harshalsk

I have bought mine 2006 Scion xA recently. I absolutely love it. I commute a lot on the dreaded/stupid/idiotic Dallas-FW roads. It is not a very quiet ride but it is not as bad as my old 1997 CR-V.

I get decent 34-35 mpgs on it. But I am thursty for more mpgs. What is the best improvement I can do to get more mpgs squeezed in.

Does air intakes work good?

toxshox

I have had the biggest improvements in mpg by learning how to drive the car in a manner that increases the mpg rather than installing parts. The most helpful tool I bought is a Scangauge II. It does some datalogging, OBD code reading, and provides instant mpg information. It does a lot more but the instant mpg and the datalogging of trip/tank/day mpg is the most useful features for increasing mpg. I am currently getting between 42-44 mpg city/38-40 mpg highway. If you can, keep it under 55 mph and you will see 50+ mpg on the highways. Remember if you want high mpg you must relax, don't pass ppl, and enjoy the ride.

I have done other improvements to my car that help. I put Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (Prius Tires) tires on and pumped them up to 42 psi. Good for 2-4 mpg. They are still more sticky than the stock tires but be careful around corners because they will slip. The tires are rated for holding at least 50 psi but the valve stems only hold up to 45psi. The idea is the harder and skinnier the tire, the less rolling resistance. Also more dangerous...so be careful if you go this route. I also run Amsoil Signature series 0W-20 oil. It can be be run for extended intervals with a filter that can handle it (WIX is good for 15k). My last change had 25k on it and it was still good. That oil is thinner and coats better than brands you get off the shelf. It was worth about 1 or 2 mpg, plus I saved money and time on oil changes. Forget doing rims unless you get ones that weigh less than the stock steelies. More rotating mass = less mpg and acceleration. I also put frame braces on the car so it flexes less in the corners. With my setup I can safely take 15mph corners at 30 or so. That way I don't have to spend energy/fuel accelerating again. Remember driving smooth is the best way to increase the mpg. No fast accelerating even though it is fun. Ok, I let myself have some fun but I can see the rather large mpg decrease instantly on the Scangauge.

I have been tempted to look into the air intake as well but everything I found on cleanmpg.com says that warm air intakes will help with mpg more, but you will see a decrease in power. Those guys are routing the intake to just behind the radiator so they get warm air all the time. Warm air is less dense so the computer adjusts the amount of fuel to accommodate the lower amount of oxygen. Exactly the opposite of what most ppl want. I have not done that yet but some ppl claim they get about 5-10 mpg more. I'd be happy with 2 mpg more if/when I do it. A less restrictive air filter should help your engine work better in any case.

Hope that helps

harshalsk

Amazing information!

Right now I have Firestone FR197 tires on it installed by previous owner. They seem very noisy to me compared to my old Corolla 5 years back.

I wish 2006 Scion xA had the Real time MPG builtin as my 2009 Scion xB had.

Where did you get those frame braces? is that something I can buy somehwhere and install myself?

Enjoying the ride is what I am doing now a days. I still drive a little faster around 60-65 based on where I have to go but I will try to reduce it.

My target is to get MPGs around 40-45 for 10% city/ 90%highway commute of mine. Anyway driving on Dallas roads is most of the times strolling in Park.
If I get empty road then I get skeptical because cops are waiting for you then.

Thanks a lot for the info. I will also look into the oil you mentioned.

harshalsk

I have few more stupid questions about MPG improvements.

1. Using cheaper gasoline?
- Today while I was looking at prices in Dallas Sams Club was $2.38 and Shell and Chevron is around $2.65 So for a normal 10 Gallon fill-up I could save almost $2.50.
If I add a STP gas treatment which costs around $1.25 I still save money while filling up. Does that makes sense? Does cheap gasoline+STP (or any other brand? ) combo help? Some guys mentioned on this forum that they circulate between cheaper and expensive gasoline at alternate fillups.

Which gasoline treatements are good? STP any other brands?

2. Using Cruise Control? : On sloways of Dallas using Cruise control is a joke. Dallas drivers are idiots and I am one of them. I Tri state area and people there drive much better than Dallas guys. Does Cruise control saves you gas for the same drive w/o cruise control?

3. Using AC? One does need AC in hot summers of Dallas. Does it reduce MPGs on the highways? What is the optimum way of using AC?

Murphys_Law

iTrader: (3)

a/c on modern vehicles wont make a difference, and really are you going to turn it off when its bumper to bumper on 75 at 5 o'clock

Super-Stormtrooper07

I concur... couldn't have said it any better.
Learn how to pulse+glide , not always gasing it.
Get lighter wheels (14-15" wheels) , enough with the bling-bling 16"+ wheels. Do it right!

toxshox

Before anyone pounces on me, I am not affiliated with these companies I recommend. I only recommend companies I use and believe in their products.
I suggest getting rid of them and getting a LRR type tire like the ones I have. Read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-rol...sistance_tires

Just get a Scangauge and you will have a more accurate understanding of how your car is performing than a built in unit will ever give you. http://www.scangauge.com/

Those are Tanabe frame braces. I believe I got them from http://www.vividracing.com/, however their website has been down off and on for the last few weeks. Not sure if they are working on fixing it or not. Also found here: http://www.sfxperformance.com/catalo...tor/page_2.htm I paid $100 each for them back in 2006. They should also fit the Yaris, xB, ist and Echo frame.

To be honest I buy my fuel from the same place and use the same pump every time for consistency. I usually try to fuel in the morning hours because the fuel is more dense when it is cold so you get more for your money than if you buy it when it is hot out. I use the lowest grade 87 at Chevron, not because it is better than other brands but because it is closer to my house. I stay away from oxygenated fuels because they don't seem to perform as well. If I remember correctly, the higher octane level means the fuel is more stable at higher pressures for engines with high compression/turbocharged/supercharged, but has a negative tradeoff where it actually contains less energy than lower octane fuels. With a high compression engine you can produce more power, but you need a more stabile fuel to do it. Our engines can use the lowest grade you can find and you should see really good mpg numbers. Higher octane fuel will only lower our mpg numbers.

I personally don't use them. I was thinking about getting a fuel system cleaner but I haven't done the research yet. I would only run it once every 15-20k if I did though.

I put in an aftermarket cruise control unit because it wasn't an option for our cars. I only use it on long stretches (100+ miles) with little to no traffic. It helped at first to have that cruise keep the fuel peddle steady, but I found that I can pulse and glide to get even better fuel mileage numbers on the highway with or without traffic. Pulse and Glide is one of the more advanced hyper-miling techniques that takes a Scangauge, patience, self-control and a lot of foot control to master. A must read article on how to get more mpg out of your car than the EPA measured can be found here: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

This is a topic that always seems to end in a heated debate. My personal opinion is to leave it off in the city and roll the windows down. On the highway use it when you can't bare the heat any longer. Run fans only when you can but if you must run the A/C NOT ON MAX. I put mine on medium cool and turn the fan speed up. This seems to give me the least ding on mpg than running it full blast. In theory this should engage the A/C compressor less often which is what produces the most drag on the engine and consumes the fuel. The alternator is already running other items in the car and will not produce any more drag than it normally does.

Best of luck to you in your mid 40's mpg! I'm still working on getting my highway mpg up. Our engines are so tiny and geared closer together for city driving that when we get up to speed (55+) we are pulling a lot more rpm's than most cars on the road. That and the low torque output of our engine is the real struggle for us.

-Landon

toxshox

I completely agree. I was looking at downsizing to SSR 14" wheels, but money was sparse so I didn't do it. I was going to get a 6 lb drop in unsprung weight at each corner which should have helped the power and mpg immensely. It is still on my future modification list. More info here: http://www.ssr-wheels.com/hybrid/

toxshox

I forgot I had started a thread about wanting to downsize last year. It is located here for more insight. https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=162444

sw09

Well for A/C systems the lower the speed the colder it gets. The refrigerant has more time to go through the condenser therefore getting cooler. Easiest way to check this is the have a thermometer in the vents and drive around full blast and the drive around at the lowest. Best bet is just opening the windows to let the hot air lift then set the A/C on lowest so the extra strain on the engine from the compressor doesn't affect you mpg as much.

padillaXA

wow, i try so hard to get those kinds of mpg but just cant!(i know its possible, of course) i do about 40/60 street and highway, but end up with about 24-28mpg, even less sometimes! i think the best i ever got was 35mpg and that was an entire freeway tank at 55-65 the entire way, no traffic.
im about due for an oil change, how much would 0w-20 help me? i normally use the recommended 5w-30(conventional).
as far as being light on the peddle i need improvement, i usually start my tank off really patient but by half a tank(with crazy so-cal drivers running my lil car off the road) i end up giving my car light-moderate gas, rather than my hyper-miling style.
i was comfortable for a while with only filling up once a week but seeing everyone elses mpg its started to dawn on me how bad of mpg im gettin.

toxshox

35mpg really isn't so bad on the highway especially with any headwind or hills. Your car definitely has the potential, but it sounds like you need to learn how to control the heavy foot. I too had the problem. It all changed when I understood how much harder it is to have patience, relax and change driving into a fun challenging hobby. The hardest part for me was learning patience with other drivers and learning that I don't have to speed up if I am at least doing the speed limit and someone is on my butt, because they will go around when they can, they are speeding and put themselves into that position.

Tips:
A Scangauge II will open your eyes to the bad habits that are killing your gas mileage. Smoothness is the key, keep your speed consistent, don't change lanes, don't pass, don't speed, time traffic lights, read the road ahead 2 to 3 times further than you currently are, turn off your car at long stoplights(15+ secs.), coast down hills and long flat sections that end at a stop signal, and shift early and often. To give you an idea of what I mean, I am usually changing from 2nd to 3rd gear right after crossing an intersection from a stop. The idea is get to a higher gear as smoothly and as quickly as possible. The longest coast I have done was over 1.5 miles with the engine off @ 55 mph, keep in mind safety. You will only have steering until you slow down and your brakes will only work one or two times before they loose power. I use a technique to kill the engine and start it at speed without the key switch. If you use the key switch you could accidentally lock the steering column and crash. I do not condone doing anything you are not familiar with and risks your safety and that of others.

0W-20 will only help 1 to 2 mpg at most. To see those changes you will need to also change your driving habits. The only reason I get such high mileage is because I have been making small tweaks to my driving habits that work better with my car and making small changes to tire pressure, LRR Tires, oil, air filter and keeping it in good maintenance. Other things hyper-milers have done and I don't do is strip the interior to reduce weight, nitro fill the tires, take the spare and jack out, remove unneeded seats, replace the fuel tank with a smaller one and even take out the battery. I consider those extreme measures but sometimes I do take the spare out in town.

Wow, I rattled on a long time.

Take care
-Landon

toxshox

Interesting, I'm going to have to check this out. Honestly I don't use AC that much. I agree on the opening the windows to expel the hot air before turning AC on. Usually on a really hot day I walk up to my car an open the hatch before I get in and roll the rest of the windows down. The time it takes to get back out and close the hatch is only about 30 seconds and it is usually much cooler and ready to go by then.

harshalsk

toxshox you have provided real good information. I am definitely looking into downsizing to 14" wheels from 15 inch OEM Steelies.

How about these ones?:
http://www.drivelinecustoms.com/wheels.aspx?ID=6981

They have same bolt pattern and also less than 10 pounds.

I read through lot of pages on CleanMPG.com and was wondering if Pulse and Glide will work with my 2006 Automatic Scion xA?

Tire pressure maxing tip is good too. My tires say 40PSI max and not sure what my stems are but I will try with 35psi and gradually increase to 38psi and see how do they do that.

Funny thing is last two days I am driving with 55mph on Dallas highways (I-183) particularly in right lanes. And I do see the frustration on people’s faces behind me. Exactly same expressions and looks I get which I used to give to other drivers earlier before reading this thread. Damn I must have ____ed off lot of people. But hey I am saving money and going green. Hypermiling thing is catching on with me.
Even my wife gave same look yesterday when I was driving my odyssey with some of the above hypermiling techniques and she looked at me as if I am a senior citizen or something.

Thanks a million for all the info.

padillaXA

thanx toxshox, the info was great! but i was curious(on the note of keeping in a higher gear) in the instance of taking a long grade, wouldn't lets say being in 5th gear @ 40mph with your foot to the floor consume more fuel than being in 3rd at the same speed with a very light foot? because of the torque load and the force on the engine? and about my rpms, does higher rpms necessarily directly translate to less mpg? and isnt the tachometer reading from the tranny, not the engine?

sorry bout all the questions, im more knowledged in performance and killing gas mileage rather than conserving and flexing it.

toxshox

I guess I didn't see where they stated the weight of the wheels. Just double check the fitment with the offset before you buy. If it will work the I say go for it. I personally would only buy SSR or BBS wheels that are that light because they make them out of a better material so they won't bend if you hit a pothole. Since you are downsizing make sure your tire will be tall enough so your mph gauge is correct. This tire calculator is good: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html Also double check the tires you are buying and make sure they will be light enough to make the wheel tire combo net weight actually be lower than the stock setup.
From what I understand it will. I've never owned an automatic so I don't know if you will see the same net gains. I suspect that you will have fewer gains than with a manual because of parasitic loss with the automatic tranny setup.Just remember to be careful until you get used to the change in traction. I do not recommend going over the sidewall maximum pressure rating, so 40 PSI would be your limit. If you are still on the Bridgestone Potenza tires then I wouldn't go over 38PSI because those tires have terrible wet/dry/snow traction. Basically the worst tires I have ever had.
I used to drive while looking in the rear view mirror. Now I rarely look because I have anxiety issues and ppl following too close make my heart race. Now days it seems like most ppl just go around without getting ____ed off. For the record, I try to keep it above 65 on Interstates rated at 70+ mph so I am less of a road hazard. Usually you can find a semi truck going between 55 to 65 that you can follow at about 8 to 10 car lengths. Doing so will give you about the same mileage as going 55mph and ppl will automatically move over to pass when they see the semi ahead.

**Please don't be that guy tucked under the semi trailer bumper, you will ____ off the trucker, get rock chips in your paint and windshield, and get 80 mpg. The fuel savings isn't worth your life or paint job. Always keep a safe following distance and try not to block traffic or create a road hazard for others. Keep it green and keep it clean.

toxshox

No problem! I love sharing what I have learned.
Anytime you are wanting/needing to accelerate fast you should go to a lower gear if you can tell that you are stressing the engine because it will use more fuel to accelerate in 5th than in 4th. So you are correct. I never drive with my foot to the floor anymore, I always use very subtle controlled peddle pressure and select a gear that will not over-stress the engine for the situation while also providing me the lowest rpm. You can tell you are stressing the engine when you hear and feel (in your right foot) the engine vibrating more than usual, kinda like a shudder. If you try to take off from a stop in third gear you will know what I mean.

Hills are difficult to drive on fuel efficiently but I have actually obtained my highest mpg in hilly terrain. The key was to gain speed slowly as you are approaching the base of the hill then drive with the peddle locked in position, do not accelerate and let the hill slowly slow you down. You may need to down shift a couple times and use the slow vehicle lane going up. Don't go slower than 40 -45 cause it seems to not help the mpg going any slower than that in our car. Once you go over the peak of the hill up shift and let gravity help you accelerate back up to speed. No need to use the gas much if any if it is steep. On steep downhills I just leave it out of gear and let the engine idle. Use the downhills to get you up to speed for the next uphill if you have rolling hills. When doing this method without other traffic I will let my speed go over the speed limit on downhills and drop to 40 or so by the time I reach the next peak. I've achieved 55mpg doing this method in -20 degrees F intake air temp. I was in Northern Montana.

harshalsk

Hi toxshox and others,

I followed almost all driving rules I could understand from you posts and also some of the tips from cleanmpg.com website.

My last 10.2 gallon tank gave me 381 miles total resulting almost close 38 mpgs which is almost 4-5 mpgs per gallon more than my previous experience.

I think this should have improved even more if there was no
1. 105 degree Farenheight heat around in Dallas all week.
2. My AC running all the time.
3. Some big trucks tailgating me and also slow traffics on Dallas roads. (I-820)

I am still running Firestone Potenzas with almost 38psi in it. (Max rating 44psi).
If I can get good SSR wheels or lighter 14in wheels then it will be great.

Have you ever figured out what could be perfect (and economical) replacement of stock 15" steel wheels and tires with 14" wheels (SSR may be) and tires compatible to these?

If I can get these improvements done and continue my "senior citizen" behaviour in my driving I am sure I may be able to get closer to what you are getting on your stick shift xA.

Wish me luck.

padillaXA

ill second harshalsk, ive been doing everything posted, even switch to 0w-20 and its helped substantially. im still not seeing anything higher than 40 but 34.7mpg(my most recent tank) isnt too bad for driving mostly street and backraods with very little highway. thats about a 10% increase for me over my usual gas mileage. thanx a bunch for all the insight toxshox! its put money in my wallet and made me a more aware drive!

padillaXA

hey, i have a real big one word question...acetone?
anyone have input on it? i know people that swear by it and others that are absolutely against it. Ive done a lot of research on it over the past few months and haven't found any physical evidence to it causing any sever or minor damage. at least in my friends case he gained about 4mpg using it, and thats without changing his driving habits.