Are there any modifications available for a '98 2.2/3 speed that have shown improvement in fuel economy? I don't care much about performance. I'll save that for the Fiero
Thanks.
read this
good stuff in here
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
Thanks, but I'm in my 20's so I do know all about proper maintanance and driving habits. I'm looking for something beyond "Check your filters and tire pressure, drive slowly".
For example, are there significant restrictions in the intake or exhaust? V6 Fieros have restriction in the stock exhaust manifolds that can be
ground out, and the v6 intake plenums can stand a little porting as well.
I'd do something along these lines, or other mods, but I don't want to start tearing into the engine or tranny. Anybody else have ideas? Thanks
well get an intake, Seafoam your car, try the acetone trick, weight reduction, aerodynamics, indexing plugs might help.
intake, or even a K&N drop in filter, weight reduction, stuff like that
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
Swap to a 4spd or a manual, the 3spd's weakness is its gearing, that makes for horrible gas mileage compared to the others. From what i've read though, the head is the 2.2's weak point interms of performance, and i would assume efficiency, the better it flows more performance, better gas mileage etc. I'd search for exhaust side porting on the forum here, you might find something
Yeah, I know all about 3 speeds from my TH125 Fiero.
It's crusing at 1200RPM in top gear at only 20-25mph, revs at highway speeds can easily be over 3k. It would be nice to swap, but this is only a $1000 J Body with 140k miles, so it may not really be worth it. I don't know if I want to take of the head, but I'll look into the porting. Thanks.
Header, CAI and cat-back should help the milage. Sharp tuneup with quality parts 1st.
Don
You can do my tb mod and do the 2.3tb swap as well.
What do you know, I search the forum for fuel economy mods and find another PFFer. GT42, what did you try and what results did you get on this? My 2200 has 200k on it, runs perfectly but it's time for a rebuild, so since I'll be in there anyway I'm curious about what I can do with the heads/manifolds to up the fuel efficiency (and I wouldn't say no to a little more power
).
But I don't want to spend too much or get too involved if the gains aren't going to be worth it. Also interested in what intake/exhaust would be ideal for this setup. I have a K&N filter in the stock location and am wondering if an aftermarket intake will provide enough of a boost to justify the price. Remember my priority here is fuel economy ... the Fiero is for going fast. =P
Anything that makes the engine more efficient will give an improvement in MPG. Most bolt-ons will help you MPG as long as you stay out of the gas.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
-MD- LD9 wrote:Anything that makes the engine more efficient will give an improvement in MPG. Most bolt-ons will help you MPG as long as you stay out of the gas.
This is true. Best thang to increase MPG would be having the car tuned. I have tuned my car using a wideband and HPT and even playing some my car is getting somewhere in the area of 32-35 city and 36-39 highway.
FU Tuning
small lightweight wheels will improve evrything, acceleration, braking, handeling, and gas mileage
I've also discovered from three personal experiences that lowering cars 1"-2" consistently gains 2+mpg at highway speeds and up. I expected negligable fuel efficiency gains from lowering since really the only frontal area being reduced is several square inches of tire (covered by the body when it's lowered), but I'm guessing that reducing the amoung of [more turbulent] air underneath the car makes the difference (only notably at higher speeds of course, city driving is probably unaffected).
TIGR wrote:I've also discovered from three personal experiences that lowering cars 1"-2" consistently gains 2+mpg at highway speeds and up. I expected negligable fuel efficiency gains from lowering since really the only frontal area being reduced is several square inches of tire (covered by the body when it's lowered), but I'm guessing that reducing the amoung of [more turbulent] air underneath the car makes the difference (only notably at higher speeds of course, city driving is probably unaffected).
I've noticed this too. It's most likely the turbulance thing. Also, I was thinking that the initial pitch of the car upon pulling out is reduced or nearly removed, so that energy is forward motion rather than suspension slop.
Also, amen to tuning!
I check my gas milage everytime I fill up. I'm on stock suspension now, so we'll see what happens after lowering.
GT42: I'm in the same boat as you, and my tu-tu is in a truck! Basically the same mods i'm looking to do will help you just the same. Follow along...
The really problem is that the LN2 (Generation's name regardless) lacks enough low-end torque to be able to pull it's applicant vehicle without opening the throttle too much, even with overdrive. Address that first and you'll be sitting well. Here's a few mods that will help bring it up:
A long tube header with relatively small primaries (Like the one Pacesetter sells. Or did?). This alone is perhaps the biggest change you can make for a gain as it will help scavenge the gases & create a condition that will help pull the intake charge into the cylinder during the valve overlap cycle at low revs.
Roller rockers of just a slightly higher ratio than stock (Say 1.6:1 to your 1.54:1) will help open the valve just a little more to help the intake charge flow in & the exhaust gases flow out a 'lil better. The effect will like an old "energizer" or "Mile-A-More" cam that was sold back in the day to help owners of low compression engine cars to get more mileage. Search here to learn more about them.
Okay... Now that that's done, let's move on to helping it breathe better (An essential key to any engine's efficiency).
The exhaust is a 1-7/8" nightmare of restriction. Get a system made of 2-1/4" to 2-1/2" from the downtube back (Including cat in-&-out) with a low restriction muffler (Dynomax Super Turbo is a good choice) and that nightmare will end. Do it especially if you get the header.
All factory air inlet tract systems are designed for maximum quietness, even if it's at the cost of flow. An open element filter with minimal bends & traps in the tract will cure this.
Rule: The better vaporized the fuel is, the better in will mix with the incoming air resulting in better economy. And the warmer the air is, the beter the fuel will vaporize. Try a short open-element inlet tract that draws on underhood air that has about a 2-1/2" to 2-3/4" inside diameter. The diameter will help keep throttle response right.
Try a plug that promotes flame-front propagation, like E3. This will help the mix to light-off better & see a more complete burn.
If it didn't light well the first time, try at it again with the install of a MSD (Multi-spark Discharge) system. In short: The DIS-2 box, twin-tower Blaster coils, Coil mount/box interface adaptors & Superconductor wires (Custom fit only).
Another rule: Cold air makes power. So does more air. The cooler the air, and the more you can funnel in, the more power you can make. and the more power you can make, the less total throttle opening you need. But where to get it? And how to get it to the engine with turbos or a blower?! This is where your fabrication skills get put to the test: Fab a FAI (Fresh Air System) that collects headwind air from the front of the car as it's going down the road & channels it as directly as possible to the air filter (It needs to be contained for best results. Like say one froma '94-'95 Mustang) and then to the throttle body with as minimal bends & restrictions as possible. This worked for me before with another older truck of the same makeup & I swear by it.
Well that's bout all the advice I can give to you outside of having your cam reground to separate the lobes more (Daring but not recomended without supporting mods listed above). Good luck & good mileage!
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
(partially in summation of the thread)
Lower the car
Get functional aerodynamic body kit
Intake and full exhaust
Tune
You will notice a significant increase. I get around 40-45 highway with the LN2 (my profile has what all I have done to it).
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^Interesting... I've always wondered (And Theorized) what kind of effect a tighter, higher friction clutch would have on economy. Now I know.
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
i call bs on the 40 to 45 a gallon,,,, maybe high 30s, but the 40 is a but excessive for your current mods, unless youre shuttin the car off goin down hills and sh*t ha
hop on in i've got a J
Casey Schaaf wrote:i call bs on the 40 to 45 a gallon,,,, maybe high 30s, but the 40 is a but excessive for your current mods, unless youre shuttin the car off goin down hills and sh*t ha
Calling BS on an Internet claim is pretty pointless and will not lead anywhere good.
At any rate I think 40-45mpg is perfectly possible, even if Pushrod isn't getting that, which I have no reason to doubt. With a very free flowing intake/head/exhaust all designed as a
complete system working together (this is important), improved aerodynamics, and all the basics in good order, I could see a 5-speed 2200 car breaking 40mpg easily, and very possibly attaining 45mpg when driven at constant ~55mph speeds. Drive faster and you'll lose mpg of course, though to a lesser degree directly proportionally to how aerodynamically slipstreamed the vehicle is.
Many would cite, for example, the Aveo and say that if its little 1.6L + 5spd can't do 45mpg there's no way a 2200 J-Body could, but consider this. Having just test driven an Aveo (my folks bought one), I can say it is quite, shall we say, aerodynamically challenged, and I believe that 1.6L is a bit too underpowered for the car, meaning the little motor has to work harder and I would bet, use more fuel than a slightly more powerful engine would. Also, any stock motor, like the Aveo's 1.6, is designed with emissions, etc. in mind—a priority that is largely counterproductive, as well all know, to fuel efficiency and performance ... shifting the priority entirely to fuel efficiency (or performance) is something GM can't realistically do, but which we as tuners can.
And most tuners don't mod for fuel efficiency. Furthermore, they tend to mod one part at a time as they can afford it, which does not maximize the vehicle's potential like a complete system designed well, from the start, could. Few people design and build cars this way; all this is why I believe there is room for improvement—room for 40-45mpg.
So I think a well-designed complete system incoorporating the mods Pushrods mentioned, plus a good port and polish, could
be feasible and hit 40-45mpg and would love to see someone try, whether I turned out to be right or wrong.
I had a dodge Omni that got 46-52 mpg with an automatic tranny.. We could never figure out why though...... maybee it had something to do with it being gutless as hell.....
Honestly.... the parts you can replace on your car that will make it get better milage cost more than it's worth just for the minor gas milage increase..
Other than regular maint....
Replace anything that spins with something more lightweight (flywheel, and rims/tires)
Lowering spring will help a little
Make sure to keep your windows up on the Highway and dont load the car full of crap.
If you can drop about 400lbs it will make a noticeable difference. One of the biggest reasons the LN2 can get that kind of gas mileage is that it only uses 19lb injectors.
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What are some lightweight rims available and what kind of weight savings do they offer? Anything reasonably priced?
Also, would running tires with a larger overall diameter help with freeway (55-80mph) fuel efficiency? I do realize it would throw off the odometer etc. but just wondering about the effect on fuel economy.
John Higgins wrote:-MD- LD9 wrote:Anything that makes the engine more efficient will give an improvement in MPG. Most bolt-ons will help you MPG as long as you stay out of the gas.
This is true. Best thang to increase MPG would be having the car tuned. I have tuned my car using a wideband and HPT and even playing some my car is getting somewhere in the area of 32-35 city and 36-39 highway.
Yep, I get 34 on average....and that include beating on her a bit.
PRND321 Till I DIE
Old Motor: 160whp & 152ft/lbs, 1/4 Mile 15.4 @88.2
M45 + LD9 + 4T40-E, GO GO GO
