Has anyone had any success to improve fuel economy by ditching a few things on the car to improve fuel economy? Things like spare tire, roof rack, tow hitch, sound deadening etc?

I have a 2wd so I guess I'm slightly better off than a 4WD so I don't need the Warn Hubs. Anyone have suggestions or should I not even bother based on the fact that I have a pretty inefficient car?

Thanks

I'm not sure how much the roof rack hardware weighs, but the crossbars are aluminum and likely negatively impact air flow moreso than weight. Not sure what the tow hitch is made of or how much it weighs, either. Sound deadening? Is there even much of it from the factory? I'm not sure. I would be wary about driving around without a spare tire, personally. I've had to use it once so far. That reminds me, I need to ensure its pressure is correct soon.

Has anybody figured out what the spoiler is supposed to do? Is it really just a wind deflector to keep the glass hatch cleaner? I no longer have it on my PF and have not really noticed any difference, except maybe a dirtier glass hatch over a similar amount of time between cleanings.

I get 17-18 MPG consistently with my 2WD VQ35DE Pathfinder - about 280-290 miles per fill up ("fill up" being about 16 gallons) when the gas light illuminates. Although that's running with minimal or no A/C, but now that the heat is coming in Florida, A/C will pretty much always be blasting from now on. I'll certainly drop a couple MPG as a result.

I've read anecdotal reports on BITOG of 1MPG or so improvement from switching to synthetic driveline fluids, with differential fluid being the most referenced example. I'm currently running Valvoline 80W-90 plain jane gear oil in my rear diff. I'm hankering to switch to Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-90 or Mobil 1 75W-90 soonish. I'm curious to see if I'll notice any mileage improvement. As for ATF, I'd think a fluid with a higher viscosity index would be a better choice, not necessarily whether it uses synthetic basestocks or not. Here's some additional reading about VI and ATF.

Thanks for the quick reply Town. I was inclined on removing the crossbars and taking out the trunk cover to take a tad bit of weight off. The spare tire was a concern as I didn't want to be stuck on the side of the road with no backup. I've used the fix-a-flat stuff in the past but it's only a temp fix and then you have to dismount the tire and have a tech remove the stuff if a tire repair is even possible and then to have it rebalanced, prob to much of a pain.

I'm going to be doing a drain and fill of my ATF and replace it with some royal purple max ATF so it might help a tad?

If our tanks are 21.5 gallons, at the bare minimum we should get 344mi/tank at 16mpg right?
My "fill-ups" are usually 16-17 gallons.
I've only gotten it to 332 once and that was 95% highway. Usually 275/280.
What I did to get 332 was drive 60-65, keep RPM UNDER 2500. Sure, it's boring (understatement) but I eeked out 50 more miles.

I've been running 93oct the last 6 fillups and for some reason highway/city combined, the light comes RIGHT on at 270. I'm starting to think I should save my extra 6-7 dollars. I haven't noticed an increased in mpg and I drive slow and steady for this very reason. The 332 trip was on 87oct.

^ we have a couple gallons of reserve when the light comes on, plus you dont want to use all the fuel as the bottom fuel is dirty

funny, i just realized, dosnt our fuel pumps suck from the bottom of the tank?

I"ve taken off;

The roof rack just for aero-dynamics (I did this a while ago but, at the time it did make a noticeable improvement...I think)

The spare tire - it weighs something like 65 pounds - have had it off for a year +

Recently taken off running boards - Those are light, I just wanted to see how they look

So in total, taking off those bits saves me maybe 100 pounds

Whereas if you drive with less then a full tank of fuel you can save a comparable amount quite easily (full tank weighs 127 pounds) - Although with never topping the tank off, you never know your real mileage...

Towncivilian wrote:Has anybody figured out what the spoiler is supposed to do? Is it really just a wind deflector to keep the glass hatch cleaner? I no longer have it on my PF and have not really noticed any difference, except maybe a dirtier glass hatch over a similar amount of time between cleanings.

Yes, i noticed that 3 days ago on my way to the mall, it was raining and i was on the highway doing about 65 when i noticed that back window wasnt that wet because the air was pushing the water down and to the sides.
a pattern like this

BoostMyQX4 wrote:

Towncivilian wrote:Has anybody figured out what the spoiler is supposed to do? Is it really just a wind deflector to keep the glass hatch cleaner? I no longer have it on my PF and have not really noticed any difference, except maybe a dirtier glass hatch over a similar amount of time between cleanings.

Yes, i noticed that 3 days ago on my way to the mall, it was raining and i was on the highway doing about 65 when i noticed that back window wasnt that wet because the air was pushing the water down and to the sides.
a pattern like this

Its other primary purpose is to reduce air drag at the back of the vehicle.

As far as improving fuel economy by dropping weight, I wouldn't bother with things like the roof rack. I took a 1000-mile camping trip last summer, and my truck was loaded with gear top to bottom, plus had 5 people in it. Still got the same 17 mpg I normally get on the highway.
It'll probably do more good in city driving, since weight matters mostly during acceleration, but still, getting rid of things you might need is probably not worth it.

m0nkeyprince wrote:^ we have a couple gallons of reserve when the light comes on, plus you dont want to use all the fuel as the bottom fuel is dirty

funny, i just realized, dosnt our fuel pumps suck from the bottom of the tank?

I looked in my tank at about 130,000 miles, and it was spotlessly clean.

And yes, the pump has to draw from the bottom or it would be sucking air.


Chuck

Chris.m wrote:I"ve taken off;

The roof rack just for aero-dynamics (I did this a while ago but, at the time it did make a noticeable improvement...I think)

The spare tire - it weighs something like 65 pounds - have had it off for a year +

Recently taken off running boards - Those are light, I just wanted to see how they look

So in total, taking off those bits saves me maybe 100 pounds

Whereas if you drive with less then a full tank of fuel you can save a comparable amount quite easily (full tank weighs 127 pounds) - Although with never topping the tank off, you never know your real mileage...

I think the spare tire is one major thing I could take out but keeping it on is good insurance right? Do you carry fix-a-flat or something like it in the event of a flat?

I just filled up yesterday. 273.9 miles, filled up with 16.819 gallons, resulting in ~16.285 MPG. 100% city driving with frequent use of A/C, the fuel was Chevron 93 octane. I've eked out 303.1 miles on a tank before, filled up with 17.289 gallons, resulting in ~17.53 MPG. Zero use of A/C, 100% city driving, 7-11 93 octane fuel.

I also agree that it doesn't seem to matter whether you drive like a grandma or drive like a bat outta hell, I generally get the same MPG either way. Use of A/C impacts fuel economy more, in my experience.

Towncivilian wrote: I also agree that it doesn't seem to matter whether you drive like a grandma or drive like a bat outta hell, I generally get the same MPG either way. Use of A/C impacts fuel economy more, in my experience.

I get about 1 extra mpg if I don't let the rpms get past 2500.

I cant tell how many millions of miles per fill up we get on our QX because my wife keeps messing me up.
I'll fill up and reset the count, then she will drive it to work some days and fills it back up when in 1/2 tank
So ill guesstimate and say 300 and change

This is a good thread, I'm always thinking about how to maximize efficiency in my inefficient rig.
I run my tires at 35psi, wanna have them filled with nitrogen. I'm not sure if that actually helps or if it's just a gimmick, but it can't hurt. I'm thinking about ditching the spare tire except on long road trips. I'm also looking for a used set of manual locking hubs, and I'm consitering an electric rad fan conversion.

We need more fuel saving ideas!

Pathy415 wrote:
I think the spare tire is one major thing I could take out but keeping it on is good insurance right? Do you carry fix-a-flat or something like it in the event of a flat?

Nope, I have BCAA roadside assistance which the equivalent to your AAA (I think). So they will tow me to a tire repair shop in the event of a flat.

I drive mostly in the city, so I figure BCAA is good enough. I do put it back on for long trips/camping though.

sucks that they aren't any lightweight parts for path/qx4...

Sucks that there are no true performance parts for our cars too.

Use Helium in the tires instead of air and our SUV's will literally fly

Tried that...now I can't find my car.

patqx4 wrote:This is a good thread, I'm always thinking about how to maximize efficiency in my inefficient rig.
I run my tires at 35psi, wanna have them filled with nitrogen. I'm not sure if that actually helps or if it's just a gimmick, but it can't hurt. I'm thinking about ditching the spare tire except on long road trips. I'm also looking for a used set of manual locking hubs, and I'm consitering an electric rad fan conversion.

We need more fuel saving ideas!

Anecdocally, I ran my tires for a summer at 38psi. When I put on my winter tires in the fall, the all-seasons I took off were significantly worn in the middle. The extra mpg or so I got out of it over ~15,000km saved me around $100, but the excessive wear on my tires probably wasn't worth it. At the best, I broke even. Of course, since this probably depends on both what tires you have and what roads you drive on, YMMV.

lol YMMV. How literal.

yes GIYF lol

Three things to do, install clean air filter, keep 35 psi in tires, keep speed under 75 on highway. I got 19 mpg on last couple highway trips, 16-17 in city. Low tire pressure will cost you

I've noticed, over time, that the biggest influence on my gas mileage turns out to be my right foot.
Never mind all that other stuff.
90% of any gains I get re: MPG's, comes from how I drive.

If i baby my throttle my gas mileage seems to get worst...no word of a lie. If I somewhat let the revs get up to 3k before the tranny shifts, my Gas Mileage is not too bad! Gunna slide my Roof Racks off this weekend and see how it looks.

Pathfinder3.5 wrote:If i baby my throttle my gas mileage seems to get worst...no word of a lie. If I somewhat let the revs get up to 3k before the tranny shifts, my Gas Mileage is not too bad! Gunna slide my Roof Racks off this weekend and see how it looks.

takes pics, I want to see how it looks and let us know about how much it weighs

Pathy415 wrote: ↑

Mon May 07, 2012 10:40 pm

Has anyone had any success to improve fuel economy by ditching a few things on the car to improve fuel economy? Things like spare tire, roof rack, tow hitch, sound deadening etc?

I have a 2wd so I guess I'm slightly better off than a 4WD so I don't need the Warn Hubs. Anyone have suggestions or should I not even bother based on the fact that I have a pretty inefficient car?

Thanks

I installed the Warn hubs on my '02 which made up for the lost 2mpg I incurred by installing a Westin front bull bar, Tyger rear bumper guard nerf bar, and a Curt tow bar. When I needed new ignition coils I installed Mission Ignition Systems' WeaponX Level 2 Super Coils which gave be another 1 to 2mpg. Not much of anything, in terms of mpg gains, can be done with air intake or exhaust changes. For those, stick with OEM. Energy efficient tires, like Michelin Defender, also helps. Regardless of tires, always keep the pressure topped off. A couple of psi higher helps a bit. A couple of psi lower hurts mpg big time. Run the lowest viscosity engine oil allowed and use synthetic for its better flow rate. I just read a few posts about synthetic gear oils in the differential would help as well. My '02 is due for that maintenance oil change so I think I'll give it some more research and maybe try that myself.

i have probably the lightest qx4 on the road. there is so much weight on these cars that can be removed. more than any other car that i have lightened.

Beermoney wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 15, 2019 6:20 pm

i have probably the lightest qx4 on the road. there is so much weight on these cars that can be removed. more than any other car that i have lightened.

Sounds good, at 4300 pounds it would seem there's some fat to be removed, but what did you do?

running board are very heavy. roof rack had to go. under the back carpet is a pad and removable compartment. i even left the carpet out. the sound deader stuck to the floor and wheel humps is heavy.there is probably 80 pounds of removable stuff. the gas tank has a steel shield.