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I came from gassavers.org

I saw most of the members post here too.

I own a 99' nissan altima, automatic. Really heavy, gas guzzler. So far I've just replaced maintenance parts and saw my mpg go up. Changing the engine coolant temperature sensor alone yielded 2mpg. I of course did some weight reduction. Took some stuff out of the engine bay, took the spare, jack too. I did some aero modifications. I made a belly. Not welding was required, no duct tape required too. I also made 2 front undertrays, they require a lot of duct tape. The only negative about my car is it's an auto, If I had a manual I would easily be in the 40's because where I drive I can kill the motor and just coast. But I have an auto so it's not possible. I did a bunch of MPG stuff, but since I drive mostly on the street it's not shining. I drive about 70% on the street. I went from 24mpg, the EPA mixed is 25mpg but my car never got that. My last tank was 29.92mpg, which was 70% city.

Now for some pics.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/covered1_Pic.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/Compaq888/DSC00006.jpg

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/covered2_Pic.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/Compaq888/DSC00008.jpg

Edited (2) pics to match format of the other 2 with resize.

Good work on your car. On this site we tend to focus on driving technique first and mods second (this is so we don't take people away from gassavers.org which seems to focus on mods).

I notice by looking at the database that you don't do DWB you should as its free and just requires a little effort.

One thing I found when driving automatics is that I try to get it to shift to the highest gear (usualy around 40mph) and then keep just enough gas where I am slowly decelerating. This helps me out when I have a long strech of 30 or 40mph road. If you are block to block stop signs this won't help, but if you have any longer streches it helps alot.

I do drive without brakes, I rarely use them. When I see a red light I just coast to it and by the time I get to it It's green and I just keep going. When I do finally get into my top gear I keep it at about 40mph which is like 1300rpm. It's really hard to accelarate slow because I live in the city there is always a mob of cars behind me.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

Getting virtually 30mpg in an automatic sedan is doing good! :)

Compaq,,, Welcome to cleanmpg.

This is a great place to discuse tatics and such.

I like your mods.

Im puzzled to why you dont coast the altima? Ive coasted every automatic tranny car Ive ever owned except the one CVT.

Xcel and I coast our I4, 5AT Accords. Xcel coast's his ALOT more than I do. But I coast and restart at higher speeds than he does. Mines coming up on 27k miles and not nary a problem with the tranny.

have fun
psy

sorry I couldn't reply. Here is the car in it's current state.


http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=1020

Welcome to the site, Compaq!

I'm a fellow automatic-sedan owner as well (after my Camaro 5-speed took its own life in a engine meltdown at 53K).

I've been getting 32-33 MPG (60% highway, 40% city) in the 1999 Taurus I currently drive. While it isn't easy, just employ some of the common techniques you see here and you'll see your MPGs skyrocket. I strongly suggest FAS if you have the opportunity. Also, DWL is a great way to get some points. I see you've already uncovered DWB and slow, gradual acceleration. In my opinion, those are the two best techniques one can use to increase their FE.

When my father drove the Taurus, he consistently got 24-26 MPG with similar driving conditions, and he isn't a leadfoot by any stretch.

Good luck, and glad to have you on board!

After I fix my fender bender I will see what I can do to improve my fuel economy even more. With the condition the car is now it's not going to get any good fuel economy.

Compaq,
A dented fender and bent hood will not effect your FE significantly. Aero drag just starts to kick in at 45 MPH so city driving wont be affected at all. At highway speeds, a deformed profile due to collision damage will make a small difference, but not more than 1 MPG at 65 MPH IMO. Don't let this be an excuse not to try.

Compaq,
A dented fender and bent hood will not effect your FE significantly. Aero drag just starts to kick in at 45 MPH so city driving wont be affected at all. At highway speeds, a deformed profile due to collision damage will make a small difference, but not more than 1 MPG at 65 MPH IMO. Don't let this be an excuse not to try.

Did you also know that the frame is bent?
I also took my aero mods off because the car has to go to the body shop.
When everything goes back on the car then I will get back to driving like I did before.

That doesn't make any sense. Frames don't just bend from little fender benders like this one. It takes a LOT of energy to do damage to the substructure. We're talking about an extremely severe collision, not being backed into at low speed.

That doesn't make any sense. Frames don't just bend from little fender benders like this one. It takes a LOT of energy to do damage to the substructure. We're talking about an extremely severe collision, not being backed into at low speed.

The car that backed into me was a mid 1950's Chevy. The metal is real strong on those cars.