Most Eco friendly legacy

Hey all,

 

A few weeks ago I joined the forums after buying my first car, a 2008 Subaru Legacy 2.5i. I have been looking around, doing research, and posting questions about some basic 2.5i tuning techniques and I think I have decided what I want to do with my ride. I want to have the most fuel efficient legacy out there.

 

Currently I am averaging 28 highway and 22 city, but I would like to increase this as much as possible. My question to you, is what do you guys know about how to increase fuel efficiency. I have already adapted my driving style to gain as much mpg as possible, I can at times average over 26 city with the use of hyper mile driving.

 

What do you guys think? Is this a worthly summer project, or will it just turn out to be a waste of money without a huge mpg bump?

 

Thanks to all willing to help!

 

TH

Buy a different car.

It'll be a waste of time, but an interesting experiment.

 

I suggest starting the tires. Go narrower and with a "high efficiency" model. Lighter wheels with as few holes as possible will help.

 

You want the underbody to be as flat as possible, so you could make some kind of custom undertray.

 

Suspension mods will improve fuel economy as well.

 

If you want to get into aero mods, you'll need tape, string, and a video camera you can affix to the outside of the car.

Run a thinner oil, such as 0W20 full synthetic.

Buy a subcompact......Just enjoy the drive w/ the car. Let the MPG's fall where they may.

Do you have the 4eat or 5mt?

I have a high flow filter and am getting 27 city and about 30-33 highway and i have an 07 legacy SE.

 

Then again I do drive like a grandpa everywhere because of gas.

 

I have a ETC coming in the mail though, and sure hope the eco mode will get me a few more miles out of each gallon

You could remap the throttle and a more MPG friendly tune along with changing driving habits. Also you could add some narrow "fuel efficient" tires.

But I don't think it would be worth it.

Dano, I have 4eat.

 

Its looking like new skinny tires are the best thing I could do. I am in the market for a suspension upgrade anyway, so I will try to find the most eco friendly suspension there is.

 

Also, would a high flow filter really show any improvement?

For the price of "eco" tires and modified suspension, you could buy a 1980's Honda CRX with a 5-speed, get 1.5x the economy you'd get in the Subaru. The money you'd save daily driving the Honda, you'd be able to spend driving your less efficient Subaru on weekends or in the snow.

And the money spent in going stage 3+ would be better spent as a down payment on a real sports car. It's the idea that he wants to do it to his car. I admire this tenacity and I support it.

I'm not saying "don't do it", I'm just offering a varying opinion. I posted a good way to acheive his goal, and an alternate suggestion.

I think the expression "Penny wise and Pound foolish" applies to this post. Driving style has the most effect on fuel effficiency (other than drastic weight reduction) and it costs nothing.

To be quite honest, my driving style is a very fuel efficient one. I am always trying to squeeze out extra mpg when I am driving.

 

It seems to be though, that it is not worth my time and money to do a project such as this. I am not buying another car though, I will just except the mpg that I get as it is.

 

I guess I will look for another project to do this summer.

on the new Honda Civic they have a Civic HF (high fuel efficiency) model, all it has is the Hybrids rims & spoiler, low roll resistance tires, an under body "skid" plate covers the entire car, and it is lowered by a few MMs that managed to get it 4 mpg more over the basic Civic...... so you could try some of those things.

 

just yesterday when i filled up i got 22.3 mpg on my Legacy with a H6 100% city. i drove all the time in manual mode and started off in 2nd gear also up shifted before 2k rpm. i know how the stop lights in this area are so i was able to shut off the car if i was going to be sitting for a while

I guess I will look for another project to do this summer.

 

This^^^^^

GEE, what so you suggest? I already am doing sways. What else is fun to do and isn't too expensive?

Suspension to the max springs struts, shocks sways and body bracing. I can't tell you how MUCH happier you will be with a car that can be thrown to any area in curve and brought out at will.

 

Next I would upgrade the front brakes NOT b/c they are inferior, they are very good at stopping a stock 2.5i, but for improved stopping response and to rid yourself of excessive pedal fade when you really need braking force the most.

 

Braided lines and good fluid will usher in an improved feeling. You don't really need aftermarket rotors so much as you need better pads. People like Hawk a lot BUT ive had great success with (wait for it:spin:) Duralast GOLD pads . Yup Autozne brand ceramics.

 

Once those two areas are covered You could look into some nice mufflers.

 

Once that is completed i would look into a LGT steering wheel.

Clean brake fluid and fresh lines will usher in an improved feeling if the OEM ones are shot. Improved feel has nothing to do with steel lines themselves per se: you see me push Technafit braided lines on the site because they are just as good but cheaper than OEM. OEM lines dont swell a bunch under street use conditions. Brakes are a CLOSED SYSTEM: if your fluid is dirty, chances are your lines are deteriorating and need to be replaced. Generally dont bother with lines/fluids that are still good unless you know why you are doing it.

Clean brake fluid and fresh lines will usher in an improved feeling if the OEM ones are shot. Improved feel has nothing to do with steel lines themselves per se: you see me push Technafit braided lines on the site because they are just as good but cheaper than OEM. OEM lines dont swell a bunch under street use conditions. Brakes are a CLOSED SYSTEM: if your fluid is dirty, chances are your lines are deteriorating and need to be replaced. Generally dont bother with lines/fluids that are still good unless you know why you are doing it.

 

Well make sure you delete this post so anybody wanting to upgrade doesn't see it and the braided brake line market completely deflates

Buy GT, if I drive semi nicely I get 30mpg Ive been experimenting on how to get better mileage on my LGT since 93 oct is ~4.40-4.50/gal this past week.

 

Ive come to the conclusion that I need a bigger turbo so I can stay out of boost

Im sorry I thought this was about being ECO friendly not GAS MILEAGE. This is full of loss.

 

OP if you want to drive an eco friendly car find a car in a junkyard and revive it.. Use whats already created and not being used. THATS eco friendly.

Thanks everyone for all your help. I have not decided what I am going to do with my car yet, but I will let you all know what I am going to do.

 

Thanks!

 

Suspension mods will improve fuel economy as well.

 

 

Hold it right there buddy

 

http://www.clevescene.com/images/blogimages/2010/07/30/1280509148-john-boehner.jpg

 

 

please enlighten us all as to how suspension mods will appreciably affect his gas mileage...

Carry more speed through turns, reducing the need for braking, and improving fuel economy by not having to accelerate out of a turn.

 

There are also some aerodynamic benefits, the primary one being a decrease in exposed frontal area if ride height is decreased.