Hi i'm new here.

[Angmaar]

Hi I recently joined and I hope to learn a lot. I have a 2009 Ford Focus and so far I have been getting around 27-29mpg. I hope to do some modifications to it to get even more mpg out of the car.

[FrugalFloyd]

Welcome, Angmaar. Is your Focus a manual or automatic transmission? What is your normal driving commute? What are you doing now for fuel economy? (tire inflation, coasting, driving speeds)

[Angmaar]

The Focus is an automatic transmission. I don't really drive that much because I just got my temps so I am learning to drive. (Are there any good hyper milling habits I should get into?) Right now I am coasting up to red lights, accelerating a bit "easier" and driving the speed limit.
I plan on pumping up the tires to the max PSI and adding synthetic oil. I've never changed oil before so what type of synthetic oil and oil filter should I use?

[FrugalFloyd]

It sounds like you're doing all the right things. Buy an oil that meets your mfr's specifications and viscosity ratings. My cars specify ILSAC-4 oil, 5W-20W viscosity.

Accelerate gently, so your engine never exceeds 2000 rpm except in top gear. That will keep the transmission's torque converter from slipping, and from downshifting.

Shift to neutral when coasting and it's safe. Buy a Scangauge II when you have the money.

Enjoy the mileage game, and plan on learning to drive a manual transmission eventually if you want to get the absolute best mileage without buying a hybrid or electric car.

[NotYourDay]

I have a question too, As far as automatic transmissions, what is the best things to do to get the MPG's other than what has been already mentioned.

I already play the "mileage game" by knowing about how far a tank gets me and going off the trip odometer to get a rough estimate of how much MPG's I am getting. I guess I am kind of at a disadvantage because of two factors as well. I have a V6 in the GP and I am saving every cent to get the GTO I want so the scanning device is out of the question. So like I said earlier, is there any other simple things (no injector cut off switch, ect..) that I can do. My Gp is an auto... well, every GP unless converted is an auto.

[Ford Man]

Originally Posted by Angmaar

. I've never changed oil before so what type of synthetic oil and oil filter should I use?

I've never used synthetic, but I've heard that Pennzoil Platinum has one of the best additive packages in their synthetic oil of any oil you can buy at your local Walmart or auto parts store. I've got over 500K miles out of the engine on my '88 Escort without a rebuild using dino 10w40, so I say, why ruin a good thing.

[theholycow]

If you're a new driver, you should probably not concentrate too hard on fuel economy until you have a lot of miles of experience driving with more normal priorities.

[rgathright]

Welcome Angmaar to the forums.

One trick I learned was driving 1/2 mile ahead of myself. I use that to coast up to stop lights and prevent hard acceleration on take offs.

For now though, I suggest driving a little more and learning how to watch for cel-phone drivers or distracted people altogether. You will be rewarded with a good driving record if you do so.

[bobc455]

Pretend you have an egg between your foot and the gas pedal...

-BC

[Jay2TheRescue]

The "virtual egg" works on some vehicles, and on some it doesn't. It works great on my Buick, but on my 4x4 pickup mileage actually goes down. The truck gets its best mileage by giving 25%-30% throttle, and get into a higher gear quicker.