Finally, 45 MPG!

[metalshark]

My combined city-highway average with AC on is 41.44 now. 65 on the highway, 40 in the city. I use Chevron regular, Amsoil 5-30 in summer and Redline MT-90 in the tranny. The insulation has been on the stainless header for a year now with no problems.

[minicorolla]

Down to a measly 44 this week. Alot of construction going on .

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by voodoo22

Please don't draft; aka tailgate; it's one of the most dangerous things you can do on the road.

did I mention how close I was? As myth busters showed, you don't have to tailgate to get gains... When doing 70mph... even 50-100ft behind will give noticeable improvements in efficiency.

[Revsson]

I recently ventured down to Illinois on the Tollway. I kept it to the posted speed limits,
which if you are from Illinois, you know it's hard to do, especially in the construction
zones. However, since they have such a high fine for speeding in those zones, I
decided to stay in the right lane and do 45 mph where posted. I did not use the A/C,
as it was rather cool that day, but did use the cruise control.
I got 47.8 mpg, my highest so far this summer.

In contrast, last week or so when it was in the upper 80's and 90's, I had the A/C
running full blast and took a trip west. I got 40.95 mpg. Not bad considering I was
using the A/C. I'm just over 5400 miles on the car, in 8 months.
Carpooling, with me driving alternate days, and no long trips is
why I don't have that many miles on it. This past
winter, I had a low of 35 mpg.
Glad to hear that after 5000 miles, that mpgs might stay higher.

[talnlnky]

last tank I got 45.5mpg... not drafting, just scenic highways to the mountains, on gravel roads, back down the mountains, and then to the ocean and back. 370miles, hoping to match that in town where I don't get to roll in DFCO for miles at a time.

[gokartride]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

last tank I got 45.5mpg...

Manual tranny, no AC??

[KRAZGRL]

Man... for the life of me I can't get over 35-36mpg. Maybe it's living/commuting in the Orange County/Los Angeles areas that I can't drive slower than 70 on the fwy (when there's no traffic)... lol

I so want to try get over 40 but I just don't see how it's possible.

[rningonfumes]

...it take some getting used to when you drive slower than most of the traffic. At first it will be odd, weird, and may even feel dangerous, but it wears off.

[KRAZGRL]

Originally Posted by rningonfumes

...it take some getting used to when you drive slower than most of the traffic. At first it will be odd, weird, and may even feel dangerous, but it wears off.

Coming from an ex-street racer, lead-footed, speed freak driver... switching to a Yaris has been quite the change already. lol I guess it just takes time. Baby steps! I'll just try to increase my mpg 1mpg at a time.

[50MPGDream]

Originally Posted by KRAZGRL

Coming from an ex-street racer, lead-footed, speed freak driver... switching to a Yaris has been quite the change already

I hear ya. I was in your shoes 2 years ago. A new driving style brings a new type of fun... regularly pulling in 45 MPG tanks is as much fun as a good burnout for me these days :)

[Woody_Woodchuck]

True, it is a whole different world in the right lane. I find it much more relaxing than when I was a left lane’r. My 30 mile commute takes 5 minutes longer now but I enjoy my driving time more also.

If you are truly interested in getting great mileage it does take dedication and perseverance. Take it one step at a time, slow down, accelerate a little slower, then a bit slower… You’ll watch that mileage increase with every tank!

It can also be a little frustrating, but it is all in fun. I keep raising the bar on my mileage expectations and am a bit disappointed when I don’t make the mark. I’ve had 3 tanks less than 3 mpg from my latest hurdle and week by week I am getting closer. Once I reach that mark I will set another one a bit higher.

[deerebilt]

Hit 52.10 mpg on last tank 478 mi on 9.174 gallons. my last 7 tanks have been 50+. dont know what i would get in a prius. but a prius is 10k more money and repairs when needed on hybrid would hurt..

[RedRide]

It's "drafting" when on a track.
When on the highway, it's just plain ol' tailgating.

BTW, tailgating a semi is one sure method of colllecting "rock chips" on your front bumper.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by RedRide

It's "drafting" when on a track.
When on the highway, it's just plain ol' tailgating.

BTW, tailgating a semi is one sure method of colllecting "rock chips" on your front bumper.

80,000 pounds vs 2,000. Guess who will win that war of physics?

[twowheels]

I have a hard time hitting 45 MPG consistently. My last fillup: 200 miles, 100 degree heat, 55 MPH and slower, no stop-and-go, A/C running as little as I could stand, slow acceleration, etc... still only 42 MPG. One problem that I face with this trip (which I make frequently) is the delta breeze that blows in from the ocean and into the valley... for half of the trip I'm facing directly into the wind and the tailwind for the first half does NOT make up for the losses on the way back. The wind is always blowing and always in the same direction during this trip.

[Woody_Woodchuck]

One thing I noticed while trying to beat the wind factor is that I felt the need to press harder on the gas pedal than was necessary. There is a range where the more you press, it really does very little to help acceleration, at least on my Yaris. Try this, get up to cruising speed and hold a steady speed. Let up on the gas ever so slightly and hold it there for 30 seconds. Keep letting up in small increments until you start to slow down. Then press down that little bit it took to get you from maintaining speed to slowing down. Resting the right side of your right foot against the console carpet can help you make these tiny adjustments and hold them steady. According to my Scan Gauge 2 this range can yield as great as a 15 mpg difference, 10 mpg is more the average range.

It also takes a few seconds for my Yaris to actually accelerate when using this technique. Don’t expect the tires to light up with instantaneous neck-snapping acceleration. Press a little then give it a few seconds to see if it is working.

I can experience a few mph slow down from gusts of wind. You are cruising at 55 mph and all of a sudden you can feel it slow, check and you are now going 53 mph or slower. Don’t mash down on the gas to regain this speed, you can drop 20 mpg or better doing this! It really does suck down the gas trying to accelerate fast while you are going over 45 mph. Instead, go to the incremental increase technique. Your foot is exactly where it needs to be to hold a steady speed so all it will take is one small increment down to get it to accelerate! So it takes a mile to gain that speed back, you will be sipping gas while doing it.

Granted, sometimes nothing helps. I can be cruising a section of highway that I usually pull a steady 55 mpg on. With a strong, steady head wind I might only be able to squeeze 40 mpg out of this stretch. So be it, I just have to make it up somewhere else, like where there is a tailwind using the incremental acceleration thing.

[BailOut]

Great information and advice, Woody.

[Keith Tinari]

Just out of curiosity, My last bar is blinking at 325 miles any ideas on where I am at? I dont know what the calculations are. I do know that I still have say what 40 miles left on that tank?