Printable View
Just got back from a long road haul with the Potiac Wave which is a Canadian second version of the Chev Aveo.
2005 Wave Hatchback
52000kms
Synthetic 0w30
Shell V-Power Premium Fuel
Over 622kms - Two 311km trips.
Avg each way: 34.7MPG
Even though I thought theat premium didn't make a difference, it definitely does with this car.
City economy jumped 2.7MPG with premium as well.
Testing done over 1 year.
Is that 34.7MPG in US or Imperial measurment? Becuase I have been able to pull off my own record of 42MPG Imperial, which Works out to about 35MPG US.
Ive been meaning too make a few Aero mods like a grill blocker but didnt have the patience to during the winter since it was too damn cold to go out and get proper fitment. A few of my friends and I had an ongoing MPG Competition during January to see hwo could get the best numbers. It was often a battle between my Wave and my friend with an 05 Mazda Protegé. Though once he went all out and taped off all the seams on the front end, he ran off with it.
I always use US gallons.
But for going 60-75mph avg, that is some decent economy.
The premium fuel does the trick with this car.
I tend to stick with regular(87/89octance depending on the station) grade. However, I seldom stepup to 92octane, but havent really noticed any improvement in economy or anything else. I know opinions are split on the benefits of running higher octane on the average engine, so I just go with what has a lesser effect on my pocket.
FYI, in Ontario at least, premium gasoline is ethanol-free (according to several companies I've personally asked, including PetroCan, Canadian Tire, Shell and Ultramar).
Regular blends have up to 10% ethanol by law.
Ethanol has less energy content by volume than gasoline, so there would be a slight MPG advantage from using premium, all else being equal.
EDIT: oh, and if the Aveo/Wave engine has a knock sensor (I don't know if it does), then there could be further gains from the higher octane in the premium fuels, since you could upshift sooner (run higher loads at lower RPM), and the ECU could run more advanced spark timing all the time.
Yes, all OBDII engines have a knock sensor.
And thanks for pointing out that premium doesn't have ethanol in it. I totoally forgot it.
Even my city economy went up with premium.
I just wanted the cleanest fuel possible for the short trips this car does most of the time with the wife going to and from work.
very nice. the best mpg i ever did was super close to 40. like 39. something. i usually get around 32 to 35 around the city and 36 to 38 on the highway though :mrgreen:
I don't think an Aveo is ever capable of 35mpg in the city. More like 20-25 is you are lucky.Quote:
Originally Posted by one_man_jam
You might want to check your calculations. They seem way off the mark.
Not the Suzuki 3-banger in my car (1998 OBD-II)! :cry: Apparently only the turbo version of my engine came equipped (and the turbo motor was pre-OBD-II).Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernAveo
Yes the Aveo has a knock sensor... with a 9.5:1 compression ratio and no variable valve timing, it's a must.Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
i guess i could be lucky, but for sure at least always around 30. i do have I/H/E, Bosch iridium IV spark plugs and magnecore ignition wires to boot. The 30 ish mpg's werent really seen consistently until after all the upgrades.Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernAveo
[quote=one_man_jam]i guess i could be lucky, but for sure at least always around 30. i do have I/H/E, Bosch iridium IV spark plugs and magnecore ignition wires to boot. The 30 ish mpg's werent really seen consistently until after all the upgrades.[/quote:3ifeqi38]Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernAveo
Still, you will have a hard time convincing people that those numbers are real. I run iridiums as well and an intake and muffler won't increase the fuel economy by 10mpg in stop and go city.
Mine is 25mpg with Synthetic oil and everything.
30mpg is quite doable in city traffic with the right driving techniques. You just gotta time lights and try not to use your brakes much. Airing up your tires to max sidewall pressure helps too as it lowers your rolling resistance. Granted, many people won't do these things, but it is possible.
i filled the tank yesterday and i got 6.35L/100km, which is 37.05mpg US. i've been using pulse-and-glide, light timing and drive w/load in mixed driving (30% city, 70% highway). i did use shell v-power for the cleaning agents, but when i filled, im just using bronze. my fuel economy can be better. i need new plugs.
thats awesome. good to hear i'm not the only one here getting the numbers i mentioned 8)Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
That's 37 mostly on the highway.Quote:
Originally Posted by one_man_jam
Not 32-35mpg you are stating for city only. Seeing the car's rating is for only around 23mpg city, there is no way you are get 35MPG. City is completely 100% driving around in a stop and go city environment. Driving on city higher speed (60mph+) highways within the city doesn't count and is considered highway and can skew results. The best I have seen with 100% city is about 23-26mpg.
I can see 37MPG to be perfectly obtainable in warmer conditions and I can't wait to see how this car performs when temps rise up.
I will be sticking to premium fuel which should help stop hot spark knock retarding the timing and power/economy.
i even got a better reading 3 fills ago. i got a fuel log at ecomodder if you want to see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by one_man_jam
http://ecomodder.com/forum/em-fuel-l...vehicleid=2484
of course, im always thinking... i should have got the car with a manual trans. they are better for hypermiling.
I'm pretty sure when temperatures warm up that I will be able to hit 40 on the highway if I keep the speed down to 100km/hr.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
I was going in between 110-125km/hr for my tests which isn't exactly perfect fuel economy conditions and the roads were not flat at all.
If you want a fantastic synthetic oil for cheap, try the Esso XD3 0w30 which is solely what I use and it is the only PAO Group 5 synthetic on the market, but you can only get it at Esso oil distributor stations.
you might hit 40 at 100km/h, but most of my highway driving is on a 80km/h limited road. the OD on my auto shifts in at about 73km/h and i can wind it down to 71 (it kicks out at 70). i find that i get my best economy at around these speeds. i usually drive between 75 and 85, as to not *completely* tick anyone off. using the expressway kills my FE, especially when i get a head-wind on most days.
Oh bingo then!Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
That make perfect sense.
Yes, at those speeds, 42mpg would be easy seeing 35mpg doing 40km/hr more is pretty good.
Gotta love a 5 speed.
yeah, so if you can do it, give it a whirl and you should get higher numbers.
Our Aveos do not have 'overdrive'. It's a 4-speed automatic.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
But you are correct about it going not goijng into fourth gear until about 73 kmh (or 43 MPH). That's far too late for a 4-speed.
You can read more about it in the ongoing discussion under 'fuel economy'.
Actually, from doing some research, people are stating it is a 4 speed WITH torque convertor lockup.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
http://townhall.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0f60f9/0
Fourth gear ratio on the automatic is 0.7, that is an overdrive gear.
http://gm.ws123.net/EN/documents_200...en.html#T5A0GS
That's odd. Some people are claiming to feel four gears and then monitor and see the torque convertor lockup on the highway.Quote:
Originally Posted by ontarian_frog
Torque convertor lockup isn't always stated as a gear seeing it isn't truly a gear.
But I could be wrong.
that's probably what OD really is on the aveo, just a torque lock-up in 4th. if OD was an actual gear, it would have been advertised as a 5-speed auto.Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthernAveo
Not really. I don't know of one car being sold right now in America that doesn't have overdrive. Advertising a car with overdrive is pretty useless these days. 4 speeds is what it is: 4 gears. If the torque converter would never lock up, you could expect very low transmission life and much poorer gas mileage.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
Here is a pretty detailed description of how the transmission works. http://gm.ws123.net/EN/documents_200...en.html#T5A0TD
When the ATF is below 15C, the transmission will not go into 4th gear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ontarian_frog
I'm calling it as Aisin, the manufacturer describes it. The transaxle is a 4-speed. They do not call 4th gear overdrive.
The service manual you cite is the same transmission, but the manual was written for a Daewoo with a smaller engine. Aisin's specifications for the shift points are entirely different than on the Aveo, which has a 1.6 liter engine.
They don't have to. But a gear with a lower ratio than 1 is an overdrive gear. What that means is the output of the transmission is faster than the input. That's all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
How can you guys pull those numbers?
In combined driving (70%HWY/30%CTY) I get 29MPG / 8.2L/100KM... The best I ever got is 33MPG / 7.2L/100KM with a bit of Hypermiling...
I would have to drive way under 100KM/H to come near the numbers I have seen in this thread....
At what speeds do you drive?Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigs
I'll bet that if a substantial amount of your driving is done at speeds under 45 MPH the A/T is not in high gear and torque converter lockup: which means your fuel economy will suffer.
In other words, an Aveo with A/T only gets great fuel economy at speeds over 45.
in my commute, there is a 100km/h-limited expressway. parallel to that is a 4-lane 80km/h highway. i take my opportunity to poke around on the 80km/h highway. here i can do some pulse-and-glide and some coasting. i have done my tests and driving at 100km/h hurts my FE. too much wind resistance. when i do need to use the expressway, i do use drive-with-load, but to some extent. too slow and i could get rear-ended, too fast and im wasting gas. in the city, i time the lights and coast as much as possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigs
Merely driving slower is not necessarily going to give you a gain in fuel economy.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
80 kmh = approximately 49 MPH. If your speed falls below 45 MPH at any time during your route your A/T will probably downshift (or fall out of torque lockup mode) automatically, resulting in a drop in fuel economy. What I am describing appears to be the result of the way Chevy rigged this transmission. Try keeping your speed up over 50 and see whether there is any improvement.
Lately to test my FE, I have been going 100KM/H and under... But I have caught my dealer skipping on some important stuff... Which could be the cause of this.
My tire pressure was at 21... I asked when I brought the car in what they did? She said they do a point inspections, oil change, tire pressure check etc... Well, next time, I will have to see if they even changed the oil...
I since added air in my tires to the recommended manufacturer psi and will see how that goes. That was a 12psi difference (by memory, I think it should be at 33) and that's freakin HUGE....
yeah. lately ive been poking around a wee bit too slow. my last fuel score was about 6.9l/100km or 33.9 mpg. i should keep it above 50mph.Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock
i took my car into the dealership once and they forgot to check my tire pressure. sometimes i don't get what i pay for. anyway, i always keep a tire gauge in my glove compartment handy and i check the tires about once or twice a month. the recommended pressure is 30psi, but i usually keep them at 35.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigs
Heck, I just air my tires up to 40psi. The ride is a little rough and bumpy but I haven't gotten less than 35 MPG.
I'm a little disappointed though, because I have a manual transmission and no A/C (SV model). I use all the hypermiling techniques and in the first 15,000 miles that I've had the car, I'd achieved 37-39 MPG regularly. But now I have 27,000 miles on it and no matter what I cannot do more than 35MPG, even when cruising at 55mph for long distances.
But it's still pretty good MPG, so I'm not complaining.
since you've got a manual, you can probably shift into 5th at around 40mph. i've heard of people chugging around in 5th down to 35, but you'd need a level grade for that.Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroAveo
If you inflate tires to more than 35 PSI you might find the car handles oddly.Quote:
Originally Posted by thebluelightbulb
If you lug the engine in 5th gear at 35 MPH it may be somewhat uncomfortable, and lugging the engine also contributes to engine sludge.
Umm wrong. Sludge happens at high temperature, not at high load. I happily shift into 5th at 35mph, no lugging. Mind you, the streets I take are pretty flat. I can keep up with traffic no problem. Traffic on the main streets I take rolls along at 40-45mph (in a 30 zone)Quote:
Originally Posted by Thymeclock