Getting good MPG (36.2 mpg last tank)

Hi all, I thought I'd share my recent MPG logs. I have been using simple fuel saving tips and they have been working great. I have a 2009 Aveo LT automatic. I have to fill up every week and usually drive on 45-55mph roads, but with plenty of stop lights.

-I accelerate lightly and gradually get up to the speed limit,
-I do not use the AC - instead, I crack the windows and turn on the vent/air,
-I also make sure I do not stop roughly.
-My car is not weighted down; almost empty except some essential tools in trunk,
-I set my cruise control when I hit the speed limit (I usually do not drive over 60mph even if the limit is 65).

After all this, my last three weekly fill ups have given me: 32.23mpg, 33.22mpg, and as of today 36.22mpg (more hwy than usual). I know not everyone can meet these conditions, but I wanted to share this in case it can help anyone. Love this car!

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Originally Posted by jamesf

Hi all, I thought I'd share my recent MPG logs. I have been using simple fuel saving tips and they have been working great. I have a 2009 Aveo LT automatic. I have to fill up every week and usually drive on 45-55mph roads, but with plenty of stop lights. -I accelerate lightly and gradually get up to the speed limit, -I do not use the AC - instead, I crack the windows and turn on the vent/air, -I also make sure I do not stop roughly. -My car is not weighted down; almost empty except some essential tools in trunk, -I set my cruise control when I hit the speed limit (I usually do not drive over 60mph even if the limit is 65). After all this, my last three weekly fill ups have given me: 32.23mpg, 33.22mpg, and as of today 36.22mpg (more hwy than usual). I know not everyone can meet these conditions, but I wanted to share this in case it can help anyone. Love this car!

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Indeed you will, as long as you maintain a minimum speed of 45 MPH. In fact you will get 36 MPG at 65 MPH with the A/C on. However, if you only drive at speeds of less than 40 MPH the most you will get is 24 MPG, at the very most. It's all due to the way the transmission is programmed, and unfortunately there is no way to change it.

I'm getting 37-38 with my 2011. 5 speed. And I'm running no ethonel fuel.

Glad to hear you're happy with it. :thumbup: I'd really like to see what Trifecta could do with this car, but it looks like it's never gonna happen. I think there is probably a consistent 38+ to be had with a properly tuned sedan. :dontknow:

Thanks for the tips.

I'm driving a 2009 Aveo 1.4 Base Automatic Trans.

Living and working in Bangkok, Thailand certainly seems to be a challenge to try and get a decent MPG from my Aveo.
If I'm driving in the city, it's usually bumper to bumper / start & stop / speeds of 0-60kmh / Air Con blasting (a necessity - trust me).
My average fuel consumption in this situation seems to be hovering around the 8km/l usage mark, which equates to IMP 25mpg or US 21mpg, which to me is terrible in comparison to other vehicles I've owned in the past.

When I'm lucky enough to be on the open road with clear roads, no start/stop or bumper to bumper situations, averaging speeds of 90-130kmh but still with the Air Con grinding away.
I'm getting approx 11km/l - equating to just over IMP 31mpg or just below US 26mpg.

My warranty has just expired, so I'm seriously considering an LPG/NGV conversion to help save me some cash, failing that, I would love to find a method to match the MPG's obtained by JamesF above....

36.2mpg is great, the best I've ever recorded on a tank is 35mpg but average 32.5mpg (running on E20). Like SeanBangkok mentioned, AC is a must in Thailand, but I think the advice outlined by Jamesf is spot-on. I bought a scan-guage e from this forum and also invested in Low-rolling resistance tires and a simple drop-in K&N air filter, but there is so much stop-start traffic in Bangkok that my improvements were modest. I took a look at ecomodder forum and the 65+ mods; I took out the spare wheel, jack and tools, I tried removing the wiper arms and even the rear mudflaps to improve airflow but some of the things they suggest are dangerous; driving without wiper blades is far from safe, and the pulse-and-glide technique where you shut off the engine and coast is just insane!
The biggest shock for me was seeing the new Nissan Almera - it's the same size as the Aveo but is rated to 47mpg without any signs of ecomodder-craziness! It has LRR tires but relies on a small 1.2litre 3-cylinder engine (to the Aveo's 1.4l 4-cylinder) and has continuously variable transmission. Interestingly, it has no mudflaps so maybe the guys at ecomodder have a point! There is a thread on ecomodder about doing a partial front-grille block and I was asking on there about doing smooth wheel covers and replacing the wing mirrors with internal mirrors or side cameras. In sum though, those things look costly and I'm looking more towards an LPG conversion to save costs.

That Nissan Almera seems to have adopted the Idling Stop Technology.
When I used to ride a Motorcycle here (Honda PCX) it also had this feature - felt very strange when the engine just cut out sitting at traffic lights. Then a twist of the wrist and everything was back to normal - Brilliant it was...

That, I am sure, would be the most fuel saving feature on the streets of Bangkok.

As sensible (or senseless in some cases) as the advice is on the ecomodder forum, it's just down to how far you're willing to go!

I will try the K&N filter and LRR Tyres though, once I find out where I can purchase them from here :)

Yes, I agree, fuel economy plummets in stop-start traffic. That's why hybrids like the Prius are so efficient, you can drive solely on the electric motors in traffic jams.
I wouldn't recommend the K&Ns; I tried to calculate it's given me only an extra <0.5 mpg but that could equally have been attributed to other factors such as driving style; The K&N part number is 33-2320, just a simple drop-in filter, you can buy from many sellers on ebay.

A $40 K&N is around 97% effective, a good paper element is over 99% effective. That means the K&N is passing over thrice the amount of dirt which can't help the longevity of the engine and isn't worth the hassle when a new paper element is only 251b from Chevrolet.
Same with the LRRs; I've got steel wheels and went for a set of Michelin XM2 (175/65R14)
at a 6,000 b premium over the cheapest brand 'Thunderer'. Almost everywhere sells them like B-Quick etc. I'm hard pressed to even notice the difference, around + 0.25 mpg; maybe they make more difference in highway mileage. I wouldn't bother with them.

Fair comment JPD - maybe I wont go rushing out to buy the above after all.
I'm due a new set of tyres soon and can still get a full set on my alloys for about ฿10-12,000, so hearing that these may cost an extra 20k or more has put me off a little...

Thanks for the input though :)

When I drive highway, I average 39 mpg. In the city I only get 27 no matter what I do. I have a 2005 Aveo LS with 77k.

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Originally Posted by SeanBangkok

Fair comment JPD - maybe I wont go rushing out to buy the above after all.
I'm due a new set of tyres soon and can still get a full set on my alloys for about ฿10-12,000, so hearing that these may cost an extra 20k or more has put me off a little...

Thanks for the input though :)

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Oh sorry - I meant to write that the set of 4 Michelin LRR tires that I bought cost 6,000baht more than the cheapest set of 4 Thunderer ones I could find. I drive low mileage and rarely drive highway, so my point was that I don't think I'll ever recoup that extra outlay through fuel savings before the tires need replacing due to the Thai climate. Michelin claim 4% fuel savings; my experience hasn't matched that.