BAMA Tune - Is there one for the 2011 GT for MPG boost
02-06-2012, 08:04 PM
#12
6th Gear Member
Didn't mean to make it sound like an attack. But putting an economy tune on these cars is just... wrong.
So few have gone with an economy tune that we have little feedback but from what I DID hear was that they may have gained 2-3 MPG tops but at the sacrifice of a LOT of performance. Heck, I can do that on my own and still have the power when I need it.
If you can find ethanol-free fuel, check the price and do your math. I have a lot of highway mile experience (same roads, same speeds, etc) with ethanol-laced vs ethanol-free fuel and I've documented 2-4 MPG loss with ethanol laced fuel. Part of the problem getting a real handle on fuel mileage are all the variables: temperature, humidity, road surface, wind speed, wind direction and many others and then you have to take into account that each and every tank of fuel usually differs in some way including one ethanol mix may be 3%, another 8% and so on. The best you can do is hand calculate at every fill-up and watch for trends, all the while having the data skewed by not only variables mentioned above but just your own driving mixes. And then it takes a good dozen or so tank fulls to pick up on whether that new tune or those new tires or those new plugs made any difference.
Save yourself the aggravation of how **** I've been trending fuel mileage for the past 40 years (sheeeesh) because there isn't much you can do but drive easy and maintain your vehicle. Trending just lets me know if I've let something go awry.
So few have gone with an economy tune that we have little feedback but from what I DID hear was that they may have gained 2-3 MPG tops but at the sacrifice of a LOT of performance. Heck, I can do that on my own and still have the power when I need it.
If you can find ethanol-free fuel, check the price and do your math. I have a lot of highway mile experience (same roads, same speeds, etc) with ethanol-laced vs ethanol-free fuel and I've documented 2-4 MPG loss with ethanol laced fuel. Part of the problem getting a real handle on fuel mileage are all the variables: temperature, humidity, road surface, wind speed, wind direction and many others and then you have to take into account that each and every tank of fuel usually differs in some way including one ethanol mix may be 3%, another 8% and so on. The best you can do is hand calculate at every fill-up and watch for trends, all the while having the data skewed by not only variables mentioned above but just your own driving mixes. And then it takes a good dozen or so tank fulls to pick up on whether that new tune or those new tires or those new plugs made any difference.
Save yourself the aggravation of how **** I've been trending fuel mileage for the past 40 years (sheeeesh) because there isn't much you can do but drive easy and maintain your vehicle. Trending just lets me know if I've let something go awry.
02-06-2012, 08:55 PM
#13
I am curious as to the answer myself. I just went in the opposite direction with gearing, from 3.31 to 3.73. Improved gas milage on the highway is all about the sweet spot in the rpms's and how easy it is to maintain it, and this is where gearing is key.
Guys have said get rid of the 3.73's, but let me share with you that my highway gas milage has stayed the same if not improved since the gear swap. Right now i'm about the same...factor in the fact that I sit longer as it is cold and wait for her to heat up alittle, and I would bet it is better than before.
Impossible right? Back to the "sweet spot"...At 70mph with the 3.31's I was turning 1900-2000rpm. With the 3.73 I turn 2250 at the same speed, so how does the milage stay the same.
Well with the 3.31 any throttle input in o/d would bog the engine slightly which caused more throttle for a feeling of response, while with the 3.73 in o/d the input is more direct and more importantly it is easier for the engine to maintain speed with no input...thus using less throttle to maintain speed.
Does this mean 3.73's are the perfect gear? of course not, as every transmission, engine, and driver interact differently...but I do believe that maximizing gas milage is about finding the sweet spot on the highway and gearing has the biggest impact on this, not a tune.
As far as the tune goes, I have always gotten better gas milage with the higher octane tunes due to the increased leaning of the mixture, so from a tune aspect I would stick with the 91 or 93 tune with a street (linear) throttle mapping as opposed to a race mapping. I have a 93 tune that I run 90% of the time, but it has a more linear throttle input which some would refer to as a street or performance tune.
Having said all that, I would conclude with this...Drive it like you stole it bro, its a Mustang man!
Guys have said get rid of the 3.73's, but let me share with you that my highway gas milage has stayed the same if not improved since the gear swap. Right now i'm about the same...factor in the fact that I sit longer as it is cold and wait for her to heat up alittle, and I would bet it is better than before.
Impossible right? Back to the "sweet spot"...At 70mph with the 3.31's I was turning 1900-2000rpm. With the 3.73 I turn 2250 at the same speed, so how does the milage stay the same.
Well with the 3.31 any throttle input in o/d would bog the engine slightly which caused more throttle for a feeling of response, while with the 3.73 in o/d the input is more direct and more importantly it is easier for the engine to maintain speed with no input...thus using less throttle to maintain speed.
Does this mean 3.73's are the perfect gear? of course not, as every transmission, engine, and driver interact differently...but I do believe that maximizing gas milage is about finding the sweet spot on the highway and gearing has the biggest impact on this, not a tune.
As far as the tune goes, I have always gotten better gas milage with the higher octane tunes due to the increased leaning of the mixture, so from a tune aspect I would stick with the 91 or 93 tune with a street (linear) throttle mapping as opposed to a race mapping. I have a 93 tune that I run 90% of the time, but it has a more linear throttle input which some would refer to as a street or performance tune.
Having said all that, I would conclude with this...Drive it like you stole it bro, its a Mustang man!
Last edited by mayo; 02-06-2012 at 09:10 PM.
02-06-2012, 09:54 PM
#14
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Elgin, OK
Posts: 297
At 65 MPH my RPM's are around 2000. I never go faster than that since I found that I lose 5 or so MPG at 70 MPH. I get around 22 mpg with 60% highway, 40% city driving. On a long road trip running the 87 octane tune I got 27 MPG. I have 3.73 gears too.
02-07-2012, 08:37 AM
#15
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: OK
Posts: 667
22mpg aint too bad i'm getting around 12-14 when i get on it a couple times a day, all city. Best was 16mpg with 1/3 of tank being interstate highway.
Damn, I should've went with that RSX-S..... nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......
Damn, I should've went with that RSX-S..... nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......
02-07-2012, 09:15 AM
#16
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: MHS,MI
Posts: 916
22 isn't too bad for a V8 vehicle, espcially sport cars. I get around 16-17 90% city with 4.10s...I'm happy with that..lol...and my office is only 3.5 miles away from home.My car isn't not even warm when I get to work.
02-07-2012, 09:41 AM
#18
22 with a mix is about all you can ask, right?
I'm more like 19 with the same mix of driving, if i'm good...which I rarely am
On a trip I can up that to about 23-24mpg on the highway, but that's it. And as stated before stay away from 70mph plus...your milage will suffer!
Auto w/3.73
I'm more like 19 with the same mix of driving, if i'm good...which I rarely am
On a trip I can up that to about 23-24mpg on the highway, but that's it. And as stated before stay away from 70mph plus...your milage will suffer!
Auto w/3.73
Last edited by mayo; 02-07-2012 at 09:43 AM.
02-07-2012, 10:35 AM
#19
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: MHS,MI
Posts: 916
Oh...forget to mention that..
Last month when I travel to brenspeed, 220 miles trip. From home to the shop, 70% highway 30% local, average speed 65 mph, I got 25.8 mpg with CAI, full exhaust and 3.31s. After installing the cams, 4.10s, UDP, CMDP, same route, I got 23.1 mpg, with average speed 60mph and some hard accelerations. Both with 93 brenspeed tune.
And I gained 1 LB from the pizza there...lol
Last month when I travel to brenspeed, 220 miles trip. From home to the shop, 70% highway 30% local, average speed 65 mph, I got 25.8 mpg with CAI, full exhaust and 3.31s. After installing the cams, 4.10s, UDP, CMDP, same route, I got 23.1 mpg, with average speed 60mph and some hard accelerations. Both with 93 brenspeed tune.
And I gained 1 LB from the pizza there...lol
Last edited by Rainson; 02-07-2012 at 10:38 AM.
02-07-2012, 10:49 AM
#20
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: NW AR
Posts: 705
I've got the same problem, I'm less than 2 miles to work. Strictly to and from work during the week I can easily see as low as 11 or 12 mpg because I spend the majority of the time sitting at the stop sign trying to get on the highway at 6:45 am.