Need tips on saving gas WHILE delivering pizzas

[dchurchwell]

Hey guys, new to the forum, been lurking the last week. Just bought my yaris a week ago and did not know how to drive a stick beforehand. I am still getting the hang of it. I deliver pizzas for a busy company and make good money by getting around quickly, but I want to maximize my earnings by saving gas. Do you guys have any tips in particular for a pizza delivery driver who must be quick but gas efficient. Right now I focus on shifting to 5th gear as soon as possible while giving as a little gas as possible, coasting to stops, anticipating red lights (i know the timing of all the lights in my town), cutting off the engine to coast into stops, parking where i dont have to reverse out, and things of that nature.

thanks

[nemelek]

Maximizing earnings might mean that you are willing to drive faster and spend more on gas.

[R2D2]

Welcome to YW, OP!

Sounds like you're covering most of the things that would balance speed and efficiency.

I would add making sure your tires are properly inflated, using lower viscosity oils (Yaris is back spec'd to 0W-20 currently), minimizing AC use and minimizing the weight carried in the car to name some others.

R2

[R2D2]

BTW, the Yaris must make a great vehicle in your line of work. I would be very interested in how many miles a week you put on the car and what type of fuel mileage you are getting under delivery conditions.

Thanks,

R2

[swidd]

Take out the back seat and spare tire. This will have a big impact, and also allow you much faster acceleration

[dchurchwell]

Thanks for the interest guys. i looked into removing the seats but have never done any kind of DIY carwork. About how long would it take to reinstall the seats if i need them? Will my local Big 10 tires carry 0w-20 oil?

I dont have a scan gauge but last time i didnt quite fill up and I still have a bar above the halfway line and i just hit 200 miles. Still a bit of a lead foot when it comes to putting it in 1st and 2nd...fear of stalling. Will update with more accurate mpg.

[dchurchwell]

also right now it is the slow season right before summer, so i am putting on around 400 miles a week but in a month i will be putting on a 1000 a week!

[Astroman]

I've used and currently use my Yaris for part-time pizza delivery, and yes it is the perfect car for pizza, and you can fit a lot of pizza in there at once.

Most of the things mentioned will help A LOT. Like they say keep the weight down, and don't use the AC, keep those tires inflated, 0w-20 (used this myself) etc.

Some other things that will help but cost $$ (so factoring in the FE savings/price of the part you'll need to factor) are NST Lite series pulleys. For the biggest bang just go with the crank pulley. You can get them @ micro image or search the classifieds and you can pick one up used for a good price. You can also get a lightweight battery, carbon fiber hood, light wheels, etc. I also noticed an increase in MPG by putting the 1.8l corolla throttle body on. I believe the reason my FE went up is I didn't have to give it as much gas to get up to speed.

You should post a pic of your Yaris with the car topper on, and I'll do the same with mine :biggrin:

Oh, welcome to the forum!!!!!!

[marcus]

eat all the pizza for weight reduction..........lol' dont hate a playah....

[dchurchwell]

Update...the yaris now has 3 seats. I was going to take out both seats but the small "40" seat has a messed up torx bolt. I'm going to try to find a gator grip or something to be able to remove the last bolt. Although i don't mind having the option of a 3rd person hopping in. Will having one seat on the left side disrupt the balance of the car? I figure i add 170lbs to the driver side so probably not. Changed to 0w-20 oil.

[Revsson]

Update...the yaris now has 3 seats. I was going to take out both seats but the small "40" seat has a messed up torx bolt. I'm going to try to find a gator grip or something to be able to remove the last bolt. Although i don't mind having the option of a 3rd person hopping in. Will having one seat on the left side disrupt the balance of the car? I figure i add 170lbs to the driver side so probably not. Changed to 0w-20 oil.

How about some pics? :smile:

[HTM Yaris]

According to "Mythbusters" , if you can plan your route to have all right hand turns your will save gas b/c you don't have to wait for opposing traffic . Mythbusters proved that even though the distance traveled was further ,less fuel was consumed .

Oh yeah 1 last thing ..... pics please

[daf62757]

Cost down hills and when possible build speed up gradually going down hills before going up a hill. Let gravity work for you.

[mazilla]

Run 1,000 psi in your tires....




:rolleyes: :wink:



Seriously tho, tire pressure is crucial...as well as keeping your gas pedal off the floor. Also, when you said cutting off the engine coasting to stops I assume that means a parking spot and not red lights, etc?

[why?]

Update...the yaris now has 3 seats. I was going to take out both seats but the small "40" seat has a messed up torx bolt. I'm going to try to find a gator grip or something to be able to remove the last bolt. Although i don't mind having the option of a 3rd person hopping in. Will having one seat on the left side disrupt the balance of the car? I figure i add 170lbs to the driver side so probably not. Changed to 0w-20 oil.

i had that happen to me, stop in on some body shops, likely they will have someone able to yank it out. I tried a ton of places, but in general they were all clueless.

Also don't forget to take out the seat belt and the other hardware as well.

[NZ-FE Vios]

I deliver in mine, frequently top 100 miles a day, drive quickly, leave the a/c on, to be honest most of the time I leave it running, worst I've done is 25mpg . I also calculate mpg every tank. Can't wait until its not so hot and I can ride with the windows down.

[A-Dingo-Ate-My-Baby]

the info above is sound

1) remove all dead weight in the car
2) pump tires as hard as you can stand it
3) plan all routes like UPS, make right hand turns only as much as legally possible
4) coast on all downgrades, hills, and coming to a stop
5) accelerate slowly

still, the amount you save, will it be worth it ? stop-n-go delivery is the #1 worse gas mileage job
a car can do, you will be lucky to save a dollars worth in a full tank doing all the above steps.

[NZ-FE Vios]

the info above is sound

1) remove all dead weight in the car
2) pump tires as hard as you can stand it
3) plan all routes like UPS, make right hand turns only as much as legally possible
4) coast on all downgrades, hills, and coming to a stop
5) accelerate slowly

still, the amount you save, will it be worth it ? stop-n-go delivery is the #1 worse gas mileage job
a car can do, you will be lucky to save a dollars worth in a full tank doing all the above steps.

Dependent on the grade you could save more than a buck on number four, while legality issues may occur in certain states. I get 28 when I'm just a bit more reserved.

[Dadams]

I know this thread died but I deliver pizza as well. at pizza hut we get a 1.25 per delivery we take towards our mileage. on a really good night I take 10 if not 15 deliveries. putting into account that right now at current gas prices (not sure how it is in your neck of the woods but in Texas its 3.13 where I live.) It costs approximately 30 dollars give or take to fill it from empty. Now starting at a full tank and taking 10-15 deliveries I usually only use a quarter of my tank if that. Now having 15 or so dollars towards my gas I go to top my tank off and it only comes to seven or so dollars. So in theory just by driving a yaris I've increased my daily income due to its amazing gas mileage. Of course this will vary from person to person based on corporate policies. But in any-case what I guess I'm trying to say is just by driving a yaris you are already saving money. I used to deliver in my Grand Prix GTS which was a V6 supercharged, dont ever do that I went through gas like it was no bodies business :P

[Yaristeve]

I know this thread died but I deliver pizza as well. at pizza hut we get a 1.25 per delivery we take towards our mileage. on a really good night I take 10 if not 15 deliveries. putting into account that right now at current gas prices (not sure how it is in your neck of the woods but in Texas its 3.13 where I live.) It costs approximately 30 dollars give or take to fill it from empty. Now starting at a full tank and taking 10-15 deliveries I usually only use a quarter of my tank if that. Now having 15 or so dollars towards my gas I go to top my tank off and it only comes to seven or so dollars. So in theory just by driving a yaris I've increased my daily income due to its amazing gas mileage. Of course this will vary from person to person based on corporate policies. But in any-case what I guess I'm trying to say is just by driving a yaris you are already saving money. I used to deliver in my Grand Prix GTS which was a V6 supercharged, dont ever do that I went through gas like it was no bodies business :P

Ummm, well, I guess when you're young and money in your pocket "right now" is important then you're right. But you need to calculate all your costs to see if you're really coming out ahead in the long run. Such as maintenance, insurance, interest on loan, and depreciation. This is how the IRS calculates the cost/mile for tax purposes (which is what your Pizza Hut is probably using).

OTOH, off hand, I would say that because the Yaris is so cheap, cheap to insure, and gets above average gas mileage, you probably are coming out ahead.

[Dadams]

yeah I do pay my insurance and my car payments but I got super lucky and got 2.9% financing on my car. And maintenance? on a yaris its almost non-existent haha. I was just saying in my scenario I end up making money off my car because I never use all of my mileage money. In any case none of thats important because the yaris is awesome all the way around. case closed :P haha

[daf62757]

I know this thread died but I deliver pizza as well. at pizza hut we get a 1.25 per delivery we take towards our mileage. on a really good night I take 10 if not 15 deliveries. putting into account that right now at current gas prices (not sure how it is in your neck of the woods but in Texas its 3.13 where I live.) It costs approximately 30 dollars give or take to fill it from empty. Now starting at a full tank and taking 10-15 deliveries I usually only use a quarter of my tank if that. Now having 15 or so dollars towards my gas I go to top my tank off and it only comes to seven or so dollars. So in theory just by driving a yaris I've increased my daily income due to its amazing gas mileage. Of course this will vary from person to person based on corporate policies. But in any-case what I guess I'm trying to say is just by driving a yaris you are already saving money. I used to deliver in my Grand Prix GTS which was a V6 supercharged, dont ever do that I went through gas like it was no bodies business :P

I used to delver pizzas back in the day, and I think you are forgetting to include a number of other factors in your cost calculations. The cost of oil replacement, insurance, tires wear, wipers, window washer fluid, and the most important cost....deprecation of the car that your usage is causing. You are putting more miles on your car than you would in another non delivery type job.

I doubt you will be doing this job long. Most delivery jobs don't last long but if so, put some money away for vehicle replacement because you eventually have to replace the car.

[Dadams]

+1

well put :thumbsup:

[The Sin]

I delivered for the past 5 years with a yaris. I would usually get around 30-32mpg on average. Most was in-town driving, lots of stop-n-go's. Now I'm a courier for a medical company, so I'm doing mostly highway miles. I'm getting 40-44mpg, and make much better money.

[wizzle]

but that car topper killed me i was averaging 39.5 mpg doing about 400 miles delivering a week i put that car topper on and this last month its dropped to 37.4 mpg if you can get away with out wearing your car topper do it it acts like an air brake and just drags your car.




love the yaris for delivery had 4 jobs delivering with this car and love the money i save over other employees

[jayeh]

love the yaris for delivery had 4 jobs delivering with this car and love the money i save over other employees

Totally unrelated but I know a guy who delivers pizza in a Tundra! :eek:

[nookandcrannycar]

Totally unrelated but I know a guy who delivers pizza in a Tundra! :eek:

Got to be serving remote rough terrain and charging up the wazoo for delivery OR someone else is paying for the gas :iono:.

[bebeelo]

i didnt realize how many people drive their yaris to deliver pizza. looks like im not the only one lol.

[jayeh]

i didnt realize how many people drive their yaris to deliver pizza. looks like im not the only one lol.

It's the fleet vehicle of choice for any place that their own company vehicles for delivery.

[Absolutely Red 12]

Dont forget to deduct 55.5 cents per mile on your tax returns!!