How i get 52mpg avg (constantly)

[richietwong]

Hey guys, my name is Richie im from Socal and im a college student that commutes to university and home A lot.


I just wanted to make a post to talk about how i achieve 50+mpg, not to brag or anything but its amazing to me how doable it really is.

So as a back story-

Since i've gotten a 2007 hatch back, 2nd hand w/ 130k miles There have been some minor mods that have helped me achieve 50+ mpg constantly (lowest ive ever gotten is 47 city driving, 40mpg on very spirited driving (not me driving someone else.)





EXTERNAL
-coilovers to lower car (megan coil overs)
-alloy wheels that are flush with body line
-Stretched tires to also accommodate aero benefits
-camber bolts to accommodate wheel
-rear spoiler

ENGINE
-trd sport axle back exhaust
-DC cold air intake (ironic but i can explain the rationale)
-As many new OEM parts as possible (all maintenance stuff essentially)
-Cruise control

COMPUTING
-New Yaris cluster with tach (just to make sure im in comfortable power band)
-Scan gauge
-Valentine 1 police band scanner (this is important because when it is quite out i drive 60mph, and if there are any highway patrol or trying to cause trouble i can bring my speed up to 65/70 where average traffic is driving, and i wont have any unneeded attention.)



so lets explain my commute first off, its 20 miles one way with constant inclines going towards school, and 1 downhill coming home.

everyday i do an average of 52.5MPH
I climb the hill at 40mph, cruise on the highway at 62mph and try to drive as smoothly and lightly on the throttle as possible between home and highway.

Thats pretty much it. The only hyper mileaging technique i do is monitor and record my data and learn new habits. I Side draft semis as i feel side drafting is more beneficial then rear drafting because the low pressure zone of a semi trailer at 60mph literally sucks your car towards them.

TIPS
-I focus on accelerating to 60mph at an average of 1.00 Gallon/hour
-Long pauses between gear changes
-always stay in power band
-drive efficiantly, never slow down unless traffic forces you too, never speed up unless traffic permits you too

I find it really easy to get 50+ mpg in the yaris. I havent made any air dams, or removed my wipers, ive actually added weight to the car with brace bars and tower struts and under chasis braces, and i carry a down hill MTB in my trunk everyday.

-The highest MPG on start i've ever gotten is 65.2mpg Average 55.2mph

-The best life time average ive ever gotten is 54.5 mpg

-most miles i've gotten on a tank is 505 (but i had enough gas to get 534)


Some myths i'd like to debunk real quick
-Driving window up or down? AC on or off?
These are all personal questions that will affect MPG, but it only really impacts your gas consumption because of how you feel as a driver. An annoyed driver might not be the best fuel saver right?

I've experimented, with AC i get the same MPG as long as im rolling, when i come to a red light i turn off the a/c. (because your timing advances more dramatically and your idle speed is higher with the AC)

-what psi?
again personal, because comfort is key for saving gas. Some people say 36

I say 55... but again i have stretched tires, and i have wider tires then you would expect a hypermileager to have (195)

But, i have 55 fronts 47 rears. I also check these frequently especially in the rain, or when its hot out as pressure changes like crazy inside tires.

-Hot side intake vs cold air intake
yes hot air mixes better with gas, Yes cold air allows more dense particles into each cylinder. But the reason why i have a CAI in the car and sacrifice the little bit of efficiency i do gain with a short ram or hot side intake is because the little bit of throttle response you do gain, and the little bit of low rpm torque you get is big part in constant gasing.

Again i don not pulse and glide, I cruise control everywhere i go. The longer the drive the more constant my mpg is.

For example I drive to Santa barbara from Pomona quite often. its about 134 miles. I take the route with least traffic everytime. and when its quiet hours i can get 54mph from start and lifetime average of 52 going for 134 miles.


I welcome everyone to hypermileage on the yaris, because its an extremely efficiant car. I have a prius C at home, and i can out mileage it if the conditions where right. (granted i have an 11 galloon tank and the yaris is bare bones car)

But i've been getting 500mi to the tank since the 1st month ive driven the car. There are no silly external aero mods, I even have my mudflaps on, and my donut in the car. I've gotten the same mpg with passengers on a full tank.

Feel free to ask an questions as can try and assist in any way possible, im trying to learn more techniques on getting 55+mpg ave and trying to make the ride quality of the car better. But i dont think i can considering coilovers, tower struts, H brace, Rear under tower braces, top tunnel braces. and more to come :p