thats way good milage, i wish i got that. just be happy with that. and if you really want more, dont mess with the thinkbox. your computer is a sensitive thing, and messing it up could be disasterous. esspeccially the AFR. if your SEROIUS about MPG, get an intake, head, high flow cat and an exhaust. i got 5mpg CITY from when i did all that, under normal (old lady) driving style. anything that improves engine effeciancy is going to increase MPG's. im willing to guess that lightweight internals and flywheel would also net some MPG gains under normal driving circumstances.
however, if you REALLY DO want to mess with your ECU and are afraid of heat, you could try some good coolant, a thicker radiator, bigger/multiple fans, and a better thermostat. that could help keep it cool. just be sure to maintain your water pump.
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Mike wrote:The auto to manual swap is not as involved as you would think.
Get all the parts you need in a pile, and drive the car into it.
They will find their way into the correct places.
Whitegoose: True. Things like making a FAI system (Like I once did) come to mind...
John: The point I was trying to make is it can be done... And your lil' arrow missed it.
Pozr: You are right. Improving the power output of a given engine at a set RPM does indeed mean better mileage. And power is dependant upon two key points: The engine's breathing, which you pointed out, and the ratio of how tightly the mix can be squeezed. The latter will produce more heat upon ignition, resulting in more thrust against the piston. But then we all knew that, didn't we? The only problem is in containing said heat. Loss of it to the cooling system will affect total possible efficiency gained. Thermal coatings on the piston face & chamber, like I've seen done on diesel engines, will aleviate that. Plus going with good lubrication (Synthetic oils & coatings again, on the piston skirt this time) is a substantial help.
And for your suggestion of better coolant... The like Evans NPG (Non-aquious Propyline-gylcol) comes to mind. It will actually prevent surface contact boiling, like other coolants are prone to under extreme levels of heat conduction, and actually absorb the heat from the surface it contacts helping make more power. It's available on the web at: www.EvansNPG.com (<-This is not a link!)
Alex: 30mpg minimum seems like the average for a 4-cyl J-car w/overdrive to me, and I get a loop average of 24.7 in my LN2'd S-truck. And that's with an auto trans & without sequential-injection. But then, it's your car & that's what you get from it... So I concede.
One thing that should also be considered is the atomization of the fuel as it's sprayed form the injector. As we all know, the purpose of the spraying of the fuel is to aid atomization to permit thurough mixing with the air charge. A higher line pressure combined with injector pulse-width reduction would yield the same measure of charge with better atomization, promoting better mixing. I'd also like to add theory of of pressure drop in the fuel rail resultant of of the injector's opening. This drop effects the spray's atomization. If the total volume of the rail is raised and/or the output volume of the pump is raised considerably more over that of stock, the spray becomes more uniform over it's length of duration. This would be handy in fuel mapping, as it would reduce the amount of uneveness of atomization by insuring the prevention heavy droplets from being produced, therefore allowing the pulse-width to become more fine-tuned & resulting in less wasted fuel.
Of course, that's just a theory...
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
Quote:
John: The point I was trying to make is it can be done... And your lil' arrow missed it.
My little arrow was responded to what the OP is asking. Which is HPTuners and MPG. In that manner you can not do it on our cars. Other cars have adjustable AFR in cruising, ours don't. Yes there is ways to make our cars run rich or lean but they are not safe.
Me and my little arow will exit now.
FU Tuning
John Higgins wrote:Quote:
John: The point I was trying to make is it can be done... And your lil' arrow missed it.
My little arrow was responded to what the OP is asking. Which is HPTuners and MPG. In that manner you can not do it on our cars. Other cars have adjustable AFR in cruising, ours don't. Yes there is ways to make our cars run rich or lean but they are not safe.
Me and my little arow will exit now.
True, and it's a shame though that such adjustment is not possible in this case. There are however levels of rich & lean that are considered "safe". They can be had under power or cruise, then it becomes a matter of emissions levels. Too far either way can kill a catalytic convertor. And I imagine that's part of what you're speaking of, is it not? If so, I'm with you. As for the threat to the metalurgy of engine parts, that's part of what coatings are for IMHO. True, they aren't the absolute defence... But it's better than not employing them at all when attempting to contain heat & protect from it's ravishes.
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
to get better mileage, it is best to make the engine more efficient. a couple bolt ones with a modification to the ECU can do that. ultimately you want to max out as much as ou can of the VE table. 100% VE or higher... by the way, higher VE than 100% is like forced induction. through tuning and the bolt ons i have, i hit 100+% in a few cells on my VE table.
1997 Cavalier Z24
Bomz Short Ram Intake
Vibrant Cat-Back
KYB GR2 Struts
Goldline 1.75" Springs
RK Sport Upper Insert
RK Sport Lower Dogbone
Custom Tune by Shane @
innovativetuning@rogers.com
15.647 @ 88.02 MPH
Or, remove the spare, get some Track Lite rims, and then remove the rear seat.
You can buy after market front seats that weigh a lot less.
Get a carbon fiber hood and trunk.
Go on a diet.
Losing sprung and unsprung weight will increase MPG.
2003 Sunfire with 2 1/4 inch turbo muffler, 2 1/4 piping, 2 1/2 inch resonator, a 2 1/4 inch catalytic converter, 2 1/2 inch down-pipe, a 4:2:1 RK Sports 'clone' header, E-bay strut brace, ground wire kit and an AEM true cold air intake NOPI edition.
All true! Total weight to be moved effects total effort (and fuel) needed to move it.
And... Just hitting on the small-stuff again, who here has ever heard of running synthetic P/S fluid? That pump takes quite a bit of effort to turn, and a slicker fluid would make it easier. Not to mention how the better fluid will extend component life.
Go beyond the "bolt-on".
