Help me see 55 mpg!

[Loren]

It's a contest, but a casual one. I'll be surprised if we get 5 cars. But, that's okay. I set it up primarily as an excuse to go out and do it myself!

Lots of good ideas. I probably won't do most of them. I'm really just looking for simple stuff that I can do that morning or maybe the day before.

I already have a ScanGauge. That's how I've been able to achieve 50 mpg already.

Not going to change my 3-month old 5w20 synthetic oil just for this, I don't think it would make a difference, anyway. Not taking the time to chase a pound or two by draining excess fluids. Not worried about load on the battery. Can't take out the passenger seat because I'll be carrying a navigator.

Riding a freakin' bike is not an option, thanks.

The benefit of higher octane fuel as I understand it is that it allows the engine to run more spark advance, which gives more power at low rpm. Given that hypermiling techniques in the Yaris have the engine almost lugging on acceleration, that's probably a good thing. Harder to burn, it might be, but the Yaris has a VERY strong ignition system. I suspect that those who claim to get marginally better MPG with higher octane aren't lying to us. Probably not enough better to make up for the cost of the fuel... but, hey, I'm trying to set a record here!

What IS the record for US-Spec Yaris MPG? I think I've heard 52.