Ways to save gas.

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quote:
Originally posted by LarryL:
One way to save gas is to buy a small car. Then you need to get all the pickup and suv drivers to promise not to run you over. Some drivers treat owning a two+ ton vehicle as a a right-of-passage. They pull out in front of you, tail-gate you and put you into situations where you can end up getting seriously killed or faitally injured. Picking a car for mileage can be dangerous. Example? A few months ago, on the freeway a lady driving an Excursion hit a Civic just ahead of me, never hit the brakes until after punting the stop[ped Civic. The Ford was damaged a bit, the Civic was distroyed. I stopped to help the Civic driver until help arrived. The Civic driver is in for a painful recovery in the hospital and the Excursion driver was upset because her phone call was interuppted and she could not find her cell phone. The hit was hard enough to set off the Excursion's air bag and bend up the front end a bit, but the Civic was smashed into a ball that had to be cut open to extract the driver. Good gas mileage can be dangerous.
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In my opinion, you've gotten it exactly backwards. Its not the small economy car that's dangerous. The dangerous vehice is 2+ ton behemoth. If the moron in the Excursion had been driving a reasonably sized vehice everybody in the accident would likely have walked away OK.

Your argument is like saying that a bicycle is more dangerous then an Abrams tank because because the bicycle is going to take more damage in an accident. For me the real test of "dangerous" is what will do more damage when it hits me.
 
quote:
Originally posted by bdleonard:
In my opinion, you've gotten it exactly backwards. Its not the small economy car that's dangerous. The dangerous vehice is 2+ ton behemoth. If the moron in the Excursion had been driving a reasonably sized vehice everybody in the accident would likely have walked away OK.

Your argument is like saying that a bicycle is more dangerous then an Abrams tank because because the bicycle is going to take more damage in an accident. For me the real test of "dangerous" is what will do more damage when it hits me.
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Exactly! There is absolutely no reason to drive a 3 or 4 ton SUV get the kids to scholl and buy groceries.
 
quote:
Originally posted by MaximaGuy:
... an engine that grinds for ten seconds before firing up wastes enough gas to take you two miles.
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This implies that roughly 10 ounces of fuel is pumped through the engine during 10 seconds of cranking. I find that hard to believe.
 
One way to save gas is to buy a small car. Then you need to get all the pickup and suv drivers to promise not to run you over. Some drivers treat owning a two+ ton vehicle as a a right-of-passage. They pull out in front of you, tail-gate you and put you into situations where you can end up getting seriously killed or faitally injured. Picking a car for mileage can be dangerous. Example? A few months ago, on the freeway a lady driving an Excursion hit a Civic just ahead of me, never hit the brakes until after punting the stop[ped Civic. The Ford was damaged a bit, the Civic was distroyed. I stopped to help the Civic driver until help arrived. The Civic driver is in for a painful recovery in the hospital and the Excursion driver was upset because her phone call was interuppted and she could not find her cell phone. The hit was hard enough to set off the Excursion's air bag and bend up the front end a bit, but the Civic was smashed into a ball that had to be cut open to extract the driver. Good gas mileage can be dangerous.
 
Build a circuit that delays the rising edge of the oxygen sensor signal, tricking the computer into running the engine lean.


p.s. I don't recommend violating emission control laws, or ignoring the resulting error code when the computer thinks the catalyst has stopped working due to the constant lean operation. Maybe you could make the circuit let the engine operate normally every once in a while, to solve this problem.
 
I think someone made an aftermarket device which does that(for "tuning" the air/fuel ratio). A low voltage from the oxygen sensor is interpreted by the computer as a lean condition and it'll seek to correct it by richening it, so you'd probably want to delay the falling edge of the oxygen sensor.

If you have a Ford vehicle, you can get an EEC-Tuner and modify the base fuel table.
 
I have a couple uncoventional tips to add to the mix: don't lollygag at stoplights, especially during rush hour, and don't drive more slowly than traffic. By accelerating slowly from a stop light or by not paying attention and waiting several seconds after the light turns green, you could cause someone to get stuck at the light who otherwise would have made it through, causing him to waste gas. If you're driving slower than traffic, you're going to cause people to slow down behind you, then accelerate to pass, again wasting their gas.

The main point is think of the big picture. In my experience, 99.999999999% of drivers don't do this. It would be nice to see that change, though.
 
quote:
Buy a can of fix a flat and keep your cell phone charged.
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Fix a flat ruins your tires.

Surprised I have not seen this recommendation yet.

Drive slower on the freeway.

Also;

ARX

Also,

Remove excess weight from your car; extra seats, carpet, headliner, door panels, Mother-in-law.
 
quote:
Originally posted by brianl703:
A low voltage from the oxygen sensor is interpreted by the computer as a lean condition and it'll seek to correct it by richening it, so you'd probably want to delay the falling edge of the oxygen sensor.
Click to expand...
That's it.

It should cost about $20 in parts to build this thing.

Another thing I'd like to build is a circuit that corrects the frequency response curve of an aging oxygen sensor.
 
quote:
Originally posted by oilyriser:

quote:
Originally posted by brianl703:
A low voltage from the oxygen sensor is interpreted by the computer as a lean condition and it'll seek to correct it by richening it, so you'd probably want to delay the falling edge of the oxygen sensor.
Click to expand...
That's it.

It should cost about $20 in parts to build this thing.

Another thing I'd like to build is a circuit that corrects the frequency response curve of an aging oxygen sensor.
Click to expand...
I would expect a check engine light to be the probable result of such a contraption. Computers commonly keep track of how often an O2 sensor varies above and below 5 volts. If that rate slows down too much, you'll get a CEL for a slow responding O2 sensor. Along the same line, if it's constantly reading rich, that could throw a code, too.
 
"There is absolutely no reason to drive a 3 or 4 ton SUV get the kids to scholl and buy groceries."

I'll beat this horse everytime I see it.... I dropped my daughter off at school this morning in a 3/4 ton pickup that probably weighs 7000 lbs empty. Should I have purchased another car to deliver her to school ? We bought the truck as we were taking both cars on trips, and while each Taurus currently gets 26 to 28 mpg on the highway the combined mileage is obviously half that; 13 to 14 mpg. In town each car only gets about 19 to about 22 mpg as we live on a hill, and mileage suffers a lot depending on how many trips we make.

We get 19 to 20 mpg in the truck on the highway and 17 to 18 mpg in town, as the diesel doesn't seem to notice hills or payload that much. A minivan didn't have the space or payload that we needed, and wouldn't be as versatile anyway. I could probably get low 20s in the flatlands at 60 to 65 mph. It seems dumb to buy yet another car for short trips when the mileage won't be that much better in town, and per the EPA ratings that I've seen I get as good or better mileage in town as a lot of sporty type cars. So, if you're going complain about mileage you'll need to include Audis, BMWs, Jags, etc., in your complaints.
 
Carpooling will do more to increase mileage than anything else, besides having your vehicle towed :^) Maybe a semi with a 'train' of several cars or a 'ferry' consisting of a modified car hauler can reduce fuel use. A semi 'train' or 'ferry' of carpoolers will save even more.

New business anyone ?

I plan on keeping the the junk in the trunks; blanket, some water, extra gloves/sweater/watch caps, fire extingusher, first aid kit, garbage bags, some tools, bit of rope, a tarp, etc., as they get used. Judging from what happened in New Orleans I'll probably add another box of ammo.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Matt_S:
I have a couple uncoventional tips to add to the mix: don't lollygag at stoplights, especially during rush hour, and don't drive more slowly than traffic.
Click to expand...
If people would pretend that someone is trying to pass them when accelerating from traffic lights, most of the backup I encounter on my drive home would not happen. At one light in particular, which is almost always backed up, it's a common sight to see someone lollygaging to the point where they're 200 feet behind the car in front of them. Part of that also is caused by people who do not get in the correct lane for the exit..ie, in the left lane but want I66 west, or in the right lane but want I66 east, so they have to cross three lanes of traffic. I might suggest sticking a post-it note to the dashboard if they really can't remember from one day to the next what lane they should be in to go home.
 
quote:
Originally posted by 1sttruck:
"There is absolutely no reason to drive a 3 or 4 ton SUV get the kids to scholl and buy groceries."

I'll beat this horse everytime I see it.... I dropped my daughter off at school this morning in a 3/4 ton pickup that probably weighs 7000 lbs empty. Should I have purchased another car to deliver her to school ? We bought the truck as we were taking both cars on trips, and while each Taurus currently gets 26 to 28 mpg on the highway the combined mileage is obviously half that; 13 to 14 mpg. In town each car only gets about 19 to about 22 mpg as we live on a hill, and mileage suffers a lot depending on how many trips we make.

We get 19 to 20 mpg in the truck on the highway and 17 to 18 mpg in town, as the diesel doesn't seem to notice hills or payload that much. A minivan didn't have the space or payload that we needed, and wouldn't be as versatile anyway. I could probably get low 20s in the flatlands at 60 to 65 mph. It seems dumb to buy yet another car for short trips when the mileage won't be that much better in town, and per the EPA ratings that I've seen I get as good or better mileage in town as a lot of sporty type cars. So, if you're going complain about mileage you'll need to include Audis, BMWs, Jags, etc., in your complaints.
Click to expand...
First of all im talking about SUVs not heavy duty diesel pickups. Diesel pickups are generally much more expensive than your typical Yukon or Expedition. There is not employee discount on diesel pickups. Secondly, you probaly have a need for that 7000lb vehicle and it gets much better fuel economy than a large gas powered SUV. My Yukon driving co worker is happy to see 10mpg in her daily commute. And you can't include "Audis, BMWs, Jags, etc" becuse even a V8 model still gets well over 20mpg.
BMW 7 series: 17/25
AUDI A8: 18/24
Jaguar XJ: 18/28
Mercedes S class: 17/26
There is no excuse for driving a truck based SUV.
 
Things I've done recently to help mpgs of my Volvo:

Tire pressure(as mentioned earlier) -
I bumped up my TP from 32psi to 36psi(max on my tires is 38psi). I check TP every other day.

Slooooow drivin' -
I'll admit this has been difficult for me to do. I installed a performance exh. system on the car last year and I love to make it sing. Since I have no tachometer, I now listen to it to make sure I keep her under 3k rpms as much as possible.

Changed trans. & diff. fluids -
Probably won't make too much of a difference, but I swapped out the OE 90W diff oil for 75W90 M1 gear oil.

Finally...(don't laugh)...Wax the car
lol.gif

That's right, fresh coat of Liquid Glass sealant. The painted finish is now slicker than a brand new Teflon skillet. Of coarse, the Volvo 240 does have the same aerodynamic characteristics as a cinder block...but I'll take all the help I can get.

Also in the works, I plan on removing the OE roof rack. I obtained an aftermarket plug kit to fill in the holes once the rack is removed.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Matt_S:

quote:
Originally posted by oilyriser:

quote:
Originally posted by brianl703:
A low voltage from the oxygen sensor is interpreted by the computer as a lean condition and it'll seek to correct it by richening it, so you'd probably want to delay the falling edge of the oxygen sensor.
Click to expand...
That's it.

It should cost about $20 in parts to build this thing.

Another thing I'd like to build is a circuit that corrects the frequency response curve of an aging oxygen sensor.
Click to expand...
I would expect a check engine light to be the probable result of such a contraption. Computers commonly keep track of how often an O2 sensor varies above and below 5 volts. If that rate slows down too much, you'll get a CEL for a slow responding O2 sensor. Along the same line, if it's constantly reading rich, that could throw a code, too.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure, but newer cars might already compensate for a sluggish O2 sensor by inserting a filter in the signal processing steps. It's like a hearing aid for people who can't hear the highs anymore, and would extend the useful life of the O2 sensor by quite a bit.
 
quote:
Originally posted by unDummy:

When gas hits $5+ a gallon, the SUVs will slowly be put out to pasture or recycled into 2-3 "small cars".....
Click to expand...
Just went over the $1.40 per litre here. $5.30 per US gallon.
 
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