hey guys need some advise on mpg. Previously I worked close to home and only drove 3 miles a day. My new job will require me to drive about 56 miles a day so need something to help out with mpg.

I have a 01 gs300 with tanabe touring medallion exhaust. i rarely reach 4k rpm, maybe like twice a year, so dont really need for power. maybe just enough to compensate for having 19s vs stock 16s. I average about 19 mpg, someone posted they got about 25 mpg which would be great to get. been reading some posts on here and still have questions.

here are my questions

1. thinking about getting obx headers. i think all i need is the headers, keep the y pipe and also get an o2 sim?

2. what is a cheap good brand o2 sim to get?

3. do i need a safc?

4. any sellers you recommend on ebay?

5. thinking about doing a DIY intake does the filter brand really matter?

6. anything else?

7. how much mpg do u guys get with your setup?

 

you can increase your MPGs with a general tune up (spark plugs, wires, filters, fluids, etc), not ever putting the pedal to the metal, using your cruise control as much as possible. looking very far ahead of you to insure you are not pressing the accelerator JUST to come to a red light. coast as much as you can. its a little easier to do in a manual trans car, but every little bit will help you.

 

Go back to stock 16s or 17"s and you'll gain probably 1 MPG from the lower rolling mass.

Also, getting those upgrades, but then wanting to save gas doesn't make much sense to me, since without those upgrades you can still improve your MPG. With those performance upgrades, you're more likely to want to gun it and drive harder now and then to hear the engine/exhaust or whatever, and waste gas instead. I know I do that with my GS4 just to feel a little excitement in my 37 mile commute (one way).

However, in order to get anywhere close to 25 MPG you'd have to drive on the highway like 90% of the time. My GS400 gets up to 26-27 MPG very easily on a smooth cruise down a somewhat flat road. However, above 70mph it starts to take a hit. In town/highway combined about 35%/65% my MPG per tank is more like 21-22.

There was a thread about getting better MPG with a GS400 someone posted a few weeks ago, maybe you can find it. In there someone linked a website about hypermiling that listed a lot of good common sense and some not so common sense techniques in improving MPG. One of them was to not use cruise control and instead keep your foot as steady as possible, DESPITE changes in car speed. In order to do so effectively though I used my ScanGauge II ($150 Autozone) which gives a live MPG, TPS (throttle position sensor) and various other read-outs, I kept the pedal rock steady at 20% which gave me 27+ MPG going BETWEEN 60-70 mph depending on the road/slope. Cruise Control keeps changing the throttle to keep your speed steady, but that costs you a certain about of fuel if you aren't driving on a flat road, especially when it tries to keep you going up hill at the same speed (almost 5+ MPG drop trying to keep going 60 mph for example).

Also turning off the engine on lights that you are familiar with that stay red for a minute or more is always helpful, BUT take that chance only if you trust your starter to last a while.Coast down hill, and even over the hump a good bit if you can, since it's wasted energy trying to maintain your speed...in fact when going up hill even for a good length, DO NOT try to keep your speed up (as long as it's not dropping like a rock). You might lose 5-7mph getting to the top but you'll maintain nearly the same MPG if you keep your foot rock steady and just let the car reach the peak, then coast down hill the rest of the way. I do this often when I can remember when going on exit/feed ramps on/off a highway to another.

Having a Scangauge II really helps figure out what you can do to help improve your lead foot or just tweak your MPG better simply because it gives you live MPG and average readings, along with a load of other engine and related info on the display. I'm sure there are other ways but I had it from a previous car and used it to see just how good/bad the V8 was (just got the car 2 months ago).

 

The problem with the 300 is that it's heavy, heavier than the GS400 and it's underpowered for the weight it has to move. I wouldn't at all be surprised if the 400 got you better mileage in the day to day because it doesn't have to work as hard.

 

Actually, the iron pig 2Jz might be heavier than the 1UZ, but according to what I've seen as the listed curb weight for the GS3 and GS4, the GS3 is lighter by 55 lbs overall. '98 GS300 at 3635 lbs vs. GS400 at 3690 lbs. Still, the car is just h.e.a.v.y. (source: Edmunds.com)

Not that it was the wisest choice or car at all for my current situation, but I went for the GS4 simply because aside from being addicted to power, I noticed the factory MPG on both GS3 and GS4 models was almost the same (GS3 up by 1-2 MPG) so I figured it was better to get something that at least made it worth the wallet drain.

The 2JZ is literally a 20 year old iron relic that I'm surprised even with its later VVTi dressing made it as far as the '05 GS. Despite its slight upgrade in power, the MPG from the get go was horrendous in comparison to what showed up later (say, the '02 Nissan VQ35). It's really only any use if you go full on turbo since at that point no one cares about fuel costs (I imagine not much anyway, hehe). Besides reliability and all that, in an N/A application it seems it's just a fuel hog, which almost makes a slightly improved 3F-E than the 4.0L 3F-E in my '91 L.Cruiser..

 

thanks for the replies guys, I pretty much know about how to drive to save gas because I already drive like a grandpa most of the time lol. when i listed #6 i was thinking more so like pulleys, grounding kits, tranny coolers, etc.

@properd - thanks ill look into new plugs and wires. just did my 90k not to long ago with new tranny and diff fluid.

@sampak - I push the throttle about 10-20% to maintain speed and go about 60-70 mph on freeways. between my house and work i drive mostly freeway and i have 2 - 7 stop lights depends on which way i go, so no need to shut off the engine. honestly i think the first couple months that i get the upgrades i will want to test out the feeling and sound lol, but after that I'll get used to it and drive like i normally do. the 19 mpg is combined city and hwy, now its mostly highway so I'll have to see how much improvement I actually get from switching, but i would still like to get the most mpg as i can. I was actually thinking of going turbo about 5 years ago, but never got enough knowledge and money to pull it off. then i started driving slower and lost the need for speed.

@masterkwan - i hear yah. if i didnt like the gs so much i would sell it and get a prius with bags and aimgain kit.

 

All I have is a DIY intake tube and a K&N Filter. I travel 1000 miles a week and average 23 MPG at 80. I have 17" wheels and 19's. Very little difference in MPG between the two.

 

I wish I got 19mpg, I get 13-15

 

Is there a thread out there on how we can get rid of extra unneeded weight in these cars?