to 0 and next time when you go to fill up divide the amount on your trip meter by the amount of gallons put in!

You'd be surprised how many people figure out their gas inacurrately by assuming that when they are near empty that they have used almost the full tank . When E and the gas light goes on in my CL, the tank fills up with about 13.xx gallons, the full CL tank is a tad over 17gallons ! If I assumed I had used 16.xx gallons when it hit empty, my gas mileage calculations would be a decent amount off.

If I have a lot of spelling errors it's because I am running on very little sleep due to some unexpect trips out of FL. .

sbuswell

also do not eat fried food to keep your body weight down. just kidding, but I'm not.

adamlee05

Determining average MPG: fill up, drive 100 miles. Fill up, record how many gallons (x.xxx) it took to fill back up. Repeat three times. Divide the average refilled amount by 100 miles.

adamlee05

About what I just mentioned: This will not give you a completely accurate measure of your MPG across a full tank due to weight reduction caused by using up gas. The weight of 1 gallon of gasoline at 72 degrees F is aprox 6.25 lbs. So a full tank (17.2G) vs an empty tank at 72 degrees F is a weight difference of aprox 107lbs. This variable will change a true MPG reading across an entire tank.
Ah, boredom

Acura TL Builder

I did this on my 1998 Civic to keep the already low weight down.

-Take off unneccessary bolts off. A seat only needs 2 bolts to keep u alive! So taking one off won't hurt ya. :P

-dump the tea/coffee out of your mug

-keep your car clean to take off any weight in dirt. (It all adds up!!) *vaccum aswell*

-FORGET NOT USING YOUR A/C, just take the basterd off, petrol prices are only going to rise anyways.

-TAKE OUT YOUR SPARETIRE/JACK/TOOLS (oops caps)

Thats it for now! I'll think of other things I did to my car later.

TCM 01 CL-S

Sounds safe, you forgot to mention drop a duece before you go out to drive

but keep in mind this isn't a civic.

orgnlprankster7

maybee cut off you left leg..you only need the right one to drive an auto. thats a good 40 lbs right there

2000 TL

Use your cruise control. I recently went 418 miles and used 14.2 gallons of gas. That works out to about 29.4 MPG. AC was on and speed was about 75 MPH.

EnvyAce

lol thas hilarious. Remember that wack video with the guy saying he got like 30 sum mpg, I couldn't find the link.

01tl4tl

IN town or traffic- brake early so when the light changes you are still rolling and only need a small throttle use to regain speed.
Stopped to speed is the big fuel user

mcflyguy24

Here's one: Don't put the sunroof in the up position, losta drag created there.

Also remove your body kits and spoilers for more weight reduction they are not creating sufficient downforce for handling/braking benefits anyhow. HA! J/K. I'm only stating that last one cos' I don't have the OE kit yet.

fsttyms1

How about sell it for a hybrid if your that concerned about the gas prices they will only get higher in the future. Quit worrying about it!


Oh and on that note i just got 456 miles to 14.6 gallons (31.2mpg). There was somewhere around 90+ miles of city in that as well.

LIPPSTUH

iTrader: (2)

ac v.s. windows down:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(season_2)#AC_vs._Windows_Down

imagerockone

I created this thread to help people save $ and increase their gas mileage - either through methods or parts. For many, it's not a true option to just trade in your TL for a Prius - although I bet alot of us wish we could for a split second when we are standing at the pumps these days. You have to make due with what you have and a little help in the right direction might go a long way. And plus, I don't think a lot of people actually anticipated for the gas prices to reach $4+ (and probably soon to be $5) per gallon when they bought their TLs.

I've never broken the 400 mile mark, but came close with about 380 miles and using close to 15 gallons. That low fuel light makes me nervous - I can't pull a Kramer with a Saab (for those Seinfeld fans).

adamlee05