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Best mods for MPG w/out losing too much "fun"?

ButtonPuncher said:
Very true. Messing with the battery can go bad. I'd much rather just yank the PCM fuse. It's the odd ball of the group too. I think its light blue 7.5A fuse. Very easy to pick out.



Zetec, Duratec, 4.6L V8...doesn't matter. A MIL eliminator is a MIL eliminator. BTW, the reason that I buy the pre-made MIL eliminators is that they are cast in epoxy so water can't get in. As soon as you drive through a heavy rain or car wash, an unprotected MIL eliminator will flake out. Either that or it will corrode over time and fail.

BP
Click to expand...

Fuses are just easier and faster. My ECU fuse is a purple 3A.

For the MIL's I didn't know if it was engine or ECU specific. Thanks for the info.
 
plus, removing the fuse just resets the PCM so you dont have to deal with redoing the clock and the radio presets/settings.
 
I'm back! Which would be better for my car The SleeperZ style intake or aftermarket short ram? Or does it make a miniscule difference?
All I understand is that SleeperZ's intake is a balanced mix of cold air and short ram... Buuuut I don't quite understand what that means.
So if someone could spell it out to me real slow like, I'd be appreciative. Haha!
 
Hey L00fah; personally i wouldn't fit a short ram to your car, it will just suck in less dense hot air. Get an air intake that collects air from outside the hot engine bay. An air intake is not going to set your tires alight, but is just a first step to freeing up the airflow thru your engine .... G.
 
My comment about the miniscule difference was about the difference between short ram and SleeperZ, though. I'm tryin' to increase MPG, soooo... I'm still at a stand still here. D:
 
your MPG will go up if you have an intake which takes air from outside the engine bay because the air is colder, more dense and has more oxygen by volume. What i'm trying to say is ... don't get blinded by the bling... understand the science ....G.
 
putting an oversize piece of pipe between your stock TB and your paper filter (sucking thru a stock fender pipe) is not going to benefit you much at all...if any ....G.
 
"Understand the science."
Nice quote man. The big gain in the SleeperZ is the bored out hole into the fender.
 
let's be honest, there are no big gains to be had from sticking a filter in the wheel well ... ram air is where it's at with normally aspirated.

L00fah; For MPG gains;
reduce weight ...empty the trunk of unecessary stuff.
Regularly check tire pressures.
Regularly clean the air filter.
Drive smoothly. no harsh braking/accelerating
Reduce restrictions to airflow intake/exhaust
Reduce electrical loads ..alternator/air con etc
Drive with windows closed

these tips should stretch your gas a little further. Personally i modded my car to run on propane (which is half the cost of gasoline here) because no massive MPG gains can easily made.. Hope this helps ... G.
 
Ugh. I'm tired of getting responses like that (comment above this).
I get weight is an issue, I don't drive with anything I don't need in my trunk or in my car. I've already stated numerous times I usually drive conservatively, my AC doesn't work anyhow, I know all the little "tips" like that. I'm not a new driver, I'm new to modifying.

Thank you Kenny for explaining why the SleeperZ actually works. I'm not willing to do that for my car...

So I'll mark that off my things to do. So moral here, stock intake is good enough.
 
L00fah said:
Thank you Kenny for explaining why the SleeperZ actually works. I'm not willing to do that for my car...
Click to expand...
No problem. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, you are simply opening up the hole with a hole saw. Replacing the resonator/IAT tube with an aluminum piece would be the next move after the larger hole into airbox.
 
You just take out the driver's side wheel well liner then rip out all of the resonator tubing garbage. It's pretty harmless. You leave the soft plastic connector piece that goes from the stock airbox to the fender.

The SleeperZ intake is a great mod.

You will be rewarded with nice cool, free-flowing air. And you may even hear you engine under hard acceleration. :)

Like the others have said, the next step is relocating your battery then drilling a hole into the fender. That is what I did for the first two BP CAI's.

BP
 
Here's a link to the new archives with BP CAI version 3.0...

http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?41011-BP-CAI-v3.0-with-heat-shield

This version is on my MTX. I did a similar version on my ATX but I had ripped out the AC condensor...

http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s106/ButtonPuncher/BP CAI/ATX ver no AC/P6140090_drivers_side.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/...TX ver no AC/P6140097_drivers_side_filter.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/...no AC/P6140098_entire_engine_bay_drivers_.jpg
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/...no AC/P6140099_entire_engine_bay_pass_sid.jpg

Here's a link to my original thread on the Oooold Forums...

http://www.contour.org/legacy/ubbthreads/testsite/show_thread.php?postid=668597&start=0

Unfortunately all of the pics have been stripped. I'll have to dig them up. That intake was a work of art. Prob doubled the value of my 'tour. ;)

BP
 
To the OP. I am getting 24 mpg out of a 91 4wd explorer. EPA rating when it was new, 19mpg. Customer reviews showed most people rarely were able to get that.

50% of fuel mileage is in your driving habits. Accelerate slowly, never be hard on the throttle, coast down when you anticipate a stop so you dont have to use your brakes as much, coast down when you want to slow for a turn instead of using your brakes, and dont leave your engine idling. You are already getting fairly good mileage though, so dont expect a WHOLE lot more.

Mechanical mods.... Tune up Definitely.
Short Ram (hot air) intake
Lightweight over stock size wheels and good low profile all season touring tires (to reduce rotating weight)
Underdrive pully. (overdrive on your alternator)
Reduce weight
Dont run unnecessary electronics (no amps, turn the stereo down or off)
regular oil changes using synthetic 5w20 or even a 0w20 oil
Run regular unleaded gasoline Not super unleaded or gasoline blended with ethanol
Switch bulbs that are on a lot to LEDs (marker lights, turn signals)
Well designed exhaust system that isnt TOO free flowing.
Keep your tire pressure at recommended levels.
Lowering springs to lower your aerodynamic profile
SVT bumper with a mirko or some other type of lower air diffuser on it (yes even the mach 1 lip that everyone thinks looks like a garage door seal) Or you can just put a lip on your standard bumper, whichever, the point is to get less air flowing underneath your car where aerodynamics are NOT good.
If you are really feeling froggy, you can fabricate a belly pan for the whole underside of the car to keep air flowing over a smooth surface.

Everything I could think of off the top of my head..... Hope this helps.

gorman said:
your MPG will go up if you have an intake which takes air from outside the engine bay because the air is colder, more dense and has more oxygen by volume. What i'm trying to say is ... don't get blinded by the bling... understand the science ....G.
Click to expand...

Actually this is untrue. Cold air is good for horsepower, but for fuel mileage, you want hot air. This is part of the reason why on a 3800, coolant is circulated through the throttle body. (that and for cold days to help with emissions)

Hot air does a lot of things, primarily, due to the fact the air charge is less dense, you need to open your throttle plate wider, which means your engine loses less power through pumping air in. Less resistance because the throttle is open wider. There are other things too, atomization is better and whatnot.

Cold air means you can get a denser charge into the cylinders so you can squirt more fuel in and have more power. Think of it as increasing cylinder pressure. Same principle as forced induction.

What I am trying to say is.... don't get blinded by the bling and hype... understand the science. Don't take my word for it though, check out some of the hyper-miler forums
 
I've gotta disagree with the above. Coolant is circulated through throttle bodies to prevent icing on cold days. Not for emissions. If hotter air really helped emissions, you'd see heat exchangers on cars to pre-heat the incoming air.

By having hot incoming air, you are causing the engine to run LESS efficiently. The air is less dense so the computer puts in less fuel and runs less ignition timing. It may improve your mileage to a point. When the intake air is extremely hot, your PCM will dump in MORE fuel to prevent detonation. Also, because the engine isn't running at peak efficiency, you are increasing your emissions greatly.

Cold air lets your engine advance your timing to burn the fuel completely. Because of the advanced timing, you make more power.

Lower your pumping losses by having the throttle plate open an extra 0.005 degrees? I've gotta call bullcrap on that one too.

I also must disagree with your point about not running a higher grade of gas. I get better mileage in my Zetec Contour when NOT running 87 octane. Why? My engine detonates less so it runs more timing and runs more efficiently.

I must also see this study where LEDs have caused a MEASURABLE decrease in fuel economy. LEDs still do not have a high enough lumen/watt ratio to justify the cost over replacing a high-wattage incandescent lamp.

The bottom line is that if you want REALLY good fuel economy, sell your Contour and buy a Festiva.

BP
 
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