Fuel Economy

[Racer X-8]

Quoted from Men In Black: a classic qoute that I for some reason love to quote!

Edgar/Bug: Y'know, I've noticed an infestation here. Everywhere I look, in fact. Nothing but undeveloped, unevolved, barely conscious pond scum, totally convinced of their own superiority as they scurry about their short, pointless lives.
Zap-Em Man: Well, yeah. Uh... don't you want to get rid of 'em?
Edgar/Bug: Ah... in the worst way

Did you know who played the Bug? hehe... my favorite character!

[Racer X-8]

Yup, you got it. And those are the first to holler about how we have to solve the rising price of gas, and now, global warming... freakin idiots - the general masses are nothing but a bunch of freakin idiots. Just like the Bug said...

54 fifll-ups
19,000 miles
35.7 mpg avg (US)
It's going up again with the warm spring weather. (pre-AC days)

[nsmitchell]

I just filled up yesterday and my last 2 tanks averaged just shy of 40MPG. Then I got my BIG TICKET!

[swng]

Reality (I presume other cars have been similarly affected):
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=22749
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calcu...umn=1&id=22750

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by swng

Reality

True that, and it's a shame. The original EPA numbers were designed on how we were all supposed to drive. The reality is that we became a nation full of jerks that use aggressive driving to fulfill some dangerous desire for domination.

The funny thing is that the original EPA numbers are not hard at all to achieve in any vehicle. All it ever took was accelerating lightly (most folks punch it), braking lightly (most folks speed to the stop and then stand on their brakes), anticipating stops and traffic events (most folks don't look beyond the next light or further than 3 cars ahead of themselves), not speed (most folks treat a speed limit sign as a challenge) and not allow excessive idling (but everyone sits in the fast food and bank drive-thrus and at stop lights with their engine idling, and a few truly lost souls still idle their car for several minutes in the morning "to let it warm up").

A general apathy regarding fuel economy that continues to this day never helped, either. Just the other day I was chatting with a lady that was getting her VW Bug's oil changed. She had the biggest bike rack I've ever seen on her car but I noticed that is was easily removable (it just had twist tabs to release the gripping arms).

I asked her if she normally kept the rack off to help her mileage and just put it on during the times she actually needed it and she told me she keeps it on all the time. I whipped out my phone's calculator and showed her how much this was costing her per year in wasted fuel - USD $180 (60 gallons) - and she just shrugged and said she didn't like taking it off and putting it back on.

[Doug007]

I keep my tires inflated to 36-37 psi, use Mobil 1 5-30 and drive fairly conservatively. My best mpg in my Yaris S sedan was just yesterday, Reno to the Central Valley of CA - 47.7 (much downhill, good tailwind:). Overall, I have a combined mpg of 41, which I track on the following website:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

The Yaris is the first vehicle I've ever owned that not only met, but exceeds the EPA rating.

[acrbill]

Got my first 30MPG tank. It doesn't sound impressive but I am working 6 miles from home and I drive in true city traffic with no expressway travel.

[boxerboy]

Just filled to day and got 40.2 mpg this is the first time.

[roadrunner]

I have owned my Yaris 5 speed hatchback for 6.5 months, and 6500 miles.
My current 90 day average is 43.9 mpg and going up each week. A great car IMO.

[kurokoma-kun]

getting about 38 mpg (on mostly highway commute)

[eTiMaGo]

22.6MPG, down from 24 last tank... Didn't do much long or medium distance driving, though I did try to follow some hypermiling techniques (super featherweight foot, DFCO, etc)... Managed to get better than average on the first half of the tank, but after that I got the short shifter installed and drove rather more spiritedly for a while

And gas prices have jumped up again

[Yaris Revenge]

BailOut, this ought to truly chap yer ass.

Two weeks ago I pulled into a gas station to fill up my bike. While I was there, not one, but TWO people pulled up to the store, went inside, and BOTH left their cars running. It was 70' outside, so it's not like they needed the heater or AC. One of them was an early 80s BMW belching smoke, and the other a Ford Escape.

When it comes to driving, I'll be the 1st to admit I have some aggressive habits. But I recycle like a freakin' lunatic (even bring stuff home I've found at work), compost, and run energy efficient appliances. Obvious physical waste, for me, is like fingernails on a chalkboard.

I was SO close to walking over and turning those cars off! The only thing that stopped me was the chance that something might actually be wrong with the car, and it might not crank back, which is the only valid excuse for doing something that stupid.

Silly Americans, bitching about gas prices, and then we do crap like that.

~YR

[Shroomster]

my wife has gotten 26 and 27 mpg on her first two tanks....I think its because she lives 3 miles from work...and there are a lot of traffic lights....hopefully our trip to st augustine will show off the "wonderful" mpg we're hoping for hehe....

[oleblue]

I must be who the EPA published the first rating numbers for. Just put my forth tank of gas in my Yaris LiftBack. Lowest 40.2 and best 40.9. 70% HighWay 30% rural. Only 4 Stoplights in daily commute of 64 miles.

[nsmitchell]

Filled up on the 19th, just over 34MPG. Driving like granny - mainly city driving.

[churp]

5,000 mile average was 34.4 mpg.....last 4 tanks have been 37 to 38, since I put 42 psi (instead of 32) in tires and started using 89 octane (plus the weathers getting nicer)

[jamal1984]

34 and 35 on the last 2 tank, drive like graanny (suck). It's hard to drive slow on Manual. But can't afford that much gas at the moment.

[AustinYaris]

How is it possible that some people are reporting getting under 30mpg in this car?