17 replies to this topic

[badpenny]

Has anyone tried it on this board? They say they have them availible for our cars, be it carb'd or FI. Just curious, I am always out looking to save money on gas.

(yeah yeah ELDO rulez)

[kamikaze_fish]

no.



j/k no clue really but I'm guessing it's not.

[MakDiesel]

Turbonator is utter shit. Period. Find any third-party review on it, trust me.

To get better gas mileage:

1. Lighten the car
2. Lay off the throttle
3. Stay away from high sustained speed (70 mph and up = wind drag)
4. Decent tuneup (Plugs, wires, air filter, spec valves, timing, etc)
5. Pump up your tire psi to 35/32 (HF settings)
6. Taller gears in tranny (Si is shortest, then DX, then HF)
7-67. Be creative in making your car as efficient as possible

Want proof? My car when first bought got 35 mpg. Now its mid-40's. It has 210k on the clock also. It's built to go long on a tank. Mak

[badpenny]

Thanks Mak, I will do some more research, when my car was running I was getting 32-38 mpg, I have a couple of ideas in mind to make it more, this seemed like an option. I was wanting something that would get me closer to the 50 mark. I have half a mind to make some FG fenders and headerpanels and the Hood. Just need supplies and space.

[petersterncan]

I think the Turbonator is useful for building a joke car.

It's a must-have for any car with bubbly window tint, too much pinstriping, blacked out lights, barrel-sized exhaust tip (with the rest of the exhaust stock), neon lighting, 'spinner' rims and furry dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

One of these days, I just might do a joke buildup like that and show up to some custom car event to give everyone a good laugh. I'd probably use something like a Ford Taurus... which would become a "JDM Taurus" (yes I know what JDM stands for... which would be part of the joke).

Seriously though, if you want to save money on gas:
1. inflate your tires to 35 pounds of air
2. don't exceed the speed limit (unless your actually in a hurry)
3. try to maintain a constant speed. Don't constantly accellerate and brake all the time.
4. Don't race to the next red light. Let off the gas and start coasting as soon as you see that you're approaching a red light (this may cause people behind you to get impatient though).
5. If you have stick shift, short shift it (upshift when you hit 2000-2500 rpm)
6. Keep your car maintained (oil changes, filters, plugs, etc)
7. Reduce your driving by combining trips
8. Try carpooling
9. Move closer to where you work
10. Leave your car at home and ride your bicycle when possible.

I personally do or have done all of the above except for #8.

Peter

Has anyone tried it on this board?  They say they have them availible for our cars, be it carb'd or FI.  Just curious, I am always out looking to save money on gas.

(yeah yeah ELDO rulez)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[1stGenRex]

dont be so quick to diss the furry dice...i have some on my 87 rex...
classic...

[petersterncan]

Oh and I forgot to mention aerodynamics...

Two points on this:
-improve the aerodynamics of the vehicles' body. See this article:
http://www.evworld.c...cle&storyid=870

-ride in a vehicle's 'slipstream'... basically, if you've ever watched autoracing you'll notice that the drivers often stay close behind another car until they're ready to pass. They do that to reduce wind drag, which saves fuel, which can mean fewer pit stops for refuelling.

Of course the slower you go, the less impact wind resistance has.

I find that driving a couple of car lengths behind an 18 wheeler helps my fuel economy a bit. Just don't drive behind a gravel truck or any truck that looks like it's coming from a constructions site.

Peter

Thanks Mak, I will do some more research,  when my car was running I was getting 32-38 mpg, I have a couple of ideas in mind to make it more, this seemed like an option.  I was wanting something that would get me closer to the 50 mark.  I have half a mind to make some FG fenders and headerpanels and the Hood.  Just need supplies and space.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Kain]

I'd probably use something like a Ford Taurus... which would become a "JDM Taurus"  (yes I know what JDM stands for... which would be part of the joke).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ummm... you know there can be JDM versions and EDM versions of US made cars. because that's just like saying there's no such thing as a USDM or CDM crx. and that'd be a very foolish statement, now wouldn't it?

[ChrisF-dude]

The turbonator will give you up to 35hp, and 31% more MPG in just % minutes. Just think, some guy developed what mecanical engineers failed to , and made it easy to install in five minutes. I love it so much I bought 4, one for each cylinder. Now, my car won't run right, but since I can't drive it I am saving a shitload of cash on high gas prices. And if you want HP, go for the electric supercharger. I got mine solarpowered. But if you want to be practical, unlike me, try changing 5th gear,aluminum flywheel, unorthodox pulley, don't do hard launches, and only drive on an empty stomach.

[hoopty dx]

The turbonator will give you up to 35hp, and 31% more MPG in just % minutes. Just think, some guy developed what mecanical engineers failed to , and made it easy to install in five minutes. I love it so much I bought 4, one for each cylinder. Now, my car won't run right, but since I can't drive it I am saving a shitload of cash on high gas prices. And if you want HP, go for the electric supercharger. I got mine solarpowered. But if you want to be practical, unlike me, try changing 5th gear,aluminum flywheel, unorthodox pulley, don't do hard launches, and only drive on an empty stomach.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lol

[MakDiesel]

The turbonator will give you up to 35hp, and 31% more MPG in just % minutes. Just think, some guy developed what mecanical engineers failed to , and made it easy to install in five minutes. I love it so much I bought 4, one for each cylinder. Now, my car won't run right, but since I can't drive it I am saving a shitload of cash on high gas prices. And if you want HP, go for the electric supercharger. I got mine solarpowered. But if you want to be practical, unlike me, try changing 5th gear,aluminum flywheel, unorthodox pulley, don't do hard launches, and only drive on an empty stomach.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One part I'm iffy about. There has been several topics on the effect of a lighter flywheel and it's relation to gas mileage. Some say it hurts engine momentum, requiring more gas, others say the "less rotational inertia, the better". Have you (or anyone) actually discovered via empirical data (no "I feel the tank lasts longer") that a lighter flywheel leads to an increase or decrease in gas mileage? I'd really like to pin this one. Oh, and be sure you can back it up. Numbers do wonders. Mak

[badpenny]

Seriously though, if you want to save money on gas:
1. inflate your tires to 35 pounds of air
2. don't exceed the speed limit (unless your actually in a hurry)
3. try to maintain a constant speed.  Don't constantly accellerate and brake all the time.
4. Don't race to the next red light.  Let off the gas and start coasting as soon as you see that you're approaching a red light (this may cause people behind you to get impatient though).
5. If you have stick shift, short shift it (upshift when you hit 2000-2500 rpm)
6. Keep your car maintained (oil changes, filters, plugs, etc)
7. Reduce your driving by combining trips
8. Try carpooling
9. Move closer to where you work
10. Leave your car at home and ride your bicycle when possible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do all of these. Heck on one of my cars that I used to have I was so cheap (after the clutch started going out on me) I stopped using it cuz I didn't want to spend the money to replace it. I just matched revs when I shifted. Did this for about a year before I sold the car.

ride in a vehicle's 'slipstream'... basically, if you've ever watched autoracing you'll notice that the drivers often stay close behind another car until they're ready to pass. They do that to reduce wind drag, which saves fuel, which can mean fewer pit stops for refuelling.

Of course the slower you go, the less impact wind resistance has.

I find that driving a couple of car lengths behind an 18 wheeler helps my fuel economy a bit

Done it. Our cars pacing an 18 wheeler doing at least 60mph will get (from experience) 800 miles on a tank of gas. Dallas to Houston years ago. and I used to do that when I had my 4spd mani tranny. Travel on the cheap.

[badpenny]

I'd probably use something like a Ford Taurus... which would become a "JDM Taurus"  (yes I know what JDM stands for... which would be part of the joke).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ummm... you know there can be JDM versions and EDM versions of US made cars. because that's just like saying there's no such thing as a USDM or CDM crx. and that'd be a very foolish statement, now wouldn't it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tickford, and in "Keeping up Appearances" the same BritCom that sports the Ballade sedan, you can see Tickfords all over the road. Unmistakable blue elipse emblem.

[petersterncan]

Yup, I know. I am aware of the Cavalier being sold by Toyota in Japan. But saying that you've done up your Cavalier with JDM parts isn't the same thing as saying you've done up your Civic with JDM parts.

And the Taurus is too big for Japan. But I do believe they imported some of them into Europe. Generally a mid size or full size car in North America would never be sold in Japan since they are too big for the streets and parking spaces there.

Peter

I'd probably use something like a Ford Taurus... which would become a "JDM Taurus"  (yes I know what JDM stands for... which would be part of the joke).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ummm... you know there can be JDM versions and EDM versions of US made cars. because that's just like saying there's no such thing as a USDM or CDM crx. and that'd be a very foolish statement, now wouldn't it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Surestick]

5. If you have stick shift, short shift it (upshift when you hit 2000-2500 rpm)

Interestingly enough I've found that my CRX gets better mileage on the highway at slightly higher speeds - cruising at 130-150km/h as opposed to 100-120.
I suspect it's related to RPM - I remember Rampage mentioning a while back he got better mileage on a trip where his 5th gear went out in The Bulldog & he had to drive on the highway in 4th.

I drove from Montreal to Ottawa a lot last year so had a lot of highway time to investigate gas mileage. Unfortunately I lost all the mileage logs I kept due to having to format a drive...