I can't break 26mpg

[SVOboy]

Sounds about right, haha. Ever think about patching up the underside of your car to reduce drag?

[Compaq888]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

Sounds about right, haha. Ever think about patching up the underside of your car to reduce drag?

What can I use and does anybody have any pictures as a reference. Btw, the ground clearance is 6 inches.

[SVOboy]

You can use some really tough plastic or aluminum. Just get under there and look for all the not flat places and cover them up. You just use self tapping screws (they drill their own holes) and whack them in there. Just make sure you treat the areas with some junk to keep water from getting all over the screw holes.

[Compaq888]

How much of an increase can I expect in mpg from making the bottom of the car flow more?

Also any other advice that I can do that is cheap or free?

And why is it better to be at 2800-3200 rpm to receive better fuel economy when mine is at 1800 for better fuel economy. I notice civics drive at 3000rpm on the freeway and receive great fuel economy, while if I drive at 3000rpm it would waste a lot of gas.

[rh77]

I just got back from a trip and rented an '05 Altima 2.5S. This thing had gobs of torque -- I'm told that the reason is the muffler (with a spring-loaded valve that holds back-pressure until higher RPMs release the valve to improve high-end). If your model has the same muffler, maybe there's too much backpressure? Honestly I chirped the tires accidentally several times -- much more exciting that the Buicks they usually stick me with. I ended up with 21 mpg with mostly city driving and being in a hurry most of the time.

Anyways, check your tire pressure and stay at or above 40 pounds. Perhaps a different muffler with more free-flow could improve cruising (so the engine is not working so hard to push out that exhaust). Maybe I'm way off here...someone back me up on this (or disprove it, I don't mind).

-RH77

[SVOboy]

My 1.5 liter can go 3k and getter much better mileage than your 2.4 liter just because it makes less power. Simple as that, plus it weighs less and blah blah blah. I dunno to be honest how much the decreased drag will help. Ernie Rogers on here has done some crazy drag stuff and gained a ton, but he had this huge wing too, this is something I plan on testing down the road.

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by SVOboy

My 1.5 liter can go 3k and getter much better mileage than your 2.4 liter just because it makes less power. Simple as that, plus it weighs less and blah blah blah. I dunno to be honest how much the decreased drag will help. Ernie Rogers on here has done some crazy drag stuff and gained a ton, but he had this huge wing too, this is something I plan on testing down the road.

He hit the nail on the head with ths one. The difference between your engine and my engine is the size. When I had my wrangler I had a ridiculously low idle, but I also had a 6 cylinder 4.0 Liter engine. I averaged 15 miles per gallon. I remember when I drove to Vegas from Southern California how excited I was to get 20 mpg. I definately don't miss that brick.

Honda's major MPG advantage has been their desire to stay with the smaller engines. Even their newest engine is a 1.8L which gets the fuel economy of a 1.5 and the power of a 2.0. I think Honda realized a long time ago that if people REALLY want power they will drop the engine in themselves. So far that is true.

If you are really serious about fuel economy you'll switch to a smaller engine/car. My 1989 four door sedan gets high 30's (maybe 36-38 mpg) in city driving (well, it used to before I had some engine problems). I'm certain I can get my car above 50mpg with a combination of proper driving, a new engine, a new transmission, and the new tires I plan on getting sometime soon.

So start small. The next time you get tires, spend the extra $10 per tire and get the tires with "Low Rolling Resistance." you'll probably notice a 3-4 mpg boost right away.

[Compaq888]

The tires I got right now are new. They are only 5k old. They perform better and they have a better grip in the rain.

I wanted to get the 06 civic with the new 1.8 liter which gets high 30's. They are lying about the power, it's actually more like 150-155hp I think they are saying it's lower for the insurance companies.

I'm really not going to get a different car so I can increase my mileage by 10mpg. I spend a boat load on this one and plan to keep it until I finish college or save up money. I just fixed the rust in the engine bay, changed the drivers door locks/window box, put newer hubcaps, paid for new registration.

My mom has the 2.5 altima, the car accelarates like a raped ape. If you put it manumatic mode be prepared to be pushed in the seat really hard. First 2 gears are REALLY torqey. The 2.5 altima is the crapiest car we ever owned. So far engine broke down 2 times and now we got a problem where there is loss of power at 3k+ and the dealer can't figure it out.

[SVOboy]

Haha, very interesting cars, these new cars. Sometimes I am tempted just to get some random dohc honda engine, turbo it, and drop it in, and I could still get 40 mpg driving conservatively and around 200 hp, but these new cars, meh. I spend less than half a percent of my time driving about 3k.

[Compaq888]

In my car I rarely see 2500rpm, it runs very rich.

Any more tips guys?