Improve the Gas Mileage on a Nissan Sentra
Is your Nissan Sentra getting rather poor gas mileage? Flew along in the steps below to find out how this number can become improved/increased.
Steps
Exterior Adjustments
- Add one full container of fuel efficiency booster (such as STP Fuel Boost or the like which you can purchase at any superstore supermarket carrying automotive supplies). Utilize the scheduled mileage chart as written on the bottles. Most ask for a new one to be added about every 4000 miles, but some may be anywhere from 4500miles to 6000miles, while some may ask for theirs to be added more regularly such as at every fill up so read the directions on the bottle carefully to ensure you aren't adding too much to your tank too quickly.
- Most fuel efficiency boosters require that your tank be completely full or very close to full when you add so that the booster liquid can seep into the sides of the fuel tank and thereby clean the sides providing for a cleaner tank which can send the fuel up to where it has to go quicker, thereby producing less lag time and you'll earn a little more fuel efficiency mileage.
- Be careful not to pick up a fuel booster that is designed to be a carburetor cleaner. The Nissan Sentra doesn't have a carburetor in it, and adding one that has that in it can be a complete disaster and can break your gas tank along with your engine.
- Change the air filter every 20,000 miles though city-driven Sentras will need closer an air filter change about every 15,000 miles. The air filter can be a great savior. Cleaner air will allow the fuel to flow farther into the right place at the right time. Leaves, dust and other air contaminants clog up the filter instead as they pass around the gas tank completely. You'll find this air filter container underneath the front hood (most are going to be on the right hand side of the hood, but each brand year is different and is shaped differently), so check your owners manual for details on where yours is completely at before replacing something that isn't this filter and wondering "was it right?" or "Is this it?".
- Change the car's engine oil every 7,500 miles. Older Sentra's may require more routine mileage than {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}, so only use this mileage as a general guideline. It may sound weird, but if you change it when you are supposed to, this should help. Lightening the load of old oil can help decrease the amount of stored oil and thereby lighten the load of fuel needed to be moved during a given period of time, thereby increasing the fuel efficiency of the car. (You'd be sluggish too and not want to move too fast if you had too much to drink, so why test your car's ability when it's got too much oil too.)
- Run through a checklist removing unnecessary items from the car at the very least by the summer months, if you can get away with it. Heavy coats and heavy containers in the trunk may cause the fuel to increase due to the unnecessary heavier workload they'll have to carry when they shouldn't need to. Check through your backseat and remove any old items you may not need or have any use for anymore.
- Don't overfill and top-off the fuel tank upon fueling the Sentra. As is advised in the owners manual, the more fuel it's got, the heavier the car will be (even hairs heavier). For most Sentras of 2009 model year and newer, the average size of the gas tank will be about 14 gallons, but be sure to check your owners manual for exact details or fill the tank till the gasoline pump clicks off and don't fill any further after that (regardless of price).
- Don't let the Sentra vehicle run below a quarter tank of gas. Letting it get that low could put unneeded stress on the fuel pump which can decrease the fuel efficiency rating.
- Buy fuel from better known companies. Although those few cents savings can seem great, cheaper gas prices from lesser-known ("mom and pop") sellers who may not seem that worthy of your money, may end up costing you more in the long run, as these fuels may have different ratios of gas to additive added to their mixture when the better known ones have a more respected ratios that are up to government standards. Be wise and notice whether that deal is really the best deal out there, when driving past the gas location.
- Make sure your tires are properly inflated to their proper pressure. Check your tires often and rotate them on the schedule set in your Service and Maintenance Guide. Although the Sentra's tire pressure number will differ from model year to model year, this number will be on a sticker inside the door jam (but not on the door itself).
- Select tires that are narrow, if you need to purchase tires, but not too narrow. If you don't need new tires due to tread wear being good, don't worry. There will come a time when this could happen.
- Try your hardest to not use your air conditioner in city traffic. Unless it is hot and leaving your windows down won't help when moving, the air conditioner will only cause the car to drag and the fuel efficiency to decrease.
Driving Style
- Use cruise control (if your Sentra is equipped with it, as on some older models this was still an optional feature (though most people tend to think it's standard on all Sentras)). Most Sentra cars have their cruise control as buttons on or near their steering wheel, however some of the oldest Sentra cars still cruising the streets may have their cruise control on their own driving stick off the steering wheel entirely, so be sure to know where it is and how to use it if equipped with it.
- Avoid city streets unless there is no way of avoiding them. If you have the choice, use highway streets or where the streets are multi-lane without traffic lights. Drive on highway streets as opposed to city streets, if you possibly can. Try not to drive on city streets where stop and go traffic is apparent. If you can't avoid it, you may have to resort to the other Steps in this article, but this should be one of the other major things you can do for your car to improve it's rating.
- Ease yourself on the gas pedal. Lead-footed people (on the gas) tend to use a lot more gas than the vehicle is designed to put out. Put it down until you feel that car begin to move at a steady pace that is equal to the speed limit and don't let up on the gas pedal until you need to use the brake pedal. Make only minor adjustments as conditions warrant, between the gas pedal and brake, never pushing the car too much and never going above the set speed limit.
- Don't try not to idle your Sentra. This may seem to be a problem in most people's driveway, but when you see the Sentra idling at a traffic light for a long period of time, this may decrease your fuel efficiency rating. (Don't keep moving through a red traffic light, but avoid letting it sit idly on the highway.)
Tips
- If you have experience driving a manual transmission car, the Sentra still has some of it's cars be manual transmissions. If you can purchase a Sentra that has a manual transmission, the manual transmission may be of some help to your gas rating. Just keep the engine in good working order and you'll be driving it like a pro in no time at all.
- In the 2009 Sentra line, there are FE+ sub-modeled cars (where FE stands for Fuel Efficient). If you are looking for a Sentra and see one, these can be an ideal vehicle for earning fuel efficiency.
- The Sentra was first known as a midsized vehicle starting with the 2007 model year. Before this model year, it was a compact car that was efficient to move around the streets fairly quickly. It has now turned into a very worthwhile car that can get commuters back and forth, all while giving it's passengers some comfort room. You may loose a little bit of fuel efficiency from this shift to the bigger size, but it's not going to be enough to warrant a big difference in fuel efficiency rating when compared to it's older cousins.
