LONO100
Explorer Addict
- Joined
- March 23, 2011
- Messages
- 2,911
- Reaction score
- 26
- City, State
- Bay Area CA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 03 sport trac XLT
hey all, im a newbie to the forum, and so far just about everyone has been really cool and helpful in helping me get ideas for my 03 ST i got last month.
i live in CA where gas prices are crazy, so ive been getting into this hypermiling craze and it really works. i also commute in my ST during the week driving about 360+ miles per week. ive been able to squeeze so many extra miles out of my gas during my commutes by following a few easy tips. i have been able to squeeze about 550 miles out of one full tank of gas in my 03 ST XLT 4X2, and that was without letting it run bone dry. so if you want to save money on gas, or want to help the environment, or both, here are some tips that i picked up that work best for me. some of these you may have already heard, but if you do them all-together you can really save some dollars on gas, which means more money to put into your truck! i also left some links below to hypermiling.
1. DRIVE SLOWER ON THE FREEWAY - of course you want to open it up when you are cruising around on the weekends or when you are out wheeling, but when you are on your M-F commute, it really saves money to drive 60 mph or below. i read a figure that said for every 5 MPH you drive over 60 mph, you are decreasing your mileage efficiency by 1 MPG and for every 5 MPH you drive under 60, you increase by 1MPG. if you leave for work a few minutes early and drive 55, you will see the biggest difference in your gas mileage. driving like a grandma really works in saving you money. i try to keep my tach needle from jumping around, and i try not to let it get any higher than 2000 RPM's when im on the freeway. no jackrabbit starts off the stoplights, and no peeling out.
2. USE CRUISE CONTROL WHENEVER POSSIBLE - this will keep your RPM's from jumping up and down while you are at freeway speeds. if you have a +/- feature on your cruise control, use this to accelarate or deccelerate when you are at freeway speeds whenever you can and the when the road is open.
3. DRAFTING - when you are on the freeway, find a big rig and get behind it. the big rig will cut through the wind for you, causing your engine to not work as hard trying to cut through the air and wind. i do this whenever possible, i try not to follow too close so i dont piss off the truck drivers. this is probably not a good idea if you have custom paint, or baby your ride as the trucks can kick up rocks sometimes, but if your truck is a daily beater, go for it, it makes a huge difference. I've even seen truck drivers taking turns drafting each other to save gas.
4. LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD - take out/off any unneccesary weight. stuff in the back seat and bed, roof racks that aren't being used, camper tops, tools that arent being used, anything you dont need on a daily basis will help. you can increase your MPG by 1-2 MPG's for every 150 lbs you take out. one way that i figured out how to lighten up my load was to only fill my tank up half way at a time during my commuting days. i have to pull up to the station more, but by only filling up half way, im cutting that much weight off my load when im commuting.
5. KEEP UP YOUR MAINTAINENCE - keeping your sparkplugs up to date, and all your filters clean really helps in increasing your mileage efficiency. the most important aspect to this is your tire pressure. if your tire pressure is low, that will greatly affect how many miles you can squeeze out of your gas. ive heard of people overinflating them to get even better mileage, but ive been doing fine with keeping them where they should be.
6. SOME MODS UNDERNEATH MAY HELP - some of the mods you may already have might already be helping you save on gas. MAF or CAI intakes and aftermarket exhaust systems help increase gas mileage as long as your foot stays light on the pedal. i noticed a signifigant difference with my KN intake.
7. GET AN APP FOR YOUR PHONE - getting an app for your phone to help you keep track of your fillups can show you how much gas you've been saving or wasting. some even have graphs and provide tips on how to save money on gas. the best part is that you can find any number of these apps for free.
8. GET GAS AT THE COLDEST TIME OF THE DAY/NIGHT - gas is measured in volume at the station, but not mass. because of condensation, gas is at its most massive during the coldest part of the day, but still able to fill the same volume. get it? so filling a 1 gallon jug of gas in the hot afternoon has less mass than filling a one gallon jug of gas during the middle of the night or early morning meaning you just got more gas. it's not much by the gallon, but by the couple tanks full, it is.
9. MINIMIZE HITTING STOP LIGHTS - when im city driving, i figured the places i frequent the most and figured routes that have the least amount of stoplights for each destination. driving a mile or two more distance-wise can save you twice that extra mile or two if you dont hit any stoplights. idling engines are engines burning gas but not getting any mileage.
OTHER TIPS - roll the windows down during city driving if its hot, and roll them up and turn the ac on at a minimum once you hit the freeway. coasting whenever you can. i coast as much as i can and i always take advantage of downhill driving. time stoplights by slowing down to a crawl until it turns green so you never have to stop completely.
my girlfriend started hypermiling too, and her mini cooper S gets around 36 MPG freeway. she went over 535 miles on one fill up. thats a 13 gallon tank meaning she was able to squeeze out about 41 MPG! my personal best in my 03 ST was 550 miles on one tank, meaning that on a 20 gallon tank, i was pushing 27.5 MPG, and that was without me even getting down to the fumes. imagine how much money i'd be saving if gas prices actually went down.
i hope some of these tips help you guys save money on gas, putting it all together has really helped me save big money on gas, and since everyone on this forum has been so helpful to me, i thought i'd return the favor. it sucks at first driving slower and taking more time to get places, but you get used to it and realize you are only getting there a few minutes earlier when you are flooring it. please post any ideas or tips for saving money on gas if you have any that i didnt mention. and also share any experiences or thoughts you have if you try hypermiling. thanks again to everyone who has been so friendly and helpful since i joined the forum.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-tips-ecodriving.php
http://www.gasolinecreditcards.com/...iling-100-driving-and-car-tips-and-resources/
http://gogreentravelgreen.com/green...-increase-your-miles-per-gallon-and-save-gas/
i live in CA where gas prices are crazy, so ive been getting into this hypermiling craze and it really works. i also commute in my ST during the week driving about 360+ miles per week. ive been able to squeeze so many extra miles out of my gas during my commutes by following a few easy tips. i have been able to squeeze about 550 miles out of one full tank of gas in my 03 ST XLT 4X2, and that was without letting it run bone dry. so if you want to save money on gas, or want to help the environment, or both, here are some tips that i picked up that work best for me. some of these you may have already heard, but if you do them all-together you can really save some dollars on gas, which means more money to put into your truck! i also left some links below to hypermiling.
1. DRIVE SLOWER ON THE FREEWAY - of course you want to open it up when you are cruising around on the weekends or when you are out wheeling, but when you are on your M-F commute, it really saves money to drive 60 mph or below. i read a figure that said for every 5 MPH you drive over 60 mph, you are decreasing your mileage efficiency by 1 MPG and for every 5 MPH you drive under 60, you increase by 1MPG. if you leave for work a few minutes early and drive 55, you will see the biggest difference in your gas mileage. driving like a grandma really works in saving you money. i try to keep my tach needle from jumping around, and i try not to let it get any higher than 2000 RPM's when im on the freeway. no jackrabbit starts off the stoplights, and no peeling out.
2. USE CRUISE CONTROL WHENEVER POSSIBLE - this will keep your RPM's from jumping up and down while you are at freeway speeds. if you have a +/- feature on your cruise control, use this to accelarate or deccelerate when you are at freeway speeds whenever you can and the when the road is open.
3. DRAFTING - when you are on the freeway, find a big rig and get behind it. the big rig will cut through the wind for you, causing your engine to not work as hard trying to cut through the air and wind. i do this whenever possible, i try not to follow too close so i dont piss off the truck drivers. this is probably not a good idea if you have custom paint, or baby your ride as the trucks can kick up rocks sometimes, but if your truck is a daily beater, go for it, it makes a huge difference. I've even seen truck drivers taking turns drafting each other to save gas.
4. LIGHTEN YOUR LOAD - take out/off any unneccesary weight. stuff in the back seat and bed, roof racks that aren't being used, camper tops, tools that arent being used, anything you dont need on a daily basis will help. you can increase your MPG by 1-2 MPG's for every 150 lbs you take out. one way that i figured out how to lighten up my load was to only fill my tank up half way at a time during my commuting days. i have to pull up to the station more, but by only filling up half way, im cutting that much weight off my load when im commuting.
5. KEEP UP YOUR MAINTAINENCE - keeping your sparkplugs up to date, and all your filters clean really helps in increasing your mileage efficiency. the most important aspect to this is your tire pressure. if your tire pressure is low, that will greatly affect how many miles you can squeeze out of your gas. ive heard of people overinflating them to get even better mileage, but ive been doing fine with keeping them where they should be.
6. SOME MODS UNDERNEATH MAY HELP - some of the mods you may already have might already be helping you save on gas. MAF or CAI intakes and aftermarket exhaust systems help increase gas mileage as long as your foot stays light on the pedal. i noticed a signifigant difference with my KN intake.
7. GET AN APP FOR YOUR PHONE - getting an app for your phone to help you keep track of your fillups can show you how much gas you've been saving or wasting. some even have graphs and provide tips on how to save money on gas. the best part is that you can find any number of these apps for free.
8. GET GAS AT THE COLDEST TIME OF THE DAY/NIGHT - gas is measured in volume at the station, but not mass. because of condensation, gas is at its most massive during the coldest part of the day, but still able to fill the same volume. get it? so filling a 1 gallon jug of gas in the hot afternoon has less mass than filling a one gallon jug of gas during the middle of the night or early morning meaning you just got more gas. it's not much by the gallon, but by the couple tanks full, it is.
9. MINIMIZE HITTING STOP LIGHTS - when im city driving, i figured the places i frequent the most and figured routes that have the least amount of stoplights for each destination. driving a mile or two more distance-wise can save you twice that extra mile or two if you dont hit any stoplights. idling engines are engines burning gas but not getting any mileage.
OTHER TIPS - roll the windows down during city driving if its hot, and roll them up and turn the ac on at a minimum once you hit the freeway. coasting whenever you can. i coast as much as i can and i always take advantage of downhill driving. time stoplights by slowing down to a crawl until it turns green so you never have to stop completely.
my girlfriend started hypermiling too, and her mini cooper S gets around 36 MPG freeway. she went over 535 miles on one fill up. thats a 13 gallon tank meaning she was able to squeeze out about 41 MPG! my personal best in my 03 ST was 550 miles on one tank, meaning that on a 20 gallon tank, i was pushing 27.5 MPG, and that was without me even getting down to the fumes. imagine how much money i'd be saving if gas prices actually went down.
i hope some of these tips help you guys save money on gas, putting it all together has really helped me save big money on gas, and since everyone on this forum has been so helpful to me, i thought i'd return the favor. it sucks at first driving slower and taking more time to get places, but you get used to it and realize you are only getting there a few minutes earlier when you are flooring it. please post any ideas or tips for saving money on gas if you have any that i didnt mention. and also share any experiences or thoughts you have if you try hypermiling. thanks again to everyone who has been so friendly and helpful since i joined the forum.
http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-tips-ecodriving.php
http://www.gasolinecreditcards.com/...iling-100-driving-and-car-tips-and-resources/
http://gogreentravelgreen.com/green...-increase-your-miles-per-gallon-and-save-gas/
