Improving 3.6 4MO MPG???

[VR]

So are there any options out there to improve the 3.6 mpg other than the obvious maintenance and weight reduction?

I am on the lucky side and I get a pretty good avg of 22/23 up to 25 on a daily work commute which is prob 60/40 highway/city.

I have a vf eng intake, 2 res removed, lowered, spark plugs are fairly new ect...

The only thing immediately I could think of was a fairing or windjammer for my rack and maybe the fuel filter but i would think these would be marginal. Just looking to improve mpg in anyway possible. I'm really looking into a TDI even if its a smaller car or maybe even a different manufacturer as VW doesn't have a ton of options for fuel efficiency. Was actually looking at modded prius' online last night...but it would be hard to leave the German community plus I almost need to have AWD and the wagon space.

[Outrider6]

The easiest thing to do is to pop the roof rack off. It's drag pure & simple. If you're not using it, get it inside the car. Better still would be to leave it at home.

Skinny tires are another technique. They're lighter and have less surface area, so less drag and less friction (which also means less traction).

Whatever tires you have, keep them properly inflated, which here means at the high end of the rance printed on the tire carcass. Don't over inflate because that causes safety and wear issues. But under inflation kills mpgs.

Another thing to do is...and this kills me, too...drive slower. Do you remember 55 mph speed limits? These were a response to fuel shortages aimed at lowering the nation's fuel usage. The actual target speed was 45 mph, which is the point where aerodynamic drag starts increasing rapidly as speed increases. Steady driving at about 45 mph will get you best mileage. Seems like 60 MPH is another significant mark along the same curve. If you can't bear 45, try to keep it at 60 mph or below.

None of these will turn a 4M into a Prius or even a JSW, but you will get better mileage than you do now.

[fvbean]

Unitronic tune

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[Incrementalg]

So are there any options out there to improve the 3.6 mpg other than the obvious maintenance and weight reduction?

I am on the lucky side and I get a pretty good avg of 22/23 up to 25 on a daily work commute which is prob 60/40 highway/city.

I have a vf eng intake, 2 res removed, lowered, spark plugs are fairly new ect...

The only thing immediately I could think of was a fairing or windjammer for my rack and maybe the fuel filter but i would think these would be marginal. Just looking to improve mpg in anyway possible. I'm really looking into a TDI even if its a smaller car or maybe even a different manufacturer as VW doesn't have a ton of options for fuel efficiency. Was actually looking at modded prius' online last night...but it would be hard to leave the German community plus I almost need to have AWD and the wagon space.

That's not bad mileage if you're sporting a rack most of the time. I'd remove the rack when not in use.

I get the worst gas mileage when I go to a no name or independant gas station. I run Shell 99% of the time and notice a difference when I don't. i swear I can eek out 1 extra mpg over no name gas. That being said, Shell is so pricey that I'm probably costing myself more $$ than I'm saving in MPG.

[Incrementalg]

Oh...keep it out of sport mode. It kills the mpg both highway and city.

[sg207ptg]

Leave your spare tire at home to lighten up the car perhaps?

[fvbean]

^^this is awesome advice

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[Juniorfeel]

Leave your spare tire at home to lighten up the car perhaps?

Might as well sell the spare and put that towards gas if your gonna do this...

[VR]

No.spare? Yeah and then ill get a flat lol. I drive in tiptronic most of the time bc I find it gives me a few more mpg's

So I guess a fairing or windjammer could help.

[sg207ptg]

It might sounds odd but I have seen people getting rid of their run-flat tires and just carrying a can of fix-a-flat... Not advisable for long trip but for around town driving it might save you from lugging a heavy full size spare?

(I don't do this though, just throw it out as an idea for the OP )

[Juniorfeel]

It might sounds odd but I have seen people getting rid of their run-flat tires and just carrying a can of fix-a-flat... Not advisable for long trip but for around town driving it might save you from lugging a heavy full size spare?

(I don't do this though, just throw it out as an idea for the OP )

I guess some people could pull that one off, but after my experience with tires, I'll never ditch my spare; as a matter of fact, I may buy a second one to keep in the trunk for a total of two

I'd like to give a shout out to the town of Belleair, FL, who's roads look like they've been salted since the 50's (potholes everywheere).

[VR]

anyone ever test an aftermarket intake VS. the stock airbox setup?

or stock airbox setup modded?

I have a vf eng. r32 intake right now but wondering if the stock setup would produce better mpg results...