What mods will increase the mileage on LFX - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

intensifi · 05-16-2012, 02:37 PM

I ordered a 2013 2LT Convertible and am wondering what mods to do first.

Blacking out the tail light bezels, short throw shifter, upgraded center console and upgraded ebrake handle are at the top of the list.

What should I do next?

The car will mostly be a daily driver.

xx_ED_xx · 05-16-2012, 02:56 PM

remove side mirrors, lower car, skinnier tires, block out grille, higher tire psi, remove cats, setting the tune to always be in mileage mode....

about all i can think of at the moment

rykeith · 05-16-2012, 03:13 PM

The most important mod for mileage is the driver mod. CAI should, in theory, increase your mileage.

JohnnyBfromPeoria · 05-16-2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xx_ED_xx

remove side mirrors, lower car, skinnier tires, block out grille, higher tire psi, remove cats, setting the tune to always be in mileage mode....

about all i can think of at the moment

These are not very practical mods. And what the heck is "setting the tune to always be in mileage mode?"

Removing the cats most likely won't increase mileage and is both illegal and warranty-voiding.

Removing mirrors would make the car undriveable.

Blocking out the grill might make the car run way hot.

Here are some of mine: add a vacuum gauge and drive conservatively to try to keep vacuum high. Get out of lower gears as soon as possible without revving excessively or bogging the engine. Plan ahead to keep speed as constant as possible. Avoid fast starts or the need to brake hard (that means you didn't plan ahead).

All my opinion, of course.

John B.

TreasureCoastCamaro · 05-16-2012, 08:49 PM

Really? add a vacuum gauge? Where is the gage mounted inside the car?

meissen · 05-17-2012, 06:40 AM

Lmao wow the replies in here are great thus far...

As stated above by rykeith - the "driver" mod is the most important. Keep RPMs low and if it's a manual shift sooner than letting the RPMs get real high. If it's an automatic, find a local tuner who would tune it for MPGs instead of HP. There's ways to tune a car to be more fuel efficient - my '94 Camaro with a 357ci LT1, cammed and stalled drives with the same MPGs as the 3.4L v6 that used to be in it.

A cold air intake should help bump the MPGs one or two higher.

JohnnyBfromPeoria · 05-17-2012, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TreasureCoastCamaro

Really? add a vacuum gauge? Where is the gage mounted inside the car?

It is in the realm of possibilities. It's a pretty simple addition; find a vacuum source, add a tee and some hose and run it into the car. Mount the gauge wherever you want to. My brother's '65 Chevy Impala had one stock for this exact purpose.

How much gas does a tune buy you? Let's say 100 gallons. That's a lot of driving.

You can overinflate the tires, but I wouldn't go past the max on the sidewall.

Revs mean fuel. And the driver mod IS key. Just don't get all crazy thinking you're going to win any gas mileage contests against some hard core hypermilers; they seem to love to torture themselves...and fellow motorists.

John B.

zkdreads · 05-17-2012, 02:28 PM

CAI, RX catch can, stay at lower rpm, exhaust

kjkjr27 · 05-17-2012, 03:24 PM

CAI, losing weight (either the car or you lol) easiest is to get an exhaust, don't drive it like you stole it. Keep tires at a decent pressure. But in all seriousness who bought a camaro for its gas mileage.

intensifi · 05-17-2012, 04:47 PM

Thanks.

Losing weight is a great idea!

So is proper tire inflation and keeping the RPMs lower when driving. Those all make perfect sense.

How do/does cold air induction, exhaust upgrades and catch cans function such that they improve mileage? I'm interested in a technical description.

As to why I'm interested in this, when doing my daily driving I'd rather save $$$ so I can do more fun driving and buy other fun stuff for me and my family. I live in California and our gas prices are pretty high.

kjkjr27 · 05-17-2012, 05:38 PM

The exhaust will be lighter therefor losing weight which means not as much gas is needed to move it as before. Idk if catch cans actually help. I think cai work by bringing more air into the engine to which then requires less gas to ignite? I think?

SC2150 · 05-17-2012, 05:57 PM

The oil ingestion causes detonation and the ECU pulls timing, so a good functioning catchcan will usually result in 1-3 mpg improvement on the average car/light truck. CAI allows less restrictive air flow so that can help as well.

xx_ED_xx · 05-18-2012, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

These are not very practical mods. And what the heck is "setting the tune to always be in mileage mode?
A compotent tuner can do it....

Removing the cats most likely won't increase mileage and is both illegal and warranty-voiding.
I dont live in a state with sniffer inspection and how is it warranty voiding??

Removing mirrors would make the car undriveable. How would removing the mirrors make it underdrivable? If you do some research you will see side mirrors effect mileage on any car and how they have experimented with removing them. Some people dont rely on their mirrors to drive.....

Blocking out the grill might make the car run way hot.
Again an aero mod and how do you know if you dont try it. That isnt the only way air gets into the engine you also have that big gapping hole below the grille. You have seen a corvette right??

Here are some of mine: add a vacuum gauge and drive conservatively to try to keep vacuum high. Get out of lower gears as soon as possible without revving excessively or bogging the engine. Plan ahead to keep speed as constant as possible. Avoid fast starts or the need to brake hard (that means you didn't plan ahead).
You can set the mpg gauge to be instant which is just like using a vacuum gauge. Which is the map sensors job anyhow

All my opinion, of course.

John Bb.

JohnnyBfromPeoria · 05-18-2012, 07:13 PM

Or you could buy a Prius, I suppose (ha ha).

There may one day be a tuner tuning for economy on the V-6, but I don't know of one now. I suppose you could ask for it. Hot Rod Harry down at the corner garage can't do it.

You'd light up your check engine light without the cats in place, I'm pretty sure. And it's "against Federal law to tamper with the emissions control devices," as if someone is actually going to be able to track you down and take you to trial.

I'm fully aware that side view mirrors present drag. Tell you what, you can try driving this particular car without them and tell me if it's worth it. Might be easier in a car with windows bigger than a tank.

Corvettes are designed to have the front end they do and the cooling system is built to fit it. The Camaro isn't. Once you get behind the front air dam, it's low pressure under the car, so air would be drawn out of the engine bay and it has to get in there somehow. Not saying it wouldn't, but that's not how it's presently designed to work. Not trying that one in Phoenix this time of year.

The vac gauge is a bit primitive, but it is instantaneous, rather than an averaging system.

How about fabricating flexible side skirts and putting on a lower front air dam/splitter? Keeping the air from going under the car nets a touch better in the coefficient of drag department and the flexible ones can handle speed bumps and curbs better than rigid pieces.

You were right about skinnier tires, too. It's pretty apparent on my off road vehicles (that are highway driven to the trails) that the wider the tire, the more wind resistance they pose, as well as having a higher rolling resistance.

If you're really looking to live life on the edge, try drafting semi trailers.

John B.

05-16-2012, 02:37 PM	#1
intensifi Drives: '12 2LT Convertible Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belmont, California Posts: 1,701	What mods will increase the mileage on LFX I ordered a 2013 2LT Convertible and am wondering what mods to do first. Blacking out the tail light bezels, short throw shifter, upgraded center console and upgraded ebrake handle are at the top of the list. What should I do next? The car will mostly be a daily driver.

05-16-2012, 02:56 PM	#2
xx_ED_xx Drives: 04 Silverado Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Floriduh! Posts: 1,113	remove side mirrors, lower car, skinnier tires, block out grille, higher tire psi, remove cats, setting the tune to always be in mileage mode.... about all i can think of at the moment __________________

05-16-2012, 03:13 PM	#3
rykeith Drives: 2010 Camaro 1LT M6 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 457 View My Garage	The most important mod for mileage is the driver mod. CAI should, in theory, increase your mileage. __________________ Roto-Fab CAI / MRT V2 / 35% Tint / Emblempros Lighted Door Sills / 19" Brushed Aluminum Wheels The frost, sometimes it makes the blade stick.

05-16-2012, 08:49 PM	#5
TreasureCoastCamaro CRUISN1 Drives: 2010 LT/RS Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Sebastian, Florida Posts: 109	Really? add a vacuum gauge? Where is the gage mounted inside the car? __________________ 2010 Camaro 1LT/RS, 6 Speed, RX Catch Can w/ Breather, CAI, DRL Harness, V-LEDS, 4 Gauge Cluster, Painted Calipers, RS Emroidered Headrest. Build #05410

05-17-2012, 06:40 AM	#6
meissen Founder - Michigan FBody Drives: 1994 Camaro LT1, 2012 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: New Haven, MI Posts: 2,599	Lmao wow the replies in here are great thus far... As stated above by rykeith - the "driver" mod is the most important. Keep RPMs low and if it's a manual shift sooner than letting the RPMs get real high. If it's an automatic, find a local tuner who would tune it for MPGs instead of HP. There's ways to tune a car to be more fuel efficient - my '94 Camaro with a 357ci LT1, cammed and stalled drives with the same MPGs as the 3.4L v6 that used to be in it. A cold air intake should help bump the MPGs one or two higher. __________________ 2012 Camaro 2SS/RS L99 - *"Zooma"* 1994 Camaro LT1 A4 - *"Red Alert"* - v6-to-LT1 Swapped Cruiser; Cammed, Stalled, Enjoyed "Gone But Not Forgotten" 2016 Camaro 1LT A8 - "Elmo" 2014 Camaro 1LT M6 - "Cherry Bomb" 2012 Camaro 1LS M6 - "Clifford" Michigan FBody Association http://www.mifbody.com/

05-17-2012, 02:28 PM	#8
zkdreads Drives: 2010 Camaro LS V6 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 2,784	CAI, RX catch can, stay at lower rpm, exhaust __________________ C-LO or Sonic "Without Struggle there is no progress" I am your best nightmare!

05-17-2012, 03:24 PM	#9
kjkjr27 COTW 9/16/13 Drives: 2011 2LT/RS Camaro IOM Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Syracuse Posts: 10,089	CAI, losing weight (either the car or you lol) easiest is to get an exhaust, don't drive it like you stole it. Keep tires at a decent pressure. But in all seriousness who bought a camaro for its gas mileage. __________________ Twitch Youtube

05-17-2012, 04:47 PM	#10
intensifi Drives: '12 2LT Convertible Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Belmont, California Posts: 1,701	Thanks. Losing weight is a great idea! So is proper tire inflation and keeping the RPMs lower when driving. Those all make perfect sense. How do/does cold air induction, exhaust upgrades and catch cans function such that they improve mileage? I'm interested in a technical description. As to why I'm interested in this, when doing my daily driving I'd rather save $$$ so I can do more fun driving and buy other fun stuff for me and my family. I live in California and our gas prices are pretty high.

05-17-2012, 05:38 PM	#11
kjkjr27 COTW 9/16/13 Drives: 2011 2LT/RS Camaro IOM Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Syracuse Posts: 10,089	The exhaust will be lighter therefor losing weight which means not as much gas is needed to move it as before. Idk if catch cans actually help. I think cai work by bringing more air into the engine to which then requires less gas to ignite? I think? __________________ Twitch Youtube

05-17-2012, 05:57 PM	#12
SC2150 Account Suspended Drives: 2012 Camaro RS, RX supercharged Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bradenton, FL Posts: 6,063	The oil ingestion causes detonation and the ECU pulls timing, so a good functioning catchcan will usually result in 1-3 mpg improvement on the average car/light truck. CAI allows less restrictive air flow so that can help as well.

05-18-2012, 07:13 PM	#14
JohnnyBfromPeoria Drives: 2012 LS M6, Black Join Date: May 2009 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 2,045	Or you could buy a Prius, I suppose (ha ha). There may one day be a tuner tuning for economy on the V-6, but I don't know of one now. I suppose you could ask for it. Hot Rod Harry down at the corner garage can't do it. You'd light up your check engine light without the cats in place, I'm pretty sure. And it's "against Federal law to tamper with the emissions control devices," as if someone is actually going to be able to track you down and take you to trial. I'm fully aware that side view mirrors present drag. Tell you what, you can try driving this particular car without them and tell me if it's worth it. Might be easier in a car with windows bigger than a tank. Corvettes are designed to have the front end they do and the cooling system is built to fit it. The Camaro isn't. Once you get behind the front air dam, it's low pressure under the car, so air would be drawn out of the engine bay and it has to get in there somehow. Not saying it wouldn't, but that's not how it's presently designed to work. Not trying that one in Phoenix this time of year. The vac gauge is a bit primitive, but it is instantaneous, rather than an averaging system. How about fabricating flexible side skirts and putting on a lower front air dam/splitter? Keeping the air from going under the car nets a touch better in the coefficient of drag department and the flexible ones can handle speed bumps and curbs better than rigid pieces. You were right about skinnier tires, too. It's pretty apparent on my off road vehicles (that are highway driven to the trails) that the wider the tire, the more wind resistance they pose, as well as having a higher rolling resistance. If you're really looking to live life on the edge, try drafting semi trailers. John B.