Mods for Fuel Economy ?

[king_panther]

Hi guys,

I've tried a search, but here's a new thread. I apologise if this is elsewheres though.

For the Grandpa, I'm not interested in performance mods. I am though interested in mods that will increase my fuel economy.

Now, I already know all the basics. Things like keeping your tyres at the right pressure, driving with an empty car to decrease weight, no hard acceleration etc etc. I'm not talking about that.

I'm after a discussion & pointers for modifications to the car/engine that will improve the fuel economy of my Leggie.

Thanks guys & let the tips roll in
Brad.

 

[pu-11-me]

Intercooler, Exhaust and a tuned aftermarket computer/inteceptor

If you really wanna get into it then lighter wheels/hubs/discs will help too

 

[Peter_D]

Remove the rear seats and sound proofing "stuff". Take off your mirrors and roof rails, lower the car. Find out at what speed the AFR is most efficient and drive at that speed where possible.

 

[happymatch]

one question, if we install the boost controller and then adjust it to about, say, 4psi, i know ti will decrease the performance but will it increase the fuel efficiency?

 

[VR4sum]

remove nagging mate from passenger seat.

This not only decreases weight (dramatically if your mate is a fat bastard), in turn increasing fuel economy but also has the added bonus of smoother driving since you are not accelerating and braking dramatically in a vain attempt to make the afore mentioned fat bastard mate spill his slurpee.

 

[pu-11-me]

one question, if we install the boost controller and then adjust it to about, say, 4psi, i know ti will decrease the performance but will it increase the fuel efficiency?

You literally can't bro

Minimum is about 6PSI, but an EBC will KEEP you at 6PSI where it won't stay there without one...

Plus if you only accelerate lightly anyways you'll make no boost.... But thats no fun i guess

remove nagging mate from passenger seat.

This not only decreases weight (dramatically if your mate is a fat bastard), in turn increasing fuel economy but also has the added bonus of smoother driving since you are not accelerating and braking dramatically in a vain attempt to make the afore mentioned fat bastard mate spill his slurpee.

Winner!

 

[king_panther]

remove nagging mate from passenger seat.

This not only decreases weight (dramatically if your mate is a fat bastard), in turn increasing fuel economy but also has the added bonus of smoother driving since you are not accelerating and braking dramatically in a vain attempt to make the afore mentioned fat bastard mate spill his slurpee.

Well, for starters I AM the fat bastard, but sitting in the driver's seat

most of the time, the back seat is actually down as the car is filled with lots of gear for my job.

Dawso, thanks for the tips. The line of thinking, at least when discussing it with MEEK, was that the car will be working less hard to achieve the same net result. They're getting in a Ralliart panel filter for starters. I'll look into the rest. Of course money is tight at the moment while I get the Super into shape

Jono - I've been thinking of that too. One of my first questions on this forum was about decreasing boost pressure. I guess a further question on that is that the difference would be the engine revving harder to achieve the result that turbo boost would achieve ? That would equate to the engine working harder I would assume as it's revving higher, equaling higher fuel consumption.

I was noticing today when hooning around the quiet streets up here that I was accelerating hard & the speedo was going up & up, but my revs were holding steady at 2500rpm with that familiar turbo whistle. I'm guessing if the turbo boost was lowered, the engine revs would need to be higher to obtain the necessary power, meaning fuel use would increase ?

 

[Skurfer]

Sell the Legnum and buy a starlet??????

Walk

Buy a dress???

 

[Scottie]

What about a Viento or similar? There is a FWD version (STR?) of the VR4 as well. That would go thru less fuel.

 

[king_panther]

What about a Viento or similar? There is a FWD version (STR?) of the VR4 as well. That would go thru less fuel.

Nah they're not allowed under the SEVS guidelines. Last time I checked the power-to-weight ratio is too low. I saw an ST-R for sale once though on CarSales.com.au

I like my 4WD & AYC though. Keeps me feeling safe.

I guess I'm going down the line of 'what are the stock parts that could be restricting my economy' ?

This might be dead-end though. If going down the intercooler/exhaust/tuning path is going to net you a few litres saving per 100kms, it might be more financially viable to simply plough it into fuel anyways.

 

[gorgath]

Unturbo?

 

[Skurfer]

In reality, what you spend modifying the car will never be recouped in the negligible fuel savings that will occur. Your best bet would be to look at your driving style and change any part of that which could be wasting fuel.

But really, not really the best choice of car if money is so tight that you need to save in the way of using less fuel. I would suggest a BA falcon wagon on gas. One of my mates has one. Tonnes of space inside, and spends about $25 to fill it up and goes just under 400km on that tank. Obviously you are not driving the car hard if you are so concerned about fuel consumption, so really, the performance loss to the falcon would not really matter. I would argue as well that the BA is a bit more comfy than the Leggy as well. Insurance would be a hell of a lot cheaper as well, so even more savings to be had. And servicing cost would be lower so even more money in your pocket.

 

[king_panther]

Yea thanks for the advice Skurfer. The Legnum I love for the handling & safety.

You just don't get 4WD & AYC with a Falcon wagon though I drive through all sorts of situations so the grip of the Legnum saves the day for me.

Was just throwing the question out there to see what the options were. I'll save the money from modding & just use it on fuel anyways.

I am looking at a Hyundai i30 CW diesel later on down the track though....

 

[bradc]

Intercooler, exhaust, panel filter and a tune should save you at least 1-2L/100km

 

[king_panther]

Intercooler, exhaust, panel filter and a tune should save you at least 1-2L/100km

At the end of the day though, when you add the cost of those together, is it cost effective to gain a 1-2L fuel saving ?

How long will you have to drive before you recoup your outlay ? I guess if anyone's going to do the distance required though, it'll be me ! :bigsmile:

It's definately getting a Ralliart panel filter though.

 

[Tom]

Much difference between the Ralliart Panel Filter and a K&N Panel Filter?

 

[king_panther]

Much difference between the Ralliart Panel Filter and a K&N Panel Filter?

Ummmm..... apart from MEEK telling me the Ralliart filter is better ?

Other than that, I do not know :redface:

 

[Peter_D]

I got a couple of K&N filter delivered for about $100 each. How much are the Ralliart filters

 

[Hotwire]

K&N is a wet/oiled filter - Ralliart is a dry foam filter.

Much of a muchness in flow I would imagine, downside of K&N is it will need cleaning/re-oiling whereas Ralliart would become throw away when dirty(dont quote me on this)?

 

[godzilla]

Washing then re-oiling is the cheap part. I would hate to think that you have to just discard the Ralliart ones when they become dirty.