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Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
The other problem I had is the stickies on most good boards are organized
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OK
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
To begin:
When thinking of how do increase mpg remember that, gas used is determined by load and RPM. Decreasing load and decreasing RPM are how you will improve mileage.
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This makes sense till you think about it. Gas use is determined exactly as above. *Useful Work* is not. E.g. an engine idling at 2200rpm uses less gas than an engine at half-throttle at 2200rpm. However, the engine idling has 0% efficiency, wasting all the gas that goes in, whereas the engine on half-throttle at 2200rpm is running at up to 40% efficiency
So, more is less in this case
[QUOTE=Spinningmarkviii;50303]1) Drive less aggressively, and just plain drive less. Keep RPMs down when accelerating, acceleration is where most of your gas is used. If you maintain a constant speed and accelerate tot hat speed at a slower rate your mpg will improve in a direct proportion to how much your driving style improves.{/QUOTE]
See above. Faster acceleration is more efficient than slower accleration, if done correctly.
[QUOTE=Spinningmarkviii;50303]3) Buy a car that gets decent mpg. Guess what? Your Chrysler 300C SRT-8 isn't ever gonna get 30mpg around town. Or 20. Buy something that will.{/QUOTE]
Most members here get 70-130% of the EPA, even in town. So, unless that Chrysler has less than 16mpg about town (EPA), then it will be getting 30 or more mpg around town.
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Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
10) Air dam blocking, I do not know much about this, obviously it is made to improve aerodynamics and therefore engine load. This can have some horrible effects, especially for your transmission. If you are going to do this you NEED to add a transmission cooler. A transmission cooler is a good idea anyway as it adds more fluid to the system, (and therefore more heat absorbing capacity) and will GREATLY increase transmission life in cars that do not have them from the factory. Obviously also if your cooling system isn't up to snuff this can cause decreased reliability, overheating engine knock leading to blown head gaskets, new engines, and new transmissions. I would strongly consider the potential costs that you could incur as a result of this mod for making a logical decision. However a hotter car will get better gas milage while it runs.
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A cars cooling system is designed for the hottest, most humid day, with the owner thrashing the car. So, if you are sympathetic to the car, and drive more gently, you can use a block. I have a partial front undertray, and 100% grille block, and my car doesn't overheat. I do get about 130% of the Town EPA mileage around town, however.
[QUOTE=Spinningmarkviii;50303]11) Drafting. No explanation needed here, but maybe your life isn't worth the extra 2-3 mpg? Again cost and benefits, if you are a bastard with no children and the world doesn't need you, draft all the semis you want.{/QUOTE]
I get 7-8mpg more drafting; I guess the faster the semi goes, the more gains you can get, but also the more dangerous it is. Here in the UK 'semis' go at 56mph by law (all electronically limited to 53mph in reality). Real 'hardocore' fuel savers do D-FAS (drafting with the engine off). This is seriously cool and everyone should do it
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Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
Some concerns from the other sticky: (I.E. **** that is just plain bad advice)
1) Spoilers as an aerodynamic mod.....this ADDS weight and ADDS drag. REMOVE spoilers to increase MPG not add them....duh...
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Kamm shaped spoilers decrease aerodynamic drag. Also, the little spoilers you find on most euro cars these days also decrease drag by promoting clean seperation of the air stream.
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Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
2) Solar cells for your battery, this will not decrease alternator load by any reasonable amount and is generally a retarded idea. The costs GREATLY outweighs the savings if there are any at all because of the weight you added and the cost of this mod. Genuinely horrible idea.
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Actually, this idea kicks a$$!. You could easily get 50W of solar cells, and, if you increase the efficiency of the electronics in the car (e.g. bulbs, more efficienct fuel pump), a significant amount of the energy will come from the sun (directly), rather than from the sun (indirectly from gas).
The second good point is this keeps the battery topped up (especially when engine-off-coasting), meaning less drag on the alternator when driving about.
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Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
4) Limit power use. Obviously not thought this one out . First, you overestimate the alternator load this causes. Enjoy your radio. The cooler air form driving at night will likely net you better mpg that the load caused by using your headlights... seriously think this out.
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The cooler air at night will - increase aerodynamic drag, increase 'pumping losses' from the engine (assuming you are maintaing a constant speed), and slightly worsen fuel vapourisation. The headlights, on the other hand (together with tail lights), will probably take about 300W (or about 0.5 BHP) from your engine, constantly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spinningmarkviii
5) Golf Ball Style Dimples........wtf?
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THis would work but I'm sure no-one could actually do it!
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Another controversial idea would be...
'Weight reduction is not always good. If you do a lot of driving in hilly country, with low traffic levels, slightly more weight will mean you can put more energy into your car, with the engine at the most efficient power setting, and then coast for longer with the engine off'. I did severe weight reduction (rear tyre, carpets, all seats except drivers, all plastic from boot etc). My best economy has actually happened since I put all the stuff back!