Opinions on what the best way to drive to conserve gas? its my first stick and what I heard so far is: shift under 3K and use 5th gear as much as possible. any other suggestions greatly appreciated!

 

Keep windows up, No ac, shift at like 1500 at first and keep it low and low. Usually when i'm driving i use the gears like this 1st up to 1500, 2nd as low as i can, no matter what street i put it in 3rd. if the road is past 30mph i keep it in 4th if the speed limit is past 40 AT ALL i keep it in 5th, sometimes i will use 5th on a standard 35mph road but you don't need to. easy with the foot(Pretend theres an egg behind your pedal). Make sure alignment is 100% straight and perfect. New tires, 15-16 inch rims(14 and lighter is even better). Best 93 octane(It's great for your motor, treat it like a woman. The better you feed her the better she will treat you). Run great synthetic oil. Clean your engine(Sounds stupid but something as small as a bunch of dust/grease can cause shotage of parts).

 

higher octane will actually give you worse MPG unless you engine is built and tuned for it. Trust me.

Higher octane ratings mean that the fuel is less susceptible to detonation. While good for high compression/performance engines, it also means that it is harder to ignite.

I am guess you have a 2000 Civic from you profile thing, and I am assuming you have the stock engine (VTEC or not).

All of the other stuff works though. Don't try and race people at lights...

Plus you can use that mylar plastic that is used for campaign signs and stuff, and sheet the bottom of the car with it. Reduces drag.

Make sure your engine has had a recent tuneup.

Air up your tires to 40 PSI (If you have stock size tires, they should be able to go this high safely).

 

Just gotta be conservative. follow the points above. Gunning it at every light will obviously decrease mpg. Just be conscious of your RPMs and keep them low. I wouldnt expect too much of a dramatic increase in MPG however

 

Start with a tune-up and repair any existing problems, this'll make a huge difference regardless of the driver. You won't be getting the same gas mileage as Civic's did back in their fresher years. So, as a driver, keep your foot light on the gas, shift around 2.5k-3k, don't blast your A/C, keep it maintained.
If one was to change to a higher octane, they would be spending more on gas, which defeats the purpose of saving gas, aka saving money.
On factory specs, they were meant just for regular fuel, not higher octane.

If you really want great mileage, get a hybrid. If you still want an older Civic, get a 92-95 VX or 96-00 HX which can get 45+ IIRC. Just because a vehicle's manual and not automatic, doesn't make it more fuel efficient, it just means the driver has control on the transmission and can stretch gears or ride neutral instead of burning fuel.

 

Coast down hills.

 

this.

Coast to stop, no hard/quick starts, etc. Google Hyper-milling.

 

I love coasting when i go on longroad trips lol

 

Open up that throttle (but stay closed-loop) to reduce vacuum and shift before 3k.

Get a scan gauge.