[grungerockjeeper]

Crazy, I have my '00 TJ still--bought my PT so I could free up the Jeep as my playtoy while having a car that was still fun to drive yet would be better on mpg and more practical for roadtrips and daily driving.

But as to the best way to squeeze more mpgs outta the PT, it still comes down to basic common sense:

1: Manual, manual, MANUAL!!!! Got it? Manuals are far superior to slushboxes every time especially on 4cyls. Autos waste power, are heavier, more complex, less fun to drive, more $$ to buy and maintain. Basically if you have all your arms and legs then you can work a clutch and stick. If you dont know how to drive one, then freakin' learn. You'll never go back.

2: Efficiency IS power. Bolt ons that are improvements on items that OEM manufacturers cheap out on. Free flowing exhausts, cold air intakes, and depending on the engine, a throttle body spacer can free up a few HP while allowing your engine to run better. Theyre a few bucks to install but they work and will return better mpg and hp.

3: Basic maintenance. change your oil, plugs, and filters, and inflate and rotate your tires. Its no energy plan regardless of what Barry O says but you should be doing this anyway.

4: Older can be better. Emissions and saftey legislation isnt getting any more lenient and govt mandated garbage only adds weight, complexity and chokeholds on performance thereby destroying mpg. A clean, low mileage earlier model PT is likely to have less of this nonsense added onto it than newer models so may return more mpg. And if there are less O2 sensors, airbags, stability controls, etc then its less gagets to go wrong and cost you money.

Oh and did I mention to get a manual transmission?