What can I do?

[agentorange2208]

I am a newbie here that has a 93 Nissan Sentra XE 4Dr and want to get the best gas millage out of it that I can. I have just installed a short RAM air intake and I think next I will get the best spark plugs and wire I can buy. Can anyone else make some suggestions to me and point out what else I can do to get more MPG? I saw that one guy on here gets 80 on just gas alone! Any help or a point in the right direction would be awesome. Thanks guys............Brian

Oh by the way I usually get 300 miles city driving or 400 miles highway on a full tank of gas which is 13 or 15 gallons I believe. Hope that helps.

[brucepick]

Hi! and welcome to GasSavers!

We're dedicated to improved mpg here; I think you already know that.

My tips for a noob?

In this forum [General Fuel Economy Discussion] have a look at the two stickies at the top of the list of threads. That's the list of gas saving tips from best to worst and GS FAQ/Glossary, Busted/Confirmed Mods. I think the two together will give you a good basic education.

Look up your car's EPA estimate on the EPA site
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bymod...emodelNF.shtml
See if you're doing better than the estimate. I think the typical driver is getting less than the EPA estimate, by building your skill you can do better than EPA.

Measuring your mpg: You can't judge by how many miles till gauge reads 1/4 or empty or whatever. Here's the basic method:

Standardize your fillip method. I stop at the first click of the pump handle. I also squeeze handle moderately so it doesn't gush in fast and trip the handle early. Pick your own method but be consistent. I recommend against filling till it's all the way up in the neck, too easy to waste fuel that way. Also it's good to always use the same pump or gas station, if that works for you.

Top off your tank. Zero the trip odometer or note the odometer mileage in a log. Now you're set so at next fillup you can get a meaningful mpg number.

When ready for the next fillup, note the miles driven. Zero the trip odometer if you're using it to track mpg. Fill and note the gallons. Now do the math, divide miles by gallons. Every fillup after that, you can do the same and get your mpg.

My own first tip for nearly anyone getting started? Pump your tires to "max sidewall". Check again when cool and top off as needed. This is usually worth more for improved FE than anything you can buy in a store.

Then start reading in the two stickies I mentioned. Driving technique is key. Learn basic techniques first. Driving for fuel economy becomes a priority, and starts to become a habit. You gradually get out of habits like chasing other cars and racing to/from stoplights. You can let others pass you, because you know you win the "contest" at the fuel pump.

Modifications can help but driving technique is key. I think a Sentra, even a '93, is going to have decent aerodynamics and be pretty decent for fuel economy - meaning you likely won't need to go nuts with modifications to improve your mpg.

Good Luck!

[slurp812]

Originally Posted by agentorange2208

I am a newbie here that has a 93 Nissan Sentra XE 4Dr and want to get the best gas millage out of it that I can. I have just installed a short RAM air intake and I think next I will get the best spark plugs and wire I can buy. Can anyone else make some suggestions to me and point out what else I can do to get more MPG? I saw that one guy on here gets 80 on just gas alone! Any help or a point in the right direction would be awesome. Thanks guys............Brian

Oh by the way I usually get 300 miles city driving or 400 miles highway on a full tank of gas which is 13 or 15 gallons I believe. Hope that helps.

Pump up the tires a bit, and drive like grandma. Read stuff in the forums. They helped me go from 25mpg to 37mpg with my 94 accord. Thats just over a few weeks time and I was close to 40mpg after a few tanks!

[unstable bob]

Give the car a good tune up. NGK plugs are good. Make sure all your filters are fresh or new. Use synthetic fluids when ever possible. And take some time and READ! READ! READ! as much as you can on these forums. You will learn A LOT!

[GasSavers_StanleyD]

Originally Posted by unstable bob

Give the car a good tune up. NGK plugs are good. Make sure all your filters are fresh or new. Use synthetic fluids when ever possible. And take some time and READ! READ! READ! as much as you can on these forums. You will learn A LOT!

Slurp and Bruce are right. My 98 Camry was giving me around 29/30. My last good tank was 37mpg in a car that rated 28 highyway (30 on old EPA). Remember the Camry is NOT a small economy car, although its good on gas considering its size. Im getting better mpg than most people with new Corollas that SUPPOSSEDLY get 40mpg.
All I did so far was slow down and add an extra 6psi in my tires. Some people have tires at 50 or 60 psi and I dont know how they do that. I added 6 extra psi to go from 32/30 front/rear to 38/32. The car drives the same and I dont notice much difference in ride comfort. Im thinking about adding an ADDITIONAL 2 psi now.

In conclusion, add extra psi, drive slower and keep car tuned (CHANGE AIR FILTER). Dirty filter ROBS you blind of mpg. I just installed stock K&N filter for my car and Im waiting to see results. But like I said BIG improvement was received from just psi and slower driving. Try P&G (pulse and glide) if you can and get a ScanguageII if you have $169.

Get rid of crap and extra weight in trunk. Extra weight hurts small economy cars more than it does bigger cars and SUVs

[Telco]

Originally Posted by StanleyD

I just installed stock K&N filter for my car and Im waiting to see results.

Oooh, not good. K&Ns aren't very good filters. On the Chevy full size trucks there is a problem with fine dust getting past the K&N, that does not get past a paper filter. If you do decide to keep using it, be careful of overoiling. If the car starts running funny after cleaning the filter, the MAF sensor wires (if your car has this) may be coated with oil from the filter. It's very easy to overoil one. And, while different vehicles will respond differently, my own 96 Tahoe never did see any improvements with the K&N at all. No power improvements, no mileage improvements. There might have been a 1 or 2 HP improvement, but there was not enough to feel a change with the SOTP meter.