Is There Any improvement for the Power Train

[KingKole02]

jcs21three,
Welcome,
With a little money you could try to find and after market intake and exhaust system which I have heard will give you about 5 mpg more.
May not seem like much but it sure helps Im sure. I want to do this to mine. Think about the cost, in so many fill ups you could have paid for it.

[fritz_t_coyote]

quote:Originally posted by BlueBlurCruiser

If you run premium it gets better gas mileage because it takes a higher temperature to burn plus it makes your performance better[?].

The NA PT uses regular unleaded. The Turbo requires high octane.
If you are not experiencing Detonation (Knocking) you get no benefit from 'high test'.
The Oil Industry has spent a lot of money convincing us to pay 20-50 cents extra per gallon for knock resistance that most cars do not need.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/octane.htm

As for intake and exhaust mods: Anything that improves efficiency is a good thing. Also check the tire pressures frequently... the badyears that the PT ships with are lousy at holding air.


(My last road trip averaged 25mpg at 75mph)

[SteelBlueGT]

You can mod your car and get some mileage improvement but at a pretty high cost. Probably take 5 years to recoup your investment!! Free things would be more air in tires (Max never Min as owners manual and sidewall info allow) and almost free would be Mobil 1 oil. I say almost free cause the better mileage is a by product of reduced friction and that means less wear! However, the oil is very pricey and wont pay for itself in mileage gains alone! I have found that buying regular gas increases gas mileage a tenth or two and reduces fuel costs plenty. Try and avoid carrying around lots of extra weight and that will get you another tenth or so. Best free thing is keep speeds down on the Highway and avoid jack rabbit starts. Speeds over 60 mph seem to reduce mileage a lot and speeds over 70 loose me about two mpg! It seeems to be cheaper to run with windows up and A/C on than no A/C and windows and sunroof open. Of course best of all would be no A/C! Drive as if there was an egg under your right foot and try and keep a constant speed!

[fritz_t_coyote]

quote:Originally posted by SteelBlueGT

You can mod your car and get some mileage improvement but at a pretty high cost.

Yeah, but the mods are Fun.... improved breathing: more power, more efficiency, and that lovely sound.

Your other recs are right-on.

Of course if you are really concerned with fuel savings the best thing to do is to carefully drive your PT to a Toyota dealer and trade it in on a Prius.

[KingKole02]

I spend 20-25 bucks a week on gas, actually every 4-5 days, sooo,
5 days 20 bucks 20 mpg, compared to 25 mpg would have to take 4 fill ups to gain one, thats an extra 20 a month, 12x20 is 240, that 240 dollars I have spend on gas when I could have used it on an exhaust kit. You keep the car for 4 years thats 960. When your intake and exhaust total around 600 thats 360 profit you have saved. Not to mention the performance results, and better sound. This is my excuse in getting an exhaust kit. That 360 you save pays for the regulare maintence for the car thus resulting in an even pay out instead of a minus one.

[quicksilverdon]

SteelBlueGT gave a good summary of ways to improve mileage. I found the PT responds well to intake mods. Pull out little plastic "thingys" (white little tubes) in the stock intake and get a K&N replacement filter, or buy an aftermarket intake.

[Grouch]

quote:Originally posted by BlueBlurCruiser

The PT doesnt get bad gas mileage. I have a Sonoma with the 4.3L and it sucked gas like a bitch. With the driving I did in the PT to where I went from full to 1/2 tank, I would have already refilled the tank and used 1/4 of the new tank of gas in the Sonoma. The gas mileage could be better since its a 4 banger but its a big 4 banger. If you run premium it gets better gas mileage because it takes a higher temperature to burn plus it makes your performance better[?].

Idisagree a V6 Buick LeSabre has a better gas mileage rating than the PT. IMHO two things cause the poor mileage the first being your pushing a barn door through the air. The second is you have to push the engine harder than you would ( no torque ) if the PT had a V6

[tangerinedream1845]

well i am on my second PT my first was a 2002 Base model with a auto and i was lucky if i got 23-25 MPG since i have traded in on my DreamCruiser II with the Turbo I have found the MPG is Better 27-29 MPG I thonk the Added HP lets the engine run a little easyer so the MPG is better

[KingKole02]

quote:Originally posted by tangerinedream1845

23-25 MPG since i have traded in on my DreamCruiser II with the Turbo I have found the MPG is Better 27-29 MPG I thonk the Added HP lets the engine run a little easyer so the MPG is better

Once again my excuse for performance mods.

[jcs21three]

I think you might be right about giving the pt those preformance mods to the in take and exhaust. Is the poor gas mileage done on purpose to get you to buy the turbo or are the engineers at assembly just being cheap. Either way it going to cost me money to save money.