Ways To Improve Gas Mileage!!!
Air and Fuel
Since a gasoline engine is basically a glorified air pump, the amount and type of air you feed it is critical to performance. Factory air intakes are designed with noise reduction and cost in mind, not airflow. A high-flow, reusable filter element is a good place to start your upgrade program-the extra airflow can improve both power and fuel economy. The next step up is a cold air intake system. It replaces the restrictive factory air intake with a high-flow filter element and a larger diameter intake tube to draw in colder, denser air. Cold, dense air holds more oxygen-oxygen the engine can use to make more power. A cold air intake will improve throttle response and overall drivability as well, and fuel mileage should increase if you stay out of the throttle.
Exhaust System
Just like getting more air into an engine, getting more of the spent exhaust gasses out of it will improve an engine's power and efficiency. The most effective way to do that is by replacing the factory exhaust system with a high-flow, cat-back exhaust system. As the name implies, a cat-back replaces the factory pipes from the catalytic converter(s) back. It features larger-diameter pipes and free-flowing mufflers to better scavenge exhaust gas from the engine. Better exhaust scavenging lets the engine pull a fresh air/fuel charge into the cylinder heads more quickly, which improves both power and mileage. A cat-back will make your car sound pretty cool, too.
Tuners and Programmers
One upgrade that can deliver power and mileage benefits with minimal effort is a tuner or flash programmer. They can improve performance by modifying the computer's fuel and timing calibrations; just hook one up to your vehicle's diagnostic port, choose a tuning level, and press a button. Power increases can be significant-anywhere from 20 to 100 horsepower-and some programmers have a fuel economy setting that can increase mileage by two to six miles per gallon. Most programmers can also reset or eliminate rev and top speed limiters, alter shift points for computer-controlled automatic transmissions, let you recalibrate a speedometer to compensate for new axle gear ratios and tire sizes.
Maintenance
Now we come to Part Two of the efficiency equation: maintenance. Changing your oil and oil filter regularly is a performance and mileage no-brainer. Clean oil reduces friction and wear, allowing the engine to rev cleanly and run at maximum efficiency. Switching to high-quality synthetic or synthetic blend oil is an excellent idea. Synthetic oil reduces friction and wear better than conventional oil, boosting both power and fuel mileage. We recommend changing your oil every 5,000 miles. We also recommend changing your fuel and air filter every 30,000 miles, and your transmission fluid every 45,000 miles.
Driving Habits
One of the biggest changes you can make to increase fuel economy is changing your driving habits. Here are just a few things you can do:
• Go easy on the gas and the brakes. Accelerate and stop gradually, and avoid sudden stops and long periods of idling. If you anticipate a lengthy wait, shut off the engine
• Limit warmup times in the winter whenever possible
• Use the air conditioning only when absolutely necessary, primarily on the highway where open windows creates fuel-consuming drag. In stop-and-go traffic or city driving under 30 miles per hour, roll down the windows or use the fresh air vents
• Don't haul around unnecessary cargo. Each additional 100 lbs. of weight you stuff in your vehicle reduces fuel mileage one to two percent
• Always use the highest transmission gear possible based on the speed you're traveling. If your vehicle is equipped with an overdrive transmission (most late model vehicles are), shift into overdrive as soon as your speed is high enough
• Plan your trips wisely, especially around town where your fuel mileage is typically lower. Combine as many small trips (store, gas station, etc.) as possible into a one big trip
