What are your tricks???
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,600
Likes: 4
From: Iowa
Originally Posted by Brown Beast
In my 1995 Explorer 4.0 v-6 4x4, it has an "information center" in the middle and tells current MPG, and average MPG. I tried several different things over the past 6 months. The greatest difference came from "timing" the traffic lights. 1 year ago, I would have thought "whatever" about this. But having to learn this skill when I started driving the 18 wheeler ( 1yr, 2 months ago) I have now applied it to my driving habits in my little truck. AND IT WORKS!!
first 2 fuel tanks driving "old style (ie. stoping at every red light)" 16.5mpg av. " New style ( wathching ltraffic lights and stoping as little as possible)" on the next 2 tanks was 18.2mpg av. Now I have changed the air filter to K&N, used full synthetics, and get close to 19 every time.
PS: I also have oversized 275/70/16 All Terrain tires!
first 2 fuel tanks driving "old style (ie. stoping at every red light)" 16.5mpg av. " New style ( wathching ltraffic lights and stoping as little as possible)" on the next 2 tanks was 18.2mpg av. Now I have changed the air filter to K&N, used full synthetics, and get close to 19 every time.
PS: I also have oversized 275/70/16 All Terrain tires!
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: PARIS, TN
Muscle is exactly right. What you have to do/remember is to allwys look at the traffic lights ahead of the one you are at, or watch the one you are coming up on. If it has been green for a while (30 sec. or more) It is considerd a "stale" light. It will probably change to red, so expect it to. On the flip side ( and this is where "timing" traffic lights comes into play) if it has been red for a while, it will be soon changing to green. What I do, and what works, is for example; The speed limit is 35/ light has been red for 30 sec. or more/ I am aprox 50-75 yards from light/ I will slow down to 15-20mph. USUALY the light changes before I get there. REMEBER THIS THOUGHT: IDIOTS RUN RED LIGHTS! ALLWAYS, ALLWAYS, ALLLLLLWAYS BE WATHCHING THE INTERSECTION FOR "RUNNERS"!! You can (mostly) tell what the other driver is going to do by watching his/her vehicle speed when they come up to the intersection. Sorry this is so long, but it has to be explained this way.
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Bonham, Texas
I put about 4 oz acetone in with 19 gal fuel, and didn't detect any mileage improvement. One guy over in the 67-72 forum improved from about 10 mpg to about 12 mpg with acetone, tried it over several tankfuls.
Man, did gas just shoot up in price!?!!!
I'm afraid I'm going to have to use my least favorite gas saving trick: driving my wife's ---wince--- Cavalier ---ouch--- !!! Not having to resort to that is my main reason for trying to improve the old truck's mileage. Doggone if that little car, with manual tranny, gets 35mpg or more, and no matter how you slice it, that's alot of money saved each month!
Let's keep working on it, guys, or we'll all be hanging out at www.economy-car-4-cylinder.com !!!
Man, did gas just shoot up in price!?!!!
I'm afraid I'm going to have to use my least favorite gas saving trick: driving my wife's ---wince--- Cavalier ---ouch--- !!! Not having to resort to that is my main reason for trying to improve the old truck's mileage. Doggone if that little car, with manual tranny, gets 35mpg or more, and no matter how you slice it, that's alot of money saved each month!
Let's keep working on it, guys, or we'll all be hanging out at www.economy-car-4-cylinder.com !!!
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: PARIS, TN
Hey Sacred, I loved my wifes '03 cavaleer. Ecotec engines rule!!
Anyway, to muscle: If you are not married, or have any emotional attachment to a gal, DEFINANTLY get you CDL's and drive for a while!
I started out driving for WERNER (kinda hard to miss the big blue trucks) And then went to driving for JB HUNT after 3 months. JB said they pay 10 cents more per mile, wich they do, but yet I made WAY more money at WERNER! And Werner's didgital logbook is EASY & COOL !!! If I ever, ever go back to driving 48 states, or even regional, I would go back to Werner anyday. If you are trully interested, and have any more ?'s about truck driving, you are more than welcome to e-mail me at COYOTE10663@YAHOO.COM --------KJ
Anyway, to muscle: If you are not married, or have any emotional attachment to a gal, DEFINANTLY get you CDL's and drive for a while!
I started out driving for WERNER (kinda hard to miss the big blue trucks) And then went to driving for JB HUNT after 3 months. JB said they pay 10 cents more per mile, wich they do, but yet I made WAY more money at WERNER! And Werner's didgital logbook is EASY & COOL !!! If I ever, ever go back to driving 48 states, or even regional, I would go back to Werner anyday. If you are trully interested, and have any more ?'s about truck driving, you are more than welcome to e-mail me at COYOTE10663@YAHOO.COM --------KJ
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,703
Likes: 4
From: Harrisburg, NE
Originally Posted by Brown Beast
Anyway, to muscle: If you are not married, or have any emotional attachment to a gal, DEFINANTLY get you CDL's and drive for a while!
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Milpitas, CA; Tyler, TX
Originally Posted by Torque1st
Cities could help reduce fuel consumption by timing the traffic signals better. Nothing irks me more than 30 cars coming to a stop just to let a single car from a side street go... 
) - one study showed that something like 90-95% of signals are poorly timed either because they were incorrectly timed in the first place, or because the algorithms have not been updated over time to cope with different traffic patterns, growth, etc. It threw some other statistics at me that I can't remember, like wasted time, fuel, etc that were absolutely enormous.
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John_1953
1948 - 1956 F1, F100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
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Apr 1, 2002 07:24 PM