The first step in reducing your collector’s car impact on the planet is to make sure it’s in top running condition. Start by:
Tire pressure
Setting your tires to the correct pressure each time before you head out on the road. You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3% in some cases by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by about 0.2% for every 1 psi drop in the average pressure of all tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. Tire-pressure information should be either on the driver’s-side doorjamb or the inside of the glovebox door or in the owner’s manual. DO NOT use the maximum pressure on the tire’s sidewall.
Stay in tune
Take your car to your mechanic for a tune up. (Or do it yourself, as it’s easy on many classic cars!) Have them check the spark plugs and plug wires, tune the carburetor if your car has one, and check the ignition timing.
Consider fuel injection
If your car has a carburetor, companies such as Edelbrock, Holley, and others offer electronic throttle-body fuel-injection setups that offer superior overall performance. It's true, and even full throttle performance will improve; even our own Davin Reckow saw the results for himself. And when properly installed, no one will know it’s there except you.
Breathe easier
A new air filter can improve both fuel economy and acceleration by a few percentage points under normal replacement conditions. Replacing a clogged air filter on vehicles with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines—such as those manufactured from the early 1980s to the present—or diesel engines may not improve fuel economy (as the computer can compensate for the restricted airflow), but a fresh air filter will restore power that was lost from the clogged one.
Kick it into overdrive
If you own an older collector car—especially if it’s a muscle car—and want better fuel economy, consider installing a new manual transmission with overdrive. There are complete manual five- and six-speed transmission packages from Modern Driveline. Gear Vendors has bolt-on overdrive packages for a wide range of vintage cars with manual or automatic transmissions. These are overdrive systems you can install in a collector car and only you will know it’s there. When overdrive is in engaged, your engine will turn significantly slower at higher speeds, ensuring your car sips fuel rather than gulps it. And five- and six-speed manual transmissions often have less RPM drop between gear changes than most original gearboxes, so your car will accelerate better, too.
Breaker, breaker
If you drive a collector car that is still using breaker points in its ignition system, you’re very likely burning excessive amounts of fuel, while also dealing with the maintenance issues associated with these older systems. The electronic-ignition conversions from companies such as PerTronix, Mallory, and Accel are easy to install and improve both drivability and fuel economy. Every time a spark plug misfires, it means that precious fuel is lost out the tailpipe. The electronic-ignition conversions virtually eliminate misfires.
Drum technique
If your collector car has drum brakes (which it most likely will if it’s more than 40 years old), they can be adjusted too tightly, which causes drag, and will result in your car consuming more fuel.
Keep it smooth
Try to drive with gentle and deliberate inputs. Spend less time accelerating and more time at cruising speed, without resorting to jackrabbit starts, unsafe driving, or any other questionable tactics. Maintain a steady speed without heavy application of throttle or brakes. Anticipate traffic and brake accordingly. Avoid high speeds. Coast to decelerate rather than relying on heavy application of the brakes.
Drive with purpose
Avoid unnecessary idling or carrying extra weight.
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