[Meshugga]

Hey everyone. I'm new here and I am looking for some help on my 2000 Nissan Frontier SE V6 5 speed Crew Cab.

First issue is that my truck gets terrible gas mileage. Driving to California at 75MPH this weekend I was only able to get 15.7MPG. My truck seems like the gearing is very low and I was hoping replacing the gearing would pick up the mileage.

I'm not the best mechanic in the world nor do I understand everything about vehicles so please correct me if I am wrong.

When I am going 75MPH the engine is spinning at around 3300 RPM which, to me, seems very high. Is that normal? Will changing gearing help with that?

Also, what other mods can I get to improve mileage? New intake? Everything is stock.

I'm also looking for a good website to shop for accessories for my truck. I'd like to get a better skid plate, new grille, roof rack w/lights and lift kit.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Irongrave]

sorry but i need to laugh you want better MPG then talk about a lift roof rack lights and skid plate all those kill MPGs.

Step 1 do a full tune up, new filters plugs fluids normal stuff that you need to change any way because modding your truck to get better MPG will never equal out. Ie money spent on mods for better MPG VS money spent on gas it take so long to get toe = numbers its point less if your sole reason is better MPG.

for a web site 4x4parts.com start there

 

[Jordo]

I think 15 MPG at 75 MPH is decent. My 2nd gen lifted and other bad gas milage parts, I get 17ish at 65 MPH. I bet I would be right where you are if I drove at 75 MPH.

I guess is what I'm saying is, your MPG is right on the money. Sorry to tell ya that. I know you wanted to hear "the trick". Sorry.

Actully.............................

if you vote for me in Truck Of The Month, you will get 5-10 more MPG's!!!

 

[chaz]

slow down to like 65 70 mpgs will go up,also properly inflated tires will help,i remember something about hydrogen in place of air in tires helps.
pretty sure hydrogen,dont think it was helium,
anyone care to chime in on that

 

[Jordo]

slow down to like 65 70 mpgs will go up,also properly inflated tires will help,i remember something about hydrogen in place of air in tires helps.
pretty sure hydrogen,dont think it was helium,
anyone care to chime in on that

I have heard talk of 3%ish on that. I have no personal experiance with it, so as of now, im a little scepical of it.

 

[bigfloppydb]

Its actually Nitrogen, and its not worth the money... I used to work for a company that sold the machines.

It works... (there is a reason Airliners and NASCAR use it) Its an inert gas, so it tolerates heat better and since the molecule is larger, it will not seep through the rubber of the tire. It will also prevent oxidation of the tire/rim.

The funny thing is, when you fill your tires, they're filled with a mix of 71% Nitrogen, 28% Oxygen and 1% other (something close to that, correct me if wrong please) and its the Oxygen that leaks out of your tires causing you to have to top them off. Unless of course you have an actual leak. And when you do top them off, 71% of that is Nitrogen and the oxygen will then leak again. So by the third top off, you have almost all Nitrogen.

FYI, the Oxygen leaks because the molecule is smaller than the seal the rubber creates.

 

[Meshugga]

Well thanks for the info guys. What I am mostly wondering is if I can change the gearing to reduce the RPMs. When I drove back this weekend I went 70MPH and ended up with around 16.5MPG. Thing is, I travel a long distance daily on a highway and I want to be able to travel at 75 to 80 MPH without my engine screaming bloody murder at 3300-3500RPM. Is that possible?

And as far as asking about accessories I am looking for more utility after I purchase a different vehicle for daily driving. But that won't be for quite awhile. Plus it's always fun to look

I spent some time looking into chips that increase gas mileage or maybe one of those tuners. Is that a good option? On the 3 biggest company sites I've seen on the forums my year wasn't listed. Are they even available for 2000s?

 

[ffips]

Civic or CRX

 

[Meshugga]

Civic or CRX

Huh?

 

[ffips]

Huh?

Those will both get better gas mileage at the speeds you desire to go.

 

[nissanmadness]

slow down to like 65 70 mpgs will go up,also properly inflated tires will help,i remember something about hydrogen in place of air in tires helps.
pretty sure hydrogen,dont think it was helium,
anyone care to chime in on that

Actually, it should be nitrogen. Big fleets use it because it helps to keep rust from forming behind the tire bead and rim. Easier to save the tire that way for re-capping. It's not a silver bullet by any means for regular drivers.

 

[davidapplewhite]

The nitro fill is well worth the money here in NC because its free at the dealer I buy from ! I haven't had to add any Nitro to my tires in 7 months. I can't report any longer times because I traded my jeep in on a fronty 3 weeks ago!

 

[Meshugga]

Those will both get better gas mileage at the speeds you desire to go.

Yeah but then I'd have to suffer the embarrassment of driving one of them. And they're too small for me, don't have a bed to put stuff in nor can they go up the back way to Lake Pleasant nor Crown King road (Not back up in the mountain, but the roads leading to them).

 

[ffips]

Yeah but then I'd have to suffer the embarrassment of driving one of them. And they're too small for me, don't have a bed to put stuff in nor can they go up the back way to Lake Pleasant nor Crown King road (Not back up in the mountain, but the roads leading to them).

True, of course, at that point, you also would not be breaking rule #5:

# LEGAL/POLITICS
Posts relating to drug use, street racing, excessive speeding, or violations of other laws are prohibited. If you want to race, take it to a legal venue. Also, threads discussing any form of political interests usually lead to some form of flaming, so they will be deleted as well.

 

[eckemoff]

About improving MPG.

The bottom line is you can't really do anything to significantly improve MPG. MPG relates more to how and where you drive. The best you can do is make sure that your truck is well maintained and doesn't have worn out filters and get regular oil changes.

Mods that may insignificantly help MPG:

1. Good quality gasoline is important...occasional fuel additives help, but their cost doesn't justify the increase.
2. [email protected] air filter that allows more air to pass... these generally allow more dirt too. CAI can be really expensive and the cost doesn't justify it. More air in engine = better performance, but not better MPG (less a lot of times).
3. Synthetic oil... expensive and the cost of it does not make up for the MPG increase
4. Programmer (superchips, bullydog, hypertech)...they have MPG tunes, but performance can be quirky while using those tunes.
5. Truck bed cover...cost doesn't justify and increase is minimal because frontiers don't have huge beds.




A frontier gets 19-21 MPG on flat highway cruise speed, but 13-15 in stop in go traffic. Realistically, assuming you are doing normal driving, you will be getting about 17 MPG on average (it really varies per situation) because people generally drive about 50%+ city-category driving (even though they don't realize it). Also, being the frontier is so heavy, uphill and stop and go conditions have a noticeable effect on MPG.

Getting 17 MPG is actually pretty nice for a truck with so much capability and great driving manners and performance. An F150 does get about 18 MPG, but the performance is really crappy with all the built-in fuel saving technologies that trade a lot of performance for very slight MPG increases.

I have gone on the interstate going 75 for a full tank of gas and did get 21 MPG. I also noticed that if I make short trips around our ranch (back and forth doing chores daily after work), my MPG will drop to 16, opposed to 18 MPG I get if I don't do anything but drive back and forth from work.

 

[Meshugga]

Cool, thanks for all the information. I'll just keep things stock. I am going to be doing a full tune up here soon and hopefully that will help out. Not looking forward to replacing the spark plugs. They're a PAIN.

 

[SON OF A SAILOR]

motorcycle....
put it in the back of your truck, and when you want great mileage, pull over, unload the bike, lock up the truck and go....:laugh::laugh:

As mentioned before, there is no magic mod for mileage.
I am in the greater atlanta area and drive 26 miles each way to work, most of which is on 85south at 75-80 mph. overall mileage stays about 16-17.
Could I get better mileage at 60-65? sure....
do I like driving 75-80? yup.... I play, so I pay......

 

[Meshugga]

Had a motorcycle. Nearly hit at 75MPH numerous times and I finally sold it after my best friend was hit by a drunk driver permanently disabling him. I'd rather live and spend more in gas.

 

[chaz]

Actually, it should be nitrogen. Big fleets use it because it helps to keep rust from forming behind the tire bead and rim. Easier to save the tire that way for re-capping. It's not a silver bullet by any means for regular drivers.

yep nitrogen,couldnt think fast enough.just couldnt spit it out

 

[rocketjon]

I got a new 2 wd LE crew cab and just took it on the first highway trip of about 300 miles. Put the cruise on set at 55 and got 26.5 mpg based on a fill up with 10 gal. Pretty level road. The previous tank was 14.5 in city driving. Has 500 miles on so am hoping for close to 30 highway when it's broken in and when the canopy is on, which will happen today. The message-if you want decent mpg with a 4200 lb. 265 hp truck, slow down- it's also safer and relaxing.