cspear1

Hey im not sure if this is the right place for this post but ill try it. I'm considering selling my 1985 z28 to get a car that can give me better gas mileage. I love my car but am a soon to be college student and cant afford the current gas prices. I'm wondering if there is anything i can do to the car to give it better mpg? Thanks in advance!

Kingtal0n

Fuel economy improvements:

#1: use a closed loop multi port injection fuel system
#2: reduce rotating mass as much as possible (lighter driveshaft, lighter wheels, lighter transmission components, lighter engine components, remove the smog pump)
#3: reduce vehicle weight (take everything out of the car you can live without and never run a full tank of gas)
#4: Use an engine with good compression and minimal blow-by and a proper PCV system.
#5: use proper exhaust diameter plumbing. If you have an OEM 305 you should use stock exhaust. if you have an OEM 350 you should use stock exhaust. Dont even think about 3" exhaust unless you are over 330 horsepower or so.
#6: reduce friction where possible. check for brake drag. check your wheel bearings. Check your alignment.

that should get you started.

ninetyone

iTrader: (2)

Is your car TPI? or is it carb? If it is computer controlled you may want to look into getting a custom chip burnt.

3rdgenmaro

iTrader: (9)

the best way to increase fuel mileage is to change your driving habits (after a good tune-up)

cspear1

Thanks for the tips. My car is carb. I drive it only as much as i need to, and i drive it pretty conservatively..

naf

iTrader: (7)

The 85 LG4 can achieve mid-20's highway mileage, the L69 will be slightly lower. What are you getting now? I mean when you divide the amount put in the tank by the number of miles between fill-ups, averaged over a couple tanks.

What's your capital cost of upgrading to a vehicle with better mileage and how quickly will that capital cost be offset by your fuel savings, based on your estimated miles per year? If you're going to a newer vehicle (maybe with a warranty) you can factor in some maintenance savings.

BlackenedBird

iTrader: (5)

I've gotten 21mpg from a L98/700R4/3.27, highway only. In-town yielded 15-17mpg.

torque_is_good

a cost-benefit analysis. I love it and it's excellent that you introduced it into the topic.

camaronewbie

Same here. Consider ... hybrid car. Forget the price - assume you get a "free" one. 4 years and you'll need $8000 worth of batteries. Will you save $2000 a year in gas? Doubt it.

Want 40+ mpg? Find a 1967 VW Beetle - no emissions, carbed car, got 40+ mpg back in 1967. What's a new emissions-friendly FI Beetle get? It damn sure aint 40+mpg!

I love the environment, but I can't afford to "save it", at least not now. I recycle my used oil, I fill my recycling bin everyweek, I drink Mtn Dew (to save water of course! ).

So do an analysis for yourself.
What mpg do you get now?
What mpg will you be able to afford to buy?
How many miles will you drive in a month?
What extra out-of-pocket will you have to spend to get a better mpg car?
Remember insurance increases (if you have to finance you'll need more insurance), increased property taxes (better mpg car means higher value car means more taxes), and payments that you don't have now.

If your car is paid for, and you sell it and finance $200 a month for new car, plus extra $30 a month for increased insurance, and $5 a month in increased property taxes, means you are paying $235 a month to get 35mpg. Assume you already get 20mpg, that's 15mpg difference. 1500 miles a month for example driving. Estimate average of $4.00 a gallon over next 2 years. Assume maintenance will be the same.

Camaro @ 20mpg costs you 1500 miles/20 mpg = 75 gallons * $4.00 = $300 a month to drive
Other @ 35mpg costs you 1500 miles/35mpg = 43 gallons * $4.00 = $172 a month to drive

BUT - you are spending $235 a month (payment/taxes/ins) to save $128 a month - not worth it.

Plug in your own numbers, I'm making guesses here - maybe you can sell your Camaro and get a car without a payment, then it's worth it.

Me? I'd keep my Camaro (b/c I love it), spend $700 on a junker Craigslist small economy car (like a Festiva or some old better mpg junker) - I know I can recoup my expense in gas savings over 2 years then, and I get to keep my Camaro! Talk to your parents about it - unless your over 30 years old, parents understand that college = cash out of THEIR pocket at some point - maybe they'll give you $700 for a CL junker! Cheaper than the books you'll have to buy the first year!

Good luck! Study hard! And on the weekends, listen to Bob Marley and paint flowers on the 1967 Beetle!

3rdgenmaro

iTrader: (9)

All true, but if you look at that from a cost standpoint, you will not save what you put in.

Blue1990camaro

iTrader: (1)

do what i did, i sold my 85 z28 with a TPI 305 and went out and got a 1990 T TOP 3.1 camaro, much much much better on gas, u can make a v6 maro look and sound good, look at it this way, u can still drive around in a camaro, its what i did as im a college student as well



BEETLE IDEA FOR THE WIN!!!!!!

cspear1

Thanks for all the input everyone! I'm not looking for a BRAND new car, just something around the 2000-2005 range. One thing i didnt consider before was insurance increases on a newer car. I am leaning towards sticking to my z28 and getting a cheap fuel friendly car for daily driving.

BTW that cost analysis helped me out alot! And at drinking MD to conserve water!!!

RandyPozdnikoff

how many miles on that motor? I get 30 miles to the gallon ( Canadian) 350, 600 cfm carb, same gears and tranny! new rebuild of coarse.By the way, I pulled the anemic 3.1 because they're dangerously underpowered, and were not that great on fuel either !!

torque_is_good

you just re-opened a bad wound. I'm paying for books for 2 right now and the 3rd starts next year. $148 was the cost for photocopies to put into a binder, not even a real book. Another book was $180 plus $35 for the CD!!!!

You can't rent books when you need the bloody CD

whoops, sorry, this is an auto forum. Not a complain about the cost of textbooks forum.

ASE doc

I bought a $1000 1999Suzuki Swift(33mpg). It is completely uncool and I love it. It takes all the miles and abuse of Oregon winter driving while my beautiful beasty stays safe and sound under her car cover in the garage. I start her up once a week to keep the cob webs out and remind myself what a real car sounds like.

camaronewbie

NOW the truth (reluctantly) comes out about ASE Doc!

I'm teasing you bud - we all have our beaters! Mine is a 1987 Ford Bronco II that I paid $400 for 5 years ago. It looks like the back wall of a paint booth, with blue & white paint overshadowed with lots of surface rust and grime. But, all I've ever had to do besides oil changes was swap a head ($250) and replace a fuel pump ($50) - not bad for a $400 ride that has 4x4 and will roll anywhere I point it! If the poor thing ever had new tires put on it, I think it would have a stroke (all I ever allow it to have is used). She don't run fast, but she does love to go, and I wouldn't think twice about jumping in it and riding to Oregon just so I could get a pic of you in that Swift!

BTW - she's not saving me any gas, but she does save me door dings, salt, etc.

92z28camarokid

iTrader: (4)

Honestly you might want to try out water4gas.com
I might do it this summer, to save some money.

ASE doc

Hey camaronewbie! Someday we should all plan a road run. Not of our 3rd gen beauties but of our beaters. Wouldn't that be a show stopper. I can already see the write up in Hot Rod Magazine. LOL

naf

iTrader: (7)

Ouch. Stop it. That hurts.

camaronewbie

With the price of gas the way it is, it would cost me more to drive my beater 3000 miles to parade with you, than it would for me to fly there and buy a beater to parade with you!

Probably cheaper to use the AutoTrain - I could load my beater on the train - now that would be a sight - my beater BroncoII amongst all those fancy Mercedes and Lexus, riding along down the tracks.

My gas saver is a 1994 Honda Magna 750. In this neck of the woods, I can ride year round with rare exception, and I love to two-wheel!

That's another option for the OP - motorcycle! Perfect college ride ... easy to park, 50mpg, cheap to get used, and very low insurance. I picked up my Honda for $1700 in great condition, and my YEARLY insurance is $100.

91bluez

my two cents......if you love the car KEEP IT......its not that bad on fuel!

Convoy25

iTrader: (3)

get an LS1 Camaro

ASE doc

Just checked out water4gas. Interesting idea. Not in any hurry to try it on my expensive IROC motor but maybe on the Skuzuki.

camaronewbie

21st Century snake oil at it's finest.

I'm assuming this is a hydrogen release from water system that's supposed to increase mileage? My brother built his own last year, spent maybe $50 on junk to make his own. In the end, he got maybe another 2mpg.

What we really need is a conversion system to run beer as fuel - with the latest gas prices, beer is cheaper per gallon now. And all you'd need for a tailgate party is a tube in the tank!

JustCruzin

I go one better...

ASE doc

i did some research on the water4gas system. Try googling it. There are alot of people who've tried it and had very promising results. It seems like there is some kind of calalyst that they add to the water. Maybe that's where the beer comes in. I may just buy the book and check it out.

cspear1

Alright so i spent the last week finding out what kind of MPG im actually getting. I drove even more conservatively than i usually do and still ended up with a really really low mpg. Keep in mind, ive had the carb rebuilt, and basicly have had a tune up. But im still getting 10.9 MPG....Am i the only one getting such bad mileage or is this pretty normal? Thanks...

hdis2002

iTrader: (1)

Wow! That is pretty bad. I've got a modified 5.7 that is running kinda rich and I can pull 16-17mpg without much effort in mixed driving. Maybe the gurus can weigh in on this one. 10.9 doesn't sound right at all.

Krishan

iTrader: (1)

eek. same here
I'm only halfway through the tank and only covered 80+ miles. If half-mark = 7 gallons, then 80/7 = 11mpg Local driving

but then again, I am lacking a cat converter
my air dam has fallen off
my tires are bald
and my alignment is slightly off...

147k miles :']

-Someone tell me that my car's messed up somewhere to be getting this kinda mileage.

hdis2002

iTrader: (1)

Your car's messed up somewhere to be getting that kinda mileage. Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Guys, there could be any number of things causing your problems. To quote one of the gurus on this site "start with the basics". Make sure all of your plugs are firing, check your fuel pressure, change your fuel filter, check your plug wires, do the hokey pokey. These cars will not go down in history as being economical by any means, but you should still be doing better than 10-11mpg.

Steve

iReveal Secrets

LESS Friction = LESS Wear = GREATER Fuel Economy

The uniform diameter of synthetic oil polymers allows them to more easily slide over one another. The resultant reduction in friction shows up as more horsepower, torque, reduced internal engine wear and better fuel economy.

Have a Very Fine NAVY Day... The Chief

Foot Note:

BUYER BEWARE: Definition of Synthetic Lubricants Changed in 1999 Ruling

For many years, PAOs and other chemically synthesized basestocks were the only lubricant products that could be advertised as synthetic. The National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau broadened the definition of synthetic lubricants to include products made with Group III basestocks in a 1999 ruling. This created confusion in the marketplace as to what the customer was actually buying when he specified “synthetic motor oil.”

Some lubricant marketers also promote semi-synthetic engine oils that are a blend of synthetic basestock and conventional mineral oils. Semi-synthetic engine oils could have as little as 10 to 20 percent synthetic in the formulation. These products can be purchased at a lower cost than full synthetics. Performance features, especially with respect to low temperature flow, high temperature evaporative loss and oxidation stability, are generally inferior to full synthetics, although they may be perfectly adequate for many applications. There is no requirement for oil marketers to specify the amount of synthetic basestock in finished semisynthetic oil, or to state whether the synthetic component is a Group III or Group IV base oil.

The point here is to be sure that the performance features are understood when purchasing a synthetic engine oil. Ask the oil marketer for product data sheets, test results, especially data that shows lubricant performance under stressed conditions, and field test reports in equipment that is relevant for your operations.