Topic: JP Magazine MPG doo-dad review: Whats your take?

[chrisfranklin]

http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/engine/154_0707_save_gas_cheat_the_gas_nazis/index.html

I am not really going to kid myself in to thinking you can save any gas with a CJ/Wrangler.  But as long as the Jp people are doing the test work and not me, I'll pay attention to what there doing  )

Article did mention a few things that were news to me: 
-Going from MTs to ATs of same diameter netted 1.5mpg (Didn't think muds would make a difference)
-Integrating something in to your fuel line called a Fitch Fuel-Saving Catalyst netted 2mpg (I guess this thing might pay for itself in a year if your Jeep was your DD; there's a catch somewhere though probably)
-Integrating something called a Platinum Fuel Saver -- some kind of solution that is injected in to your air fuel mixture -- netted 2mpg (all good until you have to refill the solution)
-Spending your gas budget on some Black Box wine and some "Medical Green" and visualizing your Jeep driving itself off-road (Jp: "...Its like you are not using any fuel at all!?...CARB-legal too!")

[neale_rs]

Probably a lowering kit and a nose cone would help!

[Jeffy]

Magazines are there to sell products that sponsor them.  I think JP is one of the worst 'Jeep' magazines out there.  AND I know Pete.

They doesn't say what tires they changed from or if there was a size difference.  The Jeep pictured looks to have BFG Baja TA's which aren't cheap or light.  The tires pictured on the side look to be 37" BFG Krawlers next to some smaller GY Wrangler's.

If you really want to get better mileage then don't buy a Jeep.  It's that plain and simple.  When stock you can wring some extra mileage out of them though.  Adding weight doesn't help.  Neither does making it less aerodynamic.  Then add high speeds and you have a no win situation.  To some extend you can choose two.

[bigchelis]

I agree with Jeffy.  When I was about to purchase my Wrangler my older brother who works at a Jeep dealership would not help me find/purchase one.  He was totally against it due to the its gas guzler status.

I eventually went to a private seller: my brother would not bend to assist my purchase.

[bigchelis]

I forgot to add,,
I purchased the Wrangler because it is fun.
It is convertable, a truck, an SUV, and then some.....

[Mozman68]

Your brother sounds like an ass....

[Jesse-James]

I'm just glad I bought my Jeep before the gas crunch really got bad or I would've ended up with another Toyota  for a trail rig. There was a few things I didn't like about my old Yota but the motor (22RE) and gas mileage were far from that list. 4 banger on 32's with stock gears and I was consistently in the mid 20's. Always got claustrophobic driving it though.

[Jeffy]

I'm just glad I bought my Jeep before the gas crunch really got bad or I would've ended up with another Toyota  for a trail rig. There was a few things I didn't like about my old Yota but the motor (22RE) and gas mileage were far from that list. 4 banger on 32's with stock gears and I was consistently in the mid 20's. Always got claustrophobic driving it though.

Those toyotas with the single caps were really small.  I like the extra room of the Xtra cab though.  When I was buying my Jeep, I wished I could have gotten a Toyota with a Crew Cab but they weren't importing those to the US at the time.  I preferred the solid front axles of the earlier 80's though.  I drive a friend's who's was geared at something like 5.29:1 with twin Detroits and 33's.  That was a fun truck, too.

That was back when gas was $1.25/gal.  It cost under $20 to fill my tank...

[chrisfranklin]

They doesn't say what tires they changed from or if there was a size difference.  The Jeep pictured looks to have BFG Baja TA's which aren't cheap or light.  The tires pictured on the side look to be 37" BFG Krawlers next to some smaller GY Wrangler's.


[/quote

Quote from the article is:  "We had some really aggressive mud tires on the Jeep and decided to swap them out for a less aggressive all-terrain tire in the same diameter."

But MTs and ATs with the same "diameter" do perhaps vary slightly in size when mesaured (was discussed on this site previously I believe).  And they are not talking MT and ATs from the same tire make either.  And of course issues like wear and tread pattern may or may not affect mpg too.   

[Jeffy]

They doesn't say what tires they changed from or if there was a size difference.  The Jeep pictured looks to have BFG Baja TA's which aren't cheap or light.  The tires pictured on the side look to be 37" BFG Krawlers next to some smaller GY Wrangler's.


[/quote

Quote from the article is:  "We had some really aggressive mud tires on the Jeep and decided to swap them out for a less aggressive all-terrain tire in the same diameter."

But MTs and ATs with the same "diameter" do perhaps vary slightly in size when mesaured (was discussed on this site previously I believe).  And they are not talking MT and ATs from the same tire make either.  And of course issues like wear and tread pattern may or may not affect mpg too.   

OK, it's the same diameter but it doesn't stat if they stayed with the same brand.  Going from something like a Krawler to a BFG AT is a HUGE difference.  Same would go for a Interco TSL SS Bias to Cooper SST or some other tire...  Size varies from AT to MT by about .5-.7" within the same brand.  Changing brands, you could see an 1-2" difference on the extremes.

[jfrabat]

Yeah, there is a gal that works at my building that has some Pro Comp MT's in 33", and they are really about 1" bigger than my 31" HT's...  I bet that size difference (regardless of thread) would affect the mpg.  Also, the "ACTUAL" mpg would be affected; with different real sized tires (assuming that both are 33's but they measure differently in reality) and the same speedo gears, the readings would change!

[chrisfranklin]

Doesn't sound like the JP magazine guys thought the MT/AT & mileage business all through for the less knowledgable readers (Jp: "we didn't have the space to lay it all out due to the ad-crush in the magazine...sorry"   ). 

A bit of a disservice to readers.  But again, they need to sell the ads to stay a going-concern.  And they are forced to come up with new comparisons, reviews, etc. -- air tight or not -- each issue to keep the readership numbers on par.

And, of course, if  Jp gets too scientific, too well-thought out, their readership starts to feel like reading Jp is more work than play.  They hand Jp a fascist editor rap and buy a different 4x4 magazine that's all flashy colors, cool ads and hot chicks in the dirt (not that this is bad).

Perhaps Jp magazine -- in its current format -- is smarter than we think:   They keep most of the readers happy.   

[06 4banger]

While my Jeep is still mainly stock, I have noticed a decrease in mpg. I probably need to change my air filter coz at the time of its 12k service they didn't have any in stock.

Anyway, currently the best way I have found is the decreasing weight option.

The doors are off and the back seat is out. Not sure how much they all weigh but probably close to 100lbs which is better than nothing. I have noticed my gas milage increase as well as it being a little bit more peppy around town. Also, not using the AC helps 

[neale_rs]

Along those lines, you could also keep your gas tank nearly empty all the time.

[Jeffy]

Along those lines, you could also keep your gas tank nearly empty all the time.

You'd be better off losing some weight, like eating less.