Build Your Own Electric Car
Of course the best way to save on gas is to not use it in the first place, but who really wants to start riding a bike everywhere or buy an expensive little electric car? I found a guy who converted his GEO Metro to run 100% on electricity. Check it out, if you’re handy [...]
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DIY Throttle Body Spacer - Extra 1-3 MPG For 30 Mins of Work
This is an easy mod for most cars. I have been trying to think of stuff I have not done to my car and one thing I came up with was a spacer to put under the TBI. Of course nobody makes anything for a Metro and even if they did it is not worth [...]
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Easy DIY Grill Block For Winter Engine Temp
It’s not the prettiest thing, but since the temperature’s dropped 15F during the day today, and it’s supposed to snow tonight through tuesday, I figured I’d rig up additional grille blockage.
The pieces:
Prep:
Finished:
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DIY - Replace Stock Thermostat For Better Fuel Economy
Replacing the thermostat is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most imperceptible ways to increase fuel economy. Stock thermostats, which generally open at around 180 degrees, are a compromise between performance and fuel economy. If you’re treating your engine kindly you can get away with installing a 195 degree thermostat in order to push your [...]
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Some Hypermiling Myths
These are a bunch of, probably, the biggest misconceptions about hypermiling. These tips simply do nothing for gas mileage and some may actually have negative affects in one way or another:
Use a do-it-yourself fuel additive
We’ve heard of everything from acetone to mothballs to WD-40 being added to the gas, and though some users claim a [...]
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Use The Right Tire Size For Maximum Fuel Efficiency
Most vehicles on the road have 3-4 different size tires (at least) that will run perfectly fine. This is especially true with trucks ans SUVs. As a general rule the smaller size tire will allow you to get more MPG, and usually a tire with a less nobby tread will do the same (you may [...]
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Make Your Car Your Own
Every mainstream passenger car is a compromise built with many different drivers in mind. Because there are all too few vehicles built specifically with gas mileage as the primary design element, there’s a lot of improvement to be had in modifying your existing ride. Some people will do little things to improve aerodynamics, like adding [...]
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DIY Rubber Front Wheel Skirts For Aerodynamics
My main motivations for doing it this way:
1) Ease of construction - I know how to cut aluminium (shears), use a drill (to drill steel car body, you should spray some lubricant such as wd-40 on the drill bit before and sometimes during use) use a screwdriver, and cut rubber with boxcutters. Nothing fancy and [...]
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Be Courteous To Other Drivers
Hypermiling often requires you to drive a little too slow, especially when coasting in to a stop from a long range. There are some things you can do to be courteous to other drivers and help curb road rage.
You can encourage a pass with a fake turn:
Drivers who travel below the normal flow of traffic [...]
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Warm Up In The Winter
If you insist on going the cheap route and not putting in a block heater, don’t waste too much gas on warm up. I only warm mine up enough to get the oil pressure up (I have a gauge) and till any oil starved parts like lifters quiet down. Usually 1/2 minute when its cold. [...]
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