Figured I'd give it a shot, given that 10% ethanol hurts MPG's and removes the lubrication properties of gasoline. Putting roughly 6-7oz in the gas tank and driving around i did notice the engine being a bit more peppy and slightly quieter. I'm interested to see if the MPG boost people say is true.
I also plan on replacing the fuel filter and pcv valve on the truck. It's horrible i'm getting between 220-230 miles to the TANK. I do about 70/30(Hwy/Cty) and I do not womp on the gas, just driving speed limit, light on the pedal etc. This is a non-supercharged Xterra, the best I had gotten was 250 miles out of a tank of gas. I know they aren't known for high mpg's but at least 250 would be the norm right? I might take out one of the plugs for examination, or just replace the plug wires as on my other cars its typical to switch em out around 35-40k and run the plugs for another 30k.
Removed my K&N drop in filter and put the OEM one back in to see if there was a difference and its really to early to tell if at all. Truck is 100% synthetic where it counts(diff's, trans, engine, transfer case).
I was able to get around 350 miles on my 2000 xterra last month after cleaning MAF sensor and replacing some plugs. On that week of driving I pretty much stuck to the speed limit and tried to average 2500 rpms max. Light foot=good gas mileage.
Im also planning on changing my fuel filter cause i don't think it has ever been changed.
I can almost always get above 18.5mpg out of every tank. I have done the following my self and it really isn't that expensive, especially if you get like an extra 1-2mpg out of it.
Plugs, wires, rotor, cap, MAF cleaner, PCV valve, fuel filter, stock CAI mod with a K&N, and a bottle of BG44. I use BG44 twice a year. i tend to drive kinda heavy too and im up here at altitude. I feel, for how I drive, and what the xterra is rated at getting i get great gas milage.
i cleaned the MAF and did the DIY intake with a K&N drop in. I also did a nismo catback and synthetic motor oil. I'm getting 17-18 mpg after I recalculate my od's mileage. This is something you should do if you can. Using my GPS, I noticed that that my speedo and odo were off substantially. If the speedo says 69, I'm really going 73. And the odo is off exactly 5%. If it reads 100 miles, I've gone 105. Doesn't sound like much but it's 1mpg. It might likely be one of a bunch of little things you need to do to get the total to be respectable.
Oh, and I'm heavy on the gas almost always and I do about 90% hwy miles. I love the sound of the supercharger
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2002 SC/SE
Nismo catback
Soccerbraces DIY intake mod
K&N drop-in
15" Cragar Soft 8's
Dunlop Mud Rover (lil meats)
Lots of Dog Hair mod
Full synthetic swap,
Cleaned MAF
Did Airbox Mod(using OEM filter now).
Ran some Techron Fuel System cleaner.
Shocks(keep tires planted etc)
Alignment/Balancing
Now I planed on replacing the PCV(which I am going to do this weekend) and Fuel Filter. Next paycheck I'm just going to swap out the plugs and wires as suggested. Truck has 35k on it but eats gas like crazy, i'm thinking that since the previous owner had it for 5 years and hardly drove it(lots of stop and go, short trips) maybe the plugs are bad or caked along with the PCV valve?
That will be the last time I change the stupid fuel filter. Everything was going smooth, pulled the fuse, started the truck, stalled it out, started it several more times to make sure it was dead and drained.
Start wiggling the fuel filter off the hose and it slips out of my hand the moment a touch of gas hits it(wearing latex gloves here) and some on my lips and my EYE! I immediately pulled the bucket to where it was down pouring gas, slide out of the truck and rush to the bathroom. Eye was burning specially since I had my damn contacts in. Several minutes of flushing later its fine.
So now i have some gas spillage on my driveway and a new filter. Smell of gas all over me too(should make it a cologne lol). You would think a dealer selling a car used would go through and replace this crap, but no its the original fuel filter and it looked really worse for wear, rusty etc. I cut that SOB open and looked at the filter media and was able to scrape off some crap on it, so lesson learned that even at 35k miles it would be wise to change.
saberz, the things you are doing are likely to change fuel economy in tiny increments ... tenths of a mile per gallon. In order to track this, you wqll need to track gallons used (to the tenth) against miles traveled (I also take this number to the tenth.)
What are you running in the transfer case ... synthetic ATF?
Pump up your tires to within 2 psi of the sidewall maximum.
All synthetic fluids. Just filled up with a new tank of gas and watching it. Towards the end of my last tank it actually eeked up to 250 miles/tank which is 12.5 miles to the gallon. did roughly 65-70% highway an the rest was city.
As you increase and decrease the pressure, some of the above factors will increase or decrease as well ... with some being directly inverse to the others.
Everyone has to find their own balance. The door jamb number (which may or may not be the same as the number in your owners manual) is a compromise worked out by the factory ... which may or may not suit you well.
I increase my tire pressures which generally give me more fuel economy and tread life at the expense of some grip and ride comfort.
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