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Secrets of Better Fuel Economy


Genie47
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Read the article/study done by Cummins. Please click here. It is a .pdf so make sure you have Acrobat Reader installed.

 

There is this section on aerodynamic treatment. After seeing the pics and the success of it, I better Klasse and keep the car clean. wink.gif

Edited by Genie47
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1. I thought Aerodynamic is hard to change and is part and parcel of the car design. How to improve aerodynamic drag? Install spoilers?

 

2. Tire plays a part if below 50Mph. It seems to me that performance tires, which have better surface grip will be less fuel efficient. Thinking of changing my 15" stock rims to a lighter 17" rims.

 

3. Did't mention whether the weight of the oil play a part or not.

 

4. Wah, the break-in mileage is so long.

 

5. Would a larger or more powerful fan improves fuel economy?

 

By the way, Thank you for this articule.

 

Regards,

Edited by Kelpie
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(edited)

Actually oil viscosity determines how fast the engine heats up and maintains that heat in relation to the ambient temperatures and coolant temperatures. But it did point out that syn oil and mineral oil didn't make a much of a difference. The chart showed the scale of improvement from 1-2% and the syn oil sort of improved in it for that range. Kinda small from 1-2% crazy.gif I will post another link on the relationship on oil sump temperature, coolant temperature and ambient temperature.

 

Yes, break in mileage is considered long. That is why I still see Si numbers in my engine. Mind you, it has done 19k on the last report. Complete break in is 15k MILES! Multiply that with 1.61 and you get 24k km! My car has done 28k already. Considered pretty seasoned smile.gif.

 

As for aerodynamic drag, yes, there is nothing we can do. Dunno if the air dams, lip kits or aerofoil helps. As long as the air is channelled off and reduces the drag. Most aerofoil like on car boot lids are decorative. In order to work well, these things have to be really high up like those trucks drag reduction kits. Like those big fierce looking spoilers on WRXs. Next best thing is to make sure the car is smooth and clean wink.gif

 

Yes, tires are so forgotten. My friend did say the Michellin MXV8 Energy did help on his Starlet. Energy is a low rolling resistence tire. What is said about alignment is so true too.

 

What kind of fan are you talking about? Cooling fan? Bigger cooling fan means you need more energy to drive it to blow. So it comes back down to the same thing. unsure.gif

Edited by Genie47
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Neutral Newbie

Yes, tires are so forgotten. My friend did say the Michellin MXV8 Energy did help on his Starlet. Energy is a low rolling resistence tire. What is said about alignment is so true too.

 

I personally found this tyre to have low resistance grip. Can raise hell aquaplanning on this tyre shakehead.gif

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(edited)

On a side note, changing transmission oil to synthetic yields better fuel economy! gossip.gif All have to do with low temperature fluidity. Room temperature oil is higher in viscosity compared to one at operating temperature.

 

I like this report. They even covered air intake restriction and exhaust back pressure! thumbsup.gif

 

Wow! Refrigerant operation from the A/C attributed to 50% of the fan's operating time! sweatdrop.gif Damn! We cannot live w/o A/c in Singapore.

Edited by Genie47
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Neutral Newbie
1. I thought Aerodynamic is hard to change and is part and parcel of the car design. How to improve aerodynamic drag? Install spoilers? ...

i tink its talking about the coefficient drag... smoother surface lesser drag. if u've notice after a wax session, take ur car for a spin... u notice it immediately. thumbsup.gif

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Just changed my Delphi 5W50 to 5W40. Decided to use 0W40 or 5W30 later. Unlike the 5W50, this 5W40 has lengthy description that I could hardly interpret:

 

-API SJ/CF/EC

-ACEA A3-98/B3-98

-VW 502.00/505.00(1/97)

-MB 229.1

-BMW Long Life

-PORSCHE Approved.

 

Regards,

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Its an SJ oil. Obsolete. Most cars use SL or SM now. But it is a MB 229.1 oil. Considered long life though the latest now is MB 229.3 for long drain. Recommend 10k OCI. 12.5k if you dare but definitely not 15-16k.

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How to change transmission oil? Is it part and parcel of maintenance under the warranty period? Does transmission oil works differently from engine oil?

 

Regards,

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I see, so I should look for SL or SM and MB 229.3 in my future hunt for oil. You mean oil becomes obsolete just like computer chip? What is the typical life cycle/span for engine oil?

 

Regards,

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No. Its just means it didn't meet or exceed the requirements of today's stringent API tests. Engine oil has shelf life of 5yrs.

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(edited)

Yes transmission oil is different from engine oil. The two are seperate systems in the car. Get your mechanic to change it.

Edited by Genie47
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