09 LB Rear seat removal for better MPG

[regal]

I have an 09 3 door LB. I would like to pull the rear seats, my guess is this would help MPG. Are there airbags in the rear seats? Will this be a problem if I pull them?

[eTiMaGo]

weight removal of any kind always helps with mileage and performance :smile:

No airbags at all, they're just plain old seats... here's a great DIY from way back:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=306

[Sodium Duck]

If you do this, I'd like to see some data. Are you monitoring your fuel economy now? If you get a solid few weeks down then remove your rear seats and compare, I'd say that would be pretty definitive.

[regal]

I am still in breakin and am ragging on it to seat the rings. One post I saw here showed a 4 mpg increase by removing the rear seat and spare.

[Sodium Duck]

FWIW, most of what I've read says that the rings seat within the first few miles of driving.

And I'd be really skeptical of such a claim. In general, the rule of thumb on weight is something like 1MPG per 100lbs. The seats don't weigh enough. They were probably using some hypermiling techniques in addition to seat removal. Unless I saw data showing a constant 4MPG jump, I call shenanigans.

[eTiMaGo]

well there's so many variables to mileage, it is really almost impossible to pinpoint an improvement to a single modification...

but it is universally known that weight reduction of any kind is always beneficial to performance and fuel consumption

[Sodium Duck]

...I shaved my beard.

*runs away*

[eTiMaGo]

that's gotta be worth at least 0.001MPG! :laugh:

[roxy1]

One post I saw here showed a 4 mpg increase by removing the rear seat and spare.

:bs:

[Mateo]

If you do most of your driving on the highway or rural driving the extra weight may not make a very big difference. If most your driving is stop and go city the extra weight being removed will make more of a difference because you will be moving the 100 lbs from a stop a lot more, once moving the weight plays less of a roll in MPG.

[eTiMaGo]

If you do most of your driving on the highway or rural driving the extra weight may not make a very big difference. If most your driving is stop and go city the extra weight being removed will make more of a difference because you will be moving the 100 lbs from a stop a lot more once moving the weight plays less of a roll in MPG.

very good point there!

[regal]

FWIW, most of what I've read says that the rings seat within the first few miles of driving.

And I'd be really skeptical of such a claim. In general, the rule of thumb on weight is something like 1MPG per 100lbs. The seats don't weigh enough. They were probably using some hypermiling techniques in addition to seat removal. Unless I saw data showing a constant 4MPG jump, I call shenanigans.


When I added a 80 lb subwoofer to my civic I lost 3 mph, I have a hilly commute.


As far as the rings, the old timers always said to do a lot of accelerations the first 1000 miles. I know ring composition is different now, but compression plays such an important role in efficiency that I can't see risking not following the tried and true methods.

I'd go as far as to say that the huge variance people report on Yaris MPG is compression differences, very few people actually break in engines the old way.

[Sodium Duck]

Well, I hope you've been keeping detailed information on your MPG then. I don't buy it unless I see the data to prove it.

[roadrunner]

After you remove the rear seat, please weigh it. I would be interested. Also, let us know how much work was involved, like amount of time it took.

[Klink10]

After you remove the rear seat, please weigh it. I would be interested. Also, let us know how much work was involved, like amount of time it took.

Took me about 30 minutes to remove my 60/40 split. I am pretty sure there is a weight posted somewhere on the forums and I think it's around 100lbs if you include the seat belt stuff.

[talnlnky]

When I gutted my 08 LB for sound dampening all passenger seats out I instantly saw a 3mpg gain.... I wonder if all of it is from those seats however... I would imagine you might get 1mpg gain... MAYBE 2 from taking out the rear seats.

[eTiMaGo]

well for what it's worth i took out mine for a while, then needed to carry people so I put the bottom back on, then the back section, over a period of a few months, but I can't say I've seen any noticeable mileage difference. definitely felt more dynamic going around fast bends though, almost too light at the back :laugh: