Just curious, what are your guys' experience with Dura Lube products? They seem like they carry a lot of promise, but then again, advertising tends to do that. :P

They have a product that cleans out your injectors too. I was told a while ago that cleaning your injectors can increase your gas mileage.

I'd like to learn to beef up my car a bit, but since it's my daily driver until I can afford a more gas-friendly car that's good on a heavy hill area (perhaps a Grand Am, anyone have ideas?), I have a feeling I might be hampered by the fact that I'll have to keep hardware modifications minimal in order to keep gas mileage/tank maximized without sacrificing power. Currently, before a much-needed re-inflation of the tires, I was getting 192 miles/tank. For cars similar to mine, is this good, or is this car capable of doing better?

Last week, I noticed how amazing it was how much performance can be affected by poorly inflated tires (frequent grounding out, poor gas mileage, car wanting to veer off in random directions after hitting small dips on the freeway). After re-inflating the tires to 42/44 PSI on all 4 tires, I noticed that 2 major problems the car had disappeared. :P So hopefully this time around, equally inflated tires should put my gas mileage/tank at over 200.

Can "general purpose" shops like Pep Boys and Meineke change the axle grease on my car as well? I don't have time to work on my car (college homework sucks :/), I don't have a problem paying a shop a few dollars to have work done on it, as long as they stand behind their work (Which is why I mainly do all my business with Pep Boys ).

The car I have right now (see the sig) has about 82,000 miles on it, and, judging by the report I ran at carfax.com, doesn't appear to have ever been raced, and used as a daily driver/showoff car in the sunny months, but failed attempts to add performance parts was done, thus explaining the poor performance it had when I first got it. (known at home as the $1000 fix :/) If this information is the case (Carfax only tells you so much :P), how long do you think the engine has left before I have to "rebuild" it?

And I just installed a brand new headlight 2 weeks ago! I'm learning so much (reads the Haynes manual off and on, but unfortunately, not a lot of it makes sense yet :/)!

Too bad it took me almost an hour to do it, the car alarm had a bloody fit when I disconnected the battery.

For the most part, the car runs great, and I'm keeping track of maintenance and other minor things on a spreadsheet (like what someone told me I should do when I first posted here), but beyond that, are there other things I can do to the car to ensure it has a long life, like, what kind of gas to use (currently using 76 brand, 92 octane), oil (Quaker State brand), and other little things?

Once again, thanks for the helpful information!

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1989 Trans Am GTA
350 TPI
N10 Dual Exhaust
AC Delco Air Filter (K&N filter available, waiting on a cleaning kit though)
82,000 miles
192 miles/tank
4 Speed Auto
Leather Interior
...but for the most part, it's all stock. :P

*Known* Aftermarket mods/repairs:
2 3.5" intermediate pipes
Replaced both 2.5" tailpipes
Twin Dynomax Super Converters
Catalytic Converters replaced (not sure what brand/type)
Dunlop Sport 4000 Z rated tires
Front brake pads replaced

[This message has been edited by GTA-Force (edited April 23, 2001).]

 

I wouldn't recommend any oil additives. If you want to prolong the life of your motor run a good synthetic (Mobil 1, Red line, Royal purple..)

The best stuff for cleaning injectors is the stuff in the can you hook to the fuel rail, disabling your fuel pump, you idle your car on this cleaner until it stalls.

In the tank cleaners and oil additives arn't worth wasting your money on. If cleaning your injectors the correct way seems to troublesome, go to a paint supply store and get a gallon of tolulene and put some in the tank once in a while. You could usually get a gallon of this for the price of one small bottle of 'cleaner' and most 'cleaners' are this stuff anyway.

This is all my opinion though and some people swear by stuff like slick 50, but for that money for an additive mixed with conventional stock oil doesn't compare to a full synthetic.

I have 170,000 miles on my camaro. Never pulled the valve covers, but could look into the oil filler at perfectly clean surfaces with no black or varnish buildup. Good compression and doesn't burn oil. Frequent oil changes never with any additives are the key not so much as the brand even.




[This message has been edited by JoelOl75 (edited April 23, 2001).]

 

A good exhaust system (headers and a catback exhaust) and a good intake system (cold air induction, open-element, K&N) will give you better power AND better gas mileage.

Just a thought.

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89 iroc-z 305 tbi
k&n filtercharger, open element air filter. nuffin' else