Techniques for Squeezing More MPG out of a J

Post by **VimyJJ** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 6:28 am

The J is a heavy car with an engine that doesn't develope immediate down low torque. I have been doing some pretty heavy commuting in Chicago rush hour traffic (one way) but my mileage has been as good as 25 mpg.

There are a few keys to maximizing mileage. Unless you are in race mode drive your J like you would ride a bike. I.E. Don't blast between stop lights. Look down the road and anticipate the next stop. An object in motion tends to stay in motion so keep your J in motion. When in stop and go freeway traffic, look 4 or 5 cars ahead of you and watch what that car's brake lights are doing. If that car is slowing, you will too so there is no need to hammer the gas to keep up with the car right in front because you're just going to stop or slow anyway. That has the added effect of reducing reaction time loss. You get a chain of drivers with .5 second reaction times and that adds up to minutes and hours of cumulative delays just waiting for people's feet to hit the accelerator.

Keep the throttle bodies clean.

Keep your tires at their max cold inflation pressure.

The shifter is gated so take advantage of it. The VG30DE has poor bottom end torque so keep the tranny in 2nd gear when rush hour speeds are going back and forth under 30 mph and 3rd when under 45. The engine uses fuel much more efficiently when the RPM are closer to 2000. Additionally, tranny shifts suck energy and rush hour type driving will have it uselessly hunting for gears which wears the thing out. Synthetic ATF also gives you peace of mind on those hot days.

Drive at 70 mph. The power needed to plow through the air is greatly reduced.

Keep the speed constant. If you are one of those drivers who is constantly touching and releasing the accelerator, you are fighting the basic law of motion. The J weighs 3800 pounds so keep it steadily moving at a consistant speed.

Remember, if you are touching the brakes you are scrubbing off speed that you paid for with expensive premium gas so anticipation of traffic conditions is paramont.

Occasionally mashing the gas pedal on on ramps is good as it blows out crud in the engine which keeps it running more efficiently.

Any other ideas?

Post by **driverdriver** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 8:52 am

utilize the cruise control whenever possible.

Post by **elwesso** » Wed Oct 12, 2005 10:08 am

Good stuff Mike

Other things I would add is to keep your car maintained... especially with fresh oil, FRESH PAPER AIR FILTERS. Replace your air filter yearly! it only costs $7 from Joe! BG44k regularly helps too...

Also, new o2 sensors help as well..

Post by **1993TanJ30** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 5:03 am

Great post!

Post by **driverdriver** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 4:16 pm

elwesso wrote:Other things I would add is to keep your car maintained... especially with fresh oil, FRESH PAPER AIR FILTERS. Replace your air filter yearly! it only costs $7 from Joe!

I switched to a K&N Air Filter in the mid to late 90's and found it helped with mileage.

Post by **Elisha** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:27 am

what tire pressure do you guys use. the manual recommends 29psi but when i filled only 29psi it seemed a little low and the car was kinda sluggish so i just filled her bak up to 32psi.i would like to know what you guys use!

Post by **yodawill2000** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 10:22 am

I stay at 34 and use the valve caps that turn yellow when its a tad low and red when its below 30

Post by **Elisha** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 11:48 am

valve caps that turn yellow?linky pls.

Post by **paranoidjack** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 6:56 pm

Elisha wrote:valve caps that turn yellow?linky pls.

YA hook it UP

Post by **paranoidjack** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 6:57 pm

paranoidjack wrote:
YA hook it UP

BAM!

http://www.garage-toys.com/tireminder.html

Post by **yodawill2000** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 2:38 am

Got mine at Napa Auto parts ..http://www.tireminders.com/

Post by **Elisha** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:48 pm

what psi do you guys use? 32psi?

Post by **driverdriver** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:07 pm

I run mine around 35psi.

Post by **VimyJJ** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 7:27 pm

I have Yokohama YK 420s. Excellent all season tire for the J30. I figure I have 40k on them and the tread life is excellent. They are also pretty decent in snow though we'll have to see how they do this year. Max cold pressure is 35 and that's where I've been running them of late. The stiff sidewall (implied by the low max. pressure) is a very good match for the J, IMHO.

Post by **Elisha** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 7:03 am

35psi?thanks guys. i used to run at 35 but then i decided to go with what the car recommended but i'll go back with 35 now.

Post by **DominickJ30** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 11:09 am

I also run around 34-35 psi, any less and the car feels sluggish.

Post by **VimyJJ** » Sun Oct 16, 2005 6:36 pm

Elisha wrote:35psi?thanks guys. i used to run at 35 but then i decided to go with what the car recommended but i'll go back with 35 now.

Do not go by what the car "recommends". Go by the sidewall specs of the tire manufacturer. I believe the OEM tires were some type of obsolete Continental. Long and short of it is to look for the lowest max inflation H rated tire and keep it at max pressure cold. The J's suspension is still state of the art even after 10+ years and can easily handle tire "stiffness". The J was over engineered for the most part except for the transmission.

Post by **Jeff Williams** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:11 pm

Most tire manufacturers say go with what the car says. I run 36 in the Q's, to get better mileage, but ride quality suffers. I run 30 PSI in the Corvette, because of tire wear.

Post by **DominickJ30** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:58 pm

I just looked in my car and the recommended stock cold tire inflation is 29 PSI!!

Post by **VimyJJ** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:13 am

Jeff Williams wrote:Most tire manufacturers say go with what the car says.

That was Firestone's big mistake.

Post by **Big Tone** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:36 am

I just bought the Slick 50 Complete Fuel System Cleaner for $9.99. It cleans the entire fuel system and is good for 4,000 to 5,000 miles. As soon as I put it in I noticed a difference in my gas mileage. Over the past month I noticed my gas mileage drop from 300 miles per tank to 225/250. After adding the Slick 50 cleaner it went back to 300 miles, maybe a little more.

I need to check my tire pressure. I'm almost sure it isn't over 30 psi.

Post by **elwesso** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 11:38 am

im confused... so the MPG dropped when you put the stuff, and then it came back up?

Post by **yodawill2000** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:15 pm

Read it again Wes ..SLOWLY .. hehe

Jus' Jokin' Sounds like the Slick 50 fixed him up ..Although going from 300 to 250 in a month seems a bit odd.Must have been some nasty Fuel !!!

Post by **elwesso** » Thu Oct 20, 2005 12:48 pm

I read it about 5 times before i came to posting.....

Maybe im a little dense...

Post by **Big Tone** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:37 am

elwesso wrote:I read it about 5 times before i came to posting.....

Maybe im a little dense...

It dropped over the course of a month then I bought the Slick 50 concoction, which brought it back up to the 300 range. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Post by **Big Tone** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:53 am

driverdriver wrote:
I switched to a K&N Air Filter in the mid to late 90's and found it helped with mileage.

Where did you get your filter? I went on autopartswarehouse.com, but they didn't have a listing for the J.

Post by **Big Tone** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:59 am

Nevermind, driverdriver. I found it! knfilters.com has a store locater.

Post by **driverdriver** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:47 pm

If you get a K&N Filter remember to clean it out at least once a year. More if you live near a dusty area.

Post by **Big Tone** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:11 am

driverdriver wrote:If you get a K&N Filter remember to clean it out at least once a year. More if you live near a dusty area.

I went to Auto Zone over the weekend, but they didn't have the filter for the J. I'll have to check Pep Boys. I did find a variation of the Tire Minders at Auto Zone and they were only $9.99.

Post by **driverdriver** » Mon Oct 24, 2005 5:18 am

I would get the genuine K&N air filter. I've read some horror stories online about K&N knock off filters. The 300ZX filter from 1990-1995 base 300zx should also fit the J.

Techniques for Squeezing More MPG out of a J

Techniques for Squeezing More MPG out of a J

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