Quote Originally Posted by Sal View Post
Hello aveo forum,
So i see in the threads that MPG is all over the place. (as it would be due to the human aspect and different drive patterns and routes, etc.) but i mean I'm reading that some people were getting as low as 23MPG US. I drive a completely stock 04 aveo hatch automatic with approx 100k miles and i have always gotten 32ish. lately though iv driven city 90% of the time and average about 50mph.
Yes, I get 23 MPG in city driving, and 95% of our driving is city driving.


You said:

"lately though iv driven city 90% of the time and average about 50mph."
"City" driving is NOT 50 MPH. 50 MPH is highway driving. On the automatic transmission the torque converter locks up at about 45 MPH. When it does the MPG rises dramatically to between 30-40 MPG. At speeds below 45 MPH the best you will get is about 22-24 MPG. It's all due to the way the A/T is programmed. There is no practical way to change the response of the transmission, and Chevy is not about to reprogram the TCU.

If I drive at speeds of 60-65 MPH I get 35-40 MPG. At speeds below 45 MPH I get 22-24 MPG. It's really that simple, and my ScanGauge confirms this. If you combine city and highway driving you will get an average that is somewhere in-between, but the blended result will be variable, resulting in confusion about the fuel economy experienced and the cause.

I am looking for a way to improve my mpg's (not because my numbers are bad but because who wouldnt want to save a bit of money on fuel.?) and cant really find solid answers. Is it dropping the car, new spark plugs, better fuel, some aftermarket air filter, fuel additives like Lucas, remapping, not cleaning your car [Mythbusters haha], driver being to heavy, all of the above... Can anyone please inform me on how to make my little aveo run more efficiently?
None of those proposed suggestions will make much of a difference. Throwing money at add-ons and modifications might make you feel good, or optimistic about your expectations, but it won't yield significant results. One strategy you didn't mention is simply over-inflating your tires to about 40 PSI, which might help slightly, and doing it will cost you nothing.