Improving MPG

[awschucks]

I have seen several posts on getting better mileage and I thought I would toss in my two cents:


You can waste your money on one of the 'programming chips' but most of them are just a simple $.02 resistor that fakes out the engine computer by changing the value of the incoming air temperature. If the ECU thinks it is 'hot' out it will lean the engine out and you get better mileage. That is until you burn a hole in a piston or other such stuff. Most vehicles today have knock sensors that retard the timing and if you run the engine lean it will retard the timing and there goes you gas savings.

Get a good air filter, get your tires pumped up to the rated pressure and then hypermile.

The best way to get better mileage is by do this:

How to Hypermile: 9 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

I have gotten up to 15mpg with my Lex doing this.

I have seen posts about drafting off of a semi and I have gotten 2 to 3 MPG better mileage doing this. However, some semi drivers do not like you on their bumper. I have seen a truck driver wait until the very last second to switch lanes when there is a traffic slow down or construction. You then find yourself looking at the back bumper of a stationary car from 20 feet away while you are doing 60. Not good for all. It has not happened to me, thankfully. It is not a restful way of driving either as you need to be constantly alert.

I have often thought about a spring loaded magnet that flies out from your bumper and hooks unto the semi. You then reel out 20 feet of cable and just enjoy the ride.

Dave

[great white]

Programming "chips" like you would buy on ebay are indeed a scam.

Now, a recalibration of the PCM is a different story....

[rbneron]

I seriously hope no one is considering drafting, particularly when towing a trailer! Is your life (or that of others) worth a few MPG?

[Dodge Guy]

I have gotten almost a 1mpg improvement with my programmer for my V-10. I would never draft a semi in a car and certainly not in an RV!

[DDC]

There is not a lot you can do, once you overcome the weight the rest is aerodynamics and while the sloped front, bubble front and lower height help you lose most of it from the suction created by the flat rear end, that is why towing trailers like airsteam get much better mileage.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Drafting an RV behind a semi to gain some MPG's?..."C'mon Man"!

[force]

Back in high school I had a friend in a VW Jetta draft semi's from MA all the way to FL, and he claimed he got almost 60 MPG doing it. In high school dollars, that's a fortune.

Would never do that pulling an RV though!

[awschucks]

Let's define drafting.

Not NASCAR drafting at 6 inches, but find a truck going the speed you want, say 50 MPH. Stay 9 to 11 car lengths behind and you will see an improvement in mileage. If you drive at 60, stay 10 to 12 car lengths behind. It would be insane to drive much closer than this, but I'm sure we have all seen people doing it.

It's not relaxing and I've done one time to see if it made a difference. Not restful to drive that way.

Not recommended with a 5th wheel as they don't stop as well as a class B does.

[rbneron]

Remember the two second rule? This is the minimum safe distance between two vehicles, and is roughly a car length apart every 5 miles an hour. I suspect that at those distances (10 car lengths at 50mph), there is little to no aerodynamic benefit by having another vehicle ahead of yours, even a semi trailer. And if towing or driving a RV, I'd want a greater margin of safety than 2 seconds.

I'm all for improving fuel efficiency, but there are better ways than attempting drafting with a RV.

[Dodge Guy]

Originally Posted by rbneron

Remember the two second rule? This is the minimum safe distance between two vehicles, and is roughly a car length apart every 5 miles an hour. I suspect that at those distances (10 car lengths at 50mph), there is little to no aerodynamic benefit by having another vehicle ahead of yours, even a semi trailer. And if towing or driving a RV, I'd want a greater margin of safety than 2 seconds.

I'm all for improving fuel efficiency, but there are better ways than attempting drafting with a RV.

I agree! When coming up behind a semi to pass you can feel the buffeting from the airflow coming around the truck. If you stay 150 feet behind a semi there will be no benefit!

[pmedic433]

For the gas burners you can try non ethanol gasoline. I realize its not available everywhere, but should be. I have noticed a 10% increase in my motorcycle and wife's car. Along with keeping the tires up, engine in tune, weight as low as possible, the largest effect I have had is keeping my foot off the skinny pedal. LOL!

[BuckeyeJeeper]

Booze fuel (ethanol blend) is NEVER a good idea!!!

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeJeeper

Booze fuel (ethanol blend) is NEVER a good idea!!!

Haven't seen non ethanol blend gas for years.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Haven't seen non ethanol blend gas for years.

Seen a few or so they say, trying to get a few boaters to stop in I guess.

@ OP, Georgia overdrive??

[Geri]

and a growing number of lawn machinery stores carry it.

[BuckeyeJeeper]

My condolences to you who can not get real fuel... I have only had trouble in Iowa - now I will likely see it more as I travel with the camper!!! (bummed)

[BeagleIL]

As time marches on, you'll get less and less benefit from trying to catch the slipstream of a tractor/trailer rig. Just about all of them are running the side skirts now on their trailers. Some are running the perforated mudflaps to let air through. And just about any time I hit the highway now, I'll see a rig that has the trailer tail on it.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeJeeper

My condolences to you who can not get real fuel... I have only had trouble in Iowa - now I will likely see it more as I travel with the camper!!! (bummed)

Don't know where you travel, we went from Concord, NC to Goshen, IN to Moline, IL to Knoxville, IA to Trenton, MO, to Lonoke, AR and back to NC around 3500 miles and never saw one station with non ethanol gas or on our way from NC to Orlando and back.

[pmedic433]

Pure-gas.org has a list and map of all the gas stations that offer E0 gasoline.

[wyo700]

My town used to have about half of the stations that were non ethanol stations now within the last month all stations are e10. I hate it. Looks like the money I will be saving will be going towards buying fuel treatments.