A friend sent me this link: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/524517...as_mileage_2x/

I found it interesting, however am a bit skeptical. First off because I've heard the use of an Air Conditioner does NOT affect your mileage. It would be nice to hear from a master mechanic on the subject to confirm or deny this and explain either why the AC costs more fuel, or why it does not.

Regardless, the final piece of this "improve your MPG" is the addition of Acetone to your tank. I found it a bit odd and am curious what affect this would have on the vehicle (if it even does what he claims).

Anyone have any information on this?

Oh, and the reason I'm looking at this is because I would love to stick it to the gas companies that are sticking it to us.

Thanks!

 

someone on here did that. It was a hit and miss.

 

AC does indeed increase fuel consumption (aprx 5-10%) since the AC compressor is driven by the engine itself. Besides that there is a small loss of power (hp) when you activate the AC.

 

The reason people say the AC doesn't use that much is that if you are at highway speeds, the drag caused by having your windows open is greater than the loss of economy by using the AC. They have proven that one, but around town the AC will cost you. When it's 90 degrees out, I could care less about a 5% drop in fuel mileage.

 

Don't follow behind a Mercedes Benz & Toyota drivers! They're drives way to slow! It doesn't help an improved a MPG! Driving too slow like any an older people doesn't help with MPG! I try so much times! I am driving an 01 Lexus RX300. I always reset MPG info on the LCD moniter. My average speeds around 58mph - 70 mph. I am still getting a 24-25 MPG. One time I hit over 30 mpg highway driving LA area to Palm Spring. No traffic is best the way improved MPG.

 

The A/C robbing power is an old wives tale. When I had my KA-T 240sx I dyno'd it with the A/C on (belt actually on and turned on) and with it off (belt taken off) and there was ZERO difference HP. Not to mention get the same gas mileage in the LS430 as I do in the winter as I do in the summer with my A/C always on.

 

In most cars, when you hit WOT, the AC system turns off, despite having the AC/fan button on.

You do lose power. You dont get something for nothing. The engine suffers from parasitic loss anytime it has to drive a component.

Plus you have an NA-T, so i'm assuming you're making quite a bit more power. On higher power cars, you'll experience less drag because the drag is little compared to the power you're marking.

 

I think they need to move the decimal point one place to the left and then I might believe it. 2X mileage improvement is absurd, and it's equally absurd to say that the car manufacturers don't want you to get better mileage. If there were a miracle cure like that, the car companies would be all over it as it'd be a much easier solution than lobbying congress not to raise CAFE standards, to get as many vehicles as possible exempted from the calculations, designing new engines and subsystems to eek out another couple MPG, etc.

 

GSteg hit it right on the nail. There is a loss of power, but at wide open throttle the compressor goes offline (in modern cars).

Mythbusters did an indetail experiment on this a while back. They ran a car with a certain amount of gass in it, on the same track, same temps, ect. Higher speeds, the wind drag was worse that running the A\C. At lower speeds, windows down was mor efficient.

At the price you guys paid for your cars and for oils changes and services, saving a few pennies on gas should hardly be where you are trying to cut corners. Try selling your LS and opting for a Prius!

 

As I mentioned, it's not about saving money as much as it is about finding a way to fill up less. I was just curious if these techniques really worked - if so, it will allow me to buy less fuel from a corrupt government-supported "machine" that is currently using their monopoly free of legal accountability to gouge Americans.

 

Do you know how much they pay for gas in europe Moogy? lol....

we are getting off cheap brotha!

 

Gas has always been much more expensive in other countries. I do not compare where we should be to how "bad" it is other places.

That's like saying "do you know the murder rate in Mexico is 5x that of the US? Be happy it's only 15,000 people a year here!"

Point in fact Gas prices in this country are being manipulated, and it has nothing to do with how much gas costs in Europe.

 

Last weekend I discovered that the wind may significantly affect mileage. Friday night, no wind- 29.7 mpg average at 70mph average. Saturday, the wind was whipping at 15-20 knots. I witnessed the mpg calculator fluctuate with every gust. Seldom more than 28mpg. Same trip in the opposite direction yielded 24.5 mpg. Still pretty good though! (IMO)

 

LOL You already knew that before last weekend, didn't you??? A 20 MPH (or whatever speed) headwind is almost exactly the same as driving that much faster in no wind -- you have to overcome the additional aerodynamic drag, which is a big percentage of what you're expending energy on when you drive at a steady state cruise.

 

I can tell you on the track, 1/4 mile, use of headlights, radio, a/c and definitely windows open will affect your time.

The acetone thing I have been hearing for a long time, but I had a friend who tried this not too long ago and got no additional...anything.