Only getting 22-23 MPG

[SWICKENSJR]

I know this is long so please bare with me and read it, I could really use some insight...

Ok, so I bought a used 2007 yaris sedan with 52,000mi (everything is stock except the aftermarket rims on the car look a little wider than what I've seen on other yarii) and have been watching the fuel economy from the get go. I fill up, reset the odometer at the gas station and drive away, when the last bar starts flashing I fill up again and divide the number of miles driven by the amount of gallons filled. But I've noticed that the last two tanks averaged were ONLY 22 and 23 mpg or about 220-230mi per tank?!? I'm seeing everyone getting 35-40 mpg and it's stressing me out that something is wrong with my car. I had it in the shop right when I got it for a fresh oil change and had the toyota dealer do a "gas 1" fuel system cleaning treatment or whatever it's called. The car seems to drive fine and doesn't seem to drag or hesitate and has no CEL. The alignment does seem to pull to the right a little though.

My driving habits are as follows:

I only drive 4 - 2.5mile trips a day during the week -- First at 5AM (2.5 miles to work) then at 11AM (2.5 miles back home for lunch), 12PM (back to work), and 5PM (home). During these trips it's all city driving with about 7-8 lights in between. I'm not super slow from lights but I never let RPMS go much above 2000 (maybe 2500 on occassion) when accelerating from a light and dont go above 40 mph. It's been cold for southern california lately, ever since I got the car, about 45-50F in the morning when I leave, but I only let the car warm till the RPMs drop to 1000-1100 and then drive (usually 30 seconds to a minute). The weekend I probably only drive another 10-20 miles doing various things.

So I know short trips are bad for MPG especially in cold weather but could how I'm driving really affect my gas mileage THAT MUCH? I mean 220-230 miles on a tank is insanely low!

It's seems crazy to me and quite frankly I'm worryin. Any help is very much appreciated! :help:

[WeeYari]

You need to get that thing out on the open road. I mean a good long pure free-flowing highway road trip. Car needs to be able to stretch it's legs every now and then.

Short trips are bad yes, but 2.5 miles is ridiculous. If you really think about it, 30 percent of your engine run time is probably spent while car is not moving.

[redglare45]

22 -23 is pretty low.
- Since it's colder, have you been using your defroster more than before? That can affect your fuel economy.

Other things that come to mind:
- Perhaps check the air filter to make sure it's clean.
- Tire inflation: check that they aren't low.
- What MPG were you getting before you noticed the change to 22-23 mpg's?
- The aftermarket rims might affect the mpg's too. I used to have 17 inch rims and
would only get about 32 - 34 mpg.

[redglare45]

+ 1 on what WeeYari said.

[SWICKENSJR]

I only bought the car about 2 months ago. It has had this fuel economy since the day I bought it and started recording it. I was excited to see what I could get and am disappointed to say the least. I know that short trips are bad (espec 4 different 2.5 mile trips from a cold start a day) and that I am probably stopped just like you said 30% of the time but could that really affect it THAT much? I can't even find one person online who says they can only get 220 miles out of a tank.

I haven't used the defroster or AC even once.

[WeeYari]

When you consider that optimum fuel efficiency is achieved while cruising at ~45mph, you'll see that your car is never being given a chance to even briefly see that. It really does all come down to how the car is being used, and in this case it appears to be nothing but idle, accelerate, stop, idle, accelerate, stop...(repeat for every stop light).

Get some highway runs in. Some good hard runs to blow out some carbon (Italian tune-up), and monitor what your fuel efficiency is during some of these.

[SWICKENSJR]

Ok, well that does make sense. Even though it still seems really low for any conditions but I'm not very knowledgable about cars so who am I to say. I did test it and drove to a friend's house in Los Angeles and back (about 90 miles) and filled up right after and got an average 33-34 MPG but I was going 80MPH the whole way.

I guess I'm just paranoid that there is some underlying issue that isn't setting off the CEL but is affecting the car. Is there any diagnostics that Toyota could do for me that would tell me if everything was working fine like the engine and transmission and everything?

[WeeYari]

got an average 33-34 MPG but I was going 80MPH the whole way

Now that is pretty much right on the money for the average driver.

[Altitude]

Now that is pretty much right on the money for the average driver.

Yup. That's what I get under those conditions.

[SWICKENSJR]

Thanks WeeYari I appreciate your advice alot man - you have no idea how much I'm stressing over this!

Is there anything mechanical that would cause it to get bad gas mileage only driving low rpms in the city and good mileage on the highway at higher rpms? and sorry to ask again but is there any kind of diagnostic tests for checking everything is good to go with the engine, tranny and all that?

[marcus]

im back to 35 mpg from 31 mpg with just changing bad driving habits

[WeeYari]

is there any kind of diagnostic tests for checking everything is good to go with the engine, tranny and all that?

OK, based on what I'm hearing, I'll hazard a guess that nothing is wrong with the car.

You do sound like an individual who would benefit from seeing real-time, the direct impact to mpg driving characteristics have. For this I would suggest investing in a Scangauge. You can pick one up for ~$200 I think, use it for a while, and resell it here on the forum. The $ difference between original purchase and resell of the gauge will be less than a diagnostic which will have probably told you the car is fine.

The above, however, is only my opinion.

[SWICKENSJR]

You do sound like an individual who would benefit from seeing real-time, the direct impact to mpg driving characteristics have. For this I would suggest investing in a Scangauge.

I've been thinking about that and looking into it. Now the thing that confuses me about these does the screen show what my car SHOULD be getting by the way I'm driving at the time or what the car is ACTUALLY getting as I drive? If you know what I mean.

[R2D2]

SWICKENSJR,

I highly doubt there is anything amiss with your car.

Under the conditions you mention the FE you're getting seems about right. 2.5 mile trips in cooler weather mean your car is almost never fully warmed up and mixed with city conditions is an FE killer.

The highway figures you posted also seem very reasonable. The advice to get a scan gauge or other such device is very sound and probably the single best way to improve your FE. Also, make sure your air filter is fresh and your tires are properly inflated.

R2

[nemelek]

Check your odometer. With different tires you might be recording more miles than you are actually driving.

[SWICKENSJR]

Thanks for replying R2D2 and it's good to hear that this sounds pretty normal. The MPG just seemed EXTREMELY low and it's a used car that I (stupidly) didn't get checked out by a mechanic before I bought it from the dealer so I was hoping nothing was wrong with it.

I am definitely going to get a scanguage ASAP. I found a local shop that sells them so I'll be getting one soon and putting it to use.

[SWICKENSJR]

Check your odometer. With different tires you might be recording more miles than you are actually driving.'

Wouldn't this mean I am getting even worse MPG than I think?

[WeeYari]

He got it backwards. I wouldn't focus too much on tire size. Any difference in diameter between what a person is rolling and OEM typically only amounts a maximum of +/- 3 percent.

[Klink10]

Maybe I missed it but is this an auto or 5 speed? If auto did you check to be sure you aren't in 3 instead of Drive?

[SWICKENSJR]

It's an auto and yes I'm definitely not driving in 3rd. I pop it down and not to the left ;) I read that thread and made sure I wasn't doing that already.

[Klink10]

Cool....hope you find out what the problem is.

[CtrlAltDefeat]

I didn't see if you mentioned what kind of wheels you have... you said they are wider, so I have to wonder about their weight. Wide,heavy wheels would seriously impact your FE. I know that chrome is one of the heaviest materials around, and some wheels are insanely heavy...

[sickpuppy1]

But realistically, if its being allowed to warm up a bit and then only going 2.5 miles, in which there are several stoplights, theres no way this thing can get 30+ mpg. idling during warm up is less than 0mpg, and then running through the gears from light to light is one of the worst time to get any mileage, even if your easy on it. Any car gets its best mileage when cruising, whether slow ,moderate or higher speeds . I'd say, yeah, its reasonable to expect 20-25 mpg in pure stop and go situations. If you were driving a SUV or something, you'd be appalled at the single digit figures you'd be getting in that same scenario...

[why?]

you should def look into getting lighter wheels and tires, but i don't think anything is wrong, you just don't drive enough to get decent gas mileage.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I'm assuming that the "cold engine" light never turns off in that short amount of miles driven at 5 in the morning. I believe the ECU dumps fuel until the engine is warmed up. Also, how much time are you spending idling?

Get yourself a SGII. I drive short distances as well, and I'll average 37-39 mpg in the city at the lowest (I've hit 60 mpg in the city before). And that's with my 17x7.5" rims. The Scan Gauge really helps you improve your driving technique to maximize fuel efficiency.

[Midnight Drifter]

Don't forget they switch to winter gas, that automatically drops MPG by 10%.

[alch3miss]

For just argument sake, I think you should get maybe a fuel injector cleaner like " sea foam" I heard is really good. And filter it through an entire tank- reset the odometer and see where you are. You should be doing better numbers than that.

[MadMax]

Folks, Orange, California is in the southern part of the state (think Orange County), and they've been having the same temperatures as we have here in southcentral Texas...lows in the upper 40s/low 50s and highs in the upper 70s; so I don't think it is the weather causing this!

And while you will get reduced mileage out of bigger, wider tires, it won't drop your MPGs down that far. I still get 35 MPG average out of Sprocket with the wheels in my avatar, and mine is an auto as well.

The issue has to be these extremely short commutes, there is just no way the car can run efficiently during this brief duration and with all the stoplights, the odds are against the OP.

Winter gas can be a factor as well as I usually see a 2-3 MPG decrease when they switch over here. There's nothing you can do about it so don't worry about it!

What the OP needs to do is take it out for a good, long drive! Go away on a day trip and see what kind of mileage you get during that. Fill it up before leaving, reset the odometer and fill it up again when you return and divide the number of miles driven by the amount of gas that you put in. I will bet you get in the mid-30s are well, maybe upper 30s depending on where you go.

Let me ask this, did you drive this same commute in a different car before your Yaris? If so, what kind of car was it, and what kind of gas mileage did you get?

Cheers! M2

[Midnight Drifter]

For just argument sake, I think you should get maybe a fuel injector cleaner like " sea foam" I heard is really good. And filter it through an entire tank- reset the odometer and see where you are. You should be doing better numbers than that.

Seafoam is bloody awesome.

[SWICKENSJR]

I'm going to be taking about a 100 mile all highway trip this upcoming saturday so I will record the mileage then and post that afterwards.

I just had a fuel injector treatment done by toyota that cost me $150 so is seafoam gonna make a difference at this point?

As for what I used to drive, it was a Ford F-150 Supercrew...MPG was the reason I got the smaller car. But come to think of it, I was tripping on the gas mileage with that too as I was only getting about 9-10 MPG. That was BRUTAL at $70-75 a fillup.

[thebarber]

i sat idling in the parking lot at the toyota nation meet last wednesday for a good 45min-1h since it was about -10C(14F) outside

i drove highway all the way home at about 120kph (75mph).

the first bar on my gas gauge that even in winter ill get 110km (~70miles) clicked to 7/8full at about the 75km mark (~46miles)

thats a 25% reduction in economy (despite the highway drive) just due to idling.

if you're only driving 2.5miles to/from work 4 times a day (which is what? like a 5min drive?) i don't have any doubt that you'd have shitty economy.

[MadMax]

I'm going to be taking about a 100 mile all highway trip this upcoming saturday so I will record the mileage then and post that afterwards.

Don't forget to fill up before and after to get the most accurate calculation!

I just had a fuel injector treatment done by toyota that cost me $150 so is seafoam gonna make a difference at this point?

No, because most likely the dealership charged you $150 to run an $8 can of SeaFoam through your car! :bonk:

As for what I used to drive, it was a Ford F-150 Supercrew...MPG was the reason I got the smaller car. But come to think of it, I was tripping on the gas mileage with that too as I was only getting about 9-10 MPG. That was BRUTAL at $70-75 a fillup.

If you were driving the same route in that, I am actually surprised you did that well with a F-150 Supercrew! Honestly, for such a short distance and considering you live somewhere where the weather is beautiful most of the year, have you ever considered either a bicycle or public transportation?

Cheers! M2

[SWICKENSJR]

What the OP needs to do is take it out for a good, long drive! Go away on a day trip and see what kind of mileage you get during that. Fill it up before leaving, reset the odometer and fill it up again when you return and divide the number of miles driven by the amount of gas that you put in. I will bet you get in the mid-30s are well, maybe upper 30s depending on where you go.


Well you were right on the money... Even with about 30 minutes of nasty traffic because of an accident in the rain the trip ended up being 37.83 mpg all highway at 65-70 max and a few short stops in between.

The short trips clearly are the answer and I'm glad to know at least. This also showed the difference from my last trip driving 80 the whole way and only averaging 33 as opposed to 70mph and almost 38mpg. Thanks for the advice and opinions.

[WeeYari]

:thumbsup:

[yaris2010RS]

i was getting very bad mpg too, which i found very odd seeing as my commute didnt change. when installing my deck i decided to unplug my battery and ground out the computer (unplug + side of battery and touch - side) i my mpg went back up to where it should be. im guessing too many aggressive drives taught my cpu how old to act

[KrazyDawg]

Thanks for replying R2D2 and it's good to hear that this sounds pretty normal. The MPG just seemed EXTREMELY low and it's a used car that I (stupidly) didn't get checked out by a mechanic before I bought it from the dealer so I was hoping nothing was wrong with it.

I am definitely going to get a scanguage ASAP. I found a local shop that sells them so I'll be getting one soon and putting it to use.
The EcoMeter also reports real-time MPG and average MPG. It runs about $60 compared to the $150 ScanGauge. microimage has it in their site and you would probably get it shipped in one day since it's coming from SoCal.

[GnomeBody]

I'm always suspicious of aftermarket rims and tires when I buy a car. Wider or heavier over the stock means more rolling resistance. It DEFIANTLY can affect MPG (even more so on light cars with small motors).

now that being said, if who ever picked out the rims/tires did there homework, it shouldn't be an issue.

More likely its a issue of Driving habits/patterns. Short trips with lots of Idling will kill MPG everytime.

IMO the sweet spot for high yaris MPG is inbetween 45 to 55mph. Its fast enough to get into the highest gear (in the automatic), but slow enough to keep the RPM's relatively low while cruising. The aerodynamic drag starts taxing you at higher speeds anyway.

(^^^ now granted if your on the highway this isnt practical)

[marcus]

maybe you drive a subaru impreza wrx..