Reasonable MPG or not?

[Nightangel451]

I brought my Yaris a little under a month ago and just filled my gas tank for the second time. I did my MPG calculation, and got 26. This is obviously lower than the average stated by Toyota. Does it fall in the realm of reasonable? Some things to note:

- It's been HOT here (hitting 100 F most days). The A/C in the car has been running pretty much constantly at mid-high levels.
- 95% of my driving has been "City" driving. This includes commuting 2 miles each way to my office. I calculated I stop-and-go an average of 6 times in that distance, one way.
- Car has 4800 miles total.

Thanks for any help/advice you can give. This forum is awesome; it already helped me realize the low coolant temp warning I was seeing was normal.

[edmscan]

I personally find that to be low .. but I pretty much never drive with the air conditioner on .. so I really don't know how much that affects your mileage. The one thing that I find helps .. is DFCO on the Yaris. All I know is that the Yaris is capable of some pretty good numbers so there is always room to improve.

[bentjazz]

I have around 13,000 miles on my Yaris, and am only now getting the kind of mileage that I expected when I first bought my car. I don't know why it's taken this long, but my best tank this summer was 38.36mpg and I haven't gotten below 37mpg this summer. I keep my tires inflated at around 40psi, keep my speed down as much as possible, and coast whenever possible. I'm betting your MPGs will go up as time progresses and as you become more comfortable with the car, particularly since you have a 5 speed. I'm getting my MPGs with an auto tranny....I can only imagine what I'd be getting now if I had a stick. My two big regrets in buying my Yaris---not buying a 5 speed manual and buying a black Yaris (hard to keep clean).....
Other than that, I'm happy.....

[edmscan]

My two big regrets in buying my Yaris---not buying a 5 speed manual and buying a black Yaris (hard to keep clean).....
Other than that, I'm happy.....

Interestingly . . I have a 5 speed and wish I had an Automatic (from what I have seen on the forum here .. the mileage is about the same) .. and I do have also a Black Yaris .. and I will have to agree, Black is a pain to keep clean. I think that white would have been a better color to have. :thumbsup:

[roadrunner]

"Does it fall in the realm of reasonable?"
YES, considering what you wrote.

[nookandcrannycar]

"Does it fall in the realm of reasonable?"
YES, considering what you wrote.

Wow! Other than tire psi, slower speed/acceleration, staying in the highest gear possible, limiting A/C.....what else are you doing to get the MPG numbers that you are getting?

[DJYojimbo]

If u have cruise control i would use it. I use my cruise control all the time time as long as i'm not too close to other drivers. The MPG gauge helps a lot too! :biggrin:

[bentjazz]

edmscan,
I hear ya. I really wish I would have bought a white or silver Yaris. Oh well, now I'm stuck with my black tinted window looks like a Batmobile for small people Yaris for the next 300,000 miles. Ha. I'm really not complaining, actually. All I really care about is reliability, and we've got it pretty good in that respect with the Yaris.

Nightangel,
Another thing I'd recommend is buying an Ecometer from MicroImage. I eyeball my Ecometer more than my center guage cluster. It's pretty addictive, actually. But in all reality, it helps to control ones fuel consumption in real time. And MicroImage is the cheapest you'll find for the Ecometer, so.....

[schume]

Being that you're complaining of 100 degree temps, you must be east of the Cascades :) Your commute is extremely short. Factoring in the other items, 26 is probably about right. You need a lot more miles on your car before you start getting better numbers. I didn't break 40MPG highway until around the 8000 mile mark. Take a few road trips and keep it around 60. :) I need to go to Montana next month, maybe you can drive me? Good excuse to get some break in miles on your car!

[b20vteg]

i get 40+ going 75-80mph. haven't gone over 80 yet, so not sure about 80 and beyond...

[Idahotom]

My last tank, using air much of the time and on my usual combo of rural and secondary roads along with a little 60 mph freeway driving came in a bit lower then normal. Only 41.86 MPG instead of mid 40's.... Trying to account for this I remembered several times while running around in town doing errands, and of course with the dog riding along, I had left it idling and with the air on! Yeah, terrible for a hyper miler, but even with the tinted windows and the Polar White, and the windows down, no way was I leaving him in the heat. Plus it was a good excuse (responsible pet owner) to keep my own sorry ass cooled down!

60K+ miles, 44 lbs air pressure in the tires, Scan Gauge, no spare/rear seat/hub caps/jack/any extra junk carried, and careful driving, and never over 65 mph! Usually barely 60 and mostly 50+ on the secondary roads.

[roadrunner]

Wow! Other than tire psi, slower speed/acceleration, staying in the highest gear possible, limiting A/C.....what else are you doing to get the MPG numbers that you are getting?

I do nearly everything possible. It would take pages to mention.
Some quick stuff............
Scanguage II
Grille block
No air ever
EOC often
Only use my Yaris to and from work, total mile 40, rolling hills
I drive off hours to and from work
Stay off the highway
oversized LRR tires at 44 psi
Coast up to lights and stop signs
I do not hold up traffic!
More stuff go to CleanMPG for tips on hypermiling
Roadrunner

[Kaotic Lazagna]

I've recently been driving with the A/C on since it's gotten pretty hot here, on fan speed of 2 and on recirculating. On the past three tanks with A/C usage, I've averaged no less than 40 mpg. With 40 mpg being 50/50 city/highway driving.

[nookandcrannycar]

If u have cruise control i would use it. I use my cruise control all the time time as long as i'm not too close to other drivers. The MPG gauge helps a lot too! :biggrin:

Unfortunately the '07 MT liftbacks (and possibly all '07s?) don't have the MPG gauge that the '12s have :mad:. I haven't added cruise control yet. Good to know you feel it helps re MPG. Thanks for the info:thumbsup:.

[edmscan]

According to my ScanGauge .. I get better fuel economy when I drive myself as compared to my cruise control. I haven't really gone for a long road trip to test this out .. but just viewing the scangauge info this appears to be the case.

[nookandcrannycar]

edmscan,
I hear ya. I really wish I would have bought a white or silver Yaris. Oh well, now I'm stuck with my black tinted window looks like a Batmobile for small people Yaris for the next 300,000 miles. Ha. I'm really not complaining, actually. All I really care about is reliability, and we've got it pretty good in that respect with the Yaris.

Nightangel,
Another thing I'd recommend is buying an Ecometer from MicroImage. I eyeball my Ecometer more than my center guage cluster. It's pretty addictive, actually. But in all reality, it helps to control ones fuel consumption in real time. And MicroImage is the cheapest you'll find for the Ecometer, so.....

Silver was my (unavailable) first choice re my Yaris, as I have found re my past experience that silver cars show dirt the least. However, after moving to SE Texas (after getting my Yaris) my next car and each one after that will be WHITE as long as the manufacturer makes what I want in white. I purchased a BLACK car new back in the 90s with NO A/C. I will NEVER make that mistake again.:biggrin:

[nookandcrannycar]

i get 40+ going 75-80mph. haven't gone over 80 yet, so not sure about 80 and beyond...

Great MPG considering your speed! I think those of us in areas where the metro is pretty flat (Phoenix, Houston, etc) have an easier time getting better MPG. I know personally that it was harder in the San Francisco Bay Area to reach 40 combined. You also have the added advantage of being at a higher elevation than most flat metros.

[nookandcrannycar]

My last tank, using air much of the time and on my usual combo of rural and secondary roads along with a little 60 mph freeway driving came in a bit lower then normal. Only 41.86 MPG instead of mid 40's.... Trying to account for this I remembered several times while running around in town doing errands, and of course with the dog riding along, I had left it idling and with the air on! Yeah, terrible for a hyper miler, but even with the tinted windows and the Polar White, and the windows down, no way was I leaving him in the heat. Plus it was a good excuse (responsible pet owner) to keep my own sorry ass cooled down!

60K+ miles, 44 lbs air pressure in the tires, Scan Gauge, no spare/rear seat/hub caps/jack/any extra junk carried, and careful driving, and never over 65 mph! Usually barely 60 and mostly 50+ on the secondary roads.

Mee too re idling with air this summer (just more situations (than last summer) when it has been necessary). Just before summer started I was averaging almost 42 combined and now I've dropped to just barely over 40 combined. I keep track in my mind the miles on tank at each bar drop and I can tell the MPG drop is largely due to idling with the A/C on. In this climate during the summer, especially when the sun is up, it is hard to make any other choice.

I'm in lockstep with you on the MPH and careful driving (doing both), but I'm not willing to go without hubcaps. After reading CTScott's reply to another poster that a stock wheel and tire will fit (albeit with a bump), I'm thinking of partially going your route and eliminating spare/jack/and extra junk and then getting a stock steelie with stock tire mounted on it only to put in the car on long trips (adding a jack as well). I've tried increasing PSI for each tire in the past, and when I go over 40 (especially 44 or higher) it feels as though I'm driving on bricks and I don't like how the ride at that PSI level makes my body feel, so just not willing to do it. I keep my PSI pretty much at 38, sometimes 39. Re your dog, I agree. As much I try to squeeze out every bit of extra MPG that is comfortable to do, keeping a beloved dog comfortable is MUCH more important than extracting better MPG.

[nookandcrannycar]

I do nearly everything possible. It would take pages to mention.
Some quick stuff............
Scanguage II
Grille block
No air ever
EOC often
Only use my Yaris to and from work, total mile 40, rolling hills
I drive off hours to and from work
Stay off the highway
oversized LRR tires at 44 psi
Coast up to lights and stop signs
I do not hold up traffic!
More stuff go to CleanMPG for tips on hypermiling
Roadrunner

Thanks for the thoughtful reply:thumbsup:. Some of these things I'm already doing (but neglected to mention) and some of them I'm not willing to do (44 PSI, no air) and I'll definitely check CleanMPG for tips. The tip that you are using that intrigues me the most is grille blocking. What are you using to block your grille?

[nookandcrannycar]

I've recently been driving with the A/C on since it's gotten pretty hot here, on fan speed of 2 and on recirculating. On the past three tanks with A/C usage, I've averaged no less than 40 mpg. With 40 mpg being 50/50 city/highway driving.

Where on the dial do you have the temp when you are using fan speed of 2 and recirculating? Have you tried other combinations of fan speed, recirculating vs vent, and temp setting?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Where on the dial do you have the temp when you are using fan speed of 2 and recirculating? Have you tried other combinations of fan speed, recirculating vs vent, and temp setting?

Temp is at second to last click for the coldest temp. Fan speed starts off at 4 and with fresh air coming in until the air actually get cold. I'll switch it to recirculating and drop the fan speed down to 3 until it gets colder. Once that happens, fan speed drops to 1 or 2 depending on how hot it is that day. Air is in the middle of the face mode and the face/feet mode. I should also note that I insulated my AC line (was it the low pressure line, I forget, the DIY is somewhere here on YW), which I found to help a lot. I should also mention that before, I used to have a 10 mpg hit the second I turn on my AC (according to my SGII), but have recently gotten better mpg's than if I were to drive with my windows down and no fan (like I used to). Not sure what happened.

I never tried any other combination as that usually gets the temperature where I want it to be. Back when I got the car, I left the air mode at the face/feet mode, but switched it to the middle of that and full face since I noticed it cooled the car quicker.

[TLyttle]

Just completed a holiday trip: MPG was 54 Imp, mostly mountain and city driving. I am NOT complaining!

White is the most logical colour without a/c, airlines found that out decades ago...

[nookandcrannycar]

Temp is at second to last click for the coldest temp. Fan speed starts off at 4 and with fresh air coming in until the air actually get cold. I'll switch it to recirculating and drop the fan speed down to 3 until it gets colder. Once that happens, fan speed drops to 1 or 2 depending on how hot it is that day. Air is in the middle of the face mode and the face/feet mode. I should also note that I insulated my AC line (was it the low pressure line, I forget, the DIY is somewhere here on YW), which I found to help a lot. I should also mention that before, I used to have a 10 mpg hit the second I turn on my AC (according to my SGII), but have recently gotten better mpg's than if I were to drive with my windows down and no fan (like I used to). Not sure what happened.

I never tried any other combination as that usually gets the temperature where I want it to be. Back when I got the car, I left the air mode at the face/feet mode, but switched it to the middle of that and full face since I noticed it cooled the car quicker.

Wow. You're getting great results. I almost always baby my A/C more than you describe and we're getting the same Summer MPG. If I've had to leave the car in the blazing sun for any length of time and neglected to leave the window cranked open a bit, then I'll start the A/C at the coldest setting on vent and the fan on 2 until the heat dissipates. The rest of the time I keep the fan on 1 about 98 percent of the time and the temp at 10 o'clock about 90-95 percent of the time. I find that the fan on 2 vs 1 has a slight effect re gas consumption, but turning the temperature below 9 o'clock has a significant and fairly rapidly accelerating negative effect on gas consumption the closer I set the dial toward 6 o'clock. I only shut the vents (put on recirculating) when I start to smell a skunk or see a dead squirrel/possum/skunk/dog/cat/doe/raccoon in the road ahead of me (a much more common sight than when I lived in California....I'm not complaining though, I just adjust accordingly:biggrin:). I usually keep the behind the cup holders vents closed and just use the center ones.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Wow. You're getting great results. I almost always baby my A/C more than you describe and we're getting the same Summer MPG. If I've had to leave the car in the blazing sun for any length of time and neglected to leave the window cranked open a bit, then I'll start the A/C at the coldest setting on vent and the fan on 2 until the heat dissipates. The rest of the time I keep the fan on 1 about 98 percent of the time and the temp at 10 o'clock about 90-95 percent of the time. I find that the fan on 2 vs 1 has a slight effect re gas consumption, but turning the temperature below 9 o'clock has a significant and fairly rapidly accelerating negative effect on gas consumption the closer I set the dial toward 6 o'clock. I only shut the vents (put on recirculating) when I start to smell a skunk or see a dead squirrel/possum/skunk/dog/cat/doe/raccoon in the road ahead of me (a much more common sight than when I lived in California....I'm not complaining though, I just adjust accordingly:biggrin:). I usually keep the behind the cup holders vents closed and just use the center ones.

I used to drive with just the center vents, but I decided one day to pop my (driverside) cup holder vent open, and I find that it cools me better so that I can use fan speed 1 more often. I've never played with the temp tho, like I said, I play with fan speed more to get it cooler or "warmer". :tongue:


Have you insulated that one AC line yet?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

In case not, I followed the DIY here and did another DIY with pics on every step when I did mine. Here's my photobucket link to the album of the DIY

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/DIY%20AC%20Insulation/

[nookandcrannycar]

I used to drive with just the center vents, but I decided one day to pop my (driverside) cup holder vent open, and I find that it cools me better so that I can use fan speed 1 more often. I've never played with the temp tho, like I said, I play with fan speed more to get it cooler or "warmer". :tongue:


Have you insulated that one AC line yet?

No. I'll look into that. Do you think the fact that you have a sedan and I have a liftback would make any difference (re different dash/windshield/front door window angles, etc)?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

No. I'll look into that. Do you think the fact that you have a sedan and I have a liftback would make any difference (re different dash/windshield/front door window angles, etc)?

Could be, you guys have the hatch area to cool off. Then again, I drive with my back seats down (because I can't hear my sub with the seats up), so the trunk area has to be cooled off too. Don't think the windows will make a difference, but the LB does have those two small windows in front of the front windows, right?

Oh, and my rear windows have 5% tint, I put up a sun shade/block on my front windshield, and those stick on mesh shades on my front driver- and passenger-side windows when I park, leaving a little gap in the windows (enough to reach the bottom of my window visors, which isn't much, probably 1/2").

[Kaotic Lazagna]

And I never park under trees (so no shade) because I don't want pollen/sap/animal feces falling onto my paint.

[brg88tx]

i've noticed a big hit on mpg if the ac is on speed #3 or 4. i try to keep in on level 1 or 2 if it's very hot.

[roadrunner]

The tip that you are using that intrigues me the most is grille blocking. What are you using to block your grille?

Wall molding that goes along the floor in a room. Used goop to apply it.
I leave it on the Yaris year round.

[Yury]

I am doing short trips and typically get 28 mpg during summer with a lot of ac and during winter on winter gas. Never seen more than 34 even with highway. And I am not a lead foot at all, so yeah, driving conditions can make a huge difference.

[nookandcrannycar]

Could be, you guys have the hatch area to cool off. Then again, I drive with my back seats down (because I can't hear my sub with the seats up), so the trunk area has to be cooled off too. Don't think the windows will make a difference, but the LB does have those two small windows in front of the front windows, right?

Oh, and my rear windows have 5% tint, I put up a sun shade/block on my front windshield, and those stick on mesh shades on my front driver- and passenger-side windows when I park, leaving a little gap in the windows (enough to reach the bottom of my window visors, which isn't much, probably 1/2").

Right after I made my last post I was looking at (for lack of a better term) your 'signature car picture', noticed your window tinting, and wondered if that might make a difference.

[nookandcrannycar]

In case not, I followed the DIY here and did another DIY with pics on every step when I did mine. Here's my photobucket link to the album of the DIY

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb261/YarisKaos/DIY%20AC%20Insulation/

Thanks!:thumbsup:

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Thanks!:thumbsup:

No problem. Hopefully those who haven't yet done the insulation and does it picks up some mpg's.

[nookandcrannycar]

Wall molding that goes along the floor in a room. Used goop to apply it.
I live it on the Yaris year round.

I wasn't sure what you meant by wall molding so I typed wall molding into the DuckDuckGo search engine. I looked at some of the hits and had a better idea what you meant but decided to do another search. I plugged in yaris grille block and the #2 hit from that search was a gassavers.org thread you posted to in 2007! I have a friend who grew up in California but lived in Montana for years as an adult. He had an F-150 sized old pickup when he lived in Montana. He told me that to be able to drive during long segments of a Montana winter he would have to keep cardboard wedged into the grille/body in front of the radiator and fan or the car wouldn't run.

[edmscan]

He told me that to be able to drive during long segments of a Montana winter he would have to keep cardboard wedged into the grille/body in front of the radiator and fan or the car wouldn't run.

Yup .. this is a standard method of operation for probably many thousands of Canadians. I have put cardboard in front of my radiator on all my cars for many many years. It just helps keep things warmer in the long winters. I just find it funny that everyone didn't know about this trick. Guess if you live in the southern states there is just no reason to do this.

Kinda like having AC in my yaris, I have never used it. But the heater is a different story. Use it often .. and in winter will pretty much leave it on. I just hope that it doesn't affect my gas mileage too much.

[nookandcrannycar]

Yup .. this is a standard method of operation for probably many thousands of Canadians. I have put cardboard in front of my radiator on all my cars for many many years. It just helps keep things warmer in the long winters. I just find it funny that everyone didn't know about this trick. Guess if you live in the southern states there is just no reason to do this.

Kinda like having AC in my yaris, I have never used it. But the heater is a different story. Use it often .. and in winter will pretty much leave it on. I just hope that it doesn't affect my gas mileage too much.

It's not just the Southern states. I grew up about 200 miles from Lake Tahoe (Sierra Nevada Mountains - straddles the California/Nevada border) and spent a fair amount of time there growing up, as well as in other parts of the Sierra Nevada Range. I remember people sometimes having trouble starting their cars or driving re traction, but the cold air hitting the radiator/fan wasn't an issue for people I knew, even though Truckee (the point on I-80 that is closest to Lake Tahoe at 14.5 miles) is occasionally the coldest spot in the U.S.

I wonder if the issue is living in a flat area that is close enough to mountains to suffer re how the wind comes from the mountains. I remember once going with my girlfriend to Reno, NV to celebrate the new year and intending to spend part of the time 35-40 miles away near Lake Tahoe skiing. I remember the wind got so bad that we couldn't leave Reno to ski. My friend who lived in Montana drove to California a few times during the Winter and each of those few times he tried the temperature was WAY below zero (he said at one point it got close to 50 below --- Fahrenheit of course, not Celsius) and he said he would pray that the cardboard would stay in place and he would check it (with leaving the engine running of course) whenever he stopped for food. I didn't ask him what he did re getting gas (car off=worry about restarting, but car on= dangerous,illegal). He lived just East of the Indian reservation that is next to Glacier National Park (Waterton on the Canadian side), so I wonder if the wind he experienced as he started ina SW direction toward California was similar to what I experienced in Reno during around New Year's day or what you might experience in Edmonton (with your proximity to the Canadian Rockies) or people in Calgary might experience. I remember reading long ago that Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world with a population of over 500,000. I remember thinking a major factor might be that it is so far away from an ocean, but I don't know if there would be any other MAJOR factors that would contribute to Winnipeg having that status (and I don't know if it currently has that status). Obviously, I'm FAR from an expert re weather:biggrin:.

[rick996]

No air ever
Roadrunner

I do use my AC, but only going down hills in DFCO. Leave it on recirculate and you can be much more comfortable. I also unlinked the AC from defrost.

[edmscan]

I remember reading long ago that Winnipeg is the coldest city in the world with a population of over 500,000.

That is entirely possible .. the climate here is probably very close to Winnipeg, in fact we are further north than Winnipeg. This is the reason many Canadians travel south in the winter time. The rocky mountains are no where near Edmonton and they really don't affect our climate near as much as what happens in Calgary. But we do the cardboard thing in front of our radiators as it just makes our cars easier to start in the winter and makes them warm up faster.

[nookandcrannycar]

That is entirely possible .. the climate here is probably very close to Winnipeg, in fact we are further north than Winnipeg. This is the reason many Canadians travel south in the winter time. The rocky mountains are no where near Edmonton and they really don't affect our climate near as much as what happens in Calgary. But we do the cardboard thing in front of our radiators as it just makes our cars easier to start in the winter and makes them warm up faster.

Interesting. It sounds as though re starting and smooth running that 'every little bit helps' and staying running or not isn't directly tied to the wind. Re listening to my friend's story, I thought the frequency and the speed of the wind might have a crucial effect on whether a car could continue to idle and run in an upper U.S. Midwest climate and parts of Canada north of that area with similar terrain. Off the top of my head. I remembered that there is quite a bit of difference between the Calgary to Canmore distance and the Edmonton to Jasper distance, but I had forgotten that the latter is over 3 times the distance of the former. Off the top of my head I would have been able to draw the 'sort of' triangle between Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina...and I would have been able to plot Red Deer at its location between Calgary and Edmonton and Saskatoon's location between Edmonton and Regina, BUT I wouldn't have been able to state what the latitude of Winnipeg is in relation to Regina and Calgary. If I'm going East I'm usually able to tell (without measurement) if I'm going SE or NE, but when driving from Regina to Winnipeg (for some reason) I didn't get any such feeling. I would imagine that during a winter in Canada it might be safer to drive in an urban area than it would be under the same conditions in a rural area because (among other reasons) there would more help for motorists. I would think this difference would be further exacerbated if the rural area was in Montana rather than Alberta.

[edmscan]

I would imagine that during a winter in Canada it might be safer to drive in an urban area than it would be under the same conditions in a rural area

Correct .. I don't mind driving in the city in the winter as help is never far away. But I really don't like driving in the country .. as it could be many miles (or km) to the nearest source of help.

When it is about -30C (-22F) or lower .. you will find another weird thing that we do. Yes we plug our cars in. :eek: I know that many cars in the US don't even have block heaters .. and thus don't plug in. It is something I learned from my ex-wife (who is from Oregon). She had never plugged in her car ever until she came to Canada .. so it is another interesting thing we do to keep our cars running. As you can imagine . . depending on the conditions plugging your car in can mean the difference between starting and not starting.

I don't know about my Yaris but my old Honda Accord would start in any weather (even -40C/-40F) , plugged in or not. It was just a real wonderful car in that way. Though I did have to put in gas line antifreeze in the gas tank .. as the gas line would potentially freeze even if the car would start.

So .. moral of the story. Stay where it is warm if you can at all control it. :thumbup: Though I was talking today to the former owner of my Yaris .. and he told me that I should expect a 25% drop in fuel economy during the winter compared to the summer time.