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n0stalgia
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 21, 2006, 10:58 AM
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Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Guys - I was searching the forums for this and there's a LOT of information out there. Thing is that it's spread out allllll over the place. Or maybe I just didn't find the right thread I was looking for. If there isn't an actually dedicated list with this information then maybe this thread should be stickied since the question is asked so often? I'm basically looking for a defined list of all the things to check/change to improve ones gas mileage.
Preferably broken down into 2 categories - What I can do if I am armed with a wrench and some screw drivers in the driveway of my condo - And what I would have to hire a mechanic for.
Most of the things that I've read about point to the following:
K&N Cold air intake
Tire pressure
5w30 Oil preferable (does this vary dependant upon your climate? I'm in Connecticut)
Please contribute your thoughts, experiences, and successes.
Regards,
Josh
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Posts: 5 | From: N/A
| Registered: Aug 21, 2006, 8:24 AM
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phantom2
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 21, 2006, 1:44 PM
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Re: [n0stalgia] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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My opinion...You can't "buy" fuel economy.All these aftermarket goodies are just wasting your money.The "common sense" approach to fuel economy, is the best, and it's"free".Yes,tire pressure is important and using a good quality motor oil goes a long way.I'm originally from Connecticut and I always found that using a synthetic "blend" oil worked great for the climate there since it lubricates well in hot or cold weather.Driving your vehicle,with a common sense approach,is the best fuel-saving measure.Accelerating quickly or driving at high speeds will cost you in mpg's.Travel as light as possible and you'll get the best mileage from your machine.
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(This post was edited by phantom2 on Aug 21, 2006, 1:44 PM)
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Posts: 40 | From: N/A
| Registered: May 5, 2006, 8:26 AM
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baddog
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Aug 22, 2006, 5:42 AM
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Re: [phantom2] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Quote:
My opinion...You can't "buy" fuel economy.All these aftermarket goodies are just wasting your money.
I would have to disagree with that statement, at least in my situation, I have an 01 pt with a K&N drop in filter and an 02 with a custom made K&N. Both cars jumped 12-15 miles per tank. That's about 1 MPG. Not headline making news but with both cars over 85,000 miles it has more than paid for itself. Not only that, the filter is permanent, thus saving replacement costs of a conventional OEM filter, again already saving it's cost in replacements. Bottom line imo, you can't go wrong with a K&N.
Both of my cars are manual trannies and both get Mobile One 5w/30 every 5,000 miles and at the same time the tires rotated (and cleaned from the back side) and a bottle of Prestone fuel injector cleaner and the 01 gets leather treatment of the seats. (I find the 5,000 mark just makes it easier for me to remember all this stuff rather than every X amount of months or odd miles. Both cars get 25MPG around town (local DeeCee burbs) and 29-33 on the interstate. Both have gone 400 miles on a tank of gas before the low fuel chime. (ok, the 02 only made it to 394.00 but I know where I went wrong) The 02 just came back from three weeks in FL averaging 28.1 MPG over 2,400 miles including 3 days of waiting in race traffic, 10MPH beach driving and plenty of cruisin on A1A. The 01 appears to gets it's best MPG at 64 MPH on the interstate. Strangely enough I have several documented instances that the 02 get better MPG at 70 MPH than 60 MPH on the interstate. Ya gotta love that.
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Posts: 630 | From: upper marlboro, md
| Registered: Dec 6, 2000, 12:00 AM
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sca037
Cruiser Buff
Posted: Aug 22, 2006, 6:19 AM
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Re: [n0stalgia] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Josh,
These things should help all PT's:
Tire pressure
Run without rear seats whenever possible (significant weight savings!)
Good plugs and wires
Full synthetic oil in the engine and transmission
Drive like you have an egg between your foot and the throttle (turbo guys- resist the constant addicting need for boost ;^)
Coast down to stop signs (with manual transmission cars in neutral)
Basically, use energy (throttle and brake) as if you are riding a bicycle 
This has also helped our '03GT:
Stage 1 (runs leaner when you're not at wide open throttle)
Plastic intake manifold (more efficient)
Reducing airflow restrictions with K&N, AMX TTAB pipe and AGP UCP
As always, YMMV 
Brian
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5-speed Dream Cruiser S2 #1582 with MP S1 & BOV, Plastic Intake Manifold, rear Eibachs, Supertrapp axle-back exhaust, Crane FireWires & K&N drop-in.
Plastic Chrome AMX TTAB
AGP UCP and H&R Coilovers coming soon.
(This post was edited by sca037 on Aug 22, 2006, 6:25 AM)
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Posts: 73 | From: Metro Detroit Area
| Registered: Jan 31, 2006, 9:16 AM
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n0stalgia
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 22, 2006, 7:41 AM
Post #5 of 16
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Re: [sca037] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Thanks for all of the info guys! Say - I also recall reading something about removing a white circular piece of plastic somewhere along the line that will make the car a little louder - but will also help increase gas mileage - Does that ring a bell or am I thinking of something else?
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Posts: 5 | From: N/A
| Registered: Aug 21, 2006, 8:24 AM
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durgin
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 22, 2006, 1:05 PM
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Re: [n0stalgia] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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The white circular thingie is a silencer inside the airbox. It slides upwards for removal. Easy. A typical thingie to remove when adding one of AMX's TTAB pipes & a K&N filter to replace the stock paper jobber.
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Posts: 32 | From: Hartford, CT
| Registered: Dec 29, 2004, 7:40 PM
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chadhargis
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 29, 2006, 2:29 PM
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Re: [durgin] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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I'm getting pretty bad fuel mileage out of my car. I've replaced the plugs, wires, coil, filter (with a K&N), and cleaned the entire upper intake manafold, throttle body, and airbox. Even on the interstate running with cruise control I only managed 26mpg. That's with a 5-speed manual. For a 2.4l 4 banger engine, it's the WORST fuel mileage I've ever seen. I don't beat on it by any means. I was shooting for 30mpg on my last trip, so I was babying it. 26mpg! OUCH! That's abysmal.
Part of my reasoning for picking up the PT was for fuel savings. My old Ford Explorer V8 4x4 automatic got between 14 an 16mpg. My PT driving the same route, only gets 18 to 20mpg and I'm pumping a clutch in traffic to boot. 
I'm going to see if a fuel injector cleaning would help. They might be clogged and not atomizing the fuel well.
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Posts: 12 | From: Nashville, TN
| Registered: Jul 9, 2006, 7:43 PM
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rszappa1
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Aug 29, 2006, 6:37 PM
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Re: [chadhargis] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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 Best way to increase the mileage for the PT...Is to trade it in for a Honda Civic....
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Posts: 235 | From: louisville, KY
| Registered: Dec 23, 2003, 11:50 PM
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LiquidPT
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Aug 29, 2006, 7:51 PM
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Re: [chadhargis] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Quote:
I'm getting pretty bad fuel mileage out of my car. I've replaced the plugs, wires, coil, filter (with a K&N), and cleaned the entire upper intake manafold, throttle body, and airbox. Even on the interstate running with cruise control I only managed 26mpg. That's with a 5-speed manual. For a 2.4l 4 banger engine, it's the WORST fuel mileage I've ever seen. I don't beat on it by any means. I was shooting for 30mpg on my last trip, so I was babying it. 26mpg! OUCH! That's abysmal.
Part of my reasoning for picking up the PT was for fuel savings. My old Ford Explorer V8 4x4 automatic got between 14 an 16mpg. My PT driving the same route, only gets 18 to 20mpg and I'm pumping a clutch in traffic to boot.
I'm going to see if a fuel injector cleaning would help. They might be clogged and not atomizing the fuel well.
The PT isn't that fuel economical... It HEAVY and aerodynamic like a brick. That said, babying it you should have been able to get 28 or 29. Of course, that depends on the road, weather, etc. Also, the PT seems VERY sensitive to tire pressure.
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Posts: 367 | From: Los Angeles, CA
| Registered: Apr 18, 2004, 12:12 AM
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Bosch
Cruiser Veteran
Posted: Aug 29, 2006, 7:57 PM
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Re: [n0stalgia] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Quote:
Thanks for all of the info guys! Say - I also recall reading something about removing a white circular piece of plastic somewhere along the line that will make the car a little louder - but will also help increase gas mileage - Does that ring a bell or am I thinking of something else?
nah not really for gas milage.. But it is for the N/A car 01-05(2006 N/A different airbox) a %30 airflow restriction.. Removing those never hurts..
I find I get about mid 20s on the highway with my N/A and who knows what in town.. I have never honestly done a MPG I just know if I drive to work and back w/out A/C I can do 5 days.. I run the A/C down to 4 & 1/2 days and I have to get gas on the way home so I don't drop below a 1/4 tank.. So I will honestly never know what it gets since I never run it dry.. I won't, that 1/4 tank of gas keeps the fuel pump cool..
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Posts: 2040 | From: Northridge, CA
| Registered: Aug 3, 2000, 12:00 AM
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chadhargis
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Aug 30, 2006, 7:23 AM
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Re: [LiquidPT] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Quote:
The PT isn't that fuel economical... It HEAVY and aerodynamic like a brick.
True...it's heavy and not aerodynamic...sort of like my friends Honda Element that gets 25mpg. 
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Posts: 12 | From: Nashville, TN
| Registered: Jul 9, 2006, 7:43 PM
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rszappa1
Cruiser Expert
Posted: Aug 30, 2006, 1:51 PM
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Re: [chadhargis] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Thats because...I hate to say it...Companies like Honda and Toyota are just better when it comes to getting the most milege out of a 4 cylinder engine...Chrysler never really produced a good fuel milege 4 yet...when you compare to what else is out there....You are right the Element and the sion are boxes on four wheels and still get great fuel milege for what they are...a BOX...
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Posts: 235 | From: louisville, KY
| Registered: Dec 23, 2003, 11:50 PM
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mean green
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Aug 30, 2006, 11:32 PM
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Re: [baddog] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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The three things that control mpg. Tire pressure, a good tune and a
soft foot. I have seen studies and synthetic oil is supposed to help
mpg, though I run synthetic in all of my cars and haven't seen a
difference. No bolt ons including an intake, exhaust system, the
Tornado, magnets, electric supercharger, etc will improve mpg. We've
gone round and round on this since the PT came out. An intake makes a
cool sound and helps response a little bit on the auto PT. It will give
you a couple of hp, which you can't even feel, but you will lose some
torque because of sucking hot engine air. Dyno proven. The only intake
worth anything is the Airade because it blocks the hot air. The cheaper
and most cost efective way is to just put a drop in filter in the
factory airbox where you will still be sucking cold air, you wont lose
torque from sucking hot air and you'll still gain a couple of hp. Drive
sensibly for best mpg.
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2005 Stone White SRT4
2004 Graphite Auto
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Posts: 833 | From: Oregon
| Registered: Feb 19, 2002, 12:00 AM
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Bluephrog
Cruiser Addict
Posted: Aug 31, 2006, 5:42 AM
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Re: [rszappa1] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Both Toyota and Honda offer you a lighter car with a much smaller engine (1.5L?). As was mentioned elsewhere, if gas mileage is your concern, sell your PT and buy a Hybrid. For the size of the engine and the weight of the car, the PT is right there with any other similar vehicle. My son has a Scion TC and gets just about the same mileage as I do. The TC has a simlar weight, same engine size and about the same HP as the N/A PT.
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Posts: 673 | From: Vermont
| Registered: May 24, 2003, 5:25 PM
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n0stalgia
Cruiser Fan
Posted: Sep 5, 2006, 5:18 AM
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Re: [Bosch] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Bosch you don't have to run 'er dry to figure your mpg. Just reset your tripometer to 0 on your next fill up. Drive it as much as you usually would where you usually would. The next time you fill up just divide the mileage on your tripometer by the amount of gas you put in the car. That'll get you a pretty good estimate.
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Posts: 5 | From: N/A
| Registered: Aug 21, 2006, 8:24 AM
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pjdaoust
Cruiser Expert
PT Cruiser Club Member
Posted: Sep 18, 2007, 4:57 PM
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Re: [rszappa1] Age old question - Improving Gas Mileage - Sticky worthy?
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Quote:
Thats because...I hate to say it...Companies like Honda and Toyota are just better when it comes to getting the most milege out of a 4 cylinder engine...
Yeah, it's called optimizing for economy and there is no mystery there.
The truth is that it's well known how to optimize for economy, the problem is it's always at the expense of everything else that Americans can't seem to part with.
Things like safety and comfort. Have you ever seen what the Europeans drive ? They certainly have sacrificed some safety and comfort to achieve economy in ways that the Americans are not willing to do.
What the American car companies offer is a good balance of reasonable mileage and reasonable safety and comfort.
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Paul J. Daoust
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Posts: 118 | From: Garner, NC
| Registered: Apr 7, 2005, 4:33 AM
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