yet another WAI experiment: Related discussion

[bowtieguy]

perhaps Sentra would be kind enough to put his car in the garage section and start a gas log. showing true scientific evidence of his claimed FE(scion) would be interesting to say the least!

[FrugalFloyd]

I already put links to both my cars' gas logs in the other WAI thread in this General Fuel Economy Discussion forum. Here's another link to my Scion's gas log. It's also on cleanmpg.com and fuelly.com. It just seems like a lot of work and redundancy to put the same data on gassavers, too.

There are more notes about my fill-ups in this gas log. Same car, just more data. Nitpick them all you want. I'll be happy to start a thread on how I do it.

[R.I.D.E.]

Hmmm 22 combined for a Sentra, compared to 18 combined for a 2001 Eldorado.

I guess my 84 year old mother did pretty good when she averaged 31 in her Eldorado.

Thats 172%.

regards
Gary

[FrugalFloyd]

Yes, your 84 year old mother could teach a lot of hypermilers some lessons. 31 mpg out of an 18 mpg rated car is darned impressive!

In all fairness to my 22 mpg Sentra, it was the thirstiest model in the line-up, with an engine displacement 39% larger than standard. The 2002 Sentra with the 1.8 L engine and MT is rated 27 mpg combined, and I beat that by 41%.

[R.I.D.E.]

You really should try WAI in your Sentra. Cars that are that thirsty and have such an overpowered engine are the ones that should respond the best to WAI.

I don't have the means to precisely measure the instantaneous mileage in my VX. The Insight has enough instrumentation to suit my purposes without any additional methods.

Can't I prove empirically that it works?

Nope.

Last two tanks in the VX were 55 MPG. Last year was the fourth wettest on record in Virginia, and it's been much colder than average. 9 inches of snow last Saturday and it has just begun to melt. They are calling for more snow this weekend.

I have about 40% of the radiator blocked, and a simple WAI that draws air from the top of the radiator when its not very cold. I use a short extension to draw air from the catalytic converter when it gets colder.

I applaud BEEF for his testing, and without trying to be critical, I wish it had been under extreme temperature differentials.

Bottom line for me is the overall cost. Last month our gas bill was under $150, about 30,000 miles a year for all 3 of our vehicles combined. That's about 2500 miles for 6 cents a mile.

It's also about 3% or our income for last year.

Lets focus on the real goals, which are to contribute towards energy independence.

regards
gary

[FrugalFloyd]

Actually, I am planning to put a WAI on my Scion. My Sentra's air intake splits into two, a round 3" intake over a larger rectangular one. Both take in air near the upper left corner of the radiator. There isn't any room to take hoses from there and route them to a warmer part of the engine compartment. The battery, radiator, and fenders close off the area.

The Scion looks do-able. Its 3" circular air intake also is located near the upper left corner of the radiator, but there's room to snake a hose back to the exhaust manifold.

[FrugalFloyd]

Originally Posted by bowtieguy

WAI: 2.7%
grill block: 4%
air dam extension: 1%
removed mud flaps: 2%
disabled DRLs: .5%

10.2% increase @ $12.50 investment...in addition to driving techniques. yup FANTASTIC job!!!

disclaimer: these results are specific to this driver and this vehicle, your results will vary.

My SE-R: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 73% increase @ $00.00 investment. $671.80 fuel savings.

My xB: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 63% increase @ $00.00 investment. $429.23 fuel savings.

[Project84]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

My SE-R: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 73% increase @ $00.00 investment. $671.80 fuel savings.

My xB: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 63% increase @ $00.00 investment. $429.23 fuel savings.

Your input: worthless.

This thread isn't about patting YOURSELF on the back... don't you think you've done enough of that lately? It's about his WAI experiment and results.

Also, these guys are probably telling the % increase based on their overall average MPG and the resulting increase from each mod... not just an "I get 952% over EPA." Most, if not all of us, were over EPA before joining this site. Most of the users here use their "baseline MPG" to build upon, instead of just using the EPA figures... half the time the EPA figures are a joke anyway, like the figures for both of your cars.

22mpg combined from your 6sp 2.5L Sentra w/ VVT and 28mpg from your 1.5L 5sp Scion w/ VVT? Give me a freakin break. I get 20mpg combined in my '94 Z28 6sp with pushrod power while romping on it, and my 1.9L A4 Saturn got 27mpg combined just driving it w/ no mods at all back when I first got it.

Don't over-inflate your ego too much or people might start thinking you're an airhead.

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

My SE-R: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 73% increase @ $00.00 investment. $671.80 fuel savings.

My xB: No mods. Driver behavior changes only. 63% increase @ $00.00 investment. $429.23 fuel savings.

you live in san fransisico and the tempurature is always the same, you dont need mods nearly as much as someone from new england

also how much did those two cars cost you? I bought my car with the $429 you saved

[FrugalFloyd]

The cold, hard, facts show I've forgotten more about driving for fuel economy than you've learned, John. You're still smarting from your inability to back up your supposed 50% mpg gain (31 mpg to 46 mpg, lest you forget) from a WAI/HAI.

My point in posting my no-mods gains is not to brag. It's to emphasize that most eco-mods are mouse milk (projects like Basjoos' AeroCivic and Darin's Metro excepted) compared to the massive FE gains achievable by simply driving smarter. It's not my fault that you have an inability to analyze facts, and an ego problem that results in personal attacks on people who disagree with you.