Welcome to CleanMPG Primer

Fossil · #31 04-14-2011, 09:18 PM

Hi,

Recently got a 2011 Nissan Xterra 2WD. Have been looking at these for years, but was never excited about the EPA mileage. My old Subaru outback finally gave up at 228K miles, so I got the Nissan. I currently commute 46 mi. round trip, but will be retiring in a couple months. I consider myself a mature driver, but have not studied the science of getting better mpg. After running out the first tank of high test that the Nissan dealership put in, I wanted to get a baseline combined mpg rate. I expected 17, but got 22! Second tank had more city use than the first, but I still got 20. I am looking forward to learning new techniques, and will be ordering the ScanGague soon. BTW, when I see car ads on TV I often tell friends about a '95 Honda Civic DX I had that got 44 mpg "right out of the box".

msirach · #32 04-14-2011, 10:45 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG!
The Primer is the right place to start. Good luck with the Xterra. I had 3.0L in a Frontier and it really liked fuel. The 2011 model should be much better than the 2001 model.

msirach · #33 04-18-2011, 02:35 PM

Welcome to CleanMPG! If you can't find the info you're looking for, just ask.
The link in my sig will point you to a lot of the great info here.

Good Luck!

robaroni · #34 07-03-2011, 11:04 AM

Hello Everyone,
My name is Rob and I've been involved in energy conservation for a long time. I'm now retired (electronic engineer) and off the grid running PV and soon wind.
I have a 2006 Subaru Outback that gets us around in the winter. It's 4WD and it gets OK mileage.
I want to build an EV but right now I just fixed up my mom's old Honda Accord hatchback from 1984. I see the EPA on this was 41 hwy for the automatic but I'm looking to do much better. I'll pump up the tires and I just put synthetic in the tranny and engine (10w 30 Mobil 1) but I'm thinking about going to 0-30 or 0-40 Mobil 1 in the future. The car is in great shape and only has 37k mile on it. I originally gave it to a kid who overheated it and blew the head gasket which I replaced. The car runs pretty well now but I want to let it run in awhile longer before I adjust the valves.
I was wondering if there is an mpg gauge around for this car without the OBDll sensor technology. I see Whitney sells a vacuum gauge, is the best i can hope for without designing my own guage?

Rob

ItsNotAboutTheMoney · #35 07-03-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robaroni

Hello Everyone,
My name is Rob and I've been involved in energy conservation for a long time. I'm now retired (electronic engineer) and off the grid running PV and soon wind.
I have a 2006 Subaru Outback that gets us around in the winter. It's 4WD and it gets OK mileage.
I want to build an EV but right now I just fixed up my mom's old Honda Accord hatchback from 1984. I see the EPA on this was 41 hwy for the automatic but I'm looking to do much better. I'll pump up the tires and I just put synthetic in the tranny and engine (10w 30 Mobil 1) but I'm thinking about going to 0-30 or 0-40 Mobil 1 in the future. The car is in great shape and only has 37k mile on it. I originally gave it to a kid who overheated it and blew the head gasket which I replaced. The car runs pretty well now but I want to let it run in awhile longer before I adjust the valves.
I was wondering if there is an mpg gauge around for this car without the OBDll sensor technology. I see Whitney sells a vacuum gauge, is the best i can hope for without designing my own guage?

Rob

Welcome to CleanMPG.

MPGuino is an MPG gauge that can be installed in cars that are pre OBDII.

SoSlo · #36 08-31-2011, 09:26 PM

Hi All,

I first heard of hypermiling from an article in Mother Jones magazine. I recognized several things which I regularly do, like coasting and avoiding the brakes from my days driving in snow.

My only car is a 2004 Sienna Minivan which came with a fuel gauge, only because I wanted stability control and it was packaged together with about $3000 of other items. My gauge averages about 26 mpg, but as calculated at the fuel pump, more like 22 in mostly city driving.

The first brakes on the car lasted over 90k miles, and the dealer said they are typically replaced every 25-30k for everyone else.

Recently, I got some fuel-max technology tires because I saw they were standard on the cruze eco and ford high mileage cars. Jury is still out, and they are very noisy and handling is much worse than the stock dunlops. Maybe I should try higher pressure.

Other than ridge running in my heavily rutted by buses streets, if nobody is behind me I take a good long time to get to 60 mph.

I would be interested in a few techniques which may work with my Sienna, with its massive size and barn-door aerodynamics. A 1 or 2 mpg increase would be a coup.

Robert

daveghnz · #37 09-16-2011, 10:04 AM

Many thanks to CleanMPG for accepting my invitation. I hope to use this medium to learn more and also give/get assistance and solutions.

BigShow67 · #38 03-27-2012, 01:36 PM

Hi, just joined a few days ago. Thanks for the welcome. My ride is new, a 2011 Scion x/b with 3,500 miles on it. Looks and rides great, but the MPG has not pleased me. I have struggled to get 20 MPG out of it. I have been driving it like an old lady trying to see if I can get the MPG up, but nothing works. What could be wrong with this car other than a leaking gas tank or fuel line? I need help. Want to have some ideas before I take this gas hog back to the dealer where I bought it.

ksstathead · #39 03-27-2012, 03:21 PM

What tire pressure are you running? Make sure at least door placard, and many here including me look more to the maximum on the sidewall or between those two levels. Anything below placard is death to fuel economy. More air helps.

If psi ok, try this: On an empty street, get your speed up to 20 or more mph, throw it in neutral, and see if it feels like you are gliding freely or do you perceive negative g's which might indicate a brake dragging or something draggy in the drivetrain.

If that checks out ok, then check your oil level. It ought not be above full.

At idle, does the engine sound smooth and quiet?

If none of the above helps, time to check the MAF sensor and throttle body to see if they need cleaning.

Of course, if you have a scangauge, you can test your steady state fuel economy at various speeds. They should be above EPA until higher 70+mph runs.

You could have an alignment issue; does the steering pull left or right?

You could have a tire balance issue; any vibration?

You could have a bad plug or plug wire.

So many choices! Good luck!

Also, if this is stop & crawl or other urban traffic disaster, then don't condemn the car until you get out in the open and test it. Also, consider driving more aggressively than an old lady (accelerate faster), but cut to a glide (N or DFCO) at a lower speed.

BigShow67 · #40 03-29-2012, 01:35 PM

ksstathead, thanks for the advice. I will be checking the tire pressure first, then the drag test. I have a hunch this is the reason the car was traded after 3,300 miles. I am also going to have the timing checked, it might have come from the factory with a timing belt that was installed improperly causing the timing to be advanced, hence increased performance and greatly decreased FE. Thanks again. I will let you know the results.