WTF ? Now getting 43 mpg

[127.0.0.1]

Ok,

so as this thing breaks in the mpg keeps climbing.

I got 43 mpg in 50 miles yesterday going 55. not really
trying, just driving. going any faster I would not have gotten
to my destination any quicker (1 min), so I just loafed at 55 in a 55 zone.

2010 yaris 5 door HB, us, automatic, 1900 miles
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
scangauge is dead on. 5th fillup in a row no touching the offset.

offset is 2.9%, cutoff at 16.

[ozmdd]

Well done! Good evidence to support the "break-in" theory that's been floated around here. Thanks for the SG info.

[talnlnky]

now aim for 45... will be hard with cooler weather on the way.

My drives to work are usually in the 38-45 range now.... weather in the 40's (F) when I drive to work in the morning. This summer when weather was closer to 70 in the morning I was getting 48-55mpg.

Oh how I miss warm mornings.

I suspect my mpg increase I saw after buying my car was heavily due to changes in weather more than it was from wearing in..... Tho... i'm sure the pistons move a lil more easily after a few thousand miles have gone by.

[minicorolla]

I personally think it's a combo of breaking in and learning to drive correctly. I know that I've changed my driving style. Going down a hill at 70 and drifting off the throttle to 60, going up the next hill at sixty, choosing roads that allow going 45 out away from the nuts that can't go under 75. Do you think that some of the stuff you learned here sinks in as with me?

[Sodium Duck]

You should start keeping track of your overall gas mileage, you'll find it's much lower. On any given stretch of road, especially out in big flat states, it's easy to get 40 or 50 + MPG on a trip. Any car or truck can get awesome MPG's given the right conditions.

When I took a trip to Upstate New York a few years ago with my Ford Contour, I got MPG's at least 5MPG more than normal -- it was just big open flat 55MPH zones, for hundreds of miles in each direction with no turns, stop signs, or traffic lights.

What counts, in my mind at least, is your lifetime average. Or at least your best full tank average. Last year my car averaged 37.01MPG overall. With a high of 42.88MPG over one tank, and a low of 29.39MPG over one tank.

And I'm just going to say it -- I think the whole breaking in thing is a farse. I have detailed records of all my fillups, every single drop of gas, and I haven't seen any increases. The car now has almost 20K miles. The biggest thing that helped create any noticeable difference has been increasing my tire pressure. I haven't noticed any big jumps in MPG at 1K, 5K, 10K, and coming soon -- 20K.

[Indianspringsaz]

You should start keeping track of your overall gas mileage, you'll find it's much lower. On any given stretch of road, especially out in big flat states, it's easy to get 40 or 50 + MPG on a trip. Any car or truck can get awesome MPG's given the right conditions.

When I took a trip to Upstate New York a few years ago with my Ford Contour, I got MPG's at least 5MPG more than normal -- it was just big open flat 55MPH zones, for hundreds of miles in each direction with no turns, stop signs, or traffic lights.

What counts, in my mind at least, is your lifetime average. Or at least your best full tank average. Last year my car averaged 37.01MPG overall. With a high of 42.88MPG over one tank, and a low of 29.39MPG over one tank.

And I'm just going to say it -- I think the whole breaking in thing is a farse. I have detailed records of all my fillups, every single drop of gas, and I haven't seen any increases. The car now has almost 20K miles. The biggest thing that helped create any noticeable difference has been increasing my tire pressure. I haven't noticed any big jumps in MPG at 1K, 5K, 10K, and coming soon -- 20K.
Synthetic oil will help too. I think it is worth .6 to 1.5 MPG. The biggest improvement will come from timing street lights and taking your foot of the gas a little sooner. Start by trying this. Take your foot of the peddle 20 meters sooner when coming to a stop. You will be able to increase this distance after you you see how far these cars will coast without losing speed.

[Sodium Duck]

Agree with increased coasting times, and anticipating stops sooner than later.

I didn't notice any appreciable difference in switching to Amsoil synthetic 5w20 oil.

[eTiMaGo]

all about speed and driving style... I recently got a scangauge so I can finally get an on-the-spot report of fuel usage and yes, cruising steadily in top gear doesn't really use much fuel, and all the tips and tricks in this forum really can make a difference :thumbsup:

[Wattz]

I have pretty good conditions on my commute. It's about 40 miles, littered with stop lights. I would say on a good drive I have to stop for about 30% of the lights. The speed limit ranges from 45 to 55mph at different times. I usually do the limit +5. Even with the occasional stop and go, I've been getting 40-43mpg.

I guess my point is that you don't really have to TRY to get good gas mileage. The car isn't made to go fast to begin with. There is no point in going fast. The car also isn't going to intimidate anyone out of your way. There is no point in playing the "me first" game. The car is light enough to coast for miles. When you have a long lead on a light up ahead, you can DFCO for the longest time.

All that said, I think one of the things I hate most is when one person is totally ignoring the flow of traffic. I came up on a Prius doing 55 in a 75mph stretch of interstate. He was putting lives in danger for the sake of his fuel mileage. I think that is super selfish and incredibly dangerous.

First priority is to go along with traffic to avoid confusion and accidents. Second is to watch out for the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph. Third is to obey the law. Fourth is to be wary of mileage and wear and tear.

Be SAFE on the road. Yaris mileage is phenomenal without hypermiling.

[BailOut]

Hello Wattz,

Everything was going good until your 3rd paragraph.

All that said, I think one of the things I hate most is when one person is totally ignoring the flow of traffic. I came up on a Prius doing 55 in a 75mph stretch of interstate. He was putting lives in danger for the sake of his fuel mileage. I think that is super selfish and incredibly dangerous.
If the Prius driver was in the right hand lane and there is no minimum speed limit in that area then they did absolutely nothing wrong. I respect your opinion that you dislike their action, but please be aware that your opinion means no more than theirs does. If you don't like it, pass on the left.


First priority is to go along with traffic to avoid confusion and accidents. Second is to watch out for the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph. Third is to obey the law. Fourth is to be wary of mileage and wear and tear.
I disagree with your prioritization, and so do both the NTSB and the private studies done by insurance companies. Without fail they found that speeding plays a factor in the vast majority of accidents, regardless of other factors that may also be present, such as DUI. As such the greatest threat on the road is "the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph".

I would place obeying the law next. I do not care what you are doing, as I have no control over you. The same goes for everyone else on the road. What I do have control over is what I do, and I choose to obey the speed limit and all other traffic regulations. Not only is this the right thing to do, which is enough of a reason for me by itself, but I also have no interest at all in the stress of being pulled over, or the time to attend court and/or a driving course, nor the expense of such and other fines, let alone the potential for an increase in insurance premiums, just so you can get to work 3 minutes faster (studies across the decades have consistently shown that the timing difference between law abiding motorists and speed demons is around 5 minutes per hour, and you have a 40 minute commute).

The wear and tear argument you included is paradoxical in that smooth driving at a moderate speed (55 MPH or lower in the Yaris) is easier on a car than any amount of stop and go, and even restarting a warm engine is easier on the vehicle than idling for more than just a few seconds.

Yaris mileage is phenomenal without hypermiling.
I would say the Yaris' mileage "out of the box" is good, but certainly not phenomenal. It also helps you greatly that you live in a flat area with a warm climate. Come drive in my mountainous region with 4 seasons and 400 inches of annual precipitation, and throw in carpoolers, etc., and your outlook will rapidly change.

Hypermiling will add considerably to your MPG regardless of where you live, though. You could easily be at 50+ for most of the year.

[Yaris Hilton]

Well said, Brian.

[2+2]

Well said, Brian.

Well opinions are like a-holes and I've got one. :biggrin:

I try to go with the flow of traffic and I wish everyone else would too. It might be perfectly legal to tool along on an expressway at 45 mph but when everyone else is doing 70 I don't think it's very smart.

When every car on the road is moving along at pretty much the same speed it's much, much safer imho.

[daf62757]

Well opinions are like a-holes and I've got one. :biggrin:

I try to go with the flow of traffic and I wish everyone else would too. It might be perfectly legal to tool along on an expressway at 45 mph but when everyone else is doing 70 I don't think it's very smart.

When every car on the road is moving along at pretty much the same speed it's much, much safer imho.

And some opinions are like a-holes and they stink!

I agree with you. The flow of traffic maintains a steady speed and safe flow for everyone. Having one guy slow down can....emphasize can....create a safety concern for the 99.9% of drivers who are accustomed to driving 75 in the 55 zone.

I am all for driving a speed that allows you to maximize your mileage, but in some interstate conditions, it is a safety concern.

[why?]

the only safety concern is usually the morons that are going too fast. Now every single commuting environment I've been is has a tendency to stop suddenly with zero warning. Its easier to do that when you are going slowly, then when you are going to fast. Speed kills, and proving otherwise is almost impossible in every condition.

[2+2]

the only safety concern is usually the morons that are going too fast. Now every single commuting environment I've been is has a tendency to stop suddenly with zero warning. Its easier to do that when you are going slowly, then when you are going to fast. Speed kills, and proving otherwise is almost impossible in every condition.

Do you realize that if this were a perfect world I'd be a doctor/scientist and you'd be my patient and I'd remove the top of your skull with a saw so I could check the wiring? lmao You see the world very differently than I do. :smile:

[supmet]

I disagree with your prioritization, and so do both the NTSB and the private studies done by insurance companies. Without fail they found that speeding plays a factor in the vast majority of accidents, regardless of other factors that may also be present, such as DUI. As such the greatest threat on the road is "the idiots who want to go 75mph while every one else is going 55mph".

Someone speeding when they get in an accident isn't proof of causation. It "plays a factor" - well no duh. Music choice on the radio "plays a factor"

If you can't see that tailgating is far more dangerous and causes more accidents than speeding, I would question your fundamental understanding of driving and traffic patterns.(and yes I do question the NTSB and insurance companies..) If speed CAUSED accidents, the daytona 500 would be quite a messy affair...

And please don't regress to personal attacks and calling people who want to speed idiots.

[BailOut]

And please don't regress to personal attacks and calling people who want to speed idiots.
Please read more carefully. I was paraphrasing the previous poster.

[supmet]

Please read more carefully. I was paraphrasing the previous poster.

but reading hypermiling propaganda makes my head hurt :(

[daf62757]

the only safety concern is usually the morons that are going too fast. Now every single commuting environment I've been is has a tendency to stop suddenly with zero warning. Its easier to do that when you are going slowly, then when you are going to fast. Speed kills, and proving otherwise is almost impossible in every condition.

If you were to go on a major interstate loop that is moving at 75 MPH and try to slow down to 55, you would become a hazard to the majority of drivers. It has nothing to do with being a moron or not being one. It has to do with driving in a major metro area where driving with the flow of traffic is safer for you than attempting to drive the lower speed limit.

[woof]

I've been running full synthetic for 35K miles and once I passed 50K miles I had a jump in mpg I really don't understand. My 5-speed gets 38 to 40 mpg and I'm no saint for letting it out in 2nd and 3rd.

Before 50K I was getting 34.5 to 37.

[daf62757]

I've been running full synthetic for 35K miles and once I passed 50K miles I had a jump in mpg I really don't understand. My 5-speed gets 38 to 40 mpg and I'm no saint for letting it out in 2nd and 3rd.

Before 50K I was getting 34.5 to 37.


You give all all of us great hope! I have had a few +40 MPG tanks, but mainly in the 37 to 39MPG. I have under 25K but now I am looking forward to see what happens when I turn the golden mark.

[churp]

The arguments havent changed in the last 2+ years!!!

Synthetic oil/highest tire pressure you're comfortable with/conservative driving ... will keep most people happy with their mpg's. I averaged 38.4 mpg the first 50k.

Peronally I keep with the flow of traffic especially in long stretches of no passing zones...idiots behind get frustrated.

[deerebilt]

i usually drive 50 mph unless traffic cannot safely get around. my 08 yaris S 5sp now has 32k mi bought new 3-10-08. use oem toyota 5w-30 oil and oem filters change oil every 3-4k mi. all summer got 51 mpg overall avg is 45.4 mpg. i tell my wife i am making up for all my hotrodding and street racing i did in my 20"s. i am now 47

[mr9865]

i usually drive 50 mph unless traffic cannot safely get around. my 08 yaris S 5sp now has 32k mi bought new 3-10-08. use oem toyota 5w-30 oil and oem filters change oil every 3-4k mi. all summer got 51 mpg overall avg is 45.4 mpg. i tell my wife i am making up for all my hotrodding and street racing i did in my 20"s. i am now 47

50 is way to slow, get out the way!

[127.0.0.1]

And I'm just going to say it -- I think the whole breaking in thing is a farse. I have detailed records of all my fillups, every single drop of gas, and I haven't seen any increases.


incorrect.

post break-in there is an increase in efficiency

[Sodium Duck]

Prove it.

[DevilGirl]

incorrect.

post break-in there is an increase in efficiency

Dependent upon many variables: driving style, conditions, hills vs. no hills, was there a change in driving habits from pre-break in to post-break in period?

I too have not seen an increase in efficiency. Conditions are pretty much the same (varied only slightly, depending if I take this road for a mile or that road for a mile to get to my house). Driving habits, actually have improved, but this is offset by the fact that I have a very hilly ride to and from work M-F (no better route to take, unfortunately, it's either the hills, or deal with construction that has what used to be a 4-lane road down to 2 lanes, and moves at a snails pace).

[YarisOwnersDad]

My experience has been that there was no gain in MPG as the car was breaking-in. The graph below represents every single tank of gas that has been run through my car since the dealer filled it on day one, which was April 13, 2009. The last data point was when the odometer was reading 12,701 miles.

The high points on the graph were for fill-ups during long trips.

Gassavers must include only the most recent several tanks when it calculates overall MPG average, because my spreadsheet at home tells me that my overall average is 38.21 MPG, not the 38.69 MPG shown below.


http://www.itsajeep.org/vBulletin/gallery/files/5/MPGChart_original.png

[127.0.0.1]

Prove it.

nah, I will graciously let you prove me wrong.

That way you can take all the credit.

[why?]

nah, I will graciously let you prove me wrong.

That way you can take all the credit.

rofl, the so called engine break in period is done at the factories nowadays.

[127.0.0.1]

rofl, the so called engine break in period is done at the factories nowadays.

yeah BUT


---New vehicles will not obtain their optimal fuel economy until the engine has broken in. This may take 3-5 thousand miles.---



Now, the above statement is written after over 100 years of mechanical engineering science and also data from all vehicle and engine manufacturers up to 2009. And it is found on http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/factors.shtml.

I also am a very successful motorcycle racer, and have built and torn down many an engine. I am also a mechanical engineer, and have been one for over 30 years. I build machine tools for a major defense contractor and turbine engine manufacturer. I do know precision metallurgy and how lubricants work. I do know just a teeny bit about engine and materials science and was not born yesterday. I also build and operate my own 7 1/2 g live steam locomotives as a hobby, [besides racing motorcycles]. So tell me something stupid about engine break in, and I will call you out.

Proof ? will take a week of engineering classes...but I can't fix stupid, so maybe that won't do any good either.


FACT- one she loosens up from 'out of the box' it will get optimal mileage, and that will take several dozen
severe cycles to do the loosening. Your mileage will vary.

Don't forget brake drag. new pads and rotors may have a small bit of drag that also loosens up over time. my whole
point is, I am surprised for a 35 mpg vehicle how easy it is to get 41-43. the percentage gain is huge. only a tiny
smidge of this is break-in looseness. I was 41 max, now I get 43. I surely believe those 2 mpg are the break-in mpg.
I make the exact same 400 mile trip with the exact same gross vehicle weight every weekend... so I have a good test bed.





Ohhh... now lets get into an internet fight about the whole thing. I am way too tired to attempt a fruitless
bitchslap over tcp/ip. internet arguments never work. so keep believing what you believe.

[Sodium Duck]

Wow, so impressed.

Here's my ACTUAL DATA (keywords) to back up what I am saying. Where's my big amazing jump in fuel economy at 3-5K miles?

Things to note:
1. When I initially drove the car, I knew nothing about hypermiling.
2. I started to read about hypermiling on this forum and have tried a lot of different things to increase my MPG.
3. My commute is usually just going to work -- but I do take trips on the highway every couple of months or so.
4. I bought an ecometer recently which has helped me find tune my MPG even more.
5. There is no appreciable increase or decrease in MPG -- except as reflected by winter months and increased use of defroster and remote starter.

So again ... prove it! Where's your records of fuel usage?

[Sodium Duck]

my whole
point is, I am surprised for a 35 mpg vehicle how easy it is to get 41-43. the percentage gain is huge. only a tiny
smidge of this is break-in looseness. I was 41 max, now I get 43. I surely believe those 2 mpg are the break-in mpg.
I make the exact same 400 mile trip with the exact same gross vehicle weight every weekend... so I have a good test bed.

So you discovered how easy it is to hypermile in this vehicle and attribute your increase to, "break in?" As you said, we can all believe what we want to believe. But my data suggests there is nothing.

[127.0.0.1]

*YAWN*......ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Sodium Duck]

LoL, you are so cool.

[Sandwash]

What am I doing wrong in consistently getting 36 mpg? Maybe regularly traveling at 75 mph per speed limit as generally indicated on primary so. Az roadways?
Congrats for all getting beyond expected mpg for yaris, of course. For comparison purposes it would be useful to include guesstimate of av. speed thru time, in addition to mpg.
--thanks.

[Sodium Duck]

I had to fight really hard (for my road types, terrain, etc.) to get my MPG up past 40.

Mid to upper 30's is what I usually get, and seems to be about the norm with prudent driving. You're not doing anything wrong. If you did 55 on those roads, you would easily bump up past 40, but that's probably not safe, eh?

[Yaris Hilton]

Yep, your fuel consumption goes up pretty fast as your speed does.

[why?]

What am I doing wrong in consistently getting 36 mpg? Maybe regularly traveling at 75 mph per speed limit as generally indicated on primary so. Az roadways?
Congrats for all getting beyond expected mpg for yaris, of course. For comparison purposes it would be useful to include guesstimate of av. speed thru time, in addition to mpg.
--thanks.

Things to try: check your tire pressure, low pressure kills mpg; pretend there is a hand grenade beneath your gas pedal, the slower you accelerate the less gas you burn accelerating; DFCO is your friend, take your foot off the gas as much as possible and just coast in gear; try using the ac as little as possible, as it sucks up gas too; slower is always better, just because the limit is 75 doesn't mean you should do it, it is a limit, not a speed suggestion.

[bzinn 1]

Now that my car HB Yaris has gotten broken in(22000miles)with stock intake,exhaust and tires and wheels on it I am gettign constant readings of 40-42mpg.

In the spring when the intake,exhaust,and 17s go back on I am hoping it stays in the 35mpg range,last year it was in the 32mpg range with them on,and although still decent I enjoy my 40+mpg right now.

[why?]

are your stocks the 14's or 15's? 17's kill mpg like you wouldn't believe.

[docB]

Does anyone shut the engine off at longer stops? I shut down if the lights have just turned red. I never hold up traffic for the sake of a drop of gas. Safety first. If you aren't moving and the crank is turning...zero miles per gallon.

I never hold up traffic driving 5 under either. I always try to at least maintain the posted speed limit on highways, too. This Yaris has also broken at least one major speed limit sign...
doc

[Yaris Hilton]

I don't shut it off at traffic lights, but do in drive-through lines.

[127.0.0.1]

7000 miles on the yaris now

on a 135 mile route, that I maxed 38.9 mpg at [600 miles on the yaris....]

in 'as close to identical conditions' (temp, winds, speed)... when I did it last night I got 41.1 mpg

tailwinds no, traffic same, car is 60 lbs heavier....