Ok, ive been looking around alot lately here, and i notice alot of people posting on how gass millage is droping and what not.Heres a short list of things that could cause bad gas millage.
1.Under inflated tires, try checking them with a tire gauge. It is OK to over fill on the max alittle. those are for really harsh condition. if its rated 44, you can go maby 48-50. keep the rear closer to 44 or you will notice a BIG loss in handeling.
2.Bad shocks. the shocks hold your car up and take the blow from the road. if your shocks are going your car will become the winds biatch. try standing on either end of the car and push up and down, if it floats like a boat, they need replacing.
3.Bad O2 sensor. this is a sensor located in you exaust that monitors the gasses that flow through your exaust, if your sensor is bad, it wont get an accurate reading and send the wrong message to the computer. the CEL will not always come on when an O2 sensor is bad.
4. Plugs and wires. The wires transfer the shock from a distributor to the spark plug, and the spark plug makes the, well, spark. If your plugs and wires are bad, you cylinder will not always get the enitier "shock" not burning all the gas, causeing knocking in server cases. itis recomended to replace them every 60,000 miles or so. check the gap and electrode and replace if nessary.
4.Clogged filters. Cars are like big air pumps and if the filter suppling the air and fuel is clogged, it cannot function at tis best. try chaing your air filter with a new one, possiable a better brand via K&N and so forth, and replace your fuel filter as well.
5.Dents and dings. you may not notice it, but by having dents in your car the air is not flowing as smoothly as it should, causeing your car to work harder. try poping the dents out with "pops a dent" or take it to a shop to get repaired.
6.Excessive throttle and brakeing. Try and keep revs low and ease on the pedals.
7.Buildup. as you know, fire is created in your motor, and the burned gas with air leaves carbon deposits in the cylinders. Run a can of seafoam through your brake booster or pcv valve to help clean it. Seafoam is a very strong cleaner than can be picked up at most parts stores. Also run a can though you gas tank at your next fill up to clean the gas tank, fuel pump, lines and injectors.
8. Exessive weight. If your a messy person and live in your car, keep it clean. added weight to your car decreases fuel millage and makes you car look bad to, so keep her clean inside and out.

Well, thats all i can think of. if any of you have anymore ideas, please let me know, and i hope this answers all of your qiestions.

 

dents and dings?

shocks may be.

 

Yea, its not alot, but its just ailttle. If you have dents and dings, the air will not move as smoothly around the body, its like compairing a car to a truck, a car has a very sleak front end, where as a truck is a box, so what do you think will be more airodynamic? the car, now if you have dents and dings, they may act like the front of a truck, a flat surface, creating more wind resistance. Try driving down the road with your window up, now put it down, notice a difference?, now stick your had out the window, palm facing forward, now do you notice?

 

keeping rear tires at higher pressures is dangerous. Here's why.

the rear of our FWD cars are light. my camry has about a 60/40 weight distribution. higher the air pressure the less tread will be touching the ground at any one point in time. taking turns/evasive maneuvers will cause the rear to slide out easier because there is less traction. Moreover, due to the lighter weight in the rear you will more likely cause uneven tire wear as the center or inside of the tire will wear out faster, especially on lowered vehicles. only good part about high pressue is better gas mileage due to less rolling resistance from less tire contact with the road. I personally run 40psi/35psi.
You suggest pumping pressure over the max is OK. I say no. The max tire pressure rating means the tire will not be able to handle changes in weight and temperature well, possibly causing a blowout. If you've ever seen or experienced one on the highway its freaking scary and 1/4 of the time fatal. Over max means if you carried more passengers and or cargo the tire would burst especially if you hit a bump hard or if the temperature rose very high, especially driving fast on a hot day.

if anything i have said is contrary to your knowledge, please let me know as i am alwasy eager to learn.

 

"dents or dings" . thanks for sharing though .. i second the over inflatting thing , you'd be crazy to put more than the reccommended amount . do me a favor , go put 48 psi in your tires than drive for 10 miles and then read how much is in there ...

 

now now. the max pressure indicated is for cold air, so even if it did heat up, the tire should be able to contain it under normal, light driving conditions.

My family has a highlander and corolla, both with yokohama tires that have max 35. i fill them up to 35 as handling characteristics are better as well as fuel economy. But if i had the choice i would certainly get higher pressure tires, just so there is a bit of cushin inbetween.

There is a book out there i think titled 101 ways to increase mpg. Its a pocket book and its got the right ideas for sure. Keep in mind brake tapping is bad.

 

yes, dents and dings may seem foolish, but like i stated, every little bit counts. now with the tires, on the explorer forum everyone runs tires at max or above, i run max on my liberators and i hit bumps, take evasive manovers and what not, and they handle great, and gas millage is better. I will post a thing on explorer forum today and see what i get. i learned it from there, and i cant find the post! ill put the link up here once i get some results. with mine, i make sure the entier tread is making contact and call ti good and for me thats about max pressure. and are you making fun of me for the dents. and why?

 

max is fine, over max is not.

 

that's what i was trying to get at .. if its lets say max 35 psi , you wouldnt purposely put in 38 psi .. ofcourse the tires could probablyhandlethe few extra psi but why risk it for a 000000001% gas increase? and yes handling would be sacrificied by over filling .

 

Yes. i wasnt saying go 10 over your safe with a few 3 MABY 5 depending on your tire and driving styles. I am running great with about 44-46 in my liberators and i like it. and i havent blown them, and ive been monitoring tire wear and they are all fairly equal, my allignment is way off and ball joints are worn, so i know they will wear faster.