Can't break 40MPG...

[Sodium Duck]

I can get 39.XX, but not 40. I use DFCO constantly down hills, coast in neutral down smaller hills, use DFCO to come into red lights, putter away from stops very slowly, have my tires at about 45PSI (that was the biggest help, about 2MPG), drive 50-55MPH whenever I can, don't use the A/C or defroster settings, keep windows up/cracked a little instead of down, I stay fairly close to big rigs and other large vehicles when I'm on the highway, too.

Does anyone else have more idea's on what I can do?

[KCALB SIRAY]

Not sure what the problem is as I can see 40 to 42 without doing any of that on a daily basis. There are so many more things you can do and you are not doing that will help, but I'll let those who practice these chime in. Have you checked out any HM forums to see what you are missing or searched Bailouts threads?

[Loren]

I can get 39.XX, but not 40. I use DFCO constantly down hills, coast in neutral down smaller hills, use DFCO to come into red lights, putter away from stops very slowly, have my tires at about 45PSI (that was the biggest help, about 2MPG), drive 50-55MPH whenever I can, don't use the A/C or defroster settings, keep windows up/cracked a little instead of down, I stay fairly close to big rigs and other large vehicles when I'm on the highway, too.

Does anyone else have more idea's on what I can do?
I assume you're talking about full-tank mileage? And you don't have a ScanGauge? It can be harder to do than you think. Much depends on the conditions you drive in. I know for me, there is one trip I make that I can almost never get more than 36 mpg on. It's fairly close to home, it's just the amount of traffic on that road, a good portion of it slightly up hill, and the way the lights are timed... it all works against me. Anywhere else, I can easily get 38-40, sometimes up to 44 is I'm lucky and/or trying hard.

One thing I notice you said is that you "coast in neutral down smaller hills". Is that a mis-statement? If not, that's part of your problem. Remember, when you go DFCO, you use NO fuel, when you shift to neutral, you're using fuel to idle. The benefit is normally to use DFCO on the smaller hills, just for a few seconds. What I like to do is hold the throttle at the crest of the hill and gain a few MPH before lifting, then DFCO to 5mph (or 10 if there's nobody behind me) below the speed limit. Save the neutral coast for LOOOOONG downhill stretches, that's where it's useful. (it's a technique that I never use, because there simply are no hills that long here)

I think Pulse & Glide is your answer. That allows you to use DFCO more. VERY gently accelerate (and I mean gently... like barely breathing on the throttle) up to 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit (but not over 60... MPG plummets accelerating over 60), then lift and DFCO coast back down to 5-10 mph under the speed limit. Lather, rinse, repeat. Blend this technique with the natural terrain so that you're not trying to accelerate up hills, and you're extending your coasts by coasting down hills. Just remember, "light on the pulsing, heavy on the gliding"!

Give it a shot.

[b_hickman11]

I can get 39.XX, but not 40. I use DFCO constantly down hills, coast in neutral down smaller hills, use DFCO to come into red lights, putter away from stops very slowly, have my tires at about 45PSI (that was the biggest help, about 2MPG), drive 50-55MPH whenever I can, don't use the A/C or defroster settings, keep windows up/cracked a little instead of down, I stay fairly close to big rigs and other large vehicles when I'm on the highway, too.

Does anyone else have more idea's on what I can do?

Move to Texas or somewhere else where there is really hot weather and your mpg should go up about 5 mpg.

[SpaceShot]

I would agree with Loren that you may do better by coasting in gear on short hills, and only putting it in Neutral on very long hills. From the end of my road to my house is just over a mile of slight decline and a couple of flat stretches. Using neutral there works to lower the trip average, elsewhere on the commute it doesn't help.

Look at your route and see if going a few blocks to a half mile out of your way brings you to a right on red instead of a full stop. If you can minimize stops or find a parallel route that lets you glide along at 45 Mph or so for a longer stretch, you should see the trip average improve.

I average 40 in my manual LB and I am trying to bump it up to 45. (which I can easily do in July) However, beyond tire pressure and driving style, I did do some minor mods.

1. After market cruise control - $225, 0 Mpg gain, but more comfort on 70 min commute
2. K&N replacement air filter - $40 AutoAnything.com, 0.5 Mpg
3. Partial upper grille block - $0 (used magnetic door signs cut to fit) 1.5 Mpg
4. Replace stock antenna with stubby - $12 CarAccessory.com, 0.25 Mpg ($0 if goto only MP3 and removed antenna)
5. Racing Disk smooth hubcaps - $80 HotRodGirl.com, 0.1 Mpg? but looks sharp...

6. ScanGuage II - $160, 1.5 Mpg (when remembering to keep Tach < 3050, TPS < 25)

Beyond tire pressure and driving style, temperature and route can be your next biggest factors. If you can change the route or drive time to avoid traffic and get to the point of cruising along at 45 Mph for 15 min or more, you should see trip average improve.

[Loren]

Public service announcement: "Right on Red" doesn't legally mean that you don't have to stop. Unless there's a yield sign there, or the light is green, you have to stop!

Alternate routes that allow you to maintain a more constant speed, and more importantly to reduce your time spent STOPPED and idling are good. When I was driving across the county (all urban driving, Pinellas County) every day, I found the fastest route... no less than 45 minutes (if I didn't get stuck on a bridge, or behind an accident on the highway), and the most efficient route... about 50-55 minutes. The faster route had me going 60+ mph and MPG suffered. The slower route cost me 5 minutes or so, but allowed me to get over 45 mpg by never going over 45 mph and maintaining a more constant speed.

[supmet]

One thing I notice you said is that you "coast in neutral down smaller hills". Is that a mis-statement? If not, that's part of your problem. Remember, when you go DFCO, you use NO fuel, when you shift to neutral, you're using fuel to idle. The benefit is normally to use DFCO on the smaller hills, just for a few seconds. What I like to do is hold the throttle at the crest of the hill and gain a few MPH before lifting, then DFCO to 5mph (or 10 if there's nobody behind me) below the speed limit. Save the neutral coast for LOOOOONG downhill stretches, that's where it's useful. (it's a technique that I never use, because there simply are no hills that long here)

I think it really depends on the hill. Some small hills I can gain 5 mph if I go into neutral, or lose 5 mph if I use DFCO... Now is that 10-15 seconds of no fuel vs very little fuel gonna make up for having to accelerate 10 mph? Then again, on a perfect hill I can maintain speed with DFCO, and then I'd use DFCO for sure.

[BailOut]

SodiumDuck,

Some good advice has been given so far and I would like to add to it by discussing your idling habits, which you made no mention of. The Yaris' 1.5L engine uses roughly .25 GPH at idle, and considering one may idle for up to 2 hours per tank this can impact your overall fuel economy by as much as 2 MPG.

Please consider turning off your engine if you will be stopped for more than 7 seconds. That is the break even time for the wear and tear and fuel usage of a warm start.

[supmet]

Please consider turning off your engine if you will be stopped for more than 7 seconds. That is the break even time for the wear and tear and fuel usage of a warm start.

7 seconds is the break even point for gas consumption. What is the break even for wear on the starter and other components, or a "total cost" break even point. I've had toyota starters go bad before 100k miles with 5-6 starts a day max. Also, until you reach peak operating temperatures, turning your engine off and letting it cool down, and forcing it to reheat will increase engine wear, and reduce mileage.

I'd say its closer to 12-13 seconds to break even, and then you should only do it if you KNOW your gonna be 20 seconds or more(when you just roll up to a light changing) A few 2-3 second stops that you thought were gonna be longer will negate everything your doing, and all you're left with is a burnt out starter.

[BailOut]

7 seconds is the break even point for gas consumption. What is the break even for wear on the starter and other components, or a "total cost" break even point. I've had toyota starters go bad before 100k miles with 5-6 starts a day max. Also, until you reach peak operating temperatures, turning your engine off and letting it cool down, and forcing it to reheat will increase engine wear, and reduce mileage.

I'd say its closer to 12-13 seconds to break even, and then you should only do it if you KNOW your gonna be 20 seconds or more(when you just roll up to a light changing) A few 2-3 second stops that you thought were gonna be longer will negate everything your doing, and all you're left with is a burnt out starter.
Sumpet, please forgive me if I sound short here but I tire of explaining this over and over again. To your credit many of the rehashes of this subject were lost in the hack.

I say again, the break even time for the wear and tear and fuel usage of a warm start, not just the fuel usage, is 7 seconds.

We have all seen starters go bad before their time, just like any other electromechanical device, but how many times you start your car is not linear to how quickly the starter wears. For example I use my starter an average of 12 times each day and I just hit 42k miles. There are many other variables that come into play. If my starter were weak this would have already killed it off.

An extra 2 MPG is worth roughly $0.9/gallon with gasoline at $2.25. If a replacement starter costs $120 (the average price of every aftermarket starter for our cars offered by the O'Reilly/Kragen group) the break-even point is just 1,333 gallons fueled, or 2-2.5 years for the average American driver. What's more is that the aftermarket starters usually come with a lifetime warranty.

I'm at 2 years and 2 months of ownership on the OEM starter.

Owners with the manual transmission get even more benefit from turning off the engine as they can do it at any time, not just when stopped. This opens up the world of FASing to them (please see the stickied FE thread in this forum for more on that).

[supmet]

lol.. ok dude. Go ahead and turn your car off for 7 seconds, and save the 1/10th of a penny in gas. I'm sure doing this 120,000 times you will never have to buy a new starter.

[BailOut]

lol.. ok dude. Go ahead and turn your car off for 7 seconds, and save the 1/10th of a penny in gas. I'm sure doing this 120,000 times you will never have to buy a new starter.
No one ever said I wouldn't need a new starter at some point (we all will), only that the fuel savings more than pays for it and that its replacement will come with a lifetime warranty (meaning you'd only have to replace it once).

[supmet]

No one ever said I wouldn't need a new starter at some point (we all will), only that the fuel savings more than pays for it and that its replacement will come with a lifetime warranty (meaning you'd only have to replace it once).

saving less than $0.01 each time will never pay for a new starter, or fix any of the other problems you are creating with unnecessary starts and stops.

15 seconds, we can start talking. 7 seconds is pure nonsense.

[BailOut]

saving less than $0.01 each time will never pay for a new starter, or fix any of the other problems you are creating with unnecessary starts and stops.

15 seconds, we can start talking. 7 seconds is pure nonsense.
I've already done the math and shown it to you. That you choose not to believe it is your prerogative, but it doesn't change the facts. 7 seconds has been tested, tried and found be true time and again.

[supmet]

I've already done the math and shown it to you. That you choose not to believe it is your prerogative, but it doesn't change the facts. 7 seconds has been tested, tried and found be true time and again.

LOL.. I'm done after this.

Your math is what most people would describe as fuzzy. Very few people idle 2 hours per tank. If they do it is in stop and go traffic where they wouldn't even get 7 seconds to stop. Yet you use that as your baseline of breaking even.. 1,333 gallons my ass.

Here's some math

0.25 gallons/1 hr = 32 oz/3600 s = 0.06 oz/ 7 s

2.25 dollars/ 1 gallon = 2.25 dollars / 128 oz = 0.001 dollars / 0.06 oz

1/10th of a penny saved every 7 seconds of idling.

You are the one that chooses to ignore the simple math.

[BailOut]

LOL.. I'm done after this.

Your math is what most people would describe as fuzzy. Very few people idle 2 hours per tank. If they do it is in stop and go traffic where they wouldn't even get 7 seconds to stop. Yet you use that as your baseline of breaking even.. 1,333 gallons my ass.

Here's some math

0.25 gallons/1 hr = 32 oz/3600 s = 0.06 oz/ 7 s

2.25 dollars/ 1 gallon = 2.25 dollars / 128 oz = 0.001 dollars / 0.06 oz

1/10th of a penny saved every 7 seconds of idling.

You are the one that chooses to ignore the simple math.
*sigh* 2 hours of idling per tank is the national average as published by the NTSB. Just because you don't think you do that (have you ever bothered to measure your idle time?), and/or just because you don't think you see it in your area, doesn't mean that other people don't do it, or that it doesn't happen in lots of other places in the country.

[supmet]

*sigh* 2 hours of idling per tank is the national average as published by the NTSB. Just because you don't think you do that (have you ever bothered to measure your idle time?), and/or just because you don't think you see it in your area, doesn't mean that other people don't do it, or that it doesn't happen in lots of other places in the country.

Are you a salesman by trade? ..just out of curiosity. You have an amazing ability to drag me back in with your lack of facts.

I'll believe 2 hours is the average when I see a link - but even if it is, shouldn't a hypermiler being doing far less idling, by avoiding traffic and slowing before lights, waiting for them to turn green?? The average will also include people who warm up their cars which isn't recommended for the yaris.

You continue to ignore the fact that at 7 seconds you are only saving 1/10 of a penny of fuel. Do you truly believe the wear and tear on the engine and transmission(they kind of like circulating fluid), the starter, and the electrical system is less than 1/10 of a penny each time you start a car?

Assuming 7 seconds really is the break even point, this still means at 7 seconds, you saved nothing. 14 seconds you save 1/10th of a penny. 8 or 9 seconds, as you have recommended, will save you 1/35th of a penny. Following your recommendations, I could do this 10 times a day, and end up with 10 dollars at the end of the year. Ignoring wear and tear, is it worth the PITA to save 10 bucks a year?

[Sodium Duck]

Right, anyways...

When I coast in neutral down hills, my reasoning was that I would be able to maintain speed and coast for longer without hitting the gas. If I use DFCO in those instances, I would have to hit the gas again far sooner, and probably use more gas in the end. Did that make sense? I hope so lol.

I don't know, when I'm going down a hill I usually decide if I could coast longer than I could DFCO. Sometimes I'll end up coasting in neutral for a bit, the using DFCO at the end to come back under the speed limit. It's a confusing mix. But maybe I'll try JUST using DFCO and see if it makes a difference.

Also, sometimes I try pulse and glide but I never follow through with. It's tough to do while maintaining a reasonable flow in traffic. I think I'll try and incorporate when possible from now on and see how that goes, too.

[mikenacarato]

Are you a salesman by trade? ..just out of curiosity. You have an amazing ability to drag me back in with your lack of facts.

I'll believe 2 hours is the average when I see a link - but even if it is, shouldn't a hypermiler being doing far less idling, by avoiding traffic and slowing before lights, waiting for them to turn green?? The average will also include people who warm up their cars which isn't recommended for the yaris.

You continue to ignore the fact that at 7 seconds you are only saving 1/10 of a penny of fuel. Do you truly believe the wear and tear on the engine and transmission(they kind of like circulating fluid), the starter, and the electrical system is less than 1/10 of a penny each time you start a car?

Assuming 7 seconds really is the break even point, this still means at 7 seconds, you saved nothing. 14 seconds you save 1/10th of a penny. 8 or 9 seconds, as you have recommended, will save you 1/35th of a penny. Following your recommendations, I could do this 10 times a day, and end up with 10 dollars at the end of the year. Ignoring wear and tear, is it worth the PITA to save 10 bucks a year?


i thought you said you were done in your previous post......its not nice to go back on your word.
i wish people would cut down on their whining here.


for the record, i am reading this to try and gain something from it but the arguing and bickering is rediculous and making this thread hard to follow.

[BailOut]

Also, sometimes I try pulse and glide but I never follow through with. It's tough to do while maintaining a reasonable flow in traffic. I think I'll try and incorporate when possible from now on and see how that goes, too.
Have you looked into the Hang Time technique which is stickied at the top of this forum? It is much less labor intensive than P&G, and it lets you maintain a narrower speed band.

[supmet]

i thought you said you were done in your previous post......its not nice to go back on your word.
i wish people would cut down on their whining here.


for the record, i am reading this to try and gain something from it but the arguing and bickering is rediculous and making this thread hard to follow.

I apologize if this thread is convoluted now, but I see people pass off the 7 second rule all the time here, and I just want a simple answer. Does the wear and tear of shifting in and out of park(for an auto tranny), letting your fluids stop circulating, taxing the battery and alternator, and using the starter, among other things, all cost less than 1/10th of a penny each time you turn your car off and start it? It seems very unlikely to me.

And then I'd like to know if the 10 dollars(by my numbers) or the 40 dollars(by bailouts numbers) a year is worth the risk of increased injury and damage to the car getting rear ended turned off vs in gear and on. Not to mention, if you still had the car on, you could have pulled out of the way instead of getting rear ended.

[mikenacarato]

i think of it as....well the yaris gets better mileage than my last car...thats good enough for me. why can you all be happy getting high 30s?

[rningonfumes]

i think of it as....well the yaris gets better mileage than my last car...thats good enough for me. why can you all be happy getting high 30s?

Because happiness is relative.

[mikenacarato]

well im coming from a 13 mpg lincoln. instead of me squeezing every last drop of fuel from my yaris...i would rather have some fun with it and still get great mileage...and for the record..i get 42 mpg from mine.

[Sodium Duck]

Have you looked into the Hang Time technique which is stickied at the top of this forum? It is much less labor intensive than P&G, and it lets you maintain a narrower speed band.

Yup yup, I've read all your posts a lot. But don't you say you need a ScanGauge to do this technique?

[SpaceShot]

What I think trips up the logic on the Neutral coasting versus DFCO in gear, is that in Neutral the engine will rev just a little bit higher and you will actually use more gas on that down slope and worse yet, the fuel from that extra revs isn't putting any useful energy into the wheels.
This is hard to see without a ScanGuage or at least a Tach.

It does take effort and practice to give it just enough gas coming out of the down slope to minimize your loss of momentum and speed. There is a strong pull to step on it a little too much if the car slows down more than 5 Mph, which tends to undo some of the savings you just made coming down the hill.

Again look at your route, maybe you can find a way to coast from Mt. Wachusett most of the way home ;-)

By the way, 3 trips this week at 45 Mpg in my 08 manual LB, and its not even May yet. You can do this!

[BailOut]

Yup yup, I've read all your posts a lot. But don't you say you need a ScanGauge to do this technique?
I mention in that thread that you don't have to have a ScanGauge for the Hang Time technique but that it's easier to dial it in with one.

[anonymous user]

I, like Sodium, barely crack 40 MPG on a tank. I think i've done it twice.
Anyway, my question is that since i only usually drive my car during the workweek, i usually only drive it monday-friday, and sometimes only 4 times a week. So on weekends it sits on the curb. How much does this sitting for 2-3 days a week affect my mileage? I may run a test to see how it works.

[Loren]

Sitting around has no effect other than the usual cold-start penalty. My car quite often sits undriven for 3-5 days at a time, I work from home. I can immediately get in it and turn a 45+ mpg trip average anytime I want to. Traffic usually makes it difficult to get more than 38-42 mpg, though.

[Sodium Duck]

Bah! Just filled up, 39.80MPG!

Something drastic must be done!

[Loren]

There's a technique called DWB - Drive Without Brakes. Essentially, it's just a way to make more use of coasting and DFCO. Sort of a mental exercise, really. Just drive as if you don't have brakes. If you didn't have brakes, you'd be looking WAY further ahead and anticipating stops, downshifting and much more carefully managing your speed. That's what you need to be doing for max fuel economy. Anytime you touch the brake pedal, you're wasting energy, turning it into heat.

Think that will help you?

[Sodium Duck]

Well, I do that to an extent now, but I will take it to the next level -- I think that will give me my .2MPG. On the way back from the gas station tonight, I was practically using just my pinky toe on it, coasting way far away into lights and using DFCO a lot. *fingers crossed*

I think that will help!

[CTScott]

I recently picked up a used Scangauge. I usually get about 35 MPG max, and now I see why - I never thought that I had a heavy foot, but I often see 5 MPG for a few seconds when accelerating from a stop. With the Scangauge I am learning to accelerate more gently and am expecting that at my next fill-up I'll notice a significant difference.

[Sodium Duck]

Hmm, when you accelerate from a stop how high do your rev's go? Is that the only major fuel burning thing you've noticed yourself doing with the Scangauge?

[CTScott]

Hmm, when you accelerate from a stop how high do your rev's go? Is that the only major fuel burning thing you've noticed yourself doing with the Scangauge?

I don't gun it, but it doesn't take much to really suck the fuel to get the car in motion.

The other place I've noticed a significant reduction in instantaneous mileage is going up hills. I find with a couple of hills around me that I sit at 15-20 MPG most of the way up the hill.

[Loren]

Hmm, when you accelerate from a stop how high do your rev's go? Is that the only major fuel burning thing you've noticed yourself doing with the Scangauge?
How high you rev is only part of your concern when trying to save fuel under acceleration. Throttle position is as important, and probably MORE important.

You'll use more fuel with a heavy foot shifting at 2000 than you will with a light foot shifting at 2500

[CTScott]

How high you rev is only part of your concern when trying to save fuel under acceleration. Throttle position is as important, and probably MORE important.

You'll use more fuel with a heavy foot shifting at 2000 than you will with a light foot shifting at 2500

Exactly - It's that whole pretend your stepping on an egg shell thing...

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Just curious, what grade and brand of gas are you using? I'm only averaging 40mpg now, and I do a bunch of stuff. I'm thinking a big possible thing is my sound system. I do play my music loud with a lot of bass, so I'm thinking that's doing something. Before my sound system, I was getting 42 mpg without doing anything and driving 65 mph.

For some odd reason, I used the A/C for some time the tank before last, and I actually ending up getting better FE, at 41.xx mpg. I had the setting to circulation, fan speed of 1 to 2, and the vent setting at face and feet. I notice that this happens from time to time. No clue why.

[Sodium Duck]

I use the cheapest I can find. I've put gas in my car 29 times, this is where I got each one:

Gulf
Gulf
Shell
Shell
Shell
Shell
Sunoco
Shell
Shell
Hess
Shell
Shell
Shell
Shell
Shell
Pride
Mobil
Shell
Stop & Shop
Racing Mart
Shell
Shell
Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
7/11
Pride
Hess
Shell
Pride

So I guess I buy mostly Shell, always 87 octane.

[Sodium Duck]

I never thought that throttle position was more important than RPM's in fuel economy. That's good to know. I'll be even more light on the gas then. I think that might help me a lot, too.

[Sodium Duck]

This is looking very good. Usually my first bar disappears after 80 miles, and I'm at 93.X and it's still there. Woot! I can't wait to see how much I get out of this tank.

EDIT: It went at 97.X. Sweet.

[toyo]

nice thread!!!!!!!!!! :bow:

[Bob_VT]

My 08 auto LB gets 40-44 if I pay attention to my driving.

If / When I pay attention...... I do the speed limit or a fraction less. I do not do 69 in a 65 but 62 in a 65 zone..... plan all my lane changes and stopping. I never use Neutral at all. Never hit the gas going down hill.

Now the wierd part. If I ignore my driving I get 38 on average..... I have also found that mid grade fuel delivers better mpg.....

[yaris prime]

I can't break 40 either. I consistently get 39.xx too. It's taunting me. My last three tanks were like 39.6x.
I find that no particular gas works any better than others.

[The Spectacle]

I recently picked up a used Scangauge. I usually get about 35 MPG max, and now I see why - I never thought that I had a heavy foot, but I often see 5 MPG for a few seconds when accelerating from a stop. With the Scangauge I am learning to accelerate more gently and am expecting that at my next fill-up I'll notice a significant difference.

I just got one too and I notice how far my MPG dips when accelerating BUT that whole "pretend like you're pressing an eggshell instead of a gas pedal" has me flustered. I mean, this car already has no power and you want me to baby it from a stop? Don't get me wrong, I've tried it to see how it affects the instantaneous meter on the SG but it takes too long for me to get up to speed for my tastes.

As such, my MPG isn't nearly as high as you guys is. Maybe I need to some fuel saving mods to help out. Check my MPG in the sig lol. Pathetic I know but hey, its better than my other car by a long shot.

[CTScott]

It is quite painful to accelerate that slowly. I work from a home office, so most of my driving is running around town mid-day, so I am not dealing with commuting or traffic.

[toyo]

mine's a 1.3L and i'm loving it, last time I got 39.1 mpg, now using DFCO and 38 psi in the tires hopefully i'll break 40! :bow:

I know, for a 1.3L it should give better mpg, but I'm suck in traffic all the time :( all city driving :( x 2 freaking hate traffic jams!!!

[marcus]

37mpg with pushing car on the highway run.. did 45 mpg one time going camping going 90 km/hr on the highway. this is summer time. temp around 28-32 degrees.

[yaris prime]

I can't break 40 either. I consistently get 39.xx too. It's taunting me. My last three tanks were like 39.6x.
I find that no particular gas works any better than others.

Update......
40.56 mpg on last tank- finally!!

[YarisOwnersDad]

Update......
40.56 mpg on last tank- finally!!

Congrats!

[GeneW]

I can get 39.XX, but not 40. I use DFCO constantly down hills, coast in neutral down smaller hills, use DFCO to come into red lights, putter away from stops very slowly, have my tires at about 45PSI (that was the biggest help, about 2MPG), drive 50-55MPH whenever I can, don't use the A/C or defroster settings, keep windows up/cracked a little instead of down, I stay fairly close to big rigs and other large vehicles when I'm on the highway, too.

Does anyone else have more idea's on what I can do?

You need better drugs, Natria. Quit hauling your belly button lint and dryer lint - excess weight reduces your efficiency.

Coasting in neutral is a loser's game. DFCO is where it's at when it comes to saving fuel.

If you "putter" you're probably hosing your mileage. I do best with moderate acceleration.


You live in Massachusetts? It's cold up there, isn't it? My Yaris gets its best results over about eighty five Fahrenheit and up.


Gene

[Pitt Yaris]

I've had to fill up at around 330-340 miles (give or take 10) ever since I got my yaris *October 08* then I changed my oil Tuesday with Castrol GTX (not synthetic) and a Napa Gold oil filter. I just got 400 miles on this tank. Awesome.

[Sodium Duck]

42.778 MPG this tank.

Things I did different:
..55 MPH on the highway
..Very slow accelerations
..Extremely light on the throttle
..No neutral, except a few instances

I managed this despite making several short trips down the street with my girlfriend and various junk in the boot (moved into a new place).

Spectacle: There's no fuel saving mod out there that will help you, otherwise we'd all have it and be ranting and raving about how great it is...

It's been said before - the best mod is yourself. The way you drive your car has the most direct effect on your gas mileage. I modified my driving style and managed about an 18% increase in my fuel economy! I hate this because I know I can do better. Hopefully in the next few tanks I'll give it another try.

Thanks for the help everyone!

[Sodium Duck]

Update......
40.56 mpg on last tank- finally!!

Awesome! What do you think pushed you over the edge?

[Sodium Duck]

Oh, and about accelerating slowly...

*begin rant, please ignore if you have an anti-ranting policy*

Everyone expects my car to be slow -- so why not live up to it. I don't care, lol.

This one guy, man oh man. I pull out of my driveway about 9PM, driving things over to the new place. I'm just dragging along in no rush as usual, slowly getting up to speed (30MPH for this road). I'm doing probably 28MPH, and this guy blows past me on a double yellow line. Now I'm cracking up because I can see the reflection of the traffic lights in the windows of houses; I know the light is red, that's one of the many reasons why I was going so slow. Anyways, he actually runs the red light and speeds off again. I guess he had somewhere important to be. Maybe he cut his arm off or something and was going to the hospital -- who knows, that's why I don't let it bother me.

So the moral of the story is this: If someone doesn't like that I'm going, "slow," then they can either do something about it like that guy, or they can just add me to laundry list of all the other crap that's pissed them off that day. Who cares. When you're on the road you have to drive defensively, especially in these little cars. I drive slowly and cautiously to be defensive.

*end rant*

[Kaotic Lazagna]

+1 Sodium Duck. People have the choice (on the freeway) to go around you, especially if one is in the slow lane. I hate it when I'm in the slow lane doing 60, and some asshat tailgates me, expecting me to switch lanes to the faster lanes (which are empty btw) when he himself can simply switch lanes and pass me.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Update......
40.56 mpg on last tank- finally!!

42.778 MPG this tank.

Things I did different:
..55 MPH on the highway
..Very slow accelerations
..Extremely light on the throttle
..No neutral, except a few instances

I managed this despite making several short trips down the street with my girlfriend and various junk in the boot (moved into a new place).

Spectacle: There's no fuel saving mod out there that will help you, otherwise we'd all have it and be ranting and raving about how great it is...

It's been said before - the best mod is yourself. The way you drive your car has the most direct effect on your gas mileage. I modified my driving style and managed about an 18% increase in my fuel economy! I hate this because I know I can do better. Hopefully in the next few tanks I'll give it another try.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Congrats congrats. :smile:

[BailOut]

Update......
40.56 mpg on last tank- finally!!

42.778 MPG this tank.

Things I did different:
..55 MPH on the highway
..Very slow accelerations
..Extremely light on the throttle
..No neutral, except a few instances

I managed this despite making several short trips down the street with my girlfriend and various junk in the boot (moved into a new place).

Spectacle: There's no fuel saving mod out there that will help you, otherwise we'd all have it and be ranting and raving about how great it is...

It's been said before - the best mod is yourself. The way you drive your car has the most direct effect on your gas mileage. I modified my driving style and managed about an 18% increase in my fuel economy! I hate this because I know I can do better. Hopefully in the next few tanks I'll give it another try.

Thanks for the help everyone!

Well done, both of you! :clap: And well said, Sodium Duck.

[Sodium Duck]

40.70MPG this tank. I did a 180ish mile trip on the highway at about 80MPH, and the rest I barely hypermiled. Sweet.

[scape]

also make sure your air filter is clean and installed properly. I drove around after hitting up the dealership for an oil change, etc.. and I kept hearing my airbox sounding like it was hallow. At first I thought it was simply a new air filter with less restriction, but the hallowness turned to howling at midrange rpm's, finally when I got a chance to check under the hood it turns out the airbox was completely open! :eek:
luckily the airfilter was jammed the hell into the top where the air gets sucked into the engine, but if it had fallen out my engine probably would have been ruined in no time. moral of the story is people suck and are lazy.

well, actually that's not the moral, but still true-- the deal is I ended up getting a huge hit on gas from that, and ended up with an average of under 32mpg, from my usual 35sh. All from a few days of this airbox conundrum. So the filter plays a huge part in gas mileage, and a clean and happy airfilter+box is a clean and happy car.

[1stToyota]

I've already done the math and shown it to you. That you choose not to believe it is your prerogative, but it doesn't change the facts. 7 seconds has been tested, tried and found be true time and again.

I saw math on a DIY project, but not everybody will be able to or want to buy a starter and put it on themselves...might have to refigure your math to include towing, retail pricing and labor.

Oh, and O'Reilly Auto Parts is my favorite place to order parts from, but my average was a little different than the $120.00 that you listed.

w/ Cold Climate Package: $107.97
w/o Cold Climate Package: $264.59

...and those are the cheap prices, not the national suggested retail prices.

[1stToyota]

i think of it as....well the yaris gets better mileage than my last car...thats good enough for me. why can you all be happy getting high 30s?

...or low 40s here, and this is with actually driving on a highway at 60+ mph, and never having old ladies flip me off for driving too slow for them. :wink: