Increase Mileage Switch ??

[jchico77]

Hello,

I know mileage is an issue when it comes to this engines (1FZE) but with the prices of gas in the USA the problm is not as big as in Europe. I have an LX450 from 1996, original from the USA, with 82200 miles and in quite good shape.
I usualy do 11 MPG but. Aafter searching through the ih8mud forum, it is not a bad mileage consider the huge wheels, +10 springs, winch 8274, ARB defense, etc... but over here in Europe, where 1 gallon cost 4,54€ (6,22 USD more or less) mileage is a huge problem when it is 11 mpg.
So, I know that to increase mileage I have to get rid of these wheels, lower the body, no extra weight, etc... but, which other methods do you think exist to increase mileage?
I wouldn't mind to have a "increase mileage switch" which would modify the electronics of the car so that the car would have less power (less BHP or torque) and still be able to do 60-70 in the highway and use the full power in the mud.

If anyone have any good ideas to increase my mileage from 11 to 14-16 mpg, I promise to do tem and document my progress in the forum.

Thanks to all !!!!!

JChico

 

[Impreza]

What you really need is a more fuel efficient car.

As for your truck, I applaud you for driving an 80 with a 1FZ in Europe. That is some expensive operating cost. I hope you don't commute far.

 

[cmiller114]

Landtanks MAF modification got me up to 16/17 mpg. Do a search for it.
Have you considered switching to part time 4wd? Beno did a nice write up on this mod which would be perfect for your application. Again, do a search.

 

[jfz80]

The Landtank MAF did nothing to increase my mileage on a built rig. so results may vary.

and most folks report the part time not being worth it for gas mileage savings alone but it will save you wear on moving parts. Might net you 1mpg but at a cost.

Sounds like you are doing pretty good so far for what youve got on the truck.

 

[greatskiiiier]

part time 4wd will net you more than 1mpg, not sure if theres an easy way to do it with the stock components or if you need a new tcase though

better flowing intake and exhaust may net your .5-1mpg but will prob be lost cuz youll have a heavier foot with the extra couple ponies lol

big tires are definitely killing you but if you put the right gearing in to match the stock ratio youll see a huge improvement (33s on my 86 yota brought mileage down 1-2mpg, but its also cuz the turbo is spooling about 3x as often now)

just a few ideas off the top of my head

 

[jchico77]

Yeah, big tires are the main reason but if I get rid of them it would not be the same, isn't it?
I've been having a look at the 2wd conversion kit from Slee, but 800$ + shiping + installing costs at the warehouse......more than 1500$ easily. That is 3 years of fuel saving to have a return on the investment (assuming I pass from 14mpg to 16mpg with Spanish prices....)
I don't want to spend that amount of money right now (crisis, crisis, crisis).
Has anyone have a direct link to the Landtank MAF product? Cannot find it anywhere.

 

[Tyler93]

Their isn't any cylinder deactivation technology available for this great motor, which sort of sounds like what you are looking for. Your greatest enemies are wind drag, rolling resistance, and weight.
Switch over completely to synthetics, run tires at max inflation, convert to part time, fully tuned up, put on a diet, practice hypermiling etc will help. If your willing to lose the fat tires, armor and lift you can certainly get 18. Ive done 19.7mpg. Stock and loaded down with 5 people and camping gear. Good luck.

 

[Gumby]

Cylinder deactivation is much more complicated than turning the injectors and spark off to some cylinders. Leaning out the mixture would be bad as well. The engineers who built the engine did what they could to get all the mileage they could within reason and technology of the 90s.

Reducing weight, smaller tires, proper air pressure, synthetic fluids all will help, but not nearly as much as parking it and buying a cheap beater Civic.

 

[Jeeper]

If you drive a lot of higher speed roads, you might benefit from aerodynamic improvements. I've wanted to do the following cheap things and check my highway mileage:

• Add air dam under the front bumper like modern SUVs. This helps move the air to the sides of the vehicle instead of hitting undercarriage components.
• Remove roof rack
• Remove rear wind deflector
• Lower or remove/replace radio antenna
• Play with a hood deflector both on and off to see if anything changes

Just need more time in the day to try these, but I think there will be some (maybe minor) improvement if you are traveling at highway speeds. Keep us posted!

 

[rhyary]

The gas pedal has the switch you are looking for built in.
Ceapest way to increse MPG is to drive slower and with anticipation.
For example if you can time it so that you don't accelarate/decelarate all the time, MPG will go up with no additional cost.

 

[jchico77]

I would try the air dam under the front bumper, but in Spain everything has to be "checked" by legal authorities. If it is "home-made" they can hit you with a very severe penalty.
I don't care about the mileage when doing offroad. I know is going to be a lot. I care about the 150 miles or the 200 miles I have to do in the highway to reach the weekend toyo meeting now and then. That's why the 2WD conversion is a good way of achieving it, but it is very expensive for me.
I am searching for someone in Europe who sells this kit.

 

[slowsuki]

you can look into water injection witch lets you lean engine, with your engine who knows what you would save.

 

[jchico77]

Their isn't any cylinder deactivation technology available for this great motor, which sort of sounds like what you are looking for. Your greatest enemies are wind drag, rolling resistance, and weight.
Switch over completely to synthetics, run tires at max inflation, convert to part time, fully tuned up, put on a diet, practice hypermiling etc will help. If your willing to lose the fat tires, armor and lift you can certainly get 18. Ive done 19.7mpg. Stock and loaded down with 5 people and camping gear. Good luck.

About running tires to max inflation....I have a question here. My front tires show "MAX 60 PSI" and my rear tires show "MAX 50 PSI". Show I run them at 60 and 50 PSI? if I don't go over 60 and 50 wll there be any risk if I am running only in roads and highways?
I am planning to do that and running lower pressures when I go into offroad, and back to 60 and 50 when I hit the road again.......

BTW, why I run a LX450 in Europe????....easy.....I love it. I'm just trying to get this love less expensive !!!!

 

[thelal]

Do an LPG conversion if the price (for installation) and fuel price are good enough for a return in 1-2yrs. I converted my US truck while in the UK and paid for itself within a year

 

[firetruck41]

I didn't really notice an increase in MPG with the Landtank MAF, so don't count on anything tangible in that regard. Still getting about 11mpg with 285/75/16 tires and ~2.5" lift, no armor/bumpers.

 

[jchico77]

I have been evaluating the different options and I suppose that "good driving", LPG, 2WD conversion are my 3 options.

-- First one is a must right now and I will start doing so and I will keep you posted of my progress.

-- LPG installation is quite expensive in Spain. More or less 3000€. Ruled out. I don't do enough kilometers to return the investment in 4 or 5 years.

-- 2WD conversion is expensive also but less expensive than LPG installation. The conversion kit cost around 800$ and if I found something similar in Europe with lower sending cost than from Slee (USA) I can ask a friend from a warehouse to get it installed. The bad part of it is that I have read that I will have to get rid of the viscous coupler and I will have to install a CDL switch. Total cost no more than 1500$, which is around 1050€ which is affordable for the use I give the rig.

How much saving in mileage do you think I will get with the 2WD conversion?

 

[Gumby]

Not a lot. 1mpg from what I've read. Not enough to do it myself.

Max pressure in the tires will only get you a couple of percentage points as well. At the cost of increased wear, poor handling and terrible ride quality.

 

[MountainBum]

Some cheaper options

1. Install a "Wide open throttle" light or a green and red ones. You wire it into your throttle position sensor set at the % where the ecm goes from cruise mode to dumping fuel. This way you have more control over your mpg's. Less than $100 usually.

2. Install a wide band O2 sensor and a tuner. Learn how to use it and tune it for mpg's. Lower the timing and fuel requirements and reduce power. Around $500 depending on how much tech you want.

3. Adjust your trans kick down cable out to 2 or 3mm. This will lower the shift points and will keep the rpms down. $0.00

 

[jchico77]

mountainBum.....that is what I was talking about!!! I promise to try them all. i don't know how to do any of them but they sound something like wat I was

Thanks a lot for this tips

 

[lt1fire]

I'd say
Part time kit
Land tanks MAF

Freer flowing exhaust and Cats
Clean the injectors
Uni chip

All of these have shown to increase MPG but only on certain rigs the results almost always vary depending on the rig and person.