MPG tricks???

[LSTTYPE]

Hello everyone. I recently bought a 1998 Lesabre for 300 bucks that just needed a starter. The previous owners insisted that the motor was blown. Got it running and just took a road trip in it and to my surprise I got 39.7 mpg. I only drove 65 mph. My brother just bought a 2013 Fusion and my old man has a Ranger with a 4 banger that hes already gotten 36 mpg out of. Next month were all taking a road trip together and we are betting on who can get the best mpg. Are there any other tricks I can do to increase mpg? Im assuming cruise control lessons mpg? Tire pressure? BTW the best my 86 t-type got was 28mpg, again at 65-67 mph.

 

[turbo nasty]

Put a vac gauge in the car and keep the vac signal as high as possible when driving.

 

[novaderrik]

block off as much as the grille as you can get away with.. remove the passenger side mirror... make an air dam and side skirts out of lawn edging.. pump up tires to at least 35psi, but try 40 and see how it likes it.

my mom had a 99 LeSabre, and the best they ever got with it was 29 mpg on a leaisurely trip to Colorado a couple of summers ago..

 

[dr_frankenstein]

take all the crap you can out of the car! clean the trunk, pull all the extra seats! lighten that turkey up!

 

[Gary Wells]

Coast downhill & don't drive back up.

You got 28 out of a T-Type?
Coasting down Pikes Peak maybe.

 

[novaderrik]

if this is going to be primarily highway miles, then light weight isn't as important as limiting aero and mechanical drag..in fact, more mass might help to stabilize the speed as you go up and down hills due to it's momentum.
also, don't trust the readings on the mpg display if it has one... they tend to be a bit on the "generous" side... the only way to know your true mileage is to divide the miles traveled by the gallons of gas that are used... also, make sure the odometer is reading right- close to 40mpg would have to be a world record for a LeSabre...

 

[bison]

You would need to average a few tanks full to get any accuracy. Avoid oxygenated fuel. Rig up a lean cruise set up that runs open loop and target 15.5-16:1. Basically as lean as possible without lean misfire. Avoiding rapid throttle transition, and keeping the engine hot will increase mpg. Tailgating a trailer very close will help reduce air resistance. Ive gotten 33mpg on a summer cruise with a 3800 series 2 in my old park ave. 39mpg i doubt it. Even raising the CR, direct injecting, variable valve timing and other recent engine efficiency tactics wouldn't net 39mpg even with a very light foot. Youre limited to the engine design and fuel energy for the most part. Reducing resistance and keeping the engine hot will help but were talking .5-1mpg. Not 2-3mpg.

 

[fast86gn]

Coast downhill & don't drive back up.

You got 28 out of a T-Type?
Coasting down Pikes Peak maybe.

What's wrong with that? MY GN did 29mpg on the HRPT. If your getting 39 out of that boat leave it alone!

 

[LSTTYPE]

It honestly did get 39.7 on a little road trip. Like I mentioned, I kept my maximum speed at 65 mph. My rpms never saw 2k and at 65 mph the tach was at 1700. Coasted down hills and went 55 mph up big hills. It was all highway about 160 miles. Drove my wife crazy driving that slow though.

 

[czimpel]

This helped me.

 

[LSTTYPE]

Hmmm, i sure hope the odometer isnt off. I actually took pictures at the pump filling up before and after then simply divided the total miles by the gallons it took to fill up. I've heard of these motors getting upper 30s lower 40s before, not sure how they do it but I'm a believer now. Tire pressure was 38 psi. Had a trunk full of luggage, my wife and 3 kids in the back seat. Will try to duplicate or better next month when I do the trip again.

 

[groumoutis]

I try to hyper-mile the car on long road trips just to deal with the boredom. I have gotten 31mpg out of our Ford Flex with a N/A 3.5 liter. That's not too bad considering how heavy and brick shaped the flex is. The biggest killer I have found is braking. Brakes seem to waste the most fuel. If you can coast to a stop sign without making people behind you start shooting you will save a huge amount of fuel. Also if the brakes drag a little it will kill mpg's as well. These are fairly obvious ones but thought I would put them out there. My wife is either on the gas or the brakes. There is no in between to coast. We have compared her driving to mine to see who could get the best mpg's on the exact same route and I was able to 4 mpg's better than her and I am positive that is has to do with her inability to coast between stop signs and when slowing to a slower speed limit.

 

[novaderrik]

i've been known do do some hypermiling in the past- mostly out of boredom- and picked up 5mpg in a 97 Cavalier from just driving slower, coasting to stop signs and down hills, and doing my best to conserve momentum as much as possible.. i also gained an addition 5 mpg in that car by blocking off the grill, making an air dam out of an old Grand Am bumper, pulling the passenger side mirror off, and pumping the tires up to 40psi..
i got an extra 3mpg out of a 4 cylinder powered 87 Celebrity by blocking the grille and making an airdam and gurney flaps out of lawn edging.. this beast started out at 23mpg and was just under 27 after a little aero work: