mpg in aww!!

pwrstrk02 · 09-06-06, 11:11

2004 nissan sentra spec-v ser 2.5l, 175hp, 6speed, 4cyl. factory mpg specs=23/29. so any way the 23 city would be roughly correct, but the 29 highway is a joke, you get that on a good day driving behind my grandma, its was more practiclal to say it was 24-25 mpg highway. I bought the professionals tornado fuel saver (as seen on tv) and it actualy worked, bumping my practical highway mpg upwards of 27-30, and yes i know alot of people dont believe in performance mods such as these, but it actually worked. I drive 34 miles to and from work. a guy i work next to lives in my neighborhood. In a conversation he said that he gains x amount on gas by driving 45mph in a 60/55mph zone, and this is why i couldnt ride with him due to the fact that i drive with the mentality that I will be the passer and not the passee, and i just hate riding with other people. So pondering the idea, im on my second tank of gas now, i decided to slow it down. speed limits are posted at 60mph half of the way and 55mph the other half. so going from always doing 5-10mph over, i set my cruise at 50mph and my rpms run 1900 the whole way. now hold on cause its realy unbelievable, i now get 38.1mpg on the highway. i did try the 45mph but the rev's were too low to pull some of the hills eficentialy. so 50 it is. So anyway thats my story and im sticking to it .

Driguez · 09-06-06, 11:43

congrats..? i have read many reviews on how it does not work, im convinced it doesnt, but if it works for you then thats great, for you... btw if you slow down enough city/hwy you will get better mpg...

DodgeRacer · 09-06-06, 11:49

Those factory mileage figures are done on a dyno under controlled conditions, temperature, humidity, etc. There is also no wind which can affect your mileage in a big way. They never exceed 55 mph, so it is very difficult to match them in the real world. They are good to compare one vehicle to another because all vehicles are tested the same way. The best thing to do is slow down if you want to save fuel, it sounds like that worked for you. I have tested a number of those "fuel saving devices" in my job at DaimlerChrysler over the years and I never found any that did what they claim, in fact some of them have the opposite effect. Unless you test it under the exact same conditions before and after you install it, you can't really be sure of any change in fuel usage. If there was anything out there that could save fuel, believe me, the auto companies would be using it. Something else about testing, they use straight gasoline in the tests and most pump gas these days has about 10% ethanol in it. Ethanol reduces mileage by about 25%, so even though you may only have 10%, it will reduce your mileage slightly. Sorry for the long explanation, I was a Service Trainer before I retired and I tend to ramble about this kind of stuff.

RTexasF · 09-06-06, 01:05

The reduction in speed/rpm is what increased your mileage. I'd bet that if the device were removed and you drove the way you are now the MPG would remain the same.

cute02spec · 09-06-06, 01:14

I have a '02 Spec V and I get 32 miles per gallon on the highway, going 80mph. I get around 24 mpg around town (shifting between 2500 to 3000 rpm) and while drag racing (redlining, full throttle, etc). The car is also heavily modified, but with no fancy tornado thingy, as those are mostly a waste of money IMO.

Have you checked your tire pressure and air filter? Both those things can drastically affect gas mileage. And of course driving habits. Obviously going 55 mph is better on gas mileage than going 85mph, as with staying in a lower rpm range.

sspeer · 09-06-06, 01:28

Speed Kills....mileage

If I'm good and keep my speed under 60, I can get 30 MPG in my V6 Saturn VUE..If I go 75, it's down to 25

Mr_Elusive · 09-06-06, 01:55

I've heard the the Tornado does help fuel economy when installed in large motors (i.e. Large pick-up trucks). There are things that I have done to help my fuel economy. I installed 9" K&N Cone fenderwell intake and I saw a difference. I didn't calculate exactly how much it increased by but I did see a difference. Other things such a freer flowing exhaust will help especially on the highway. But those kind of modifications cost a little more than a Tornado.

Mark P · 09-06-06, 03:25

I have a 06 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. No mods driving from Chattanooga, TN to Augusta, GA around 260 miles at 70 mph. I had three people, few things of luggage and air condition on and I got 31.7 mpg. Also drove about 100 miles 60-65 and just 2 people. I got 32.9 mpg. I have to agree with RTexasF. Slowing down will help.

BigJimZ28 · 09-06-06, 04:49

is this a joke?

Setec Astronomy · 09-06-06, 04:58

That Tornado thing goes in your air duct upstream of the throttle body, right? I don't care how straight you get your flow there, once it passes through the throttle body, into the manifold runners, and down to the valves, it ain't straight no more. Those devices are bunk and routinely proved so.

PS Driving 85 never seemed to have much effect on my highway mileage, to my surprise.

MikeTyson8MyKid · 09-06-06, 05:03

Take it from someone that has designed intake and induction systems, those things dont work. There are only 2 ways that I can think of that it would actually give you more efficiency:

1) Changes the throttle response/power curve so you are forced the drive it differently, giving you a better mpg (which seems like you've done so far)...this seems far fetched though, but a better possibility than #2.

2) The intake system is poorly designed that this does actually help get the air around a bad curve or something that will knock out some standing waves. This I find kind of hard to believe too.

Yank that thing out of there and drive slower like you are now. I bet you'll like your results even more.

cute02spec · 09-06-06, 05:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeTyson8MyKid

2) The intake system is poorly designed that this does actually help get the air around a bad curve or something that will knock out some standing waves. This I find kind of hard to believe too.

Yank that thing out of there and drive slower like you are now. I bet you'll like your results even more.

#2 I think has been disproved by me and the other Spec V owner that posted in this thread. I don't think it's a poor intake system at all... probably 100% driver and poor maintenance of tire pressure and whatnot.

Good ol' case of the placebo effect... ya got something that is suppose to change the gas mileage, but it doesn't do anything and the improvement is really due to you changing your driving habits because you think that the device is working.

Easy on the throttle, shift at a lower rpm, and drive a reasonable speed, and your car will be nice on gas.