5 Mods That Can Boost Your Car's MPG

Fuel efficiency is a concern for almost every driver, whether you love short city commutes, road-tripping in grand routes, or off-roading in the Sandstone Canyon. There are a lot of ways to use less gas while driving, such as eliminating excess weight, going easy on the throttle, reducing engine idle times, and even avoiding unnecessary trips. Car manufacturers also introduced several effective fuel efficiency technologies, ranging from continuously variable transmission systems to mild hybrid systems and start-stop technology. While some drivers might rely on driving habits to cut fuel costs, there are several physical mods you can add to your car that would make a difference.

Typically, called eco-mods (or eco-modding), these modifications reduce your car's fuel consumption, with methods that involve tweaking the engine or adding aftermarket parts. What's exciting is that these mods also boost your car's performance and aesthetic appeal in addition to improving efficiency. But what exactly are these mpg-oriented car mods, and how do they help you save at the pump?

Improving your car's airflow is a great way to boost your car's efficiency, and the cat-back system does just that. This modification replaces your car's original exhaust setup from the catalytic converter to the exhaust tip, meaning your car gets a new muffler, tailpipe, new connecting pipes, and resonator (if present). In terms of benefits, cat-back exhausts are known to be better than axle-back systems, which only replace components between the rear axle and the exhaust tip. Cat-back systems often come with larger pipes that reduce back pressure and allow for a fast release of exhaust gases.

There's a myth that increased airflow makes the engine consume more fuel, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The reality is that the improved airflow lets the engine breathe easily and operate more efficiently by reducing the energy needed to push the exhaust gases out. Also, unlike the aforementioned axle-back systems, the cat-back exhaust system helps you get more miles per gallon while boosting your car's horsepower, too. As a bonus, a cat-back system gives your car a sporty exhaust tone.

Aerodynamics heavily impacts fuel efficiency. Here's a basic rule of thumb: the more streamlined your vehicle is, the less air resistance it will face. That means the engine won't have to work as hard to accelerate or maintain speed. The best way to achieve this is through aerodynamic body modifications. Affordable ways of achieving this are simple modifications like removing the roof rack or other accessories.

If you have a more flexible budget, you can opt for advanced aerodynamic body modes, such as installing aerodynamic front bumpers or wheel arches, designed specifically for your vehicle. Either way, the goal is to improve airflow around your car, which reduces air resistance and boosts fuel efficiency. Other weight-saving aerodynamic parts, such as carbon fiber panels, give you the best of both worlds: a sleek exterior and lower curb weight. In this case, your car's decreased overall weight allows the engine to use less fuel. Another way to improve aerodynamics is to lower your vehicle's suspension system, which reduces wind resistance.

The quality of air entering your engine influences the car's performance and mpg. One of the top modifications you should consider when looking to improve your car's fuel consumption is a cold air intake system. Since factory air intake systems are designed with emissions and noise reduction in mind, they often come at the expense of performance due to their tendency to restrict airflow. Typically, better airflow equals better miles per gallon.

With aftermarket high-flow cold air intakes, the engine draws in more air that is colder, denser, and rich in oxygen. This increased oxygen volume improves combustion efficiency, which allows the engine to burn fuel effectively and extract more power per gallon. These types of intake systems also have larger diameter tubing, which increases your car's horsepower output by increasing the volume of air entering the engine. To maximize the benefits, consider pairing this mod with a high-quality air filter.

Switching to fuel-saving tires is one of the easiest ways to improve your car's mpg. Rolling tires deform and generate heat — called rolling resistance — that takes more power from the engine. The energy-efficient tires are designed with low resistance, meaning that they reduce the amount of energy required to maintain motion. Unlike standard tires, which cause drag and reduce fuel economy, fuel-saving tires minimize energy loss, reducing fuel consumption and emissions in the process.

The fuel-saving tires come with specialized tread patterns and rubber compounds that reduce friction and heat build-up. Depending on the type of car and tires, these efficient tires can boost your mileage by 2–3% in sedans and up to 4% in SUVs. This might seem small but adds up over time, especially if you drive frequently. 

There are many excellent fuel-saving tires on the market, such as Michelin Energy Saver A/S, Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season, and Bridgestone Ecopia EP422. In addition to choosing the right tires, you have to care for them properly. Avoid habits that slash your tires' lifespan, such as ignoring alignment issues. Instead, follow proper tire maintenance — like keeping your tires inflated to the recommended pressure.

A performance chip or tuner is a powerful tool that lets you optimize your vehicle's fuel economy. With this device, you can change the settings of your car's electronic control unit (ECU), which manages functions like air-fuel ratios and ignition timing. While most tunes are geared towards boosting performance, you can program ECU for fuel efficiency too. 

You can accomplish this via either remapping, which modifies the existing software, or flash tuning, which completely overwrites the software on the ECU with new programming. The latter is less permanent, but an easier option of the two. Either way, these methods allow for a fuel economy tune, which boosts your car's mpg. 

While the upfront costs of a tune may vary, they give you long-term savings at the pump. As a bonus, some tuners offer the flexibility to switch between economy, performance, and custom modes, depending on driving needs. An example of this versatile system is the Superchips Flashpaq F5 In-cab Tuner, which comes with a graphic interface, and fast processor, and is compatible with vehicles like the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra.