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I'm new here and am looking for ideas to improve the FE of my 2002 Buick LeSabre with a 3800-V6. It does pretty well, but I'm convinced that I can improve with different driving techniques etc.

I've noticed that there are others here with 'regular' cars as well.

Yes, there is a mixed bag here between hybrid and non-hybrid owners.

The first thing we tell every one is pump up the air in your tires to max sidewall rating. Some people feel this is harsh, and if you find it too harsh lower it slightly until you find your level of tollerance.

The next thing you can do is lower your speed. If you normaly travel at 70mph try 65. The lower the speed you can go on the highway the better. See how low you can go and still feel safe.

For city driving try to make it a contest with the other drivers as to who can get to the stop light last ;) There is no need to zip up to the stoplight only to slam on the brakes to stop in time. Try a two stage aproach to braking. First take your foot of the gas and coast a bit. Then slowly apply brakes. Also, if you can, try to time the lights so they turn green by the time you get there. No point going 45 up to a light and waiting there a few minutes.

Let us know what your route is and what you face in your commute and we can pipe in with more tips.

Hi Kevin:

___You came to the right place … I drove a rented Malibu w/ the 3.5 V6 - 4-speed Auto (EPA rated 22/32 city/highway) and less then 300 miles on the odo around the San Francisco area a few months ago. I topped it off right out of the Avis lot. I did not have the ability to set it up properly so it was a battle but the 100 + miles my family and I traveled included many miles of downtown 1 block to a light, 1 block to the next light, repeat conditions. Once the week was up, I refilled (top off) and ended up with a decent 34.x mpg.

___The one excellent item is you own a GM Auto tranny. I have not driven a mid-size GM Auto without walking away thinking that the transmission was one of the best in the business. This allows you options many other’s with Auto’s may not have.

___Finally, welcome to CleanMPG. After you have read the “Beating the EPA” article, I am sure you will have a much better understanding the means to beat the EPA estimates without much more then a slight change in setup and using some of the techniques described. We can build a case study for you once you have setup your Buick as it should be.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Kevin,

I'd also try to keep a fairly steady speed.

Was at Lowe's yesterday evening and a guy was pulling about 500 pounds of merchandise. He definitely want's to have constant momentum! ;)

We can build a case study for you once you have setup your Buick as it should be.


**evil laugh**

Yesss, the treatment.

Wayne and the others have a vast amount of experience and knowledge. Read through the threads and listen to what they tell you, and very interesting things will happen ;)

Welcome!

**evil laugh**

Yesss, the treatment.

I'll go and prepare the Kool-Aid...

i started improving my mileage thanks to the experts on this site, hope the same will come to you!

welcome

Thanks for the welcome! Any improvement would be welcome. I'm a salesperson who puts on about 30K miles per year and cycle through quite a few cars. I typically get rid of them around 170K. I'm just shy of 80K, so I have a ways to go yet.

Have you tried any of the techniques mentioned so far? Are any of them good for you? Which ones don't you like and don't want to do?

Everyone has their limits on what they will and won't do for FE (that is except wayne/xcel).