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Old 04-19-2017, 04:10 PM   #17 (permalink)
JSH
AKA - Jason
 
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: PDX
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Adventure Seeker - '04 Chevy Astro - Campervan
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I would look at wheels / tires and grill block

Tires: Going from Low Rolling Resistance tires (Bridgestone Ecopia EP422185/65R15) to regular all-season tires (Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus195/65R15) dropped the mileage on both of my 2nd gen Prius 10% from 49 mpg down to 44 mpg. That is a slightly wider and heavier tire. I did it to increase the grip and handling which improved noticeably.

You could do the opposite and go to a LLR tire that is narrower and lighter. Handling will suffer but fuel mileage will increase.

Lighter wheels will also help especially around town in stop and go traffic where you are repeatedly accelerating.


The grill block should give you a couple of percentage improvement and will be more noticeable in the winter when the engine will come up to temperature faster and retain heat better. (Engines run a richer tune when heating up)


I would stay away from chips and engine tuning. Any gains you get in fuel economy are likely going to increase emissions. That is not only illegal but it will also void your warranty.
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