With the gas prices lately, and those prices rising daily, I thought it would be a good idea to post up some methods for maximizing the fuel economy of your beloved f-bodies. That might enable you guys to keep them and afford to drive them.

1. 6-speed cars have a much better average mpg on the highway. You guys with automatics might consider doing an M6 swap. Get rid of those loose converters, they suck gas badly in the city or stop/go driving. Use a lightweight aluminum driveshaft and aluminum flywheel to reduce rotating mass.

2. keep the stock rearend gear ratio, or better yet put a smaller gear in it. Lower crusing rpm = lower fuel consumption.

3. install longtube headers and offroad Y-pipe, and aftermarket 3" catback. Yes, these add about 20-25 rwhp to your car, but they also allow your engine to work more efficiently and actually improve fuel economy. Its pretty common to pick up 2-3 mpg just by installing a free flowing exhaust.

4. reduce your engine timing via custom reprogramming. Drop that timing down a bit, and you will be able to run 'cheaper' 87 octane at the pumps. Sure, this will cost you a little hp, but you will be saving if thats your goal.

5. make sure your tires are properly inflated. I'd suggest 30-32 psi in the front and rears. This reduces rolling resistance, therefore increasing your fuel economy.

6. make sure your air filter is clean or new. If your filter is dirty, that means your engine is working harder to pull in air. This can affect fuel economy.

7. be sure your O2 sensors are functioning properly. Bad 02 sensors are the most common problem affecting fuel economy.

8. have your wheels aligned. If your wheels aren't pointed straight, and your car is pulling to the side, then you are also increasing the rolling resistance. Less rolling resistance = better fuel economy.

9. reduce the static weight of your car. The more weight you carry, the more your engine has to work to maintain the same speed and accelleration. Clean that car out, remove that toolbox in the trunk, maybe the spare and jack (carry a can of fix-a-flat and a small compressor instead). Install lightweight suspension pieces, etc..

10. reduce wheel and tire sizes. Those 19" wheels might look cool, but they also weigh more than stock 16s. Heavy wheels/tires definitely affect fuel mpg. Maybe get some lightweight racing wheels. Wider tires also increase rolling resistance, and reduce fuel economy.

11. drive with your convertible top shut, or t-tops closed, and windows closed. Driving with the windows open or top down greatly reduces fuel economy. Its more economical to drive with the windows up and A/C blowing. If you want to increase fuel economy slightly, run the vent instead of the A/C system.

12. Big camshafts, larger than stock injectors, superchargers, stroker engines, etc... reduce fuel economy. I'm sure you guys knew that already!

13. the most difficult.....keep your foot out of the throttle! Simply reducing your normal crusing speed a little, and not trying to practice your 60' at each stop will greatly improve fuel economy. I know its hard, but if gas prices are affecting you, show a little restraint

Please feel free to add to this list.

 

Blasphemy!!

 

I also skip alot of gears when I drive. I do alot 1-3 and 2-4 shifting, and that helps out alot. I put 50+mi. on my car daily, so every little bit counts!

 

Great ideas there, esp love the Auto to manual conversion comment. Think how much fuel you could buy for the cost of the swap, how many miles would it take just to break even let alone save anything

And remember guys, you always buy the performance car so you can ***** foot around and save fuel, or better still just buy a more economical car as you'll end up going just as quickly.

Then save the money so you can gp for a proper drive.

 

Heres what I'm doing to save some gas:

1) Bring lunch to work. Not only do you save by not eating out, you don't have to mess with stop & go traffic during the hectic lunch hour. Plus, you may be eating healthier stuff rather than fast food junk, and that may help you maybe lose some weight-- directly relates to Tony's original tip#9.

2) Get to work earlier. Leave maybe 30 minutes early for work and avoid the rush hour in the morning. Then you can leave 30 minutes early (if your boss will let you), or if not, leave 30 minutes later and you may get home 15 minutes later than if you had left on time, but you are in less traffic. Plus, you will get paid more for working more hours to contribute to the raping at the pump.

Both ways also lessen the chance of you getting in an accident or getting high blood pressure from roadrage.

 

This is not true running the A/C is far less gas mileage than having your windowns down, that MythBusters show did a test on this and found the A/C to be far less efficient.

 

Ya know, I think that would vary by speed. Probably more gas effective to have the windows down/ t-tops off in city driving around town, But I'd think it would be more efficient to use the A/C on the highway at higher speeds- especially on a t-top/ coupe. That rear hatch acts like a parachute almost at high speeds.

 

t-tops off and convertible top down definitely decrease fuel mileage. I've taken several road trips and monitored fuel with and without them up/on.

 

Yes they do decrease fuel mileage, I never said they didnt decrease mileage, however they do not decrease mileage as much as running the A/C.

 

I believe they were going at something like 55 when they did the test, I'll try and find a link to some results if they have any posted.

 

lol thats so funny.. BLASPHEMERS!!!

 

i got an idea, trade your cars in for a honda civic!!

just kidding!

 

"Get rid of those loose converters, they suck gas badly in the city or stop/go driving."

I think you're on the wrong board.

Anyone who takes a step backward like that doesn't deserve their LS1.

Edit: Before anyone says anything, yes I know who posted that!

 

thats really the only answer.......there's no such thing as improving gas mileage while prices are high....prices are going to stay high, so unless you sell your car and buy a civic or hybrid, you might want to find a higher paying job rather than conserving gas.

 

Just out of curiosity, after reading tip #12. What kind of mileage are the guys with 408+ ci engines seeing, if any of them keep track that is

 

Yup!! These are some great suggestions!! Ones I have been using even when gas was $1.79 I hit the road at at 4:30am, so I naturally miss all the morning rush, but this is a blue collar area so there actually is some traffic at that time ! But it's peanuts compared to the 7-8am traffic.

 

i cant help it.



i still romp the **** out of my car.


i only drive it once a week though.

 

Can't bump up my drag radials so 25 PSI it is. And I will be adding heads, hoping to get alittle better gas mileage. My Man's car gets better gas mileage than mine, and we'll be tuning it as well.

Should help a bit. If not, it's sure fun and expensive to drive but oh well, I live once.

 

You forgot to mention the nifty little tornado, LOL, my bud bought one copied it and took it back to autozone and he made like 3 copies he says it sorta does help economy and hp is BARELY noticible!! But at 60+ $ Glad he made a few

 

Tornado = BIG hoax. We dyno tested one of those back in 1999 and it lost 10 rwhp on back to back dyno pulls. Piece of crap, tell him to drop-kick it.

Someone asked about engine cubes vs mileage, my previous 382ci LS1 pulled down 26 mpg, my previous 434ci LS1 pulled down 23 mpg. All of the heads/cam/offroad setup LS1s I've had averaged 30-31 mpg on the highway.

They were merely helpful suggestions for people that DO think like that. I never said I was going to follow any of the advice above.