andyfilius

Hey guys. Proud new owner of a 06 XB here. It's an auto(my wife doesn't like driving a stick, she voted for the auto). I love it.

I've been hovering in the low 30's for MPG. In the current climate I'm enjoying the game of trying to get this to increase. I figured I'd start a thread for everyone to post their favorite way to increase MPG.

I'm wondering if my factory spark plugs should be changed, whether one of those ebay Velocity Tuner things really works, or if just reducing speed to 70 or under on freeways, and starting and stopping slower is the way to go.

What do you guys think, what's worked for you?

nicholasbanda

05 Xb AUTO: I have the Cold Air Intake & fresh NGK Spark Plugs. No real difference.
Driving habits have the biggest influence.

BoxOffice

A. Welcome to ScionLife!
B. Congrats on the new xB.
C. I've gotten up to 44mpg with a K&N air filter and snorkle removal, and some very conservative driving habits.
D. PLEASE USE "SEARCH", as this subject's been covered 2,348 times already!

HeathenBrewing

FYI - a cold air intake will slighly drop MPG while slighly increasing HP. Warm air is what you want if you wish to improve MPGs.

And as BxOffice said, there are LOTS of threads on this topic already. Please search.

andyfilius

I know there's lots of threads, I just wanted everyone to put their favorite tactic here. Rather than discuss pro's and con's of any 1. I also search guys, don't hate some fresh threads on the forums

dz302

An investment in a ScanGauge is worth it to help your driving habits. PLUS, you get all the extra info as well as a code reader.

As others have mentioned, driving habits are 95% of achieving higher fuel economy readings.

bbszero

iTrader: (6)

I got 2 mpg increase with Irridium plugs.

pooder

Drive a stick and short-shift. D'oh! Too late for you . . . unless you can trade in that slush xBox for one with a stick!

djflatcracker

I got about 2 more MPG with E3 Sparkplugs.
http://www.e3sparkplugs.com

You need the E3.48 spark plugs for the 2004-2006 Xbs.
I bought them from
http://www.ajusa.com/details/index/2.../0/EEE%20E3.48
for $5.95 a piece.

snowromance

you aren't going to get over about 35mpg until you start doing the ridiculous "hyper miling" stuff like shutting off your car at stop lights and going down hills.

HeathenBrewing

Absolutly incorrect. I consistantly get 35+ MPG. I dont baby the box, but I dont drive it like its a sports car either. I dont tailgate, I dont turn off my engine while waitng for a light to change, nor do I roll down the freeway (or hills) in N.

snowromance

yea i don't use neutral either. im always trying to use as much engine braking as possible. on a downhill i will give it a little bit of gas at the beginning and then let the engine braking keep it at a reasonable amount for the rest of the way down (using no gas). riding in neutral the whole time uses more gas on hills, against popular belief.

do you have stock wheels/tires? i guess if i was on the stockers and really wanted to i could probably see 37-38 but i never saw 40mpg with the stock wheels/tires even being extremely conscious of my driving habits. but never "hypermilling" type stuff.

from what i read on this forum, more people are getting less than 35mpg than over 35mpg. that's why i tell him he really won't get anything more than about 35mpg unless you want to be so super into gas mileage that it takes away the pleasure of the drive. i mean of course it CAN be done.

andyfilius

I did just upgrade my tires/rims to some nice Goodyears with alloy rims. So with recommended inflation I should see a little improvement.

Would you recommend flipping it to neutral at red lights? Good idea about coasting down hills instead of accelerating when possible. I'm happy with 35mpg, just trying to get it there I'll look at one of the ScanGuages.

wagonbldr

I have had my RS 2.0 with automatic since new. I have a set of American Racing 686 wheels with the stock 15" tires. Consistantly average 28-31 with winter blend fuel. 30-33 with summer blend fuel. This is mixed driving. Straight Interstate at 70-80 mph I usually get 34-35. Unless I put a can of Seafoam fuel conditioner in the gas. Doing this I bump it up to 37mpg at 70-80 mph. This is driving from Chattanooga, Tn. to Valdosta, Ga. Return trip without Seafoam, mileage drops to 34-35mpg. I have taken the snorkel loose and added a K&N drop in air filter. Also added Bosch +4 platnium plugs 15k miles ago. Driving style makes the most difference. My teenage son will drop these mpg figures about 2 mpg. Has anyone else noticed a slight drop in mileage using gas that has ethanol added? In the 80's when this 10% blend first came out, it cost an extra 10cents a gallon more and also dropped the mileage slightly.

BayAreaScion

I think speed is the biggest factor. I have Irridiums, drop in K&N, air pressure set at 35 all 4 corners. I drove to an airport 100 miles r/t and used less than 1/8 tank by keeping my speed at 60. 2 adults,1 child to the airport. 4 adults, 1 child and 3 big suitcases coming back. My normal freeway speed is 72-80 mph. Don't know what 1/8 of 11.5gal is but I think it's great maybe this is normal for some it is my best number ever! and I'm now getting around 29mpg 75% cty/ 25fwy

syntheticGT

That doesn't come anywhere near to making sense.

Colder air is denser than its warmer counterpart and is FAR better for getting maximum MPG out of your motor.

If you want to maximize your MPG you need to first address your driving habits.

cherry-8

Best miles I ever got on my 06 basically stock (agency power pulley) was driving sag support for a bicycle century in the valley of virginia. Never got much above 40 for the 200 miles driven that day and kept it in as high a gear as possible. Mileage was in the mid 30's after a 1 hr freeway drive home.

With a scanguage it's pretty easy to see that the lighter your foot is on the gas, the better the instantaneous gas mileage will be, which at the end of the tank shows up in the average.

Cheers,
m

HeathenBrewing

My understanding is that cold air has more O2 by volume as compared to warm air, so you can stuff more fuel into the cylinder while maintaining the proper air/fuel ratio. Thats one reason why the go-fast people like it.

The warmer air from your engine compartment is better for fuel economy because is has less oxygen molecules than a cold air charge. This increases your fuel efficency, but decreases your horsepower.

Either way, your choice of intake will have a minimal overall effect on MPG. As you said, driving style is the biggest factor

HeathenBrewing

Stock rubber on 15" aftermarket wheels, set at 38psi on all 4.

vintage42

Cold air is denser, which produces more power and mpg. People get less mpg with a CAI because of the way it encourages them to drive.