Before leaving for the Cohen Tour '09, I went into Shucks and asked a few maintenance questions. One of those was "How important is it to use fuel injection cleaner?" He said, "I like to use it every six months or so..." I smiled on the inside knowing that since 2002 the car has never tasted this sweet nectar.
I had heard that super cleaning a really dirty inside all at once could clog other parts, so I got a bottle and poured about 1/3 into the half full tank. We added the rest a few weeks later when filling up before leaving Twin.
Here are the results:
Twin to Meridian = 32 mpg, average speed 75 mph
Meridian to Lewiston = 38 mpg, average speed 65 mph
Lewiston to Moscow town driving to Kennewick = 28.8 mpg
Kennewick to Troutdale = 33 mpg, average speed 70 mph
Troutdale to McMinnville town driving to Eugene = 30.78 mpg
Eugene to Bend = 32.87 mpg, average speed 70 mph
Bend to Meridian = 33.85 mpg, average speed 75 mph [few police = +20 to speed, ftw]
Meridian to Twin = Unchecked as we have not gassed up again
Trip length = ~1,520 miles
Average mpg, on a trip like this, before fuel injection cleaner = 30 mpg, or 50.66 gallons
Average mpg for this trip = 32.75 mpg, or 46.41 gallons
Average gas price = $2.619
Cost of fuel injector cleaner = $5.00
Savings = $6.13
Time spent to realize that I saved $6..... Priceless
Friday, July 17, 2009
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5 comments:
I think it was JR Klock who told me you will always get better gas mileage if you stick around 60 mph. Who knows?
The nation went the a 55 mph law in the 70's to force us to save on gas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law
I wish I had a car that had cruise control and would update me as to mpg in real time. Then I could really see the difference in 5 mph increments.
Well.....
You might be able to install a cruise control unit yourself. You probably just need to hook up the actuator to the throttle line, and then install a cruise control switch. Who knows, it might be hard or easy, but you'll definitely have fun, and you might disable your car for a few days. :)
The 55mph law was a good general guideline, but cars these days vary quite a bit based on aerodynamics and engine design. I think a good rule is that you'll approximate the best mpg going as fast as possible while in the lowest gear between 2-3k RPM. My Honda (5-speed) does well between 70-75mph, while my Mitsubishi (automatic 6-cylinder) gets much better gas mileage around 60mph. I've measured it on my commute to work.
Another factor you may not have considered is that you'll get different gas mileage based on the time of day you fill up and the gas station. I've done some work in the utility business and natural gas companies call it the BTU factor -- a measure of how rich or potent the gas is. In other words, to do a more accurate test you need to fill up at consistent times from the same gas station while consistently running the same route. Even that can be hit or miss with the gas station, but at least it removes some of the variables.
Which brings up another subject. I did a mileage test for a few months (yeah, I was bored) on my work commute, and I found that while I was getting 35mpg with Exxon gas, I would only get ~28mpg with 7-eleven. It might be cheaper, but 7-eleven gas was crap. I did some analysis to determine whether the more expensive Exxon gas was cheaper over the long run and I believe it was. I wanted to do a comparison between 'regular' and 'mid-grade', but I didn't get that far.
One last thing. You can get an OBD-II reader that will give you readouts from the engine, which depending on your car might tell you the estimated gas mileage. OBD-II has been a standard since all cars built 2000 or something. I heard AutoZone has them for about $100, and as an added bonus you can figure out any problems if the check engine light ever comes on.
Oh, and the reason the time of day you fill up matters is because gas is more dense at cooler temperatures.
Did you really save $6 or did you save $1.13?
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