RE[V8] Lower Emissions

[Buchholz, Steven]

... well, I've got two nearly identical 5-speeds ... my first car gets significantly better mileage than #2.  I want to understand the difference ... some day.  I see above mid 20s on the freeway with the first car and around 20 on the second.  If anything, I tend to push the first car harder too!  That said, the MT engines have a more aggressive cam, perhaps that might explain a difference.

I did want to comment on one aspect of the maximizing fuel economy ideas ... are you positive that shifting into neutral is actually saving gas?  On the MT cars the ECU will shut off fuel to the engine completely when in an overrun situation as long as the RPMs are above 2000 or so ... do the autos do this too?  The way to tell is to look at the instantaneous MPG display when coasting ... if the value goes to dashes "---" it means that you are burning no gasoline in the engine ... if the engine is idling while coasting it will require gas ... 

Steve B
San José, CA (USA)
> 
> That works out to 20.4 MPG - which is better than I have ever gotten with my
> 5-speed in comuter driving.
> 
> 
> I actually think that the automatics get better mileage for some odd reason.
> 
> The only other things I could think of would be a dead on alignment, and maybe
> a
> narrower tire (tyre to you :-) to get your rolling resistance down.
> You might also experiment with different brands of gas. I seem to get better
> mileage with lower octane fuel. I am currently running 87 RON and am getting
> around 16 MPG. Considering it has been anywhere from 5 to 30 degrees F here
> for
> the last few weeks, that is not bad. I have to try really hard to get 19 MPG
> in
> warmer weather.
> 
> btw, I also have the radiator mostly blocked off to get the motor up to temp
> quicker. This seems to help a lot in the cold.
> 
> 
> Quoting Paul Jager <pjager at telus.net>:
> 
> > I'm doing my best to see how low I can go.
> >
> > New o2 sensor
> > 0W15 oil (this is an energy saver)
> > Tires at 42 PSI all round
> > Brake pins and guides well lubed
> > (Parking brake tends to stay on slightly so it is out of use)
> >
> > Shift to N to coast as much as possible (not sure if I should keep doing
> > that)
> > Keep in garage to stay warm. An inline heater would be a good addition.
> > And finally never stand idle - even shutdown at long lights.
> >
> >
> > Past few days I've averaged 12.5 l/100km combined driving.
> > It's 4.2 1993 Auto.