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
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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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[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.

Originally Posted by Wattz

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.

Originally Posted by Wattz

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.

Originally Posted by Wattz

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]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

Well said, Brian.

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

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]

Originally Posted by 2+2

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

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

[supmet]

Originally Posted by BailOut

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]

Originally Posted by supmet

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]

Originally Posted by BailOut

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

but reading hypermiling propaganda makes my head hurt :(