Thread: Increase the gas mileage...what works for you and your ride?

No, stick with big, but just get a Diesel engine. I love the family 4Bee4 with it's V6 diesel. Heaps of get up and go and great milage being diesel. I drive it like I stole it too. Just don't tell the wife (oh and I always take it easy when the kids are in the car too. )


Mick

Originally Posted by Bruno

Oh, and a 6.0 liter engine? (interesting that americans have accepted the metric system for engines )

We use liters for our soda as well!

Do I REALLY need a suburban with a 6.0? No, I mean I just traded in my crew cab pickup with a 5.3 for it. Sell it? No way Jose', it's still got the paper tags on it. Do I need navigation, heated seats, sunroof, and so on...no. I purchased what I have wanted for some time. I bought a suburban actually for my kids: two German Shepherd's. I would fold down the seat in my pickup, but in all reality, that back area wasn't big enough for those two to lay down. After taking several trips with them I decided on the suburban so that I could fold up the rear (third row) seat and still have room for a couple passengers if I had my "kids" with me.

I EXPECTED about 15 mpg on the hwy & that's pretty much what it gets, but I also know that by adding quality performance products you can raise that mileage. I know that the K&N, Hypertech, and Gibson SS exhaust helps to make the engine more efficient on a Chevrolet v-8 as I have done it before on other vehicles and raised their fuel mileage. For those three products I expect realistically to get better performance and "hope" to touch the 20 mpg mark.

I know my driving style will mean a lot. I floored it the other day with the computer on the actual mileage & it went as low as 2 mpg, talk about an eye opener...but I had to see what it could do, it's only right...right?

My wife's Toyota Venza is used on most "trips" except for vacation. It sips the fuel comparatively, so we have that end covered. Heck, on cold days my vehicles don't even reach operating temperature's before I am at work. I don't let one "warm up" idling as it too wastes fuel. I let one run long enough for me to grab my coffee cup out of the truck, fill it in the house, and then drive. This is less than a minute, but plenty for letting the engine "lube up".

COME ON GUYS, HELP ME OUT, WHAT ELSE WORKS?

well as far as mechanical things you could change the gearing. lighten your truck as much as possible, don't get oversized tires, make sure your tire pressure is correct.

Originally Posted by bulldog

From what I saw tje mythbusters were attempting to run the car entirely on hydrogen. What I was talking about was having the generator in addition to the fuel. I too don't really believe a 100% increase. I was just ciing what someone claimed. Sorry if I came off as stating it as a fact. HHO generators do work though. You have to direct the hydrogen into the intake. It will increase gas mileage if you do it right.

You don't get something for nothing though.

It takes electricity to disassociate the water into hydrogen and oxygen. This isn't 100% efficient. Then when you burn the hydrogen and oxygen you get some energy back, this isn't 100% efficient either.

If you are getting the electricity from the cars electrical system you are taking gasoline and making electricity then converting the gasses back to heat losing efficiency both ways. So your net is going to be LESS gas mileage.

oh you could also put a turbo charger on it! that will increase fuel burning efficiency AND power! win win!

Originally Posted by Crotalus

You don't get something for nothing though.

It takes electricity to disassociate the water into hydrogen and oxygen. This isn't 100% efficient. Then when you burn the hydrogen and oxygen you get some energy back, this isn't 100% efficient either.

The energy returned is not the energy from the electricity being transferred to another form - the amount of electricity it takes to separate hydrogen and oxygen has nothing to do with the amount of energy that can be created by burning hydrogen and oxygen.

That said, I suspect it is still a net loss - otherwise we'd all be running out houses on HHO generators.

Add a second fuel tank. My 4WD came standard with duel 90 litre tanks. That doesn't do anything to reduce fuel usage of course, but it will give you more leeway before you finally run out.
Convert to LPG (natural gas/propane or whatever you blokes call it over there) it costs quite a bit less (here at least) to fill up on.

Mick

Originally Posted by HNSB

the amount of electricity it takes to separate hydrogen and oxygen has nothing to do with the amount of energy that can be created by burning hydrogen and oxygen.

Actually, they are pretty much 2 sides of the same coin. There are of course net losses in both sides of the process, so you'll have a deficit.
But oxidizing (burning) hydrogen is basically the reverse process of separating it, the energy levels required are very much related.

You insert energy to separate them, and then generate energy by combining them to their initial state.

The turbo concept is something that is completely alien to me, but obviously it works as Ford is doing it a lot now with the new cars. It's something I need to educate myself on...afraid of the up front costs though. Any websites you may recommend?

When I was a youngster my dad used to run LPG (propane) on a carburated vehicle, but I don't know if there are any fuel injection systems out there...would again have to educate myself. Only issue I could see there is finding fuel when traveling a distance. Would want to keep the gasoline option if I were to try LPG.

You guys have my wheels turning now...that's what I was hoping for! Keep it coming! Now I have some research to do.