Driving up high

[Buddythedog]

Yes, up high as in altitude (ha ha) Anyway, I was wondering if anyone drives at or above 8000 ft elevation give or take. I have a 93 Loyale, and am getting about 28 mpg in town 32 hwy ( a little less in winter) Any ideas of what I can do do get a little more pep out of "The White Pearl" ? I was thinking about NGK's ( I currently have the Bosch double platinum which I have been told are a phony re: performance) and an Accel ignition. The rest is bone stock. :wave:

[ShawnW]

That sounds like pretty respectible mileage but I haven't driven at 8000 feet in a car equipped to do so before so I wouldn't be a good judge of that.

Does a car usually get better/worse/same mileage at altitude?

 

NGK plugs would be worth the small price to try out, especially with amount of backing they get around here on the board(me included).

 

Reread the question and am a little confused are you going for more pep or more mileage?

[Buddythedog]

I'd like a little of both. I think, in my experience of living in Mississippi first (sea level) and living here for many years, the mileage seems to be the same at tltitude, thanks to engine computers that regulate fuel and air flow, but I wanted a little more power and better mileage. I'd be with more mpg's as gas ain't cheap anywhere, much less here. I do find my car does not like anything less than 91 octane, or it pings like crazy. I had an expert Subie mechanic re-time it when he did the t belts and water pump, and he set it at 22 btdc.

[GLCraig]

I spent a couple of years living at 4500ft and advancing the timing a couple of degrees did help some. as for your pinging problem, you may want to check the EGR tube and make sure it's isn't clogged-up.

[MaroonDuneDoom]

i live at 5500 or so ft. i get less milage out of my gas than most of you guys. i've only roughly calculated it though.

i'd probably get better milage if i didn't haul rump roast everywhere. i just get so frustrated by everyone else on the road.

 

a mechanic friend of mine told me that when he took his Mazda down to sea level it felt like he had two more cylinders. i' sure he was exaggerating a little, but i have heard this same type of comment from other people too. just more oxygen to burn @ sea level.

[Snowman]

To get more performance/better mileage, think of it this way:

 

At high altitude, there is less air, right? Duh. To counteract this, you should perform mods to get more air both in and out of your engine. Try cutting out the bottom of your airbox and putting on a better muffler. That increased flow might make up for the altitude difference.

 

I know that my car does pretty crappy at high altitudes most of the time (a lot of that is because it's carbed and can't compensate), but with the mods I have, it still has about the same power at high altitude as it did before at sea level.

[Nug]

Turbo. That'll equal more air.

[Wasteland]

Dude, I live at 5750 ft and go over 11,000 and 12,000 ft passes. I run the NGK's and there great! also strip off all the emissions on your intake and have a catless Y pipe made. also lean out your carb. all my cars run great with these mods.

[Bishop]

I live at just under 1500 feet and I regularly drive to the Sierra Nevadas where I hit 9000 feet. I can tell you right now that performance goes down in a big way over 8000 feet and you'll need to advance your timing as much as possible because the thinner air does not compress as high. A turbo does help, but without increasing the boost accordingly you wont get the same performance you would at lower altitudes. Also, you should be able to run the "cheap" gas in most of our cars at that elevation because of the lower compression. You should always run the lowest octane you can that doesnt cause detonation.