How To Get Best Gas Mileage?

[CALsDookieDatsun]

how do i get the best gas mileage from my datsun b620 pickup?

[Ratwagon1600]

Um seriously?

 

Why not a thread about "how do I stop my tyres wearing out", or "how do I stop my car getting wet".

 

If your looking for really good gas mileage, RW recommends pushing your truck. You could also steal gas from your neighbour, thereby markedly decreasing you gas to mileage consumption ratio. Perhaps cutting holes in your floorpans and using your feet (think like the Flintstones) for vehicular propulsion would also lower gas consumption. Round up a bunch of tweekers and tell them you'll give them an eight ball if they push your truck for you. I also hear that pumping your tyres up to 60lbs of pressure and spraying them with silicone lowers the coefficient of friction, allowing your truck to glide along the road and subsuquently using less gas. Try only driving down steep roads (not up them) with the truck in neutral; lower engine revolutions will consume less gas.

 

I hope this helps?

[datzenmike]

Practice driving while trying to avoid using the brakes. It takes practice and effort but is do-able. Every time you hit the brakes and slow down you are throwing away the gas used to get you up to that speed. Look up ahead... see that light changing? start slowing now, not 50 feet from the stop bar.  Anticipate stops and try to avoid them when possible.

 

Leave (more) space between you and the next car. Because he's following too close he has to constantly hit the brake and then speed up. With more space, you can just slow slightly and let the gap close. When he speeds back up, let the gap widen. No brakes needed.

 

Leave earlier for work by 50%. Now you have no reason to rush. Why would you rush to get to work??? Enjoy the drive. Keep to the right, slower lane and still get to work early. THERE IS NO RUSH yet people let themselves think there is.

 

Drive like there's an egg under the accelerator. Squeeze the gas. Up shift as needed. Avoid down shifting unnecessarily (brake shoes are easier to replace than engines and the gas wasted.

 

Avoid long warm ups. They are murder on mileage as the choke is on and you are not moving. 30 seconds is way to much. Your car was designed to be started and immediately driven. If mirrors are adjusted, vision is clear and seat belt on, put it in gear and go. If your vehicle does not run well when cold that's YOUR fault. Fix the choke or tune it up.

 

Keep a log of mileage and fuel used. Know what your mileage is and try to better it every tank full.

 

Keep car in 'tune'.... engine, choke working, no fuel leaks, tires properly inflated, empty out the trunk (why accelerate and brake those extra pounds of junk you're carrying around?????) Front end aligned properly. Remove roof racks if not in use.

 

On trips across Canada I got the equivalent of almost 25 (US) MPG. '78 L20B king cab.

[Lockleaf]

Www.ecomodder.com

[Ratwagon1600]

http://gizmodo.com/this-machine-turns-water-and-co2-into-petrol-1662123469

 

This is actually kinda cool.

[CALsDookieDatsun]

ok...no need to be a fucking dick.

the little L20b engine isnt bad. i changed the muffler to stock from some jacked up, chopped, broken little muffler. was hoping to regain back pressure. it actually made the gas mileage worse. i was just wondering if there was anything i could change to help it run a little better.

[Cosmonaut]

I don't think lockleaf was being a "dick" that is some seriously good advice.

 

Those guys over there eat, breath and fart for better MPG. If you want help in that direction for ANY vehicle, that is the place to go....

[Bleach]

You want as much torque as possible at low to mid range rpm with as little fuel and air used.

Make sure your intake/exhaust gasket is good and sealed. Also your carb gasket should be checked. Air leaks mess up the mixture.

 

Some general rules for accomplishing this are short duration cam. (stock cam) Advance the cam timing to #3 position. (more power early, high rpm power suffers)

Headers but with small diameter exhaust pipe. No CAT. Small exhaust pipe will have the smooth flow happen at lower rpm.

 

Put in a 1981-83 280ZX transmission for a higher 5th gear. You don't want to up the gearing too much or you'll be struggling to accelerate with an underpowered engine. Probably leave the stock rear end in there (4.375) or if you are running small diameter tires then it would be appropriate to swap to a slightly taller rear gear. (4.11)

 

If you're doing highway miles then aerodynamics really come in to play. A flat tonneau cover would help but a tapered back end, like a 280ZX, would be even better. Lower the truck a lot. Air dam to keep wind out from under the truck. Maybe a splitter under the front.

 

Light weight wheels. Narrow and small diameter. Narrow tires too and you can get certain tires that have low rolling resistance for better economy. I think some Toyota Prius' come with such tires from the factory.

 

 

[Bleach]

Take off the radiator cap, roll the truck away, drive a Honda Insight into your garage, put the radiator cap back on. Done! 80mpg

 

[Lockleaf]

There is no such thing as performance back pressure. Back pressure is something you try to reduce while maintaining exhaust velocity. Otherwise it is meaningless. There are some excellent primers on exhaust performance and a guy named David Vizard with massive dyno data backing who's written some fantastic stuff. Read some of it, you will be able to build better stuff.

 

In fact, he wrote a book called performance with economy that might be exactly what you are looking for.

[datzenmike]

Bleach... good points! Differential change and tonneau. If that is a 4 speed, then definitely a 5 speed for a couple of more MPGs.

[Jesse C.]

[KoHeartsGPA]

ok...no need to be a fucking dick.

the little L20b engine isnt bad. i changed the muffler to stock from some jacked up, chopped, broken little muffler. was hoping to regain back pressure. it actually made the gas mileage worse. i was just wondering if there was anything i could change to help it run a little better.

Mine gets 17mpg....Cuz 48 side draft

[datzenmike]

....and because, lets face it, you are in love with the sound. You should be capable of 25+ on a trip

[125 CSL]

Go on a diet, the less weight the motor has to push along the better.

[Dguy210]

Drive a B210.

 

But seriously the original rating for the 77 kingcab was 32/22 highway/city mpg, obviously non-ethanol gas and under favorable conditions.

[datzenmike]

EPA were full of shit back then. I had a '78 5 speed and the absolute best ever out on the prairies was 30 ,all highway flat ground, but this was with an Imperial gallon. That's 25 MPG US gallon.

 

I did get 50MPG with a new '76 B-210 4 speed out in Saskatchewan, again with an Imperial gallon.

[ArchetypeDatsun]

how do i get the best gas mileage from my datsun b620 pickup?

b620?

[Dguy210]

EPA were full of shit back then. I had a '78 5 speed and the absolute best ever out on the prairies was ,all highway flat ground, but this was with an Imperial gallon. That's 25 MPG US gallon.

 

I did get 50MPG with a new '76 B-210 4 speed out in Saskatchewan, again with an Imperial gallon.

Yep they were. Depended a lot on how you drove it too.

 

With a frankensteined up Hitachi and a 5 speed in my B210 I was averaging 46-47 per my logs between Portland and Sacramento and that was with ethanol gas.

 

Best ever was high 50s with a B110 sedan running on 3 cylinders though, gutless wonder that it was  :rofl:

[Bory]

What's better mileage?

For highway-

Tailgate up,

Or down?

[DanielC]

Tough call on tailgate open or closed for best gas mileage.  I think Mythbusters actually did an episode on this, with a full sized pick up.  If I remember the results correctly, a long bed full sized pick up got better mileage with the tail gate down.  But a short bed truck got better mileage with the tail gate up. 

Now, how that translates to a mini truck, I do not know

[hobospyder]

op is from cali according to his location. i can't see them being much more lax on this than washington but up here you can get pulled over for driving with your tailgate down. something about hiding your license plate or your plate not being visible since they're under the tail gate usually. and i know they're picky about license plates, i've been pulled over for not having a light on mine once

[datzenmike]

You can always take the damn thing off. Anyone mention a tonneau cover? Besides all the stupid and useless answers?

[russaroll]

Only drive on weekends

[DanielC]

I also think the Mythbusters episode on pick up gas mileage also tried a tonneau cover, and on short bed pick ups, the mileage was better without it.

 

They did some wind tunnel tests, with smoke, to see the air flow, and in some conditions, a pick up with the tail gate up. causes a bubble of rotating air in the bed of the truck, that stays with the truck, and forms an invisible round shape, that rounds the transition from the back of the cab to the back of the truck.