The MPG Magic Bullet--Mods, Gas, Tires, and MPH

[Jacko3]

Folks:

I beleive I have stumbled on the final and ultimate combination of mods and characteristics that has yielded me between 30 MPG and 32 MPG in my 2007 G-35 Coupe 6MT this afternoon. However, there are some sacrifices to be made to include (1) droning and loss of some low end torque which comes with the use of the test pipes.

My car is now completely filled with Chevron Techron premium which still has ethanol in it, and I ran it for 60 miles this afternoon at 70 miles per hour--- no WOT, and I achieved a whooping 29 - 30 MPG on the average. In fact, when I reduced the speed down to 60 miles per hour, I hit 32 MPG. This is the first time my car has ever achieved such a feat. I had to reset my MPG calculator on my GPS system, about 5 times to make sure my eye was not deceiving me---well, it wasn't. The least MPG I achieved was 25 MPG at 80 - 85 miles per hour.

As at last week when I used mid-grade Chevron gas, my gas mileage was as bad as when I used BP's premium gas. So, I am done with BP. I am now in love with Chevron.

So, how did I achieve this feat? Well, I have been modding my car carefully over the past 1.5 years, and each modification created a new set of driving characteristics in the car. So, what mods do I have?

1. JWT Pop Charger

2. Z-tube

3. 5/16" Plenum spacer

4. Mrevv

5. Stille Dual catback exhaust

6. Strup Test pipes.

7. Pure Nitrogen in all 4 tires

8. 245 x 35 x 19 ---front tires and 275 x 35 x 19---rear tires.

9. Gas used---Chevron with techron---premium.

10. Engine Oil used---Mobil 1 Synthetic or Mobil 1 EP Synthetic

With the test pipes, running at low speeds and RPMS, makes the car inefficient---you will burn more gas with test pipes at the low performance range--and some low end torque is actually lost as well----so think about this. At higher speeds and higher RPMS, except for the 3rd gear, test pipes do improve fuel efficiency and produce more useable and real horspower at the top end.

70 miles per hour, is the magic number, if you have this same exact mods on, and avoid going WOT too much in your 3rd gear---a quick transition between 2nd and 4th gear using 3rd gear, is a very good way to save gas when on the highway. But surely, when dragging the car, 3rd gear cannot be avoided that much, and so make sure your wallet is heavy. 65 miles per hour is better but unrealistic as a goal on a high way.

So, if you travel a good 40 minutes or more at 70 miles per hour on the highway each day, these mods will change your life for the good. But, if you have short commutes, these mods will cause you to burn a little more gas, except if you remove the test pipes---once test pipes are removed, you will gain back your low end torque, and improved fuel efficiency at lower speeds and lower RPMS, but you may not be able to get the same fuel efficiency at the top end, assuming you have test pipes installed. And removing the test pipes will help spread the torque and Horsepower across a wider band--much of this is a result of the back pressure caused by the cats. And remember, this information is based on the use of Chevron with Techron.

I am also geting ready to replace my PCV valve, air filter, spark plugs, raditor fluids in the next 3 weeks. I wonder how much better the MPG will get once i get the maintenance completed.

I am pleased and ecstatic with the results i achieved today. I accidentally stumbled on the 70 miles per hour magic number, with the exact mods listed above. Is it possible to squeeze out any more MPG from the G beyond what i ahev already achieved? I plan to install STRUP headers next year. I wonder what effect it will have on MPG, horsepower, and torque on both high and low ends of the RPM?


Modified by Jacko3 at 6:21 PM 10/4/2008

[smockers83]

The only real way to determine your MPG is to fill up, drive, then fill up again. Divide the miles you drove by amount of gallons you put in the 2nd time. MPG calculators aren't all too accurate all the time. Case in point--I get my best MPGs on the freeway between 80-85 MPH. Dropping down to 65 when on a two-lane highway doesn't really change it but it's between those that I get my worst mileage except for down town.

[Jacko3]

Before the test pipes and ethanol blend in the gas, I got the best mileage at 80 miles per hour. Now, all that has changed. I want to beleive that the calculator in the car even if inaccurate, isn't so by more than 5%. else, Infiniti just sold us a box of snake oil in our cars.

[Jacko3]

I just went out this sunday morning for 30 miles of driving to confirm the details of yesterday's run and MPG discovery---well, as noted, I achieved 30.8 MPG average fuel economy again---my computer cannot be lying 2 days in a row. Even when I decided to go WOT in the 4th gear, my average MPG went down to only 27 MPG. I am extremely ecstatic and thrilled that I now have total control of my fuel use and consumption on a highway where I can drive at least 70 MPH.

I am going to be looking for the magic MPH numbers for lower speeds and lower RPMs while using the Chevron with Techron and the test pipes---I know it won't be that good but I think it is worth finding for those with daily commutes.

And for the first time, though I have known this for a while, braking is a horrible waster of energy---I had no clue how bad braking affected average MPG until this morning, though I knew before now it was bad. At one point, I saw my average MPG drop from 30 MPG down to 24 MPG in less than a minute, after steppping on the brakes to decelerate the G on an exit ramp. Folks, that is how bad braking consumes gas and wastes energy. At one point, I was afraid of stepping on the brakes for fear of seeing my GPS move from the 30s into the 20s MPG.


Modified by Jacko3 at 9:54 AM 10/5/2008

[Sentientbydesign]

The only real way to determine your MPG is to fill up, drive, then fill up again. Divide the miles you drove by amount of gallons you put in the 2nd time. MPG calculators aren't all too accurate all the time. Case in point--I get my best MPGs on the freeway between 80-85 MPH. Dropping down to 65 when on a two-lane highway doesn't really change it but it's between those that I get my worst mileage except for down town.

+1

Unfortunately, Jacko won't listen to those of us with extensive MPG testing experience. He'd rather rely on that little gadget in the dash.

I think they are great for monitoring driving patterns for optimal fuel consumption, but not for actually getting true MPG. ESPECIALLY on tiny 30-40 mile trips.

I usually require half a tank of gas to determine my fuel economy. I was getting around 16 MPG for mostly spirited city driving. Adding in 200 miles of FWY driving at 80 improved my numbers to around 19.5-20.

I've got a couple of mods that I want to make and new lube for the diff and transmission and hopefully we'll see mid 20s ...hopefully.

[Jacko3]

Nate:

Nice one! I have put my faith on the GPS (if real) or snake oil (if fake) . if I had to use half a tank of gas to test for actual gas mileage over the weekend, I would have to buy a Mule to ride to work on a Monday.

How is the wife coming along with little Nate? Man, I am impressed with your ability to go into fabrication of parts for our cars. Good job! I wish I had the acumen or drive to do so.

[Sentientbydesign]

I think the key word here is patience. Why don't you try this:

Use your GPS to track your fuel consumption for small trips, but also do the complete MPG test as well.

If you find that the two are equal to each other or possible within a small margin of error, then I will stand corrected and would feel very well informed.

Doing series of 30-40 mile trips to test fuel consumption on new mods with no assurance that the information is accurate isn't very accurate for us or you.

"Little Nate" is doing well. Here's a picture of the recent ultrasound:



4drmadness was over at my house this past weekend. I showed him what I was working on. It's still in the SUPER EARLY design phase. If nothing else, I hope to trump JWT from an aesthetic view point.

[Jacko3]

Nate:

Beautiful! Little Nate seems very happy and cozy in there.

I guess one day, you and little Nate will start a company called "Nate and Sons, LLC". Who knows, you may one day grow as big as "Nate and Sons, PLC". I might buy a few shares in the company, and then ask Uncle Sam to bail us out , if anything ever goes wrong.

Yep! One day, I have to do two things on my car---(1) measure actual MPG outside of the computers measurement, which i still highly regards since i dount it is snake oil (2) do a dyno test to determine what the actual rear wheel horsepower is on my G-35 Coupe.