MT vs AT----fuel efficiency

[bronsin]

My 09 hatch with auto gets similiar mpg at 85 mph.

It gets 40 mpg+ at 60-65.

[gray09S-hatch]

Originally Posted by bronsin

My 09 hatch with auto gets similiar mpg at 85 mph.

It gets 40 mpg+ at 60-65.

ok so these guys who are getting 40mpg + are driving 60-65 tops

[why?]

Originally Posted by broody

You didn't find any mention of that 99hp echo because there is no such a thing, and the gearing won't affect the peak HP.

Gearing does effect hp measurements. The engine is not in a vacuum, that power gets pushed through the transmission, which changes it completely with each new gear. GT shows this wonderfully.A great read on dynos.

There is a reason tuners use the gear closest to 1:1 for dyno runs.

Now if you mean the engineers, using an engine only dyno, then you are right, since no transmission is hooked up gearing won't matter.

Now again, I highly doubt I am wrong. When I remember things like this I am usually right. Frankly though it is totally beside the main point of gas mileage.

Originally Posted by bronsin

QUOTE The 4.05 gets better gas mileage. Basically for a car with as little hp as the Yaris and echo,...QUOTE

Hmm. In 1972 the BMW 2002 FI had 100 hp and was considered the fastest, most outrageous, hippest sporty little sedan you could buy.

I wonder what people then would make of the ECHO were it to go there? It gets 106 hp from 1.5 liters, something then unheard of.

Yet a common description today of the ECHO is POS.

While the Echo was ugly, it was not a pos. At least no one with a brain called it that. And times change. Some of the most fun cars to drive today are the ones weighing the least, and need less hp to truly be fun. Now personally I love the way the Echo hatch looks.

Colin Chapman is 100% right when he said,"add lightness."

Originally Posted by gray09S-hatch

I dont uderstand i cant get better than 29mpg in my 09 at hatch ? Its a mix of hwy and city and i just took a 400 hwy trip and at 85mph most of they way i got 29mpg also

You need to slow down.

Originally Posted by gray09S-hatch

ok so these guys who are getting 40mpg + are driving 60-65 tops

I doubt they even go that fast. I know when I hit 40+ mpg I barely ever hit 55. You have to drive as slow as you can, and then figure out how to go slower. Plus accelerating and decelerating as slowly as possible as well. The brakes are your enemy. I tell people they need to drive like there is a hand grenade waiting to go off the second you hit the brakes. It makes the way you use the accelerator completely different. The Fuel Economy forum has tons of stuff on hyper miling and how to get great gas mileage.