Has anyone converted/modified a 2003 toyota echo?

[trdfreak03]

i'm an owner of a 2003 toyota echo.. just wondering if anyone out there is pushing mpg on that veh at all.. and what mods are done?...

i'm pushing over 40mpg presently .. i'm aiming for 50mpg at this time

bone stock .. with tires at about 37psi... & syntetic in the tranny

-steveo

[Daox]

There was as guy on another site pushing his well above 50 if I recall correctly doing mainly lower speed driving. I think he even hit 60 a few times. Very good car and a nice engine in it too. He didn't modify it at all though except tire pressure and maybe a grill block.

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by trdfreak03

i'm an owner of a 2003 toyota echo.. just wondering if anyone out there is pushing mpg on that veh at all.. and what mods are done?...

i'm pushing over 40mpg presently .. i'm aiming for 50mpg at this time

bone stock .. with tires at about 37psi... & syntetic in the tranny
. . .

Would you consider getting a repairable NHW11 Prius (2001-03), the manuals and getting it working? I know of one in North Carolina for a good price.

We had both a 2001 Echo, 34 MPG with automatic, and still have a 2003 Prius, 52 MPG with automatic. Getting a used Prius and fixing it up can give you a 50+MPG vehicle with a little more room than the Echo, much better cornering, and a lot of options for improvements (check out Orange4Boy's postings.)

Many of the NHW11 Prius sustainable maintenance issues have been identified and corrections found. A 'fixer upper' is one way to learn the technology.

Bob Wilson

[zman]

I am an owner of a 2001 toyota echo with no mods except scangauge. Its a 2 door with manual transmission and 95,000 miles on it. My Echo loves 45 mph in 5th gear, at that speed it only sipss about 0.59 gallons per hour giving me 60+ mpg.
At 55 mph I get somewhere between 52 to 56 mpg
At 65 mph I get between 40 to 45 mpg
Above 70 mpg the milage goes down to 34 mpg

If I turn on A/C subtract another 5 to 7 mpg from above numbers.

All of the above readings are on a flat ground with minimal wind and no passangers.

It is absolutly crazy how changes in elevation affect milage. Even on very small gradients (0.5%) the milage drops 10 mpg or more.

The most important aspect of high efficiency driving in my car is to maximize coasting time, if you have a manual transmission like me letting off the gas pedal shuts down fuel to the engine and boosts milage. Also try to get to the highest gear as quickly as possible, driving 45 mph in 4th gear gives me only 44 mpg while in 5th I get 60+

Good luck

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by zman

I am an owner of a 2001 toyota echo with no mods except scangauge. Its a 2 door with manual transmission and 95,000 miles on it.

I had to get one my wife would drive: four doors, electric locks, and automatic transmission.

Originally Posted by zman

My Echo loves 45 mph in 5th gear, at that speed it only sipss about 0.59 gallons per hour giving me 60+ mpg.
At 55 mph I get somewhere between 52 to 56 mpg
At 65 mph I get between 40 to 45 mpg
Above 70 mpg the mileage goes down to 34 mpg

Here is my NHW11 performance curve and some data points:


I also found after driving the Prius that the Echo's higher center of gravity required slower speed on the turns.

Bob Wilson

[DeStoriesWind]

I also have an echo and I regularly get around 51-52 mpg (manual). Do you have a manual? If so, how did you replace the tranny fluid. I've been wanting to do this for some time..

JD

[TENNESSEEHILLS]

The Toyota Echo is one of my favorite cars to work on. I have a 2000 Echo with a manual trans and 255,000 mi. I get 520 to 540 miles to a tank, when before I would get 380 to 420.

Here are my mods: Heated fuel line, NC magnets on fuel line, pulstar spark plugs, and a K&N filter. I try to drive conservatively too.

I tried a HHO kit with a manual EFIE and was getting 50 mpg, but the EFIE went bad and I stopped using it.

I also have a Buick Park Ave getting 36 mpg (tank average)