Anyone lose gas mileage after adding a front strut bar?

[Diamond Ned]

It might sound weird, but after adding a front strut bar (sirimoto phase 2) i lost about 6mpg. I noticed from my long commutes for the past 2 weeks, but I wanted to stick it out to see if anything changed. Nothing changed.

Today I took it out, and got my gas mileage back. Really confused, could it have been messing with the alignment and creating more resistance from my tires?

For reference, today i tested on the same stretch of flat highway with multiple passes, same amount of gas and A/C setting:

with strut bar @ 80mph w/ cruise control --> 34/36mpg

removed strut bar @ 80mph w/ cruise control --> 40/42mpg

I made sure to torque about 40 ft-lbs during install too. Should I try to re-install and see what the results yield?

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[zspeed]

That’s weird. Weight difference of the strut bar is minimal and would have no impact for gas mileage. I would say it might be the alignment that is affecting the consumption.0

 

[Diamond Ned]

That’s weird. Weight difference of the strut bar is minimal and would have no impact for gas mileage. I would say it might be the alignment that is affecting the consumption.0

yea definitely not the weight, its like 10 lbs haha. its got to be something with the alignment. I'll probably just sell it tbh.

 

[gtman]

10 pounds? Probably more like 3-4.

I've put strut bars on my cars for about 20 years. They've never affected my mpgs in any way. Getting 6 more when you take it off is bizarre.

A strut bar connects the strut towers and keeps them from flexing under load. It has no affect on wheel alignment whatsoever.

 

[Diamond Ned]

10 pounds? Probably more like 3-4.

I've put strut bars on my cars for about 20 years. They've never affected my mpgs in any way. Getting 6 more when you take it off is bizarre.

A strut bar connects the strut towers and keeps them from flexing under load. It has no affect on wheel alignment whatsoever.

Well then I got no clue. I just did it again today (Putting it on and off) and got the same results. I’m so confused.

 

[shoegazer]

Weird. My gut feeling is that there is another variable, like temp and humidity, that is coinciding with your tests. Also... I'm not sure if the whole MPG calculator is that accurate.

 

[Diamond Ned]

Weird. My gut feeling is that there is another variable, like temp and humidity, that is coinciding with your tests. Also... I'm not sure if the whole MPG calculator is that accurate.

I’m definitely testing in the same weather conditions. Tests are only 20 minutes apart. Also, I’m using the active MPG gauge bar as I’m driving, not the “average mpg” section of the menu. Put the bar on and it’s stuck at 36 most of the drive. Strut bar Off and I’m stuck at 42.

 

[gtman]

I’m definitely testing in the same weather conditions. Tests are only 20 minutes apart. Also, I’m using the active MPG gauge bar as I’m driving, not the “average mpg” section of the menu. Put the bar on and it’s stuck at 36 most of the drive. Strut bar Off and I’m stuck at 42.

Since we know that historically a strut bar reduces mpgs by 0%, there has to be another variable. In this case, maybe it's that active mpg bar you're basing this on. I've always viewed that as nothing more than a bit of an entertainment device. At this point you should do a test.

Fill up your tank and drive 100 miles with the strut bar on. Fill up again and manually calculate your mileage.

Then do the same with the strut bar off and calculate the mileage manually driving the same way on the same roads.

 

[TypeSiR]

You'll need a Canadian turbo sticker. That'll fix it right up. /s

Honestly, that's an unusual observation. Maybe have the alignment checked after putting on the FSB.

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