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looking for ways to increase mpg

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Old Oct 30, 2009 | 05:41 PM
  #1  
elpin's Avatar
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Default looking for ways to increase mpg

i drive about 40 miles a day(70% city) and ive average my mpg from tank to tank about 28mpg, and i dont feel that its really being maximized.
i dont accelerate excisivly but i do stay around 60 mph, in city. any ideas; quick/ cheap mods ect?
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 06:00 PM
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You won't find any mods to increase MPG. Not any that work anyway.

Make sure your tire pressures are correct. Make sure you're not carrying around a ton of unnecessary weight (stereo system?). Go easy on the gas (which you say you try to do).

It is likely just that you're doing THAT much city driving. Stop and go - even if you're not really hard on the gas will eat up your tank.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 06:42 PM
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Large rims (17/18/etc) kill MPG. You are better off with sock rims or 15/16" at most.

Air your tires up to at least 35psi. I keep mine at 40 front 35 rear (and no this doesn't cause weird tires wear, I did this with the last set and they wore evenly).

Accelerate gently, if you have a manual keep it under 2500 RPMs. Stay at around 60mph on the highway. Don't race away from a light if there is another red light ahead of you.

If you have a manual and are coming to a stop, let off the gas early and coast in-gear for as long as possible (when coasting in-gear and above 1000rpms, the computer cuts off gas to the engine so you are getting infinite mpg). at 1000rpms, put the clutch in and coast as long as possible before stopping. Not racing up to a light then braking can save a lot of gas.

Watch far ahead on the road so you can plan your stops/slowdowns/acceleration/etc. the less often you are jumping between gas & brake the better.


This biggest single difference is to adjust the nut holding the wheel. Changing your driving style will do more to improve your MPG than anything but the most insane mods.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 06:47 PM
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you can always try this.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-PER...Q5fAccessories



lol please dont buy it.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 06:50 PM
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tape a raw egg onto your gas pedal and then drive.

if you don't break the egg, you'll be good.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 07:36 PM
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Coast as much as you can. When you see red lights ahead, get off the gas and coast until someone else turns them green for you. When you're behind someone slow, get off the gas and enjoy the ride. Too many of us crowd right up on slow drivers, which doesn't make them go one bit faster. Or we stomp on the gas, just to get stopped at the red light anyway.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by MeatRocket
you can always try this.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1-PER...Q5fAccessories



lol please dont buy it.
ok first of all...i don't believe all of the feedback that the seller has and its 98% positive??

"Wow. this is the magic chip. Smootehr ride. 80MPH @ 2000RPM this is Amazing."

a chip can lower your engine rpms at certain speed?? thats pretty amazing...
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by jenn[tC]
ok first of all...i don't believe all of the feedback that the seller has and its 98% positive??

"Wow. this is the magic chip. Smootehr ride. 80MPH @ 2000RPM this is Amazing."

a chip can lower your engine rpms at certain speed?? thats pretty amazing...
Only thing it shows you is how stupid 4293 people are.
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 08:26 PM
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i knew people were stupid, but thats sad. only 2% realized it didn't do ____?
Old Oct 30, 2009 | 08:32 PM
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just what improbcat said......dont drive like a nut..if people are tailgating you for driving slow or shifting slow let them go around you cause these are the people that drive autos and they just step on the gas and go.....they speed..
Old Nov 4, 2009 | 01:28 AM
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Originally Posted by ack154
Only thing it shows you is how stupid 4293 people are.
I love the fact that if you give a bad feedback for this seller you're either a:

- local competitor and lying
- A noob ebay buyer and didn't contact them
- Didn't install it correctly
- You're stupid cuz it's proven to work, just look at the feedback we receive

Most of the feedback is from people before they install their two cent resistors ha ha ha!
Old Nov 4, 2009 | 08:52 AM
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80mph @2000 rpm, what does the chip do add a 6th and 7th gear to the transmission lol.

i am getting the same average MPG as you, around 28 or 29. i have a 75 mile commute to and from work. so needless to say one trip to and from work is a half tank of gas.

ive actually found that i get better MPG in the city than i do on the highway. i can get a steady 32 or 33 in the city all day long, but only about 28 when i do mostly highway driving. and i set the cruise at 70 on the dot so my RPMs are only at 3500

i was noticing that my moms yaris sits at like 3000 @ 80mph. i was thinking if it would be possible to swap a yaris tranny to the xB motor. the honda guys do it all the time, b16 tranny on Ls motor, Ls tranny on b16 motor. is it the same with us toyota people?
Old Nov 4, 2009 | 01:55 PM
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Your mom must drive a manual Yaris? More power to her!

The Yaris shares our xB transmissions and gear ratios, both manual and automatic. Both have a 2.55 first gear ratio and a 0.82 fifth gear ratio in the manual trannys, and both have a 0.70 top gear ratio in the automatics. The differences are in the transaxles. The Yaris MT transaxle final drive ratio is 3.72 to the Scion's 4.31. The Yaris automatic has a 4.24 final drive ratio to the xB's 4.15. so an automatic first generation xB actually turns fewer rpms than an automatic Yaris.

So, to get the Yaris' gearing advantage for mileage improvements and lower highway crusing rpms, we'd have to swap transaxles, and possibly CV joints and other parts, and it probably wouldn't work anyway, since our xBs are an inch narrower in front track than Yarises.
Old Nov 5, 2009 | 01:05 PM
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Another final drive option is the Toyota Echo, it's final drive is 3.77.


Remember though that changing the final drive will change the RPMs in all gears. This means you won't have as brisk an acceleration and may make your xB feel like a bit of a dog. The xB is about 200lbs heavier than the Yaris and much less aerodynamic.
Old Nov 6, 2009 | 01:07 PM
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get a big rig to push you.....
Old Nov 6, 2009 | 02:57 PM
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Didn't want to thread jack because its oil related:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=175308
But its about MPG so I thought the lounge would be a better place for the discussion.

Light on the gas pedal and keeping the B under 60 has been the best moves so far in high MPG for my Bride & me.

The B just has too much air to move out of the way, so its best to not move a lot at once.
Old Nov 23, 2009 | 02:39 PM
  #17  
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You can try turning your engine off at red lights like hybrids do.
Old Dec 18, 2009 | 05:09 AM
  #18  
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Hi,

I remember complaining about this topic a couple years ago when I first got my xB.

The only solution, as I recall, was to add a 6th gear to the manual tranny or to go in and change the 5th gear to a better overdrive gear ratio; alternatively, moving the currrent 5th gear into 4th gear position and adding the new 5th gear (overdrive) to drop highway RPM down by say 1000 RPM or so.

The danger here is then you need to add a speed limiter so the box won't be able to hit 125 MPH (by the math approx) and have dummies start racing lambo's down the interstates.

Suffice it to say that no solution is readily practical for anybody closely resembling the typical DIY'er.
Old Dec 18, 2009 | 03:34 PM
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Elpin,

Have you read this thread? Lots of tips there. I"m averaging 45.6 mpg over 11,000 miles of driving, with no mods. It's all in not mashing the gas pedal, and hoping never to have to use the brakes to stop.
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