Spitfire wants to go GREEN - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Spitfire · 08-26-2008, 09:51 PM

Ok i know this sounds kinda lame to some and i may be called a tree hugger but i realized thats its a waste to try to make a 4 cyl LE into the beast car i wanted it too. haha i mean its still gonna look real clean with rims and such but idk about any performance parts.

So im going green. Not just for me or for the face that my mom drives a prius and im kinda jelious at that kinda MPG

but also this year for my SR mastery project im doing the future of going green. Im in pre-engineering so this would consist of hybrid cars, hybrid homes, solor powered homes and the such. So i thought as a cool little touch to the project (which is do at the end of the school year) to try and go green myself.

I only have a few questions. What all is there for me to get? i mean i wanna improve gas millage but also reduce emission and help save the planet

So there are NGK economical plugs that are out that are said to reduce emission but my main question is. is there a high flow cat that reduces emission alot?

I wanna make a list of not only going green but up to date on like what alot of up to date cars have.

NGK "economical" plugs
Highflow cat
Upgrade care from bulbs to leds
?
?
?
?

I need some ideas and help! and would love to see some imput. The camry is ment to be a econ car so i want to max out the econ

And also have a clean econ camry with a BADASS sound system (currently working on)

So i would love to see some imput

Chris

tran.man48 · 08-26-2008, 10:20 PM

that's a really great idea! you'll also be saving money in the long run

.

Anyway, I would try googling for hypermiling forums. I know of some people who have made their own "duct tape body kits" to help with aerodynamics and drag issues. A popular one is to cover up the wheel wells. IMO, some of the stuff they do looks crazy and somewhat dangerous, but I'd give it a look-see...

good luck w/your project!

Spitfire · 08-26-2008, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tran.man48

that's a really great idea! you'll also be saving money in the long run

.

Anyway, I would try googling for hypermiling forums. I know of some people who have made their own "duct tape body kits" to help with aerodynamics and drag issues. A popular one is to cover up the wheel wells. IMO, some of the stuff they do looks crazy and somewhat dangerous, but I'd give it a look-see...

good luck w/your project!

Duct tape body kits kinda seams ghetto hahaha but i nkow what ur saying and its gives me ideas! many

BTW Does anyone know what the police use to measure the exhaust emission when they are doing the tests in certain states? (Not mine but im gonna use it to help me with my senior mastery)

Zviator · 08-26-2008, 10:44 PM

buy the first gen prius and do a swap ^^

Albuynp Ryeno · 08-26-2008, 10:52 PM

economy spark plugs? lmao wtf is that.

All you can really do to make ur car greener is remove extra weight. AC, power steering, climate controls, dashboard, seats, trim, extra tire. Then switch to a carbon fiber hood and trunk.

Also you'll need to ditch the auto tranny and put in a lighter manuel tranny. And that sound system aint gonna help the economy, with its added weight.

Honestly tho, its a waste of the time. Power steering is the only thing i would remove. And thats if you dont care about parallel parking.

uuuuu · 08-26-2008, 11:25 PM

I was thinking about the weight thing as well, I saw this link

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/lightweight.shtml

Apparently "for every 10 % of weight eliminated from a vehicle's total weight fuel economy improves by seven percent."

That means that if I'm getting 30 mpg, losing 300 lbs (assuming 10% of 3000 lbs stock) will give me an extra 2 mpg. I'm not sure I can drop that much weight without some drastic modifications, like Albuynp Ryeno mentioned.

I think the best ways to improve fuel economy are to change driving habits (no jackrabbit starts or sudden stops, consolidate trips avoiding rush hour if possible, etc), keep tires well inflated and the car well-maintained.

rebel8ball · 08-27-2008, 03:18 AM

economy plugs... i think you might be better off doing more research trhere... i dropped in some e3's the other day and have noticed about 20-30 more miles in half a tank. there is something out called pulstars that are hella expensive, but they are supposed to be really good too.

years ago there was a pop science thing about a water atomizer used in conjunction with the intake of a car which added alot to mileage, i think some people are using this concept now as well with water injection, but i havent done any looking into it.

dont forget harder compound tires kept at optimal pressures, and not on wide as hell heavy ass aftermarket wheels...go light as possible.

bigbird · 08-27-2008, 04:23 AM

here do this, another member has done it and it works.

The future Gentlemen

CamBOT · 08-27-2008, 06:48 AM

The under body of our cars is a aerodynamic nightmare. You can make a plexiglass cover that would cover the under body at the front, where the oil pan/ and transmission pan are.

Your mpg can improve by 3-5 mpg. Hey wait I think toysrme done it and has pictures. Search the "free mod series" by ToysRme.

I know a lot will disagree with me, but if your car is OBD-II get the scan gauge tool. It will give your all the numbers you'll need to hypermile. With instaneous mpg readings you can find a driving habit that saves the most gas. Hypermiling without a tool like scan gauge is a shot in the dark.

***AmanO*** · 08-28-2008, 02:04 AM

I am curious about those Pulstars. If i had an I4 i think i would try them.

You can check this out.
http://www.hafctechnology.com/

If that works and you get 40-50 MPG then you would be ahead of most of the hybrids out there. It cost a good chunk, but so does the extra tech you pay for in a hybrid. You would also have, in theory, the same amount of power. Could you imagine a 6th gen V6 with 268hp and still getting 50 mpg?

I am tossing around doing this when I get my car paid off. I would like to hear an opinion from someone who has the AND i trust.

ghettosled · 08-28-2008, 11:28 AM

dont bother switching bulb lights to LEDS. yes, they do use less electricity, but your car's alternator still produces excess power to charge the battery and run everything on the car. the alternator does not run harder if there is more draw. if anything, you would be wasteful by replacing something that still works just fine.

Spitfire · 08-28-2008, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmanO

I am curious about those Pulstars. If i had an I4 i think i would try them.

You can check this out.
http://www.hafctechnology.com/

If that works and you get 40-50 MPG then you would be ahead of most of the hybrids out there. It cost a good chunk, but so does the extra tech you pay for in a hybrid. You would also have, in theory, the same amount of power. Could you imagine a 6th gen V6 with 268hp and still getting 50 mpg?

I am tossing around doing this when I get my car paid off. I would like to hear an opinion from someone who has the AND i trust.

Acually i have been looking into these. its basically a hydrogen booster. Im doing my senor mastery on hydrogen power and how we can enhance it

Alot of people think that they dont work but it all matters on how you make and use them. Now these $1000 systems are just a wate of money because ive seen people build them for less then $100. Just do your research as im doing and im plan to have one built and running in my camry by the end of the school year

Hydrogen is a very valuable source and has alot of potential. So keep me updated on your work as will I

Btw for a cool little thing i learned today. In 2009 two cellphone companys are releasing the first Hydrogen powered phone. The only thing im worryed about is wouldnt it be like carrying a small "bomb" in your pocket? i mean yes we can make it safe. We are already driving a bomb. Hydrogen is acually very safe as long as you know what your working with.

My tad bit for the day (As im reading 2 books all about hydrogen) and its very interesting!

Chris

Spitfire · 08-28-2008, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghettosled

dont bother switching bulb lights to LEDS. yes, they do use less electricity, but your car's alternator still produces excess power to charge the battery and run everything on the car. the alternator does not run harder if there is more draw. if anything, you would be wasteful by replacing something that still works just fine.

Yeah im not doing a complete led transfer but i am doing some LED aspects like cluster lights and dash lights especially

***AmanO*** · 08-28-2008, 11:59 PM

Do you have any info on how to built the setup for cheaper?

Spitfire · 08-29-2008, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmanO

Do you have any info on how to built the setup for cheaper?

Yeah i have a download link on what to buy and how exactly to build it! ill send it to you tonight via pm when i get off school/work. idk if this system is under $100 but its built really well and looks very reliable.

Chris