best way to save gas

[rockerdude]

my hatch is sucking gas like crazy. i get only 170 miles before i hit the "E" from a full tank. at this point the low fuel sign hasn't pop up yet. that really sucks for car that's suppose to getting 300+ miles. what's the best way to drive to save gas. i usually drive fast. i got a 5 speed tranny. someone told me the gas in cali has some special chemical that is causing this to happen.

[1995HondaCivic]

best way to save gas is to not drive at all... j/p lol

slow it down a little and shift and lower rpms

what size rims are you running?

[rockerdude]

yup, and that's what i actually do, i don't drive my car, i instead go riding in my bro crx. i know i should drive more slow but i get irritated going slow. i also know you're suppose to shift below 2500 rpm to save gas. my car has 16x8 rims.

[jaxle]

yea ummm, i'd rather cover the higher gas bill than drive like my grandma

[Rice-Rocketeer]

Best way is to not push in the gas pedal more than halfway when accelerating and keeping revs to below 4000 rpm.

Other than that keep good plugs, flush out the engine, clean it out with an ATF fluid, clean the fuel system, and keep tire pressure up to par.

[Devedander]

Yeah, same thing in my 93 ex, it got to the half way point and only put 75 miles on. I don't accelerate it that hard, and it's city driving but not terrible, even so I figure it should be like 240+ miles a tank and at this rate I am NOT getting there. Always shift before 4k for around town driving too, guess it's time to run some cleaners through it, or start lookin for a gas leak...

[j.fuggi]

does a 95 civic coupe even have a fuel warning light? i let my fuel run down to E and i had 200+ miles on it... and i got really scred because i cant exactly get my car on a tow truck. so when does the light go on????

[ric]

Originally posted by Rice-Rocketeer
Best way is to not push in the gas pedal more than halfway when accelerating and keeping revs to below 4000 rpm.

Other than that keep good plugs, flush out the engine, clean it out with an ATF fluid, clean the fuel system, and keep tire pressure up to par.

i would recommend 3000 rpm. but to elaborate on the correct statement of not pressing the gas more then halfway.

while cruising at partial throttle to slightly over half throttle your ecu runs in whats known as "closed loop mode" closed loop mode means along with the fuel and ignition maps it relies on the oxygen sensors reading to determine the richness or leaness of a mixture and adds fuel or trims it accordingly. it uses that oxygen sensor to achieve a stoich mixture.

under hard throttle or wide open throttle (WOT) the ecu switches to open loop mode. here the ecu disregards the info provided by the oxygen sensor and adds fuel according to hard and WOT maps that are almost linear and manifold pressure and some other things but the key is this is no where near perfect in actually determining whats happeneing in the combustion chamber so the ecu will tend to richen the mixture to a certain degree to keep from leaning out and to reduce cylinder temps. another negative effect of WOT runs all the time is premature catalytic convertor failure.

so a lead foot is a bad thing to have.

also use the recommended fuel for your car. not using it can lead to a host of problems.

like was said before, tire pressure, proper alignment, air filter cleanliness, fuel system cleanliness, regular oil changes, and a couple extra minutes to get where your going will save you. you may also want to see if the timing is on par and if your cap,rotor,wires, and plugs are ok.

sorry about the tangent on ecu's but its for the people that dont know it already.

[ric]

also forgot to mention that stop and go driving, and the terrain you drive in seriously effect your mileage too. my civic got 190 in the city on a tank under harsh driving conditions and pittsburgh mountains. on a flat highway it was getting almost 300 to a tank. so that should tell you just how much it effects you.

[j.fuggi]

crap.. no wonder my cat is rattling like a bitch. sounds like a leak ir something... WOT john over here.

[Ebranste]

Another suggestion might be your valves are not adjusted properly. If they are too tight, your millage goes to hell, racing or not.

When is the last time you had your valve clearances adjusted......

A loose valve ticks and a tight valve will produce a 'choking' like sound when you accelerate. It's a hard sound to describe.

Does your engine make alot of noise when it idles, or does it run almost silent. This of course, does not include the extra noise from an aftermarket intake and I should note to make this observation after the engine has warmed up.

[rockerdude]

i got get my engine flush, i want to change my timing belt but i heard it was hard to it yourself. i got my wheels align a few months ago, i also need to change my rotor cuz it's warped.

yup, i recall when i first put in my intake, the engine didn't sound like it does now. now i can hear really irritating noise come from my engine. i never got my valve check since i bought my car about a year ago. how often i'm i suppose to get it checked?

i thought the noise coming from my engine was my tranny. cuz everytime i accelerate, i kind of hear grinding noise at high rpms on every single gears. when my engine is in gear and i don't accelerate, the engine sounds smooth. when i put it in neutral it start making rattling noise.

[j.fuggi]

i get rattling at 2000 rpm and it sounds like its coming from right under me. so my cat converter? and same thing with the different tone i get. kinda like. maybe a choking sound. sort of sounds like exhaut trying to escape a really small hole.

[CivicSiRacer]

1. increase tire pressure to around 40psi - less rolling resistance means less energy wasted to the ground
2. tune up
3. oil change
4. check spark plugs and wires
5. fuel injector cleaner
6. less weight in the car - take out that heavy stereo
7. don't drive llike a maniac. Shifting at 8000rpms wastes gas
8. smaller wheels/tires - less energy to turn them
9. lighter wheels/tires - same as above
10. don't use A/C
11. do more highway driving

[Darkwing]

Originally posted by CivicSiRacer
1. increase tire pressure to around 40psi - less rolling resistance means less energy wasted to the ground
2. tune up
3. oil change
4. check spark plugs and wires
5. fuel injector cleaner
6. less weight in the car - take out that heavy stereo
7. don't drive llike a maniac. Shifting at 8000rpms wastes gas
8. smaller wheels/tires - less energy to turn them
9. lighter wheels/tires - same as above
10. don't use A/C
11. do more highway driving

Exactly. I was getting 15-20 mpg and I knew something was wrong. I took it in, spent a load of bucks getting the timing belt replaced (about 20,000 miles too late) got valves adjusted, switched my steelies for aluminum cast rims (15% lighter) (14" by 6") got rid of all dead weight save my spare tire, got an oil change, some STP fuel injector cleaner on a full tank, and some new plugs. Then I went on a cruise to My uncles in Hot springs, and came back. Round trip was 280 miles and I didn't sop for gas once. I also blew the carbon outa my exhaust on the way back. It helps a ton, my average city mpg now is 27mpg. Not quite up to snuff, but the hills and crappy roadways here make city driving guzzle gas. And like dudes above me said, even with intake, you engine should run almost silent on idle after it warms up. A little hissing maybe, but not much.

I wish I did more highway driving, it really improves your mpg.