Mileage engine swap question.

[Guest capeman]

The QR may give you the best milage but the KA will give you the best power, even over the SR20.

[twoeightythreez]

So what other option do we have now if we want to save gas but still make power?

 

The most significant option is your driving style. You're in LA so you most likely drive like you're late for a date with carmen electra even if you have nowhere to go, so you're not gonna get 28mpg no matter what you put in your car.

 

I've already seen people get 20+mpg with a SUBURBAN, becasue they were obsessed with mileage, and drove accordingly .

 

Pretty much you keep the engine vacuum as high as possible, avoid sudden throttle inputs, and conserve momentum as much as possible (meaning no juking from lane to lane, getting off and on your gas and brakes), and you'll get good mileage.

 

Some food for thought; the stock 1978 280z managed 29mpg on the highway, EPA,

The 1975 Datsun 210 was rated at 39mpg highway, and 29 city so mileage isn't something new.

 

My suggestion would be an RB20DET (about 210hp stock and 27mpg highway) and a light foot on the highway, but that's just me.

IF you want to stick with USDM motors, the easiest route would be the L28ET, the smog popos would probably not even notice it, and

use a megasquirt and lean it out on the highway,

my L28ET swapped Z got 30 honest to god mpg on the highway (I calculated it with mileage on a map, not the odometer) when I drove it across the country, (and I had a big FMIC, 437cc injectors, and ran 10psi boost..but only under load) I maintained 80-90mph, and was running 16.5:1 afr's under light load and had as light a foot as possible (the afr went right back up as soon as I saw load) The car had to have been making at least 200hp and 300ft/lb when I was on it, and it still got over 20mpg all the time when I drove it right.

 

 

But the most significant thing you can do for gas mileage is your driving style, bar none.