Fuel Economy Mods? - E.g. Performance mods that could pay for themselves
03-05-2008, 05:37 AM
#41
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 487
Still this is all unsubstantiated. If you were to go to court you couldn't say I didn't do it judge because of what I'm telling you. You have to show the burden of truth to convince us all.
Last edited by Garrick; 03-05-2008 at 05:43 AM.
03-05-2008, 10:26 AM
#44
I agree with that.
03-05-2008, 11:56 AM
#46
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 92
Cruise controls problem is that it doesn't use engine break when going down hill. It always uses gas when not needed,and that can easily make the difference. Test it. Take a car with consumption meter in its driving computer,put CC on,and drive up hills and down hills,keep your eye on the meter.Then drive again without CC. And someone says anyway that it is not accurate,but at least it tells if consumption is 0.0 as it SHOULD be when going down hill. Sorry if there is language errors,I don't speak fluent English.
03-05-2008, 03:57 PM
#47
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,391
engine breaks are found on trucks not maximas, and CC lets off the throttle so you dont blindly accelerate going down hill...air resistance and material friction is what slows your maxima down.
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
Last edited by andrei3333; 03-05-2008 at 04:06 PM.
03-05-2008, 05:37 PM
#49
engine breaks are found on trucks not maximas, and CC lets off the throttle so you dont blindly accelerate going down hill...air resistance and material friction is what slows your maxima down.
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
simple physics, the law of motion (objects in motion ring a bell) it takes less energy from the motor to keep it at a constant speed then to speed up and slow down while fighting against gravity and air resistance.
someone said it has been proven that not using CC gives u better mileage, of course not making the engine do anything because u are coasting down the road but when u speed back up u use more energy then u would if u just remained at a constant speed, no matter how u speed up, it takes almost double the energy to get it back up to that speed. And where is Ur energy coming from...oo..oo....Gas
engine braking people, i have to agree with andrei3333
Anybody who took any physics class will tell u this stuff, its almost so simple i cant believe im actually arguing it
Last edited by Crusher103; 03-05-2008 at 05:41 PM.
03-05-2008, 06:11 PM
#50
If you have an auto, it helps on the freeway if you can maintain a speed where the torque converter is locked.
03-05-2008, 06:22 PM
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,391
Thanks Crusher103, you have been here since 2004 and still have not learned that on this site some people will even argue about a computer fan inside the air box giving you more HP...but anyways yeah whether breaking or baking you get the point hehehe
^^^ and yes the Torque converter kicks in around 100Km/h ~2300rpm on my auto while on the highway and it brings the rpm down by about 300 which does help get more mpg than a 5 speed max
regardless money spent on y-pipes and light wheels is counter productive, keep your money where its at - your wallet (or at the gas station haha)
^^^ and yes the Torque converter kicks in around 100Km/h ~2300rpm on my auto while on the highway and it brings the rpm down by about 300 which does help get more mpg than a 5 speed max
regardless money spent on y-pipes and light wheels is counter productive, keep your money where its at - your wallet (or at the gas station haha)
03-05-2008, 08:22 PM
#55
03-05-2008, 10:31 PM
#56
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 487
lolz
03-06-2008, 12:17 AM
#57
Here you go OP. This should do the trick. 
http://custommaxima.com/product_info...ducts_id=45788
taken from:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=555511
http://custommaxima.com/product_info...ducts_id=45788
taken from:
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=555511
03-06-2008, 07:55 AM
#59
Just because we want all want to talk about cruise control some more.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/list/...4/article.html
Has a bunch of common sense tips, including talk on everyones fav, cruise control.
Accelerating to speed, is not all equal. If you do so quickly, the quicker you can get out of the WOT fuel table and into the partial fuel table. Will you see a difference, not really.
That Hydrogen Booster does not look like it is worth the money, that is for sure. There are far better ones. You could build that design pretty cheaply. A company just came out with a break through on a plating that can increase the surface area of the plates and increase the efficiency. Hydrogen Boosters can save on fuel and give a hp increase as well. One of the keys is to tune for it. You need to have control over your fuel and timing. Hydrogen burns ~10 times faster than petrol vapor, so the timing will need to be adjusted. Some gas is actually hydrogenated at the refinery.
I am a fan of a larger free flowing exhaust. It made a huge difference on my Daytona. Yet to install the y-Pipe on the Maxima to see what that does.
One could look at the Singh grooves. People get mileage gains with those. The pic I saw of our chamber does not look at good for it though. The squish pad looked pretty small. Automotivebreath on speetalk.com would be who to talk to about it. He sees mileage gains doing the 1/4.
Other things with the head I would maybe look at, edging the sharp edges. The idea being they hamper the mixture from traveling everywhere and the same with the flame front. Others look at port biasing. Using different size valves from one intake and exhaust to help induce more swirl. The more mixture, the more air is in contact with gas vapor, the more power/mileage. Even the shape of the valves. Metric Mechanic, a BMW race shop, puts ridges in the bottom of the intake valves and the top of both intake and exhaust. He says they save about 20%. There are other benefits to them.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/driveHabits.shtml
Originally Posted by fueleconomy.gov
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
Has a bunch of common sense tips, including talk on everyones fav, cruise control.
Accelerating to speed, is not all equal. If you do so quickly, the quicker you can get out of the WOT fuel table and into the partial fuel table. Will you see a difference, not really.
That Hydrogen Booster does not look like it is worth the money, that is for sure. There are far better ones. You could build that design pretty cheaply. A company just came out with a break through on a plating that can increase the surface area of the plates and increase the efficiency. Hydrogen Boosters can save on fuel and give a hp increase as well. One of the keys is to tune for it. You need to have control over your fuel and timing. Hydrogen burns ~10 times faster than petrol vapor, so the timing will need to be adjusted. Some gas is actually hydrogenated at the refinery.
I am a fan of a larger free flowing exhaust. It made a huge difference on my Daytona. Yet to install the y-Pipe on the Maxima to see what that does.
One could look at the Singh grooves. People get mileage gains with those. The pic I saw of our chamber does not look at good for it though. The squish pad looked pretty small. Automotivebreath on speetalk.com would be who to talk to about it. He sees mileage gains doing the 1/4.
Other things with the head I would maybe look at, edging the sharp edges. The idea being they hamper the mixture from traveling everywhere and the same with the flame front. Others look at port biasing. Using different size valves from one intake and exhaust to help induce more swirl. The more mixture, the more air is in contact with gas vapor, the more power/mileage. Even the shape of the valves. Metric Mechanic, a BMW race shop, puts ridges in the bottom of the intake valves and the top of both intake and exhaust. He says they save about 20%. There are other benefits to them.
Last edited by ScottS; 03-06-2008 at 07:59 AM. Reason: spelling
03-06-2008, 06:56 PM
#60
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Durham, NC
Posts: 27
more power on the same amount of gas = better gas mileage, its that simple. Exhaust, intake, stronger spark, etc... whatever gets you more power without adjusting the amount of gas going into the motor you're going to get mileage for your money.
You guys are ridiculous arguing about cruise control vs. no cruise control. In some scenarios, cruise control is better, other times, it isn't. lets think about WHY cruise control will be worse in hill-ridden mountain/valley driving:
Imagine you're about to go up a hill. not a huge hill, maybe 50 feet elevation change. you're doing 70mph. do you...
1) Use cruise control to maintain the speed and get the "best mileage"
2) Lightly let off the accelerator to use your momentum rather than gas to propel you up the hill
3) Live in another universe where physics is different
Think about it plainly. if you're not using gas to go up a hill, and gravity pulls you back down, so what if you lose some speed? you're going to make it back up on the other side.
on trips to my beach house I've averaged 26mpg(CC on), when i was in hilly environments going to Tail of the Dragon I averaged 30-31mpg, with NO CC. And this is going TO the dragon -- up hill, aka positive net elevation change. obviously cruise control isn't doing something right.
You guys are ridiculous arguing about cruise control vs. no cruise control. In some scenarios, cruise control is better, other times, it isn't. lets think about WHY cruise control will be worse in hill-ridden mountain/valley driving:
Imagine you're about to go up a hill. not a huge hill, maybe 50 feet elevation change. you're doing 70mph. do you...
1) Use cruise control to maintain the speed and get the "best mileage"
2) Lightly let off the accelerator to use your momentum rather than gas to propel you up the hill
3) Live in another universe where physics is different
Think about it plainly. if you're not using gas to go up a hill, and gravity pulls you back down, so what if you lose some speed? you're going to make it back up on the other side.
on trips to my beach house I've averaged 26mpg(CC on), when i was in hilly environments going to Tail of the Dragon I averaged 30-31mpg, with NO CC. And this is going TO the dragon -- up hill, aka positive net elevation change. obviously cruise control isn't doing something right.
03-06-2008, 07:07 PM
#61
more power on the same amount of gas = better gas mileage, its that simple. Exhaust, intake, stronger spark, etc... whatever gets you more power without adjusting the amount of gas going into the motor you're going to get mileage for your money.
You guys are ridiculous arguing about cruise control vs. no cruise control. In some scenarios, cruise control is better, other times, it isn't. lets think about WHY cruise control will be worse in hill-ridden mountain/valley driving:
Imagine you're about to go up a hill. not a huge hill, maybe 50 feet elevation change. you're doing 70mph. do you...
1) Use cruise control to maintain the speed and get the "best mileage"
2) Lightly let off the accelerator to use your momentum rather than gas to propel you up the hill
3) Live in another universe where physics is different
Think about it plainly. if you're not using gas to go up a hill, and gravity pulls you back down, so what if you lose some speed? you're going to make it back up on the other side.
on trips to my beach house I've averaged 26mpg(CC on), when i was in hilly environments going to Tail of the Dragon I averaged 30-31mpg, with NO CC. And this is going TO the dragon -- up hill, aka positive net elevation change. obviously cruise control isn't doing something right.
You guys are ridiculous arguing about cruise control vs. no cruise control. In some scenarios, cruise control is better, other times, it isn't. lets think about WHY cruise control will be worse in hill-ridden mountain/valley driving:
Imagine you're about to go up a hill. not a huge hill, maybe 50 feet elevation change. you're doing 70mph. do you...
1) Use cruise control to maintain the speed and get the "best mileage"
2) Lightly let off the accelerator to use your momentum rather than gas to propel you up the hill
3) Live in another universe where physics is different
Think about it plainly. if you're not using gas to go up a hill, and gravity pulls you back down, so what if you lose some speed? you're going to make it back up on the other side.
on trips to my beach house I've averaged 26mpg(CC on), when i was in hilly environments going to Tail of the Dragon I averaged 30-31mpg, with NO CC. And this is going TO the dragon -- up hill, aka positive net elevation change. obviously cruise control isn't doing something right.
this
or this
im just playin
03-06-2008, 08:50 PM
#63
Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Bronx NY
Posts: 87
In my experience I have found that CC would give you around 1.5 less mpg than steady foot on the gas and I've tried it quite a few times with my 07Max to confirm it. I'm just giving you the read out from the MPG display.
03-06-2008, 11:05 PM
#64
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 487
03-07-2008, 05:22 AM
#65
03-07-2008, 07:03 AM
#67
Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Upstate SC
Posts: 37
Idk, I dont remember 
I saw it on tv a while back I think. They did a bunch of tests and determined that steady foot > cc (just barely, but still better). Come to think of it, I think JC mentions it when he drives an A8 800 miles on one tank, and we all know that man is always right
I saw it on tv a while back I think. They did a bunch of tests and determined that steady foot > cc (just barely, but still better). Come to think of it, I think JC mentions it when he drives an A8 800 miles on one tank, and we all know that man is always right
03-07-2008, 07:08 AM
#68
03-07-2008, 09:02 AM
#69
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 92
engine breaks are found on trucks not maximas, and CC lets off the throttle so you dont blindly accelerate going down hill...air resistance and material friction is what slows your maxima down.
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
These moronic comments on how the "car" has to work harder to do this or that are absurd.
CC does what your foot is supposed to do. KEEP the speed constant, but your analogue foot cannot comply with a digital demand...thats why you waste gas by mildly accelerating when using your foot
it takes more gas to accelerate a car than to keep it at a constant speed
Okay,Engine brake and exhaust brake that is in trucks are two different things.(I'm a truck mechanic btw) Engine breaking works in all engines.Take your foot off the gas with gear on,car slows down,Sound familiar?. Here's an example for you guys. Lets see,without CC= You push a ball down hill,it goes down,why? The law of physics as said. Injection is cut when it is not needed,so no gas goes to waste.The motor keeps itself running ,with the power coming from wheels. With CC=You push the ball down the hill,and keep pushing it all the way down. This fellas,is how CC works. it doesnt cut injection. In newer cars it does I guess.But in older,nope.
06-11-2008, 06:37 AM
#71
06-11-2008, 08:13 AM
#72
Guest
Posts: n/a
that civic has more plastic on it than any average ricer does
and im afraid those loosers are serious
to the OP: sell your car that requires premium and buy a civic and add some weight to it by gluing plastic panels in open spaces.. that and loose some fat
there is no way to drastically improve mpg on a 8-12 y/o V6 that uses 91
^
Are you for real ? where did you come up with that knowledge from
?
and im afraid those loosers are serious
to the OP: sell your car that requires premium and buy a civic and add some weight to it by gluing plastic panels in open spaces.. that and loose some fat
there is no way to drastically improve mpg on a 8-12 y/o V6 that uses 91
^
Are you for real ? where did you come up with that knowledge from
?
LMAO PLASTIC pretty sure that civic wasnt made of plastic bud..
Go buy carbon doors fenders hood n trunk then call me in the morning..
$2,500 later you might get another 4 or 5 mpg
06-11-2008, 08:31 AM
#74
I actually agree that higher mpg can be achieved without cruise control, especially on long hilly drives thats where cruise control isnt as good as a thinking driver and a steady foot.
I drive ~100 miles home to visit my folks and the drive is long, hilly, and cruise contorl is annoying.
Cruise control only increases %throttle when it loses speed so when its going up the hill it labors pretty hard to make up for the extra load.
When I drive I accelerate slightly before I get to the hill on the downhill portions and increase foot pressure and %throttle slightly (no more than 5%) and I fly up the hills with no trouble that I would have had with cruise control.
any folks calling BS you just dont think, on those hills the car is laboring in cruise control with periods of 60-70%+ throttle while with me driving it never gets above 30% throttle
anyways I see my mpg go from 15mpg to 17mpg when I drive without cruise control on that stretch of road.
and yea its not my Maxima its my Qx4...
only tie I use cruise contorl is the flat straight surface between here and San Francisco where its like 300 miles of utter desolation
I drive ~100 miles home to visit my folks and the drive is long, hilly, and cruise contorl is annoying.
Cruise control only increases %throttle when it loses speed so when its going up the hill it labors pretty hard to make up for the extra load.
When I drive I accelerate slightly before I get to the hill on the downhill portions and increase foot pressure and %throttle slightly (no more than 5%) and I fly up the hills with no trouble that I would have had with cruise control.
any folks calling BS you just dont think, on those hills the car is laboring in cruise control with periods of 60-70%+ throttle while with me driving it never gets above 30% throttle
anyways I see my mpg go from 15mpg to 17mpg when I drive without cruise control on that stretch of road.
and yea its not my Maxima its my Qx4...
only tie I use cruise contorl is the flat straight surface between here and San Francisco where its like 300 miles of utter desolation
06-11-2008, 09:24 AM
#75
Don't forget about tire weight too! I'm not saying go buy some lightweight tires...but when you need tires, shop around and get some that weigh less. My toyos are supposedly about 2lbs lighter than other tires in the same size.
AND, I noticed my MPG go from ~21avg to ~24avg after getting my Fidanza flywheel. With gas being 4+ bucks a gallon...that may just pay for itself! Maybe a UDP would yield 1 or 2 MPG and for alot less than the flywheel ($100 from motostorm).
For 5spd guys...there's always the altima 5th gear that's taller. It'll lower the RPMs by a couple hundred on the interstate. Not very practical...but when mine gets rebuilt (IPS bearing) I'll be throwing one in!
06-11-2008, 10:57 AM
#76
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 95
I fully support the idea of opening the intake and exhaust more to allow the engine to breathe better. One of my goals with modding the Maxima was to gain power without compromising gas mileage. Before installing my y-pipe and modifying my intake I couldn't get better than around 27mpg (thats with my catback and UDP). Yesterday I did the math after filling up and got 31.6 mpg And I never use cruise control-steady foot FTW.
And I never use cruise control-steady foot FTW.
07-27-2008, 06:25 AM
#77
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: [Summer: High Rock Lake, NC, USA] [Winter: Midway, NC, USA] [Current: St Bernard, LA]
Posts: 73
REQUIRES premium?
Actually, you dont HAVE to use premium fuel, its just "recommended" for best preformance. You can use regular 87 octane fuel as long as you are careful not to load the engine at lower RPMs and listen carefully for spark knocks.
I cant afford premium and I have never even used it. I also know a man who lives near my dad's homeplace and he has a '96 Maxima and he bought it new in 1996, has never used anything but regular 87 fuel, no problems, still in great shape. My dad has a '93 Ford Probe with about 300k miles on it and it says it needs premium but he has run all 300k on pure 87 octane fuel.
I cant afford premium and I have never even used it. I also know a man who lives near my dad's homeplace and he has a '96 Maxima and he bought it new in 1996, has never used anything but regular 87 fuel, no problems, still in great shape. My dad has a '93 Ford Probe with about 300k miles on it and it says it needs premium but he has run all 300k on pure 87 octane fuel.
07-27-2008, 08:33 AM
#78
Originally Posted by Post of mine an another Maxima forum
Spark Plugs: NGK BKR5E-11 (last for 30k - supposedly the best spark plug for a NA 4th Gen Maxima)
Fuel Filter: 95 300ZX filter...lasts for 30k instead of the normal 15k the Maxima one lasts for
Coolant: Flush out old and put in Toyota/Nissan/Honda OEM from respective dealer. PM me for flush DIY instructions.
Oil: Switch to Mobil 1/Amsoil Synthetic (if not already using, but I recommend doing AutoRX application first) OR use Castrol GTX (not high mileage) if sticking to Dino oil.
Oil Filter: Use Nissan OEM for your year Maxima ONLY (get the tall one because they have two versions)
Air Filter: Get rid of any after market you might have and use Nissan OEM. My K&N filter dirtied my MAF and affected my idle.
Other things to do: Clean IACV, MAF and TB. Adjust idle to be 700-750rpm with NO LOAD. Clean any grounds you can get to as well as doing the Big 3. Check your tire pressure and set to 30-32psi per tire. Change your PCV valve as well and Sea Foam the CRAP out of your car. Literally, you will smoke up the neighborhood.
As you can see, I'm no slouch when it comes to maintenance. PM me if you have any question. Good luck Nick. You do what I just typed up and your mileage should approach 19-21mpg (if your O2 sensors are good and exhaust has no leaks).
If you are interested in Amsoil Motor Oil, I have like the only NAPA that sells it right down the road. The only other way to buy it is from a vendor on the big .org I think.
Last edited by IlyaK; 07-27-2008 at 09:05 AM.
