Dedicated to improving gas millage, by any means!

[Markmitsu]

isn't this the 2nd time he's bitching about his gas mileage and we're telling him to get that damn roof rack off?

what will really help in gas mileage also is an intake cam, VTCS removal, and long reach plugs

shifting at 3400rpm kills mileage, shift at 2500-3000!

I don't understand "long reach plug" could you please explain. or was there a thread on that?

Thanks!

I'm still on stock(looking for the best cheapest upgrade)

 

[upsman]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123631485&highlight=Long+reach+spark+plugs

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123687944&highlight=Long+reach+spark+plugs

took a whole 2 seconds to SEARCH <---- (there is a button for that ya know) for "long reach spark plugs."

TheMAN has very useful info that ppl should pay attention to!!!

 

[zoomin MP3]

use like chevron with tecron or texaco with tecron gas... mine went up three MPG with just changing gas

Is Shell the same as these? If so I'll have to try this out. I know we don't have chevron around and Texaco is miles away.

 

[StealthWyvern]

Is Shell the same as these? If so I'll have to try this out. I know we don't have chevron around and Texaco is miles away.

Shell is considered a top tier gas if thats what your asking. (I didn't go back and read everything)

 

[drivethruecp]

TheMAN, my bad. You have posted many knowledgeable and thorough topics. Didn't mean anything. I saw your threads on the plugs that upsman referenced. I'm going to read them more thoroughly tomorrow.

 

[fateexceeds]

what will really help in gas mileage also is an intake cam, VTCS removal, and long reach plugs

I average around 27 mpg (and I enjoy my car, meaning I do "put my foot into it" often). When I do mostly city driving, I get about 23-25 mpg, and when I do mostly highway driving I get about 29-31 mpg.

I've actually noticed no change in my gas mileage since installing long reach plugs (NGK IX Iridium) back in July (I've experienced pretty much all of the possible weather scenarios since then too).

Other than the spark plugs, I have the following possibly relevant items on my car:
AEM SRI
Mazdaspeed/Racing Beat axle-back exhaust
Kumho Ecsta ASX tires

The two people who have claimed to get 30 mpg or greater have either an MP3 or a regular Protege with an MP3 ECU, so the ECU may be a big factor (good luck finding an MP3 ECU though! - or one for a reasonable price, at least!).

 

[Dermen]

From http://www.toptiergas.com/

TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:
QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76
Shell
Entec Stations
MFA Oil Company
Kwik Trip/Kwik Star
The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
Chevron-Canada
Aloha Petroleum
Tri-Par Oil Company
Shell-Canada
Texaco
Petro-Canada
Sunoco-Canada

 

[drivethruecp]

^Good call on the Gas station list!

Would I wanna go with the ZFR5F-11's over the ZFR6F-11's NGK V-Power plugs from what I've read?

 

[M3Silverfox]

All i have to say is that roof rack is a serious gas killer. Know you keep hearing it but it's true. It adds more aerodynamic resistance, hence upping your coefficient of friction and the gas required to get it moving. Less drag = Less energy required to move it. (blowup)

 

[drivethruecp]

All i have to say is that roof rack is a serious gas killer. Know you keep hearing it but it's true. It adds more aerodynamic resistance, hence upping your coefficient of friction and the gas required to get it moving. Less drag = Less energy required to move it. (blowup)

Yeh, I realize it and knew there would be a slight loss before buying it. But unfortunately for my millage, it fits my lifestyle being I mountain bike, surf, and snowboard (of which the rack is used). So it is used all year long. Sure I can use the hitch mounted bike rack (which I had first and still have), keep the snowboards in the car (60/40 split), and use a temporary strap on padded rack for surfboards... But then it becomes an extra hassle every time I wanna do my thing. I actually tow my dirt bike with it too (only 287lbs + 250lbs trailer). And even equally, I LOVE the way it looks and invested way too much money in it to sell it or not use it. I don't know if anyone has ever looked into them but there ridiculous how much they cost.

Installing my ZFR5F-11's with 1.1mm / .043" gap today

 

[zoomin MP3]

That toptier list is almost everything except Diamond Shamrock (Valero). I guess I'll do a search about the Techron discussion though.

 

[TXMazdaSpeeder]

you know im thinking an engine management system would help ALOT if you are in dire need of fuel mileage, because face it, stock ecu tunes suck nuts. And if you are runing any modifications other than a k&n drop in you are just taking away mileage if not tuned for the modification.

 

[drivethruecp]

Would I benefit more from a MP3 or say a Unichip ECU... Do the gains justify the price...?
Next up is VTCS Removal.

 

[TXMazdaSpeeder]

The MP3 ecu is going to advance your timing and REQUIRE you to run 91+ octane gas, trust me anything less than 91 and it will sound like someone dumped a can of fish gravel in ur cylinder head. Id say ud be better off with a piggyback ecu anyday. As far as gains justifying price, it just depends on how hardcore set you are for gas mileage. Personally id kill to have your 27 or so mpg, i get 18-19 on a good day and 23 on the highway if i keep my foot out of it.

 

[habeansha]

i dont know if this is a stupid question but its related to improving gas mileage kind of so i will ask it

so

wouldnt your gas mileage slowly improve the more you drive? you are consuming fuel so technically your car is getting lighter so there is less of a load on your car? or is the weight of the gas irrevelart or so minor that it wouldnt even affect it?

 

[323]

yeah, but its a very minor factor.

 

[TXMazdaSpeeder]

if i remember correctly a gallon of unleaded fuel weighs about 10 lbs, with a 14.6 gallon tank run dry you are only losing just over 140lbs. The amount of weight lost is not enough to see any noticable gains. Kind of like 140 lbs lost off a drag car is equivalent to just over .1 of a second shaved off ur 1/4 time.

 

[RABID_MP5]

gear up

All this is well and good. But remember it's a big tall OD gear that usually yields mpg. Short of tranny mods, upping the tire diameter within the usable range should help some. (Note: The 'observed' mpg is best with undersized tires - i.e, if 5% too small diameter, your "m" in m/g is really only .95 mile, giving you fictitiously high mpg. Similarly, with slightly over-diameter tires, your 'm' will be over a mile - so your actual mileage is better then that indicated.)
I'm thinking if you were 3% undersized to start with and go to 3% oversized you can get half the gain, or 3% in mileage - about 1 mpg. The other 3% is devoured by the increased engine load (i.e. decreased intake vacuum)

 

[habeansha]

if i remember correctly a gallon of unleaded fuel weighs about 10 lbs, with a 14.6 gallon tank run dry you are only losing just over 140lbs. The amount of weight lost is not enough to see any noticable gains. Kind of like 140 lbs lost off a drag car is equivalent to just over .1 of a second shaved off ur 1/4 time.

but he is dedicated to improving gas millage, by any means

maybe downgrading to a 5 gallon gas tank would help, and stripping the entire interior

but i guess the frequent stops at the gas station would work against this maybe

 

[drivethruecp]

Since I have 205/50 R16's, wouldn't my millage be slightly higher then I'm actually calculating? btw, I am calculating by resetting my pedometer after an exact fill up (when the pump clicks), then dividing that number by the gallons for the next fill up, and so on...