I am a highschooler who is about to go into college, and I will be on a tight budget. I want to put as little money towards gas as I can, but I still want to mod my car. What mods decrease mpg?

 

anything that makes it sound different

 

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..... I laugh but that's actually kinda true!!

Well, to some degree. Some cars will respond to changes to things like exhaust flow modifications in a positive manner. But of course, them new sounds make a driver wanna go VROOOOOM VROOOOOOM more, killin' that theory.

OP, the key to good mileage: driver. Most bolt-ons aren't going to hurt or help mileage one way or the other much. Seriously. If you are driving a Z and worried about such a minor mileage variation, you're driving the wrong car. (Not said in a bad way, just an observation.)

If still concerned, go with things that might actually help your mileage and increase the fun factor.... like suspension... lowering can help to make the car a little more aero slippery and in general just more fun to drive. Stay away from spoilers and wings..... on the street, their only uses are the cool factor and adding drag to the car.

 

Hahahahaha here we go lol.... research... research... research buddy.. In order to increase fuel efficiency you need to increase the miles per gallon MPG.. this can be achieved via a lot things. mods affect a small amount depending on the thermal efficiency of your engine. I know sound too ****ing complicated right??? not really!!! The way you drive your car and the way you maintain your car is the main factor affecting your MPG. for example, if you commute 40 miles a day, and spend most of your commute has an average speed of 40 mph. your can is happy at 4000 rpm during most of your commute. Then you need a car that is mostly efficient with in this rpm, or use your final drive to get your engine to it's most efficient rpm. this is not the only factor though. but that's what you have some sort of control over and what to look for when modding you car. If I was in your situation I would start by setting a final goal for this car "drag, drift, time attack...". and please save yourself the BS and start with a sport associated with the automotive industry. This will save you the mistake most people do trying to build a "street daily". If you wanna build a fuel efficient car out of the 350z and turn it into a tesla retrofit then so be it. classify your build, then look for the mods that affect your fuel efficiency the least and go from there.

 

Best mod for mpg-
1 A clean air filter
2 No misires (like a 0300). GL.

 

123

 

High performance wider tires and large heavy wheels. Get the most narrow stock wheels for the Z and run fuel efficient tires. You actually might get a few mpg increase doing that.

 

Keeping up with routine maintenance will also contribute to having good gas mileage, OP. Fresh fluids all around, a clean air filter, spark plugs, and a good(uncongested) exhaust system will go a long way.

 

all

drive conservatively
remove any unnecessary weight
ensure tires are inflated to manufactures recommendations
keep up on maintenance

In reality - if you're worried about MPGs consider a different vehicle

 

I get the feeling the OP has limited knowledge of cars in general and all the comments here apply. My advice is to keep your VQ stock and pay attention to all the maintenance tips here in the DIY section.

 

To add to the list: over inflate your tires slightly and keep your windows closed at highway speeds. I think Mythbusters proved a few years ago that windows up + AC is more efficient than windows down and no AC. That'll be a slight measurable improvement I guess.

But as many here have said, if you're worried about mileage, the Z is the wrong car to have.

 

Or faster lol

 

If you're on a "tight budget" then any mods you're able to afford are not going to make a noticeable difference to mpg.

Instead of a list excluding mods. . .because that's retarded and it would be longer than any high school English paper you've ever written, why don't you tell us what you plan on doing.

 

+1

I swap between my stock setup and a track set of tires and there is about a 2 MPG difference based on multiple trips with a 70/30 highway/city mix. The difference in tires is only about an one inch wider, but the track setup is a more grippy compound. Wheels themselves weight about the same.

Easiest way to improve MPGs? Just get a 6 speed and short shift.