fuel efficiency mods?

[VSaklaym]

hi my name is rob and i have a vs ecotec dats done abt 260,000 kms n i was jst wondering wot mods i could do make it more fuel efficient aswell as still keepn da power e.g. tune,vx ecu,air filters etc. any info would b helpful n if prices of the mods r available dat would b great p.s the car is stock.

[SV62NV]

all i can really think of that helps with fuel efficiency would be a K&N cold air intake filter, their about 80 to 100 bucks from most auto shops but to keep the good fuel economy you have to recharge them with a K&N cleaning kit which im unsure of the cost...

You prob already knew this but i thought id give my 2cents

Shane

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

The best mod I can recommend is modifying how you type. People will respond better if you typed in English, not Ghetto....

But regarding your question, replacing oil and filters, leads and plugs and air filter at regular intervals will keep the car as economical as it can be. Keeping the tyre pressures up around 36psi helps too.

There is actually a whole thread dedicated to economy of the VS somewhere.

[HoldenOnn]

Welcome to the forum. But can I say, before you start posting away and putting up new threads, I suggest a search. There is heaps of info on the forum that has been answered many times. Check around the forum on the home page and go from there. Heaps of info that you will find already. Plus it saves you being shot down for posting a question which has been answered

But I will give you my opinion and advice anyway;

Firstly, servicing and maintenance is the key. Keep tyre pressures correct such as 34psi minimum is great. Regular servicing especially oil every 5,000kms and oil filter and even air filter. I will be changing air filter every 5,000kms also being it costs $10 approx for my VZ, but for my VS I just sold, it was $6 trade from Holden. Change plugs, leads, fuel filter if hasn't been done for a couple of years. Get a wheel alignment and keep regular checks on the wear characteristics of your tyres.

Now all those points are vital and will serve you well with great fuel economy. I had VS SII S Pack 5sp Manual V6 and on the highway I used to use 7.8lts per 100kms which was pretty economical for a 3.8lt engine at 110km/h with aircon on at times.

If you want to do other mods such as getting a new tune etc, well I wouldn't recommend. The money for the tune probably would take a long time to get back through less fuel. But not saying its not viable, but with a car that has done 260,000kms, well I just wouldn't go with a tune.

Mainly do all the servicing, but one main thing that is cheap is a cold air intake. My VS had this when I purchased. Its not expensive...ebay approx $60 or maybe holden and this is the best value for money mod. It gives you better fuel economy through sucking in colder more dense air, and gives a marginal performance increase but its nothing major performance wise, just makes the car more efficient as the more dense the air, the bigger the bang so to speak in the cylinders.

This link below is exactly what I had on my VS;

Genuine Holden VN VP VR VS Commodore Cold Air Intake - eBay Other Performance Parts, Performance Parts, Car Parts, Accessories, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 28-Jun-09 20:50:20 AEST)

This pic is my VS which I just sold to upgrade to my VZ Calais daily driver;




A main factor relating to fuel economy is to drive economical. This doesn't mean grandpa spec, it means driving to the conditions and reading the road up ahead and changing gears early if part throttle being used etc. No point in hard breaking 30metres from a corner at 70km/h when you have little traffic around and you know the turnoff is approaching and you can start gently breaking early. This means that you are off the throttle earlier, you are using less intense brake pedal which consistently driven this way will prolonge pad life and you will save fuel. Just little techniques like this will all help.

But its funny that some of my mates want the best economy they can get and complain that they don't have that decent economy figures, but go driving with them, and it becomes evident that heavy throttle most of the time when not needed, heavy or late breaking, not reading conditions ahead and slowing down early etc are key factors.

Hope this helps with a quick insight

Regards
Matt

[RoboticCherry-Coke]

all i can really think of that helps with fuel efficiency would be a K&N cold air intake filter, their about 80 to 100 bucks from most auto shops but to keep the good fuel economy you have to recharge them with a K&N cleaning kit which im unsure of the cost...

You prob already knew this but i thought id give my 2cents

Shane

K&N cleaning/recharge kits are around the $30 mark... just bought one for my filter yesterday

[HoldenOnn]

K&N cleaning/recharge kits are around the $30 mark... just bought one for my filter yesterday

Use factory filter. Independent research has been done and found that the factory element air cleaner filters better and there is marginal if any increase in flow. Any increase would only be very marginal. I run a 500hp VL Berlina Turbo that has run a 10.80 sec 1/4 mile at Kwinana Motorplex West. Aust. and I use a $6 genuine holden air cleaner in the standard air box with a cold air feed to it.

Plus using a K&N requires maintenance and re-oiling which can be annoying and it can be over oiled too which is not good. Work out the cost....K&N filter plus recharge is about $80 + $30 = $110.

Standard air cleaner is lets say $10. Thats 11 filters worth. Now im very particular and I renew air filter every 5,000kms so thats 55,000kms of driving. But if you are like most, the minimum change interval is 10,000kms, thats 110,000kms of driving. And thats not to mention that you haven't had to stuff around washing a filter and waiting for it to dry and then re-oil. With factory filter, you just remove old, and install new.

[rocco555]

i gotta agree with this guy, k&n filters are just marketing bullsh*t... very minor gains to be had, if any, and not worth the hassle

with 260k on the clock, half the engine components on your car could be contributing to your poor fuel economy, and its def. not worth spending any considerable $$$ on it.

a nice service (as mentioned) is your best bet, otherwise my advice is to put your money towards a newer car

[pillzor]

i put a lukey high flow filter in mine... is that a waste of money?

[HoldenOnn]

i put a lukey high flow filter in mine... is that a waste of money?

If you have to ask, then obviously you have not gained much, if anything by doing that, so I would ascertain that it is better to stick with genuine and renew every 10,000kms, of 5,000kms if your really keen like me.

[Tom_1569]

Those expensive "high flow" filters are a crock of shit. Its simple physics, in order for it to flow more, it has to filter less. K&N filters will NOT save you money, they have maitnence cost and a high initial cost... pure wank factor...
Use to work with a rice boy who use to tell me how he was going to gain 25RWHP by installing a K&N filter, I pointed out that his car was front wheel drive to begin with and even running NO air filter would see those gains... fools. Stock or AC Delco filters FTW.

[VSaklaym]

thanks for the replies guys i think ill start with the cai and air filter, i also heard from a friend that if you put a vx ecu in a vs it will improve efficiency, is this true? and also will a performance chip inprove anything on a vs?is the chip worth putting in?

[greenacc]

I gotta agree with most of the advice above. You need good clean plugs, leads, filters, and a clean engine to get good economy. Don't forget a clean MAF and throttle body works wonders too.
Tyre pressure 34 minimum, and don't carry junk around in the car which adds extra weight.

[pillzor]

If you have to ask, then obviously you have not gained much, if anything by doing that, so I would ascertain that it is better to stick with genuine and renew every 10,000kms, of 5,000kms if your really keen like me.

i put it in the same time i got my 2 and a half inch catback exhaust installed so its a bit hard too tell .... only cost $40 anyway.

[danja]

Can't believe no one has said oxygen sensors yet?!

Plus all the good advice above. Especially the bit about avoiding K&N. I promise that you won't save $110 of fuel by getting one.

[Deutscher]

OP - What is your current average fuel usage per 100kms?
I have a VS S2 Calais running on gas. I get 9.5L/100km on average.
I suggest using cruise control if you have it, this saves fuel I recon. I use Cruise whenever possible!! best thing ever haha. I get as low as 5.5-6L/100 when I cruise at 100 on the freeways.
I've got a CAI, K&N airfilter (even though heaps people dont recommend it), Gas conversion, just put new 'performance' leads and plugs in. General maintanence.... keeping your oil clean and coolant levels up. As mentioned above... check Oxygen Sensor (which I haven't yet), MAF. Don't carry excessive weight around like tools in boot etc. Another thing .... don't floor it!! saves lots too!!