Boooooo.....

[yotabeater]

just filled up and got a whopping 15.5 miles per gallon. i thought these things were suppose to do 20-22 in the city easily. it's better than my truck for sure, but come on, it's a 4-banger. i think it's time for new plug wires. when i had it inspected before i bought it, the mechanic said they looked like the FACTORY plug wires. they're red belden's, if anybody knows what they originally came with that would be helpful. also, if anybody has good recommendations for plug wires that would be great. i was going to go with ngk, but am wondering if there's any for the same price ($80) that give better performance.

[Wiscon_Mark]

Stock is fine for a stock engine.

[yotabeater]

that's what i figured, but i wanted to explore all options before i actually buy them. any brands that out-perform ngk?

[Plays_with_Toys]

ummm.... from the dealer, wires are 28$.... not pricey at all.

[yotabeater]

ummm.... from the dealer, wires are 28$.... not pricey at all.

for a 98 2.5 gt? i thought they were like 80 bux.

[Plays_with_Toys]

Your plug wires should be the same as mine. Should be right around $30 unless your dealership is really taking you for a run.

For $80, you could do alot more tuning up (plugs, fuel filter, sea foam). Oh, before you go nuts make sure your tires up to pressure. I like to run 36-38psi.

[yotabeater]

well, i just put in ngk v-power plugs gapped at .044", fuel filter was done before i bought the car, and i plan on seafoaming soon as the weather gets a bit nicer. my tires are all at 35 psi. so oem wires from subaru are better than ngk's? should i maybe try resetting the ecu?

[Huffer]

New wires, and a reset would help it adapt.

[Wiscon_Mark]

It's not that the OEM wires are better than the NGK wires, or Nology hotwires, or any other aftermarket wires. It's just that it doesn't make any difference.

It'd be like if I was running 0 guage wire for my cellphone charger...it'd be overkill, and not necessary.

[dodik]

Hmm another thing is how heavy is that right foot of yours if you drive hard enough it will give you even less mpg. 15mpg city thats what i've been gettign for like 2 years now and im not too spirited of a driver.

[ooberdoob]

...my mpg went to hell with this real winter cold we have now.

i went from 325 mi easy on a tank, to praying to get 300, more like 250-280. it changed when we went from winter, 25 degrees low temp to oh... -1. then they finally changed the gas over.

they are right about the wires, OE is just fine for non-modded.

[yotabeater]

lol. 0 gauge with the cell charger, that actually makes sense. i'll stick with oem or ngk, whichever is cheaper. i'm new to spokane, and i heard that since the winters are more harsh here they add something to the fuel, and it kills mileage, so that's not helping a lot either. and i drive like an absolute GRANDMA, very easy on the skinny pedal. i also haven't driven a full tank on the new plugs, but it didn't seem to affect mileage much. i've only gone 15 miles and it's already down a line from full on the gas gauge.

[dodik]

truthfully i dont think that plugs or wires affect your mpg although im not a proffesionall on this but i just replaced my old stock wires with 270k on them for just one reason my 4th cyl wasnt getting any juice and my car was always statically charged. but the new oem wires did not do a damn thing to my mpg i dont get shocked when i touch wires now but my mpg is still the same.

[rougeben83]

I got the Bosch ones for like $30 shipped online.

I spent around that much for the iridium plugs.


The only ones that cost over $80 are the magnecor oversized wires AFAIK...

[yotabeater]

truthfully i dont think that plugs or wires affect your mpg

uuummmmm, yes it does.

[Wiscon_Mark]

truthfully i dont think that plugs or wires affect your mpg

uuummmmm, yes it does.

I think he meant upgrading if they're already in good condition.

Fouled plugs and bad wires do, obviously.

[Perdue]

The most major player in bad mileage is your right foot. The second, front O2 Sensor. The winter gas probably isn't helping either. I just changed the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and air filter on my truck, and got about a .3mpg increase. I'm assuming now that my problem lies in the o2 Sensors (I have two front o2 sensors, so here goes $160 :evil: )

[yotabeater]

anybody know the cheapest place to get o2 sensors? i think i'm gonna do plug wires and at least 1 o2 sensor if i can keep the price down.

[d1giPhux]

I just finished fixing my MPG problem... the cause..my right foot. It was easily modded with a fentanyl patch, and a fine tooth hacksaw. :lol:

[StUdWaG]

I do lots of mileage and the tips I'd give you to save gas are :
''Top 10 Fuel-Saving Tips'' : http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/guides_and_advice/article.aspx?cp-documentid=635500

[Wiscon_Mark]

msn autos is terrible...

Not to say that they're wrong, but I just thought I'd slip in my .02 about them.

[yotabeater]

I just finished fixing my MPG problem... the cause..my right foot. It was easily modded with a fentanyl patch, and a fine tooth hacksaw. :lol:

lol. well, just filled up again, and my mileage went up slightly after doing plugs. got 17mpg last tank, mostly city (25 miles on the freeway). still hoped to get above 20. plug wires will be coming this week.

[rougeben83]

Yeah, in NYC, EPA estimates are worth jack; I average around 15mpg in real city driving. Around Detroit, mix city/hwy, I get around 22-24mpg. A lot of short-trips w/ the winter mix gasoline however, and it drops down to 20 mpg.

[deadlydave]

Just for reference: NGK makes the OEM wires as far as I know. I upgraded my wires anyways, and plugs. It was expensive, but worth it in my book.