Anyway to make the MS3 more economical?

[IrishMidak]

Well, I paid $4.039 a gallong yesterday and I am to the point where I am looking at a Honda fit or some other econo box. The complete lack of speed would surely cause me a slow and painful death but I need to make real decisions here. Short of converting to another fuel source, what can I do to make the MS3 more economical? Even improving only highway mileage would be a huge help since that is mostly what I do. Also, what is the worst possible thing that would happen if I put in 87 octane instead of 93?

 

[Alejo_NIN]

1- SELL IT
2- don't race at all
3- tune it to use low octane fuel
4- change oil constantly
5- check tire pressure constantly
6- loose weight (you, not the car)
7- no fat people allowed in your car
8- no long trips
9-shut off the engine at red-lights
10- shut off the engine while cruising down hill
11- get rid of your girlfriend (useless extra weight)


that's all i cna think off....

other than...it is a performance car and people don't buy it to save gas...

 

[MS3077]

Don't put anything less than 91 octane in your MS3 as fuel of a lesser grade can cause serious damage to your motor.

As far as getting better gas mileage just shift early and often in the city and in the HWY try to cruise is 6th gear at low rpms.

If this doesn't work trade it in for a Honda Fit or something...

 

[SuperStretch18]

Get a boost gauge and pay attention to it. So long as you keep out of boost, you should get very good mileage...

Don't skimp on the gas though. You'll only be saving a few dollars each fill and could cause more expensive damage in the long-run...

 

[MS3077]

I don't think a boost gauge is going to help at all. It's really easy to tell when you're on boost, don't need a gauge to tell you that. Boost starts picking up a lot at around 3000rpms so you shift at or right below 3000rpms.

When you feel a sudden surge of power / tq that means you're hitting boost. Pretty simple.

 

[VermZ06]

Anything less than 93 will most likely cause detonation and severe power loss to your ms3. If you look at big picture you're only saving $3.5 to $4 every fill up using premium...yes that adds up but it's not THAT big of a hit. So that being said the MS3 can be an economical car just like many others. You just need to stay out of the turbo and stay in higher gears at lower rpm. You also want to make sure little things like tire pressure is correct and airfilters are clean. That all can make a little bit of a difference. Remember it's a four cylinder+manuel + fwd which can get very good milage as long as your a conservative driver. My MS3 averages 25mpg all day long using boost every so often. I think you'd be able to squeeze a little more out of it if you drive it like a grandma. You'd be getting better mpg with a Fit, but not as great as you probably think. If you want awesome mpg go with a rabbit tdi. Yes diesel is $4.50 a gallon but you get 40mpg...

 

[IrishMidak]

I can pretty much hear the turbo spooling since I have the MS CAI so no issue there. I can take it easy on it as far as shifting and speeds but do like to know that I can pull off on whoever, whenever so I'll probably not get rid of it yet. Would a CBE have any gains on fuel economy or does it do nothing but make more noise?

 

[GhostMercury]

I don't think a boost gauge is going to help at all. It's really easy to tell when you're on boost, don't need a gauge to tell you that. Boost starts picking up a lot at around 3000rpms so you shift at or right below 3000rpms.

When you feel a sudden surge of power / tq that means you're hitting boost. Pretty simple.

actually your wrong. Getting a boost gauge would be smart no matter what. But i can not hit boost ever and rev all the way to 6500 rpms. It has to do with how you press the peddle, getting a boost gauge would help you learn how to tell how far you can press the gas before your turbo starts suckin fuel.

 

[eddelgado]

Running lower octane fuel is not really the thing to do. If most of what you do is highway mileage then drive slower. We are supposed to have an overdrive in sixth gear but it still spins quite a bit.

Outside of that dont get on it often.

Ed.

 

[07speed3]

stay out of the boost, use cruise control, shift at like 2500rpm, drift downhill if possible dont leave your car idling for a long time.

out of curiosity what are you getting? Im getting about 26mpg and drive concervitivly for the most part. This car is wonderful considering my truck that i had to sell cost me about 100 to fill up and it get 12mpg. haha

 

[07speed3]

actually your wrong. Getting a boost gauge would be smart no matter what. But i can not hit boost ever and rev all the way to 6500 rpms. It has to do with how you press the peddle, getting a boost gauge would help you learn how to tell how far you can press the gas before your turbo starts suckin fuel.

isnt how much boost you see dependent on the load thats on the motor?

I can pretty much hear the turbo spooling since I have the MS CAI so no issue there. I can take it easy on it as far as shifting and speeds but do like to know that I can pull off on whoever, whenever so I'll probably not get rid of it yet. Would a CBE have any gains on fuel economy or does it do nothing but make more noise?

anything that improves air flow will increase your mpg.

 

[MS3077]

actually your wrong. Getting a boost gauge would be smart no matter what. But i can not hit boost ever and rev all the way to 6500 rpms. It has to do with how you press the peddle, getting a boost gauge would help you learn how to tell how far you can press the gas before your turbo starts suckin fuel.

Actually I'm not wrong sir. You just like to disagree with just about everything I say because I think the MS CAI is a waste of money.

YOu can tell when you are hitting boost without a boost gauge. It is simply not needed for this car! If you can't you have physical / mental problems, etc.

 

[GhostMercury]

Actually I'm not wrong sir. You just like to disagree with just about everything I say because I think the MS CAI is a waste of money.

YOu can tell when you are hitting boost without a boost gauge. It is simply not needed for this car! If you can't you have physical / mental problems, etc.

Actually what you said is wrong. Boost is hit at 3000 rpm if you are flooring it. But you can rev the motor as high as you want without boosting. Now explain to me how i am wrong and you are not

 

[turbolife]

Actually I'm not wrong sir. You just like to disagree with just about everything I say because I think the MS CAI is a waste of money.

YOu can tell when you are hitting boost without a boost gauge. It is simply not needed for this car! If you can't you have physical / mental problems, etc.

I'm not saying you can't get a good idea of when you are boosting w/out a gauge, but just because you can hear it spooling doesn't mean you are in boost.

Get a boost gauge, you have a turbo car. You should have one anyways, otherwise how will you notice small changes in boost or vac?

Well, I paid $4.039 a gallong yesterday and I am to the point where I am looking at a Honda fit or some other econo box. The complete lack of speed would surely cause me a slow and painful death but I need to make real decisions here. Short of converting to another fuel source, what can I do to make the MS3 more economical? Even improving only highway mileage would be a huge help since that is mostly what I do. Also, what is the worst possible thing that would happen if I put in 87 octane instead of 93?

Don't trade the MS3 in on a Fit. It will take a TON of time to break even, its not really worth it at all.

Say your MS3 gets 22mpg (average of city and highway according to listed figures), and the Fit gets 31mpg (same average of city and highway according to listed figures).

It would take you 197.93 less gallons of gas at 15k miles/year with the Fit.

If you use current Yonkers prices according to GasBuddy ($3.71 for regular, $3.99 for premium) you are only saving $925/year (approximate, $3.71 * 483.87 gallons for the Fit vs. $3.99 * 681.8 gallons for the MS3).

I am assuming you have a lien on the MS3 and are upside down, if not you are at least eating a large amount of depreciation. Either way, it doesn't make economical sense to move to a Fit, you won't see a return on your outlay for a few years. Plus, you wouldn't have the MS3 anymore.

 

[IrishMidak]

Not really wanting to trade it in but I hate the idea of wasting so much money on gas. I am definitely not upside down since I only financed about half and will be paid in full after 3 years of ownership. Ideal situation would be easy to do mods that would help and not completely offset the savings due to cost of said mods. From what I have read, there are little to no gains with a CBE as far as HP is concerned so is it save to assume it does not improve gas mileage either? Filter is cleaned thoroughly, tires are all at 32.5 and I am taking it easy on it when I can. What else can I do???

 

[SuperStretch18]

Jeez, I wasn't trying to instigate anything. I find the gauge to be helpful to pinpoint if you are in boost when you are just cruising. Yes, you can tell pretty well without, but I find the gauge a more reliable visual than simply looking at rpms. Just my .02; don't read too much into it...

 

[Hapa88]

After I installed my BEGI intake, I noticed my MPG actually increase (in the second tank or so, cuz I was driving crazy the first tank I had with it).

My best MPG tank before the intake was 27.5 and after the intake it was 31. It seems to be consistently 1-3mpg more than before the intake.

 

[Hapa88]

Anything less than 93 will most likely cause detonation and severe power loss to your ms3.

We only have 91 octane here in SoCal at the pump. 93 is nonexistent here.

Oh and the owners manual says anything less than 91 octane will cause power loss (not 93). 87 octane can be used in an emergency situation. .

I guess I can drive to Pasadena and get the 100 octane for $7+ a gallon, but I don't think it's worth it.

 

[IrishMidak]

What about a boost controller? Do any of them allow you to completely shut the boost off? Would this even help?

 

[lasermp5]

Shift blow 3k rpm, try not to exceed 70mph on the highway... stay between 60-65mph when you can. Don't take off from stop signs or red lights... accelerate slowly and smoothly. When you know a light ahead is red, don't continue to keep your foot on the right pedal and brake when you get to the light... go ahead and downshift 2-3 times using engine braking to slow yourself. Many a time you'll just get to the light as it changes. You save fuel this way and your brakes.

Basically, you gotta drive like a grandma.