I disagree about throwing it into neutral. I have an automatic LTZ and I still throw my car into neutral when I know a stop is coming up. This has positively increased my mpg from 31mpg to 33mpg.
Also, I have a 2010 Cadillac CTS-V with a 6spd manual and operate the same way. That car sees gas mileage in the 21-24mpg range. That is very fair for a 550 rwhp / 533 rwtq car!! Throwing it into neutral is your friend!
No, its not your friend. As noted below, the car already does this, and your mileage gain is from something else. Please see post #10 of this thread (bottom of page 1) as I get the impression you haven't read it yet.
If your doing that coming to a stop... your car also has deceleration fuel cut off, another feature already thought of. That is not the cause of your fuel mileage bump, sorry.
Once your car is running in its optimal conditions and you're getting "decent" fuel economy, we can move on to some behavioral techniques.
A. Turn off your heater. In the winter, if its not unbearably cold, suck it up and leave the heater off till the car warms up. The reason for this is that the car will run in open loop until it reaches ~160 degrees F. During this time, the engine's PCM will ignore some of its sensors (including the MAF) and run rich until it has warmed up enough for the sensors to all be functioning correctly. If you run the heater while the car is dumping fuel to try to warm up, you're just prolonging the time during which it stays in open loop mode and wasting additional fuel. This is because the heater core essentially acts like a radiator through which you're forcing cold air. It may not sound like it, but it does make a significant difference. You can turn the heater back on once you've reached ~180 degrees F. My question:
This question is for those of you with an additional mounted numeric graduated water temperature gauge-better than the OEM, or plug in diagnostic tool. From a cold start, for the 1.4L ECO engine, can you tell us what graduation marks on the OEM gauge does 160 Deg. F & 180 Deg. F equal(on the OEM, 4 marks is ¼ the way, 8 marks is ½ the way, etc..)?
Also, at full running temperature, my OEM gauge shows a hair width before the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] mark and stays there in any condition. What actual water temperature range is this?
I have a bluetooth OBD2 adapter with which I can run Torque on my phone to tell me this information. I'll give it a try today when I get off of work and post the results tonight. I have a feeling they'll be the same as what the car is reporting on the DIC.
greatr info, I hate my cruze for its mpg, 32 max, but it did improve when I started using premium fuel. I accelerate like a dead grandma and am often honked at, but it still doesn't help mpg. I tried letting the gas go and cruising to a light, but it doesn't slow down fast enough. With gas prices rising, I ma go back to regular. Anyone wanna buy a cruze? I bought this thing for better mpg and it is the same, probably worse than my 09 altima was.
greatr info, I hate my cruze for its mpg, 32 max, but it did improve when I started using premium fuel. I accelerate like a dead grandma and am often honked at, but it still doesn't help mpg. I tried letting the gas go and cruising to a light, but it doesn't slow down fast enough. With gas prices rising, I ma go back to regular. Anyone wanna buy a cruze? I bought this thing for better mpg and it is the same, probably worse than my 09 altima was.
What's your typical route to work and back? Miles, type of driving, speed you're driving, etc. What's your tire pressure? Auto or manual trans?
You're averaging 29.6 Its not a Cruze Eco and its not a Prius, and you'll need to get used to that. An 09 Altima will not average 29.6mpg. Most people with the 4-cyl Altima average 25-26mpg on fuelly.com.
My commute is about 17 miles each way, 3 blocks of which are city, the rest highway. I live in Texas and the highway is very hilly. I coast with the downhills when I can, . I average between 60-66 mph, speed limit is 65mph. The dealership overfilled my tires after a recent oil change, so they're 34psi. I drive a 2011 cruze 1.4t auto 2LT. I say my altima was better, but I never used fuelly before my cruze, I'm just estimating by how much money I spent on gas and how often I filled up.
My commute is about 17 miles each way, 3 blocks of which are city, the rest highway. I live in Texas and the highway is very hilly. I coast with the downhills when I can, . I average between 60-66 mph, speed limit is 65mph. The dealership overfilled my tires after a recent oil change, so they're 34psi. I drive a 2011 cruze 1.4t auto 2LT. I say my altima was better, but I never used fuelly before my cruze, I'm just estimating by how much money I spent on gas and how often I filled up.
I guess technically, my tires are overfilled too as they all read 35psi.
Very hilly is going to kill your fuel economy no matter how you look at it. Going over one hill and coming back down the same hill will not be equivalent to going straight on the same route, as you use additional fuel just getting up that hill.
My fuel economy might look impressive, but I have an Eco Manual and most of my driving is done at 45-55mph. I call it city driving, but its technically "in-town" driving, where I have a few longer lengths of road where I can maintain that speed for a few minutes.
Here's a bit of advice I can give you. Get your tires inflated to 40psi. Rotate them every 8-10k miles. They should exceed their treadwear rating easily. This will allow you to maintain your speed better while coasting down those hills.
Bypass the factory air intake resonator and put a drop-in K&N filter in there if you want to spend the $50. This will further improve fuel economy whether or not you get the K&N filter. You'll be limited to how well you can do, but hills really do suck your fuel economy down pretty badly. Increasing tire pressure and bypassing the intake resonator should give you a few more miles per gallon.
Thanks. I'll give it a look. I had a CAi, but didn't see much improvement in mpg, so I took it off, now selling it. There is a straighter shot to work, but it would take me an extra 20 minutes to get to work on that 45mph stretch. how do I bypass the factory intake resonator, and will that void my warranty?
My commute is about 17 miles each way, 3 blocks of which are city, the rest highway. I live in Texas and the highway is very hilly. I coast with the downhills when I can, . I average between 60-66 mph, speed limit is 65mph. The dealership overfilled my tires after a recent oil change, so they're 34psi. I drive a 2011 cruze 1.4t auto 2LT. I say my altima was better, but I never used fuelly before my cruze, I'm just estimating by how much money I spent on gas and how often I filled up.
Put your car at 65 mph cruise control on the highway, order the trifecta tune and watch the magic. If the weather gets above 50F, my car starts approaching 38-40 MPG @ 65 mph. This is in a 2011 LTZ.
You shouldn't worry about coasting through hills on the highway. If it is an interstate, they aren't hilly enough to reap any benefits. Your pumping losses with the right foot will eclipse what the computer can do by itself.
Thanks. I'll give it a look. I had a CAi, but didn't see much improvement in mpg, so I took it off, now selling it. There is a straighter shot to work, but it would take me an extra 20 minutes to get to work on that 45mph stretch. how do I bypass the factory intake resonator, and will that void my warranty?
Doesn't void your warranty. Remove the air intake duct directly underneath the airbox. Once you get the airbox out, you'll know what I mean.
Or, put your intake back in as a SRI. Seems your fuel economy is pretty close to what most people are getting with their Cruze. 30mpg is seriously not bad.
That is what I always thought. Its a full 10 MPG better than my last car in combined mileage. So I'm driving 50% further than I used to for the same price
I don't know when 30 MPG became a bad perception, but even the Automatic Cruzes are beating most of the cars on the market in fuel economy. You can downsize to a smaller compact and get better MPG but less car, refinement, stability, and comfort. Or you can upgrade for luxury and shell out more $$$ at the pump. Can't have both... Cruze seems to be a good mix in my book.
You should see the Sonic Owners Forum. New users are complaining about getting 25 MPG with an automatic transmission in pure city driving in the winter (and most of their cars aren't broken in yet..)
Thought I would through my 2 cents in I filled up with sunoco ultra for the first time and my MPG went from 27.5 to 31.3 on this tank driving same times and same route to work. I only get 365 miles out of the tank on REG when light comes on I have 390 miles on the ultra tank still no light cant believe it made that much of a difference in MPG let alone throttle response. Don't know if its worth the extra money paid 3.65 gallon for ultra verse 3.46 for REG. 2011 1.4 turbo auto LTZ drop in K&N that's it for mods.
That is what I always thought. Its a full 10 MPG better than my last car in combined mileage. So I'm driving 50% further than I used to for the same price
I don't know when 30 MPG became a bad perception, but even the Automatic Cruzes are beating most of the cars on the market in fuel economy. You can downsize to a smaller compact and get better MPG but less car, refinement, stability, and comfort. Or you can upgrade for luxury and shell out more $$$ at the pump. Can't have both... Cruze seems to be a good mix in my book.
You should see the Sonic Owners Forum. New users are complaining about getting 25 MPG with an automatic transmission in pure city driving in the winter (and most of their cars aren't broken in yet..)
25MPG in a Sonic sounds like someone needs to learn how to drive, lol. Those cars should be beating Cruzes in fuel economy.
I agree, when did 30MPG become a bad average fuel economy? I guess its when some of the Cruze Eco MTs started pulling much higher numbers that people started to set a higher benchmark. You really can't have both, but IMO the Cruze is about the closest you can get at having both at its price point. I had fog lights and leather installed in my Cruze Eco and I ended up at $20k even, and I honestly cannot find a single car that will give me the ride quality, stability, comfort, fuel economy, and driving experience that the this car does.
Thought I would through my 2 cents in I filled up with sunoco ultra for the first time and my MPG went from 27.5 to 31.3 on this tank driving same times and same route to work. I only get 365 miles out of the tank on REG when light comes on I have 390 miles on the ultra tank still no light cant believe it made that much of a difference in MPG let alone throttle response. Don't know if its worth the extra money paid 3.65 gallon for ultra verse 3.46 for REG. 2011 1.4 turbo auto LTZ drop in K&N that's it for mods.
It is possible that the Sunoco had ethanol-free gas. I've heard great things about Sunoco gas from a few other members here. Going with ethanol-free gas will easily improve your fuel economy by a very noticeable amount.
65 on the highway? cruise control on hills? those both sound like bad ideas, and worse when combined. Also, we rarely go below 50 degrees in South Texas. I'll try it next week. I'm soon to trade this thing in and grab something that'll actually save me money at the pump.
Looks like maybe I'll have to start experimenting with "top tier" gas and maybe mid-grade or premium fuel to see if my mileage goes up. It does confound me that using mid-grade or premium in a 4 cyl. engine should not be necessary to get better mileage. Would I need a few tanks to see if there is a difference? I just put all my gas mileage data into Fuelly since 2/14/11 when I got the car. You can see that my mileage is not great. Some of it is highway, but most is local with not a lot of stop and go or hills.
65 on the highway? cruise control on hills? those both sound like bad ideas, and worse when combined. Also, we rarely go below 50 degrees in South Texas. I'll try it next week. I'm soon to trade this thing in and grab something that'll actually save me money at the pump.
I'm not trying to be an ass, but you sound more resentful than anything and you're not willing to consider that your circumstances are causing your fuel economy to drop and that they will stay the same regardless of what car you drive unless its a hybrid. If you think 30MPG average is not saving you money at the pump, perhaps you should look at buying a Prius.
Don't expect to be getting better fuel economy with an Altima. I mentioned it since you think you're getting worse than your old Altima did. The numbers aren't looking good according to fueleconomy.gov or fuelly.com.
Cruise control was recommended on hills because highway grades are not steep or short enough to provide any benefit by driving it with your own foot. They're both actually good ideas on the highway.
So many variables could be affecting your fuel economy that its not even funny. Even the type of gas you're using could have a 3-4mpg difference on your fuel economy. Do you drive this car elsewhere on the weekends in town? Do you drive in stop and go traffic? Any of those will take a big hit on your fuel economy.
Looks like maybe I'll have to start experimenting with "top tier" gas and maybe mid-grade or premium fuel to see if my mileage goes up. It does confound me that using mid-grade or premium in a 4 cyl. engine should not be necessary to get better mileage. Would I need a few tanks to see if there is a difference? I just put all my gas mileage date into Fuelly since 2/14/11 when I got the car. You can see that my mileage is not great. Some of it is highway, but most is local with not a lot of stop and go or hills.
Keep in mind, the number of cylinders mean nothing when considering a car's fuel octane. It might be a 4-cyl, but it has a turbo and its dynamic compression is much higher than your typical N/A 4-cyl motor.
Many factors will determine what kind of fuel economy you get.
Not really. The Sonic has a higher drag coeff than the Cruze by quite a bit. Hatches aren't shaped as well as cars for that kinda thing. And also, the users were those with the 1.8L Auto. The manual Sonics were more than happy with their fuel mileage.
It is possible that the Sunoco had ethanol-free gas. I've heard great things about Sunoco gas from a few other members here. Going with ethanol-free gas will easily improve your fuel economy by a very noticeable amount.
No Sunoco is selling E0 around the east coast. However, Sunoco has always been awesome to me. And they sell 2 grades of Premium fuel, a 91 and 93. They often have $.02 to $.10 price difference too, so the 91 is quite a saver over the 93 from competitors (and 91 is just as potent for our engine).
65 on the highway? cruise control on hills? those both sound like bad ideas, and worse when combined. Also, we rarely go below 50 degrees in South Texas. I'll try it next week. I'm soon to trade this thing in and grab something that'll actually save me money at the pump.
What is wrong with 65 on the highway? Unless you are going to be run over and have to push it up to 70, 65 is usually fine in most places. I can only give suggestions and Cruise control works. Your right foot is not more efficient than the computer, lol. Best tank for me was 37.2 MPG in the summer on a 450 mile highway trip using cruise control the whole way at 65 mph. This was when my car was not tuned and had only 3,000 miles on it and it was with 87 Octane as well (from Sunoco). Road quality helps as well, I was specifically on the NYS Thruway and PA turnpike.. both 3% grade maximum and well maintained road quality.
Looks like maybe I'll have to start experimenting with "top tier" gas and maybe mid-grade or premium fuel to see if my mileage goes up. It does confound me that using mid-grade or premium in a 4 cyl. engine should not be necessary to get better mileage. Would I need a few tanks to see if there is a difference? I just put all my gas mileage date into Fuelly since 2/14/11 when I got the car. You can see that my mileage is not great. Some of it is highway, but most is local with not a lot of stop and go or hills.
Premium helps for the turbo. Most automotive experts and enthusiasts are floored that so many Turbo engines are able to run on 87 fuel because they need the anti-knock properties of 91 to perform. A knock sensor makes 87 possible, but it does decrease performance quite a bit. Many many users on the site running Premium fuel swear by how much better it makes the 1.4T run (myself included). It is not the fact that the car is a 4 cyl, but when the turbo is spooled and boost is being used the compression ratio becomes a lot higher than what is on the spec sheet.
Extreme
I just went through my first tank using your shifting techniques. I do 95% city driving @ mostly 25mph speed zones whith constant stop signs/lights.but I do get to 35mph areas which make the biggest difference.
The way I use to drive was keeping the rpms @ 1500-2000 while cruising; shifting @3k.
I was averaging 28-29mpg on DIC.
320miles per fill up @11 gallons
When I started the test I made sure i only filled up till the first click on the gas handle.to keep it as close to 12.6 without going over. since i know my Eco has 3 more gallons of room in the tank.
fueling up again, I calculated 32mpg(not DIC) which gave me an extra 33 miles to the tank353 miles @11 gallons.
Well you saved me $4 so far
With a 10% gain in miles per tank
Here's another tip - when you visit a fast food restaurant, don't use the drive thru. Why run the engine at 0MPH when ordering and waiting? I have found that most fast food restaurants are just as fast inside as out. In addition, you can't use the bathroom from the drive thru lane.
Also, what does "FAS" mean? I saw it in several posts and couldn't figure it out.
I just taught a teenager to drive. I stressed following distance (two seconds is hard to maintain) should be such that you never have to use your brakes for small changes in speed. If you're on your breaks frequently other than for stop signs and lights, you're simply following too close.
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