Anyone gets >40mpg consistently in his/her xb?

[xbUser]

Thanks for your advise. I will block the grille with duct tape in my next tank. See how much improvement it can achieve.
whokilledthe jams: pump up your tires. 29psi is too low. It hurts more than 10%. Try 40psi if you don't want to go to max. 44psi. By the way, can you show me the picture of how you block the grille? Duct tape is only for temporary use.

[Arminius]

I don't even P&G. I just look for every opportunity to shift into neutral without upsetting the flow of traffic. I've planned the best routes and studied the hills and potential stops. I'm guessing that 10% of every trip to work and back is coasting. The shortest coast distance is 1/8 of a mile, and the longest is 1.2 miles, every day.

[whokilledthejams]

Originally Posted by xbUser

Thanks for your advise. I will block the grille with duct tape in my next tank. See how much improvement it can achieve.
whokilledthe jams: pump up your tires. 29psi is too low. It hurts more than 10%. Try 40psi if you don't want to go to max. 44psi. By the way, can you show me the picture of how you block the grille? Duct tape is only for temporary use.

I run at 42psi. You misread what I wrote before, or I wasn't clear. Either way, my point was that lots of people claim to regularly see 40mpg in unmodified xBs, though when asked how they do it, they claim they aren't doing anything, that's just how they drive-- while shifting at 3k with 29psi in their tires.

I made a post about my grille blocking adventure:
I scored some coroplast today!
I gained ~1.5mpg or so from it. Not a bad return from about two hours of tinkering, and about $8 worth of fasteners. In a week or two, I'll see how it affected my in-town driving.

I still need a Scangauge.

[xbUser]

whokilledthejams: I saw your link. You did a fantastic job!! I saw your xB has racing disc wheel cover. Does it help in saving gas? I am thinking of buying a set. I found a website selling $70.

[xbUser]

By the way, I reached half of my goal today. 251.8miles/6.268gal = 40.17mpg!! I believe pumping 4psi more and using less A/C help. My another half goal is making 40mpg consistent.

[dremd]

[QUOTE=whokilledthejams;44017 Either way, my point was that lots of people claim to regularly see 40mpg in unmodified xBs, though when asked how they do it, they claim they aren't doing anything, that's just how they drive-- while shifting at 3k with 29psi in their tires. [/QUOTE]


I find a lot of people lying about their MPG; it seems to be a state of denial.

Recent instances
2001 Power stroke 4wd, auto, big tires, shorter gears, camper top, tune, big exhaust, drives with cruise set at 75~77 gets 27~29 mpg. I'm sure that Big dave can tell us that that is baloney.

Buddies 240 sx Used to get (when asked) about 30. Now (when asked) gets about 20~21. Buying an Xb now . . .

I just think of it as part of Denial; don't let it bug you.

[IndyIan]

Wow, I am surprised that there is that much difference in MPG from the Echo to the Xb. This was an echo hatch back with power steering and running the AC for 2/3 of the trip.

We didn't get a chance to fill up the car again so this is a scangauge number and it maybe off by a couple MPG. My scangauge is usually right on for my Neon fill up but it could be off for an Echo.

Maybe the gear ratios are different for the Echo hatch and the Xb? I would assume the Echo sedan would be even more aerodynamic that the hatch as it has abit more of a tear drop shape before it has flow seperation. I have another friend with an Echo sedan that is automatic but on the highway it shouldn't matter much, I'll have to go for a ride in it with the scanguage and see what its like.
Ian

[xbUser]

You are right. Echo only weighs 2055lb, xB is 2425lb. xB is using celica transmission, which has much closer gear ratio, hence, more torque in city acceleration, but busier (higher rpm) in highway. Also, the shape is not that aerodynamic, close to the SUV; it is higher than normal sedan (bigger facial area) All that add up poor highway EPA. Its city EPA is not too bad.

[whokilledthejams]

Originally Posted by xbUser

whokilledthejams: I saw your link. You did a fantastic job!! I saw your xB has racing disc wheel cover. Does it help in saving gas? I am thinking of buying a set. I found a website selling $70.

Thanks. The Moon discs don't provide any benefit that I can perceive. I bought them originally because I like the look. They certainly can't hurt. Mine are aluminum, and the Mooneyes brand, so they were pretty pricey ($~130), but from what I hear, they fit better (i.e., don't fall off) than the steel knockoff that JCWhitney and the like sell. Granted, they're also fairly fragile and easy to scratch, but shine up nice with a coat of wax.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello,

The two things working against the xB vs the Echo, is gearing (at highway speeds, the revs are high, right?) and the aerodynamics are probably the most important thing by far. Compare my xA to the Echo, and the largest difference is probably gearing -- my best MPG is 46.69 -- and that is with some aero mods...