Squeezing every mpg possible out of the car.

[Vendor Defendor]

Alright, starting Fire Academy September 13th and it just happens to be about a 25-30 mile drive each way, and I got five days a week. Thats going to work out to be about 275 miles a week. Because of being a broke college kid I would like to only fill up once a week if its possible. So what tricks and tips do you have to helping me achieve this goal. I know the first step: turn the boost down.

 

[Dan Thompson]

Don't race at the traffic lights. Take off as slow as possible

Keep a steady speed on the highway

Don't go too fast.

Adjust the FP so the BLMs are close to 128 at cruse.

 

[wagon]

Turn the boost down??
No, pull the wastegate rod off.
Well, to start, make sure that the car is tuned well. Replace the O2 sensor if it is old. Maybe talk to a chip burner. The Thrasher chips had some technology built in that made the car run lean while cruising. You could get a Thrasher, or have someone burn you a chip with this in it. Then stay out of the throttle. Make sure your tires are always pumped up good. The more air, the better mpg. You want at least 32. I'd shoot more for 35psi. Empty the trunk. If you run around with junk in the trunk, that is going to kill your mileage. Wax the car. A good coat of wax is good for at least .004 mpg. It may not sound like much, but it might be enough to push off the pumps that last day. Don't take passengers with you. Don't carry your lunch, lose weight, and dress lightly.

 

[bruce]

TR's aren't economy cars.
Yes, you can try running lean.

Trouble is that you have to add timing to do so. And that turns out putting alot of heat into the oil, and that causes it to loose some of it's lubrication properties. Pull most any TR engine apart and you'll see copper on the rod bearings. They run alot of timing as it is to get them smog legal, trying to get better mileage hurts engine life long term for the average owner.

Mellow driving and fresh tune up parts are about your best course of action.

Tire pressure/alignment counts.

 

[Shuterdown]

Just make sure the car is in perfect running order, as if you were doing a tune up on any conventional car:

-Make sure plugs are new and properly gapped
-Make sure wires are not arcing anywhere
-Check PCV, make sure there's no leaking.
-Make sure there are no vacuum leaks
-Check throttle body, and clean off any grime before and after the plate
-Make sure EGR is in good working order
-Make sure 02 is relatively new
-If the car has no oil-burning problems, use a 10W30 instead of anything heavier.
-Make sure the brakes aren't binding at all, and sliders are well lubricated
-Check tire pressure
-If you can, use a regular thermostat; cars burn more efficiently the hotter they get.
-Don't disconnect the wastegate, it's meant to run with it...the motor is horribly inefficient (not to mention annoyingly weak) with no turbo.

For driving:

-Drive with headlights off during the day if you aren't a safety freak
-Drive with the windows closed on the highway
-Drive with a constant speed on the highway, no passing!!

That's all I can think of at the top of my head...hope it helps!

John

 

[Nocooler]

Mine gets 24-26mpg on the Highway.

A lean cruise chip may help.

 

[fitz3820]

If you want to get really cheap, take the wastegate rod off so you get no or little boost and you can run regular gas.

 

[turbo t terry]

I know this will sound pretty old school, but I've always gotten the best mileage (25-27 mpg on the highway) with the stock chip. And, of course, a light foot on the throttle.

 

[MeanBuicks]

Originally posted by fitz3820
If you want to get really cheap, take the wastegate rod off so you get no or little boost and you can run regular gas.

Yep. This is exactly what I was going to recommend. It may not increase your actual mileage much but with the disparity between regular and super gas prices, you'll get a bunch more fuel for your money when filling up.

I run 87 octane in mine when I know it's all going to be used up with the cruise control on rolling down the interstate.

 

[turbopaul]

Blocking the intercooler scoop got me an extra 3 mpg.

Paul