[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by SVXalter

I got 14 mpg from all in town today... I don't drive too crazy... What should I do?

Well Dan, the first thing to do, don't get stressed about it, it's not as bad as it looks.

Remember the forum you are on here is the European forum. In England the Imperial Gallon is larger than the US Gallon, so of course the number of miles an SVX will travel on an English or Irish gallon is larger.

UK Gallon = 4.546 litres

US Gallon = 3.785 litre.

If you do the maths you will see that your 14 mpg city figure is the same as a UK city figure of 17 mpg.

There are a number of things you can do to ensure your car gives you the best mpg achievable. Check out the following:

Engine Tuning:

• make sure your engine is properly tuned to give best performance
• Be sure your plugs are good and gapped correctly. Replace them if over 90K
• Check you don't have a misfire from a faulty plug lead.
• Make sure you have a clean air filter
• Make sure your MAF is clean

Gearbox:

• If your auto trans is slipping it will affect mpg

Wheels and Tyres:

• Don't wear tyres of wider than standard profile. They waste energy.
• Ensure your tyres are always up to standard pressure, or even a few lbs above, all round. This saves fuel and does no harm
• Make sure your wheels are all laser aligned. It takes energy [i.e. mpg] to wear off the insides or outsides of your tyres

Brakes:

• Make sure your brakes are not dragging and your rotors are not warped. These things use energy.

Ancillaries:

• Aircon pump uses 5 hp all the time at any revs. Very sore on mpg in the city. Turn it off if not needed.
• Bazillion watt amps in the trunk. These keep your alternator working overtime and affect mileage. Turn it down to 11.

There are other things that affect it but these are the main ones. If you have all the above sorted your city miles could be up to 17 [US] or better. Oh, and if all your driving in the city is below 50 mph, consider driving in 3 rather than D, slipping up to D on the highway.

Remember also that your city mpg will be really poor if you spend a long time stopped in traffic queues or at traffic lights. In this situation make really certain your aircon pump is not engaged unless really necessary.

Joe