14 MPG Increase, Continued
April 21, 2008
BASELINE
This whole experiment started all because of one small incident. My company moved its’ commercial division from a location that I lived quite near to (meaning, literally, one block away from), to a place 55 miles away. At the time, I was driving a ‘92 Audi 100S. I loved that car. Leather, heated seats, rear fog lamps… You get the point. One problem, 19MPG. I had to get a more fuel efficient vehicle.
I wound up purchasing a Saturn Ion Quad Coupe 3. Advertised MPG? 30. Lovely step up from the petroleum sucking car I had, minus the creature comforts. Manual transmission, but so was the Audi. The manual says that the fuel tank holds 13.5 gallons. I ran it down until the low fuel light came on. 11.5 gallons topped it off. I reset the trip odometer.
My first week with the car, I drove exactly like I normally would. The speed limit to work is 65 most of the way, so I was at about 67. 335.8 Miles later, “Ding, ding ding.” Low fuel light. That night, I dropped the oil and put in what I normally run, full synthetic. (The only way to go up here in the Northland, where winter temperatures are commonly seen in the sub-zero range. For those of you that live in a climate like that, you know that oil just doesn’t cut it when trying to start your car in -20 degree temps…) After that, I fueled up. (For those of you looking for the number, the gas mileage the first week was 29.2 MPG) 11.5 gallons later, I was on my way.
Synthetic Oil, Normal Driving Routine
For the next tank, I figured that I would drive just like normal again. I had heard that you may see a MPG increase with synthetic, but I wanted to see for myself. 364.5 Miles later, I was at the pump once more. 11.5 gallons later, I reset the odometer and was on my way, but with a little twist. 31.7 MPG wasn’t too bad. While at the pump this time, however, I added CA40 to my fuel. Boy was THAT impressive.
CA40 Trial
I had heard about CA40 through various radio advertisements. (I listen to a LOT of talk radio during the day.) I figure, “Yet another fuel additive that probably does nothing.” This one was a little on the pricey side. $39.99 for a quart of this stuff. One catch though, you only use an ounce for every 10-13 gallons of fuel. This stuff is made in my backyard, Minnesota, and had a money back guarantee, no questions asked.
I drove just like I normally do. 433.55 Miles later, “Ding, ding, ding.” Once once of CA40 and, yup, 11.5 gallons of fuel later, I was on my way. 37.7 MPG, an increase of 6 miles to the gallon! Yeah, you think THAT’S good, wait, there’s more…
CA40 with Altered Driving Habits
For this last tank, I decided that the fastest I would drive my car was 55 MPH. (Felt like a crawl, at first.) Wanna know the mileage before the low fuel light came on? Are you sitting down? 505.5. I had reached 43.7 MPG. This is not a Prius!
Next month, I will be modifying once more. I am going to give a new type of spark plug a try. Supposedly it adds horsepower and burns the fuel more efficiently. Why next month? $100 for a set of four. All in the quest for better MPG….
Comments
3 Responses to “14 MPG Increase, Continued”
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Atheist Blogroll
Ah this is fantastic.
If only more people were doing the things you are.
What is CA40? Fuel injector cleaner? Octane Boost? I use AMSOIL 100% synthetic motor oil, filters and fuel injector cleaners and have had good improvements, but not like that. The oil does last 25k miles or 1 year when used with AMSOIL filters. This can help save time and money too. Check out http://www.completemotorcare.com
CA40 is a fuel additive that, for lack of a better word, conditions the fuel to burn more thoroughly in the cylinder. Diesel vehicles get even better improvement. Doesn’t seem to work in a 350 though. See their website for all the information. I just know that it works. As you will note from the link in the article, I am not a paid affiliate. Just reporting what I had happen to me. http://www.ca40g.com