Dear ScionLife members,

Before I begin, I would just like to acknowlege that the poll does not take into account what mods you might have. If you feel your MPG is exceptionally low or high PLEASE post what you have modded your car with or if it's stock. Thanks!

I've had my 2005 Scion xA for about a week and a half. From what I have calculated, I'm currently getting between 32-34 MPG. It currently has about 1500 miles on it (heavy driving to work and night classes).

Also, as most of you know, gas prices are pretty crazy right now. How can we improve our gas mileage? I would like to seperate the myths and facts.

Currently, from what I have read, I think these are possible solutions:

1) Using lighter rims on the car or possibly 14" Echo rims. Will this improve MPG/result in any other positive things or impair the safety of the vehicle?

2) A short ram intake/cold air intake WITHOUT aftermarket headers or exhaust system. Will this improve MPG at all or affect the vehicle positively/negatively?

3) A short ram intake/cold air intake WITH aftermarket headers and/or exhaust system. Will this improve MPG at all or affect the vehicle positively/negatively?

4) Weight reduction. This plays a part with the lighter rims mentioned on quesiton "1." So far, I can think of: a) Lighter or smaller rims. b) Removing parts of the car... ex. Car seats, etc. Any other thoughts on this subject on positive or negative effects of types of weight reduction.

5) Voltage Stabilizer and Grounding system. Will this provide benefits OR any negative impacts? These are currently on eBay and have been mentioned by another member. It seems like this would have an added benefit. Am I wrong?

6) In many searches on Google, it seems the "Turbonator" cyclone systems or other similar (fuel line magnets) devices are just ridiculous.

7) Replacing the stock antenna with a VERY small 1.30 inch stubb antenna. Probably a VERY VERY VERY minimal gain you would never notice. I only bring them up because I saw them on eBay.

Also, these are a given. Maintaining a granny-style driving habit and taking care of the vehicle (regular oil changes, checking fluids and tire pressure.) These are sure to help.

Thank you for your help! Together, maybe we can make this a section where we can help each other in this ever so important topic. Despite what some may think, it's VERY important to conserve fuel/oil. Even while some people drive SUVs/large trucks when they really don't require them, we should not give up on trying to conserve.

Also, please, if applicable, recommend parts or places to get "bolt-ons" that may help or be relevent to this post. Add anything you feel would also improve MPG and ask questions so that the more experienced car-tinkerers can give us feedback.

If you drive a tC or xB and have information that might apply to the xA, please feel to post. If you have information regarding ONLY your specific vehicle, consider creating another post like this one to help out those of you that own that car.

If a moderator likes this post, feel free to make it a sticky. But, if I'm a total idiot for bringing any of this up, please don't.

For your information, I know NOTHING about cars.

Thanks!
-dusthazard

 

Some things you might want to consider...

#1 - Yes, weight reduction would mean less haul on the engine to get the mass of the car to move forward. If your xA weighs 2900 its going to take twice as much force to move it. Where as if it weighs less, it would take less force. But whether you actually want to spend the money to weight reduce your car, when you could use that money for gas is up to you.

#2 - There are some performance upgrades you can do to get better mileage. A cooler engine will increase 1-2 more horses, but your engine will run better at cooler temps, rather than hotter ones. Your best bet is to think about fuel upgrades. Better fuel pump, accessories to manage air/fuel ratio, etc. etc. etc.

#3 - Take a different route to work or class that doesn't have you stop so much. You burn more gas from a dead stop position than anything else.

#4 - If you have a manual transmission, learn to drive it to your advantage.

Thats really all I have to share at the moment.

 

#6 The Turbonator will NOT give any kind of improvements to your vehicle.

In fact, it is very possible it could DETRACT from performance of your engine.

Don't get it.

 

I wouldn't worry about attempting fancy weight reduction stuff to the main car itself, as the gains would be pretty minor.

Genuine lightweight wheels cost $300 + each, so that'll quickly kill any gains from better mileage for a few years! Not sure if they'll make a significant improvement either.

the biggest factors that we have any control over, and that cost us $0 to implement (but does cost us some patience) would be, imo: (in no particular order)

a) your selection of gears. Higher engine rpm produces more engine friction, so stay in as high a gear as you can (without the car totally bogging down ) to keep the rpm low reduces that friction. Of course this is referring to a manual transmission where you can pick your gears. With an auto you'll just have to apply b)

b) don't accelerate aggressively. Just take your time getting up to speed - and while you're at it, shift early to accommodate a)

c) speed. Aero drag is the major mpg factor at highway speeds, and it goes up proportionally to the speed squared. if you double your speed, you have 4 times the drag. So driving at 65mph instead of 75mph will net you a 25% reduction in drag - and combined with lower engine rpm, you get much better mpg.

d) raise your tire pressures. I have no idea what the factory recommended tire pressures are since I don't have my xA yet, but run 5-10psi more than that. This reduces rolling drag, particularly noticable in highway mileage (might gain a couple of mpg).

The biggest factor basically is just this: take the lead out of your right shoes (who on earth ever wants to do that, though?)

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that aftermarket tires can really throw off your mileage if you are running tires that are taller or shorter than stock. If you have tires that are 5% tall, then your mileage is going to read 5% worse. Not because your mileage is actually worse - it will still be the same in reality - but just because your speedometer is reading 5% slow, so you think you've driven 5% less miles for a given amount of fuel than you really did.

 

keep your car clean, a dirty cars creates drag

an intake system with a header and a higher flow muffler will increase your mpg cause its free flowing and frees up some of that lost power due to parasitic drag, its the same way when you replace the crank pulley and fly wheel with a lighter one, just as long as you keep your foot out of it after you do those mods

 

I just wanted to thank each of you for all your replies. It's interesting to hear what more experienced people have to say in this matter.

I feel so much more educated!

Thank you!

 

pulley, flywheel, I/H/E......and drive like the car is still new. I have what I just listed and doing mostly freeway driving at 65mph i can get 45mpg. But when I do 100+ I watch my car get a meager 25-35mpg

 

imma gonna do the lightened fly wheel when its time for a new clutch forever down the road lol

 

i noticed that as the miles increase on mine the better the mpg i get on the highway...ive got 26k on mine now and i get the 37 or more on the highway versus, 31-33 when newer

 

i just got slightly over 35mpg on city driving!!! drivin the speed limit and getting to 5th gear as fast as poisible and i took my time when i shifted too making sure its a smooth transition, yeah i can make it shift to feel like its an automatic transmission

if i didn't do a few road runner trips i could of seen maybe 36 mpg in the city now that would of been sweet!!!

 

I have a 2002 Prius and a 1990 Geo Metro. I just bought, like 2 weeks ago, an RS 2.0 xA. From my experience, the three things that give the greatest mpg difference are as follow: 1) tire psi up to 40 (on all my cars, thats under the max listed on the tire) 2) switch to Mobil 1; this switch on all my cars gave noticeable improvements; I have not tried other syns 3) accelerate slowly by only pushing the pedal a little bit rather than alot; I learned this from the Metro, if you push the pedal all the way, it accelerates at about the same rate as if the pedal was just pushed halfway down.

Hope this helps.

 

Granny starts benefit mileage greatly. So take it easy.

Do the limit on the hwys, 65. I drive a lot, I have to visit client sites during the day and it's just easier for me to take it easy on the slow lane at 65.

Keep the same speed. I don't mean if you're doing 65 and hit an incline, hit the accelerator to keep going 65. Keep your pedal position the same.

That's the simple stuff. If you want to invest in stuff that will improve mileage then the lightweight wheels will make a difference, but they're pretty expensive too. I want a set of 16" SSR Competitions myself. They're about 10 lbs/wheel, about the lightest I've found so far, plus I think they look cool.

But on the cheap, try a nice set of grounding wires. This will improve throttle response too. You can also add spark plug wires, but they tend to be more expensive. Sun Auto has some nice electrical stuff that's not too expensive.

Lightened flywheel is a double-edged sword. It's lighter so it spools up faster, but it's lighter so it has less rotational mass, which means less inertia. Personally I like being able to rev up quicker, but if you're used to reving once and then using the inertia to keep you rolling forward, be prepared to rev a couple of times since the flywheel doesn't have as much inertia. So in slow speed driving, think parking lots, you might use a bit more gas for that. Plus and minus.

 

There are plenty of affordable lightweight wheels available. I wouldn't say you'd make your money back from gas savings, but it is an important factor to keep in mind when looking at wheels. The reduction in unsprung weight can also greatly improve your handling.

The rest is all driving habits and speed...

 

Here's what I have done to increase gas mileage on my Scion XA to 42 mpg.
1. up to 1 inch taller tires
2. 0w20 synthetic oil.
3. 89 octane gas. For some reason the computer generated timing is a bit too retarded when you use 87 octane which causes a substantial loss in hp and in mpg. So much better with 89. I think the engineers failed on this one.
4. Buy a scan gauge 2. It will train you to drive in a way to increase your mileage.
5. Do not drive over 60 mph.
6. tire pressure to 40 psi.
I get 42 mpg per tank in the summertime even with the AC running. Now if I ran 87 octane, used 5w30, and left the regular tires on, I'd only get 35-36 mpg.