Increasing fuel economy on a budget

[goland55]

As some of you might know, I am going to be moving cross-country to CA and will be driving my stang there. I will be taking a bunch of stuff with me which will weigh me down and reduce my fuel economy. I am trying to find cheap ways to increase fuel economy. It's a convertible so it already has a little bit of a disadvantage from that.

The obvious thing is to do a tuneup and oil change. I was going to put in motorcraft coppers. Anyone ever notice better mpg using platinum?

I've already got a CAI with a K&N.

I don't care about my AC. It's in there right now and supposedly works but I've never used it. If I have time I think I may remove it for weight savings. I looked up some shipping weights for some AC components on Advance's website and found that I should be able to save 30 or 40 lbs by removing the AC stuff.

I think I may remove my power steering. I have read up on it on turboford.org and leaving the lines open to the air is supposed to work. Eventually when I get money I would go with the flaming river rack but right now I need to do the free stuff. I figure I could save about 15 to 20 lbs by removing the p/s, bracket, and losing some fluid in the rack.

I have a ranger alternator and bracket kicking around. I think I may install that as it has a 95 amp rating and give me a slightly lower center of gravity which would have potential to reduce some vibrations. I'll also be able to get rid of all the bracketry on the driver's side.

I was thinking of relocating the battery to the rear to give a better weight distribution but I think it may be more work than it's worth at this point since I'm not actually eliminating any weight by doing so.

I've taken off the damper from the driveshaft which weighed 5 or 10 lbs.

I'm swapping to a T5 but will be using the stock flywheel and clutch so I don't run into any reliability problems (I hope).

I have removed the carpet from the interior as it was pretty nasty anyway and have removed a lot of insulation from the passenger compartment. I'll be putting in some thinner carpeting that weighs very little compared to the factory stuff.

The rear seat has also been removed but in its place is a sub box which is admittedly quite heavy. Since I'll be moving permanently, I must take this with me as I have some time and money into it and I love good sound (I gotta have SOME creature comforts).

I will be bringing a full size spare tire with me. I figure it's better to add a little weight there and not have to worry so much if I do happen to get a flat.

So, if any of you guys know ways to reduce weight easily without sacrificing streetability or costing much of anything, let me know. Also, if there's any tricks to increase fuel economy I haven't touched upon, please tell me.

 

[stykthyn]

if you are swapping trannies you will have to change the fly wheel and you dont have a clutch.
If this is your DD then I would highly suggest you keep your power steering. weight reduction is a moot point on a vert. focus your time and energy towards keeping your car running at it's best.
I would go with a bigger e-fan if your car likes to over heat
aluminum driveshaft
free flowing exhaust. get rid of all the unecessary bends and restrictions
perhaps port your intake
other than that keep your engine tuned and your tires inflated. not a whole lot that can be done with the 2.3 other than to keep it up

 

[bhuff30]

You might want to clean your K&N before taking off. They can be quite restrictive when dirty, hurting your fuel economy.
In my experience, the best way to increase your fuel economy is by changing the driver. I drive at least 400 miles a week in the 97GT, same route each day. My milaged varies from 21 to 26, depending on my right foot only. You can significatly improve your milage by driving slower on the interstate. Just driving 65 instead of 80 will make a HUGE difference. I also increase my milage while driving by doing a lot of 1-3-5 shifting, or 2-4-5, but I doubt the 2.3 can do that as easily. Just keep the rpms down, and your speeds a little slower, taking advantage of every coasting opportunity and your milage will show it. Seriously, driving style can make a huge difference in milage.

other than that, just make sure the 2.3 is well tuned up, with a clean airfilter, working O2 and all that good stuff, with plenty of air in the tires.

 

[goland55]

Yes, I am aware my automatic does not currently have a clutch. I've got a new stock flywheel and clutch set to go in when I swap the T5 in.

I'm very curious as to how hard it would be to steer with the pump disconnected. I think I may try just disconnecting the lines and removing the belt temporarily. Honestly, out of the 10 or so cars I've owned, the mustang steers the easiest. I can one finger the thing all day. I don't think that's necessary though. I suppose I'll have to experiment.

My car runs nice and cool.

Aluminum DS = $$$

I'm putting a brand new stock exhaust on after I do my T5 swap. I'm considering choices on mufflers. I've heard the factory style is quiet and cheap but hurts performance. I was thinking of a straight flowing muffler but I can't find any under $50 besides glasspacks. I currently have a glasspack on my DD (89 chevy celebrity with a 2.8L) and like it a lot.

Custom exhaust = $$$

I've already got some intakes I was working on porting. I just kinda smoothed out the castings, port matched them, and knife-edged the runners. They're not done though. Perhaps if I have time I'll finish them up.

Thanks for the ideas.

if you are swapping trannies you will have to change the fly wheel and you dont have a clutch.
If this is your DD then I would highly suggest you keep your power steering. weight reduction is a moot point on a vert. focus your time and energy towards keeping your car running at it's best.
I would go with a bigger e-fan if your car likes to over heat
aluminum driveshaft
free flowing exhaust. get rid of all the unecessary bends and restrictions
perhaps port your intake
other than that keep your engine tuned and your tires inflated. not a whole lot that can be done with the 2.3 other than to keep it up

Bhuff,

I agree. I was planning on trying to drive 65mph as much as possible. Just set the cruise and let the car putt along. Drag force increases with velocity^2 so it's even more important than the drag coefficient of the car.

On that note, I think I may lower the car and inch or two. The stock ride height is pretty high and I've got all the tools I need at the moment to chop off a coil or two. Lowering the car can possibly reduce my drag coefficient since I'll be reducing the effective frontal area. I doubt it'll be very significant but I think the car will look better lowered a little anyway.

I'll def. be cleaning the K&N. I'm thinking of rereouting it from the engine compartment into the passenger side fender well. If I can extend the MAF wiring I'll relocate the MAF closer to the TB (perhaps 6" away). This will have a few benefits: 1) The MAF won't be restricted and cause me to route the intake over to that area. 2) There's a reduced chance of leaks between the MAF and TB 3) the weight of the intake will be reduced which means I don't have to worry about bracing it up as much.

 

[stykthyn]

if you run across an AWD aerostar they have the aluminum shaft , prolly much cheaper than what a performance co would want for one. If you do move the MAF, post up some results. I am curious how well that would work.

 

[glowstang93]

I would not get too carried away with changing things, taking things out, etc. Your increasing your chances for possible breakdowns that may not occur if you hadn't done anything. A good tuneup; plugs, wires, fuel filter, clean the K&N, coolant, hoses, belts, tires. You might want that a/c by the time you get to CA

These cars are not in the habit of leaving you Found On Road Dead, at least mine isn't.

Good Luck and Be Safe on your trip. Keep your eyes open for the other guy out there.

A cell phone, some tools, and water would be some good things to keep with you on your trip.

 

[Fuzzylogic]

if you run across an AWD aerostar they have the aluminum shaft

Really? That seems like a good way to save weight and some cash... I think I'll try and search for other threads...