Gas $3.12/gal - What have you done to improve MPG?

[jracca]

I am working on swapping a cummins 4bt 3.9 liter diesel into my truck, for reliability, power, and longevity, as well as the fuel savings, especially the fuel savings.

Running an overdrive transmission is a huge boost to fuel economy based on my experience. I was getting 8mpg with a 4:10 rear on the highway before I switched to a 700r4, and was getting 14+ mpg on the highway. For comparisions I was running a 350 v8 with a quadrajet carb. Having the truck properly tuned can be a big boost, as well as keeping the tires aired up to the recommended pressure. The 700r4 is not a difficult swap at all, I would recommend it to anyone who uses their truck on the highway that is runnig a th350 now.

[Dano69c10]

I say we close everything down on Mondays (I hate going to work on Mondays).
Let's go to a 4-day workweek until gas prices are below $2.
My $0.02
Dano

I like this idea too!

I think the truckers in our country hold a lot of the power around our country and should give Bush one week to get the fuel prices down or park all of their big rigs around the country until the prices come down.I willing to bet the prices would come down very quickly.

[Medicanman71]

Not sure what all you diesel guys are talking about..... regular has been cheaper then diesel in CA .

[kyle4381]

Buy premium Gas 91 Octane and add 2 oz. of Acetone for every 10 gallons of gas.. an engineer for Jet fuel labs told me about this.. I thought he was full of it, but I got a 25% increase in fuel economy.... Take it or leave it.. but it works.. Give it a shot I figured at the very least the acetone is a great solvent and will clean my fuel system... Try it...

[67sub]

Originally Posted by ckhd

I started driving the Metro. 51mpg.

I'm with ya there, but I only got 46 mpg last tank. Somethings wrong.

[Alvin]

I putter around in my 91 Integra. Manages to knock down 30mpg if I don't run the snot out of it. Regular driving I get between 26 and 28. Sure beats the 17-18 in the S-10 and the 10-13 in the '68 (when it was on the road).

It has made me think about how I'm building my '68... but I guess as long as I have the Integra I won't have to worry about mpg in the truck.

[cell]

Medicanman71,

Typical results from doing a cummins 4BT swap result in 25 to 30 MPG, accoring to the cummins conversion threads over on tdr1.com. So even if diesel were twice as expensive as gasoline, you would still be slightly ahead (compared to 12 MPG).

[thecatseye66]

I sit in my trucks and pretend I'm driving...

[cell]

Uh, that Hydro-Gen website must be a joke. I figured it would be a page about hydrogen fumigation (like propane fumigation for a diesel engines) from a big tank of compressed hydrogen you bolt to your truck (which I have stayed up more than a few nights brainstorming about). But that's not what it is.

The Hydro-Gen website is about generating the hydrogen *onboard*! As in, the electroysis happens *while you are driving*. This is absolutely absurd, and would be a huge waste of energy.

Look at it from this persepctive. You burn gasoline, which turns the alternator, which generates electricity. Let's assume your alternator belt and alternator are 100% efficient (which they aren't). The electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen via electrolysis. Let's assume that's 100% efficient (it isn't). You then feed the hydrogen into the intake and burn it along with the gasoline, which gives you power at the crankshaft. Let's assume that the combustion process of hydrogen is 100% efficient (it isn't).

Even with all of those assumptions of 100% efficiency, you would still only be breaking even! At no point was there any net input of energy to the system! The only thing you have done is convert energy from one form to another, several times. In the real world, because of frictional losses, you *lose* energy at every one of those steps. In fact, that's exactly what the second law of thermodynamics is all about

Actually, I take that back. In diesel engines, there is a small layer of air near the cylinder walls which loses heat to the cylinder wall, which causes the diesel in that area to not burn. So, you are only burning, say, 85% or 90% of the fuel in the cylinder. The rest just goes out the tail pipe.

By feeding propane into the air intake, you can somehow convince more of the diesel to combust (like maybe 95%). So even though the BTU content of the propane and diesel adds up to the same number of BTUs worth diesel you were using before you tried propane fumigation, you are actually getting more power, for free, because you have a more efficient combustion process.

Now, I can see how it may be possible that hydrogen does the same thing to a gasoline engine. HOWEVER, being able to combust a slightly higher percentage of the gasoline in each cylinder will in no way EVER approach the amount of energy lost in all of the conversion steps above. Chicanery, pure and simple.

[cell]

Oh wait, he is putting lye into the water. That may change things...

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by thecatseye66

I sit in my trucks and pretend I'm driving...

I bought my '58 when I was 14 and I really used to do that Sadly she never saw the road, bought the 67 when I was 15 and that was it from there The '58 is still at my parents house.

The government is now going to raise the average mpg for auto manufacturers..... know what that means? No more high performance V-6's and V-8's. The gov. is going to force everyone to drive 4 bangers Well I say **** that

Know what the next step is (they tried this in cali years ago and it failed miserably)???? All vehicles older than 15 or 20 years old are no longer legal to drive. No I HAVE NOT heard that from ANYWHERE, it's just my own thought of what might happen next.

[Jim_PA]

I don't know if it's already been said, but keep your tire pressures on the high side. It's the most effective MPG improvement technique I'm aware of.

[wibilly]

Originally Posted by Jim_PA

I don't know if it's already been said, but keep your tire pressures on the high side. It's the most effective MPG improvement technique I'm aware of.

thats the best answer i've herd yet, and it's free

[chickenwing]

Can be dangerous on pick-ups without a load. Breaking distance will increase with high tire pressures.

[1972ChevyCheyenne]

Cell

There is a company in Ontario that says it will guarentee 10% better milage. I think the reason for the systems is it burns clear and will allow a old truck to pass the upcoming 2007 emmisions standards.

http://www.chechfi.ca/

[special-K]

For the most part,I don`t bend over near any oil executives.I don`t trust them or a guy in DC with the initials VP and his boss with the initial W.

[72Levi]

STOP Using Exxon/Mobil gas! They just posted 1Q revenue/profit... unbelievable! Over 8b in revenue! STOP using them and it will bring the price down eventually! Send them a message!

[Boog]

Along with the tire pressure idea:
The wider the tire width the more rolling resistance there is.
Front end alignment is very helpful in reducing the resistance.
Make sure the brakes are adjusted so as to not be dragging much on the drums.
Let up off the throttle a little sooner when approaching a stoplight or sign.
Slow up 5 to 10 mph on the highway when possible.
None of these ideas are popular but they all do help in the fuel mileage game.

[1969k10stepside]

walk

[corn]

The way I look at it, my truck sat for 5 years & in the last year & a half Ive only put $10 worth of gas in it. So when I get it going I figure it will deserve a little gas $ spent on it. Heck, by the time I get it on the road, there might not be any gas left. DOH!

[70short]

I installed A bigger CAM (lumpy). I am also getting ready to purchase A HOLLEY 700 double pumper. Get rid of my EDEL 1406 600 cfm carb. That should have an impact on my MPG or lack of.

Gary

[JRB]

Does any of you gooroos out there know how a fuel injection system works. Does a motor put more fuel in the cylinder at 5,280 feet than at sea level? If yes then why? Does anyone know about an extra hydrogen atom in a burn situation? Its the difference between the blue(most effecient) and the orange(less efficient) part of the flame. One letting off carbon monoxide (Orange) and the other carbon dioxide (Blue Flame). Do you get worse gas milage if your alternator is fully loaded or not? Is the spinning mass in your alternator the same or more if it is loaded or not?
JRB

[chickenwing]

uh, oh. He's luring in the brainiacs.

[Kurt L]

i went to the other side of jacksonville today to go to a park,went by a EXXON STATION their gas was 10 cents cheaper then all the others here in jacksonville.their gas was 279 a gallon where everybody else is 289 to 290.so i see that they are controlling the market with their cheaper prices. thats why they have reaped such a high profit margin over everyone else.it's rip off if you ask me.just ain't rite for them to run cheaper prices then everyone else
thats how they make their profits,they get cheaper prices so more people will buy from them.

[chickenwing]

I thought the current stick-it-to-the-gas-company-email was not to buy from EXXON so they WOULD lower their prices.