Has anyone noticed any fuel economy improvement from any modification?

I don't have any desire to make my Mini accelerate any faster than it allready does (I have only had it up to 4,000 RPM twice in the 10,200 miles I've had it), I sure as hell don't want to make it loud and obnoxious, But I would like to squeeze a few more miles per gallon out of it.

 

I have gotten better mileage sincde I put on the new pulley and the ECU. I sure don't drive it any slower than I used to, just the opposite. But what I notice is that I barely have to put any pressure on the accelerator to keep me at 70 mph. Overall I need less throttle to get me to the speed that I want.

Over that last 3 tankfulls since the mods I have gone from a consistent 24mpg to 27mpg. That is a combination of hwy and street racing, er I mean driving, driving.....

I am charting it for 10 tankfulls to match it up with the previous 10. That should give me pretty good idea over lots of driving conditions and weather.

 

THe pulley won't help him....he's got a Cooper.

 

the ECU upgrade will, however

 

i have heard/read that pulley (with mcs) and ecu upgrade can have a noticeable improvement with mpg.

my question is how about with the jcw? a fellow owner in hawaii reports that since installing the jcw, he's noticed a drop in mpg. actually a drastic drop, from mid 20's to sub-20 mpg. i expected a small drop, but not 7-8 mpg.

any input on this?

 

For any MINI try:

Using Premium gas only
Try a drop air filter- maybe a Green filter (better mpg and performance)
Make sure your air pressure in your tires is correct
Drive at constant velocity- no fast starts and stay off the brakes, use the cruise control, stay away from city traffic.
Drive with a half tank of gas.
Reduce all possible extra weight- refrain from carrying more extra things in your car-remove everything
that doesn't need to be in the car. Don't add extra stereo equiptment unless that is what you want to have.
Consider lighter weight wheels- stock MINI wheels are usually very heavy except for the 15" stock alloys.
Don't get any options that add a lot of weight- namely the sunroof- extra 50 pounds.

 

>>For any MINI try:
>>
>>Using Premium gas only

I always feed mine premium. I doubt if it effects the mileage much (and if so, it probably reduces it just slightly), but it is gentle on the engine.

>>Try a drop air filter- maybe a Green filter (better mpg and performance)

Drop air? I've been thinking about a filter with better flow but will probably wait until after my first service.

>>Make sure your air pressure in your tires is correct

I usually check about once a week.

>>Drive at constant velocity- no fast starts and stay off the brakes, use the cruise control, stay away from city traffic.

I don't know what the Mini cruise control is like, but on other vehicles with it I was unimpressed. They always seem to over react and accelerate too quickly... not smooth at all. (Maybe they would be better in flat areas...)

>>Drive with a half tank of gas.

That I can't do. I like to keep track of mileage, so I record the mileage for each tank as well as how many gallons it took to fill. Half tank would be just a guess, whereas a full tank will always be approximately the same (I always fill at the same gas station to the first shutoff).

>>Reduce all possible extra weight- refrain from carrying more extra things in your car-remove everything

I'll probably ditch my spair tire since I have runflats. Just haven't gotten around to taking it out yet.

>> that doesn't need to be in the car. Don't add extra stereo equiptment unless that is what you want to have.
>>Consider lighter weight wheels- stock MINI wheels are usually very heavy except for the 15" stock alloys.
>>Don't get any options that add a lot of weight- namely the sunroof- extra 50 pounds.

No sunroof. Hell, I wouldn't even have an AC if it had been optional, let alone power locks and windows.

So far my best has been an average of 42 mpg for a tank... that was mostly expressway 30 miles per day though, 60 Mph top speed, drafting off of trucks, coasting whenever possible, antenna removed (I seem to get just about as good FM reception with our without... AM suffers, but I only listen to two NPR stations which are on FM anyway), No AC, windows always up (creates drag if they are down), using only the fan for cooling. Shifting around 2,500 and never exceeding 3,000 in 5'th gear (60 mph).

Thinking about having the stupid spoiler removed when I go in for my service. I never wanted it to begin with, but this was the closest to a stock base model that the dealer had in.