Fuel Economy

[Nigal]

i don't draft. With my attention span and the weakness of the body panels in this car I'd end up with a 1.5 liter engine in my lap with my legs cureled around it.

I did fill up yesterday and with the new slower driving I've been doing I got like 42.4 mpg. I got the stock tires pumped up to 44 psi now and will see what kind of difference it makes if any.

[BailOut]

The world was out to kill my FE on this tank (colder temps, rain, snow, high winds, etc.), and the wife put 75 miles of errands on it while we're caring for a family dog in another part of town, but I managed to salvage 49.463 MPG out of it.

[swng]

Originally Posted by leowhy

unfortunately that is not possible in where i live... the traffic here is bumper to bumper situation...

IMHO, when the traffic is very slow, it is OK to follow the car in front closer. So in your situation, it may not necessarily mean that you have been tailgating. There is always a need to give yourself at least two seconds to react to whatever that may happen suddenly though (such as the car in front braking abruptly). Incidentally, doing this may also boost your FE slightly.
Safe and happy motoring!

[swng]

Originally Posted by Nigal

i don't draft. With my attention span and the weakness of the body panels in this car I'd end up with a 1.5 liter engine in my lap with my legs cureled around it.

I did fill up yesterday and with the new slower driving I've been doing I got like 42.4 mpg. I got the stock tires pumped up to 44 psi now and will see what kind of difference it makes if any.

Nice to learn about that. The mpg numbers are good and apparently already better than EPA ratings (http://www.epa.gov/otaq/cert/mpg/overall-high.htm ) granted that it has basically been day to day driving that has helped achieve them. Thumbs up!
On the other hand, over pumping the tires may result in the treads in the middle wearing faster. I do not know how far the tires have to be over inflated for this to occur. Intuitively, I think the tires will have to be significantly over inflated for any uneven tread wear to become noticeable in a short span of time. I can be wrong. Anyway, if uneven tread wear does occur, then there may be a need to weigh between the cost of the fuel saved and the cost of the tires to the extent that they may need to be replaced prematurely in order to be safe.
Any input will be most welcome.
Safe and happy motoring!

[leowhy]

Originally Posted by swng

IMHO, when the traffic is very slow, it is OK to follow the car in front closer. So in your situation, it may not necessarily mean that you have been tailgating. There is always a need to give yourself at least two seconds to react to whatever that may happen suddenly though (such as the car in front braking abruptly). Incidentally, doing this may also boost your FE slightly.
Safe and happy motoring!

that is what i've been doing... :)

the frustrating part is, many other road user just utilise the "gap" i leave for me & CUT IN!!!

in the end... its E_brake + accelerate time again...

[swng]

Same happens to me leowhy. I know how you feel. By and by, I have learned even to anticipate what that kind of drivers will do and avoid situations that would necessitate wasting too much fuel to match their movements. There is always a limit as to what one can do anyway. The bottom line is when forced to choose between safety and FE, we should always choose safety.
Thanks for the response again.

[swng]

Originally Posted by swng

Filled up on 2 Jun 07 and the result was:

About 563 km traveled. Consumed 38.096 liters of fuel and used C$42.82 to fill back up.
Approximately 41.76 mpg (Imperial), or about 34.76 mpg (US), or 14.78 km per liter, or 6.77 liters per 100 km. I occasionally carried three passengers with their belongings, and the A/C was used about half of the time. Weather was good but warm. Driving style was - keep pace with traffic and be fuel economy conscious. No exotic measure used to save extra fuel. Other conditions similar to last report quoted i.e. Post #1201 at P.81.

This time, I used this free calculator (except for mpg (US)) which also contains a pageful of usual fuel saving tips:

http://www.vehicleservice.co.za/calc/fuel.html

For the mpg number in US gallon terms, I used the calculator provided free here:

http://www.gassavers.org/garage/viewgaslog/264

Latest tank's result:
About 38 mpg (Imp), or 31.69 mpg (US) or 13.47 km per liter.
The car was driven by my brother most of the time. I am not surprised by the drop in mpg considering the people and golf clubs he carries.
I am glad that the result is still above the EPA average.
Last report at Post #1246.

[keesue]

I'm now getting 40 mpg consistently at 70 mph max speed - up from 36.5. I have 9,100 miles on the car and its an Automatic. It is used predominately as a commute vehicle with 65 mph average speeds on the freeway - some hills with a bit of city on both ends. The car is all stock - no changes. I'm considering running Royal Purple 5w-20w. Also considering a CAI to open up the throat. In every car I have owned, these two things were the single most noticable improvement in fuel efficiency - as long as the right foot didn't cancel it out. (A free-flowing exhaust also helped but I don't want the noise in this one).

I have read the threads posted herein on the subject of fuel gains with a CAI and there appears to be no agreement. I'm wondering if there is a cancelation affect as the ECU adjusts the fuel and air ratio thereby making the gain in hp/torque that does not necesarily translate into better mpg. I would think that efficiency gain would result in mpg gains. I'm not sure about this as my past cars were not controlled by computer. I think I need to delve into this a bit more. I would expect a modest increase but would need to know a number to justify the ROI. Having said that, its time to lower the car. This, of course, would be sans ROI - just looks...heh.

[uncleyaris]

I just filled up cause gas price went down, I was at 498.9km - 28.58 litres = 49.33mpg, or 5.73litres/100km, thats smoking!

[BailOut]

Good job, uncleyaris! Stay with it and you just may become only the second person ever to break 50 MPG with the Yaris.

[uncleyaris]

[marcus]

1st tank 540km with 39.8l fill up = 38.34mi/gal with regular 87 octane
2nd tank ran 535km fill up 38.4l = 39.37mi/gal with premium 89 octane
3rd tank 540km 37.5l fill up=40.69mi/gal with premium 89 octane
4th tank 570km premium fill up @38.00 liters =42.40 m/gal -15km/liter 89 octane
5th tank went to regular gas..48.2 liters ran 711 km 40% hwy (had to add 10 liters in between), calculated about 6.7l /100km,,41.68m/gal ... i was expecting about 6.0 l/100,,,atleast...

[BailOut]

I had a lot of extra city driving on this tank and several slow-as-molasses commutes over the mountain due to the construction and tourist seasons being in full swing, but I managed 518.6 miles on 10.362 gallons for 50.048 MPG.

[swng]

[swng]

Last tank covered 500.2 km. Refilled with 36.113 liters. That means 39.147 mpg (Imperial), or 32.58 mpg (US), or 7.219 liters per 100 km, or 13.85 km per liter. Most of the time, the car was driven by my brother with one passenger (sometimes two) and some golf clubs. Not many further details.
Last report in Post #1267.

[bnther36]

As of tomorrow I have had my Yaris for a whole week!

Filled it back up this morning; it took 9.489 gallons for 402.1 miles to give me 42.375 mpg. This week was about 75/25 hwy/city driving with a day or two running A/C. Not too shabby for completely stock and just under 1000 miles.

I'm sure that there is an oil owner somewhere hating on me

[swng]

Just had a trip within city areas. I enjoyed surfing the green to save fuel.
This is not a new technique but I find it very practical and addictive. Usually, long before I approach the traffic lights, I estimate in mind how long the red/yellow/green lights are going to last. Then, I look around to know the traffic situation and adjust my speed (within high and low legal/common sense limits) so that I can drive past one green light after another. It's almost an art in addition to being an interesting game. I would name it my favorite fuel saving technique.
Among the many techniques, what is your favorite one to save fuel?

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by swng

Among the many techniques, what is your favorite one to save fuel?

As I approach my subdivision I enter a FAS (Forced Auto Stop - coasting with the engine off) over a half mile out, then stay in the FAS as I turn 90 degrees right into the subdivision, immediately turn 90 degrees left, followed by an immediate 90 degrees right into my culdesac.

At this point I have the garage door remote in my hand and I stick it way up high, out of the window, to get a signal over the hoods of the many trucks my neighbor has out front.

I then continue coasting to the rear of the culdesac and 90 degrees right and up the driveway and into my garage.

In other words it's a quick-turning, half-mile stealth run from the main feeder road right into my garage.