I'm a relatively new EVO IX owner w/ less than 4k miles on the car. I generally ran up to 3k RPM b4 shifts when in "econo mode." and that netted me a 18-19 city and a best of 23+ highway (doing about 65mph).

I recently decided to see if I could replicate the gas savings a recent MythBusters show detailed by following an 18-Wheeler on a 2hr drive home on the highway doing 65mph. That trip netted 25.3 mpg while staying under 3k in city driving and light acceleration. This also involved a 100+ burst on the highway for a couple of seconds. So I believe following 18-wheelers (3 car lengths back) provides a benefit.

Coming home for thxgiving w/ a 2.75 hour trip, mostly highway, I shifted at 2500 RPM from 1st-4th and at 2750 RPM while shifting from 4th-5th. (goal for me was to keep RPMs at 2k or higher when going up a gear so as not to bog the engine) I also was at 60-65mph and though there were no 18-wheelers to follow for 80% of the trip (was on a parkway that doesn't allow them, but I caught one for the last part of my trip doing 70mph) I am at 180 miles on the trip odometer w/ 1/2 tank left (indicated), but carrying some decent weight in the trunk for the long wknd. Even still, I expect to beat my previous record.

I've been reading up a lot about tuning my own car with a wideband and look forward to posibly having my cake and eating it too w/ regards to improved MPG and more HP/TQ from what I've read. (Not quite sure how that can be though as I thought if tuning for power u're shooting for 11-12AFR and for efficiency it's be ~15AFR, no?) Thanls and have a nice holiday!

 

While tailgating semi's will increase your mileage, it's still an incredibly stupid and unsafe idea. You can't see past it, so you'll have no idea if a hazard is coming up, and if the truck has to slam on its brakes, you'll have no warning and no time to react.

 

Not to mention the rocks they kick up all the time destroying you already crappy paint

 

I saw that Mythbusters. You can't get close enough and be safe to even see the benefit.

Just buy a Turbonator, that's like 20% increase

 

nobody cares about gas mileage on this forum

 

I don't know about that... he said three car lengths back, not to mention a semi's 60mph to 0mph is probably about 300ft vice the evo's 104ft or so.

Not to say its a good idea though, mainly because of the rock issue, here in charleston it is REALLY bad, so many semi's it seems like anytime I pass one I am taking a gamble, rocks are always getting kicked up... so much so that if you have a crack in your winsheild south carolina law requires the insurance company to replace it, free of charge.

 

 

so true lmao

 

I always stay out of 18 wheeler, I either pass them or stay far far away from them, b/c of rock chips, and yes I agree factory mitsu paint is crappy. I had my front end repainted and the body shop's paint job is much better.

As far the the your gas mileage tips, this is nothing new except following the 18 wheeler part. When I drove from NJ to Atlanta, I was averaging 70-80mph, I was at the 180-190 miles w/ 1/2 tank of gas left. Because there is not much stop and go, basically the car is maintaining at steady speed, maintaining steady speed is the key to have good gas mileage.

 

I guess I should of prefaced my post with the following, knowing the typical responses that would follow:

-I realize having 10 car lengths between me and any other vehicle is best, but I live in the real world in the NYC area, not possible. For me the MPG benefits outweigh the hazard increase. It's a personal decision for each driver where their comfort zone lies. I never stated it was the safest thing to do, and I'm not riding the trucker's rear-end, but then again this post was just to pass on some info about MPG, not safety. Take it for what it's worth to ya.

-Didn't think about rocks getting kicked up, good point, something to consider.

-And just because u dont' care about MPG doesn't mean that others don't. Yes I bought a performance car, and I realize u gotta pay to play, but when commuting from A-B I don't mind saving some bucks if I'm not in a rush, especially with Oil at ~$100 a barrel these days. Speak for yourself, not the entire forum. If u didn't care about a post about MPG, ignore the post and move on. Leave the role of 'lemming' to the other twerps who comment needlessly. thx.

 

so you saved 3 dollars in gas, but now you have to pay 500 to get your hood painted!

 

Two words bluebyu36 "Clear Bra" on my car. But yes I conceded that's not something I considered in a previous post, though I'm not quite sure how much more stuff is kicked from an 18-wheeler than an SUV, considering I'm on nice, new roads that have no salt or sand applied yet. So we'll see if I notice any more road grime over time, especially over the winter.

My MPG increased 7.6% from one trip to another...completely unscientific though. But to quote the Mythbusters show that forum member 'Extas' apparently slept through:



...at 100 feet, 6.6 EVO car lengths (more distance than any forum member allows I bet) they still saw 11% increase in mileage.

*shrugs* drive how ya like. I'm not preaching, just reporting my personaly findings. If u don't wanna follow an 18-wheeler, I'm not twisting your arm. And if u have $ that grows on trees, more power to ya, I'm just happy I found a way to stretch my $ a little bit more in my world so I have more $ for modding the car, or autocrossing.

 

Good post OP. You do have some valid points that I will keep in mind on my next long trip.

Oh and a little fyi; I also own a '87 Camaro 305/auto (all stock and original). This has a much bigger engine than the evo, ~20 yrs older than the evo, is about 200-300 lbs heavier than the evo, AND the slomaro is carbed. With that being said, my camaro gets about the same mileage as my evo with similar driving habits.

How sad is that? A prehistoric GM with 1950's technology is just as economical than a 21st century Japanese engineering masterpiece.

 

Dont be fooled by the gas gauge. The second half of the tank always goes down faster than the first half. 180 miles on half a tank doesnt mean 360 miles on a full tank.

 

aww the turbonator, how she made my maf go crazy.....