43mpg in 98' Corolla

[zimagold]

Just got back from a personal record run from Vancouver, BC to Seattle and back. Average 60mph, in some sections, going up to 70mph. A/C cycling on and off about 50% of the time. The only mods are a lower grill block and 35psi max sidewall pressure.

You guys think there's anymore room to go up? Maybe 45mpg isn't out of reach if I keep it at 55-60mph the whole way, but I don't think I can get to 50mpg in this car.

Any fuel savings I had were deleted because I got my car towed in Seattle.

[FastPlastic]

The sky's the limit my friend. If you willing to do a few mods and work on the driving habits more. Just judging by your results so far I don't think 50MPG's is out of the question.

Bummer about getting your car towed.

[Matt Herring]

If your car got towed closer to your final destination then you saved some fuel there! If this was the case, I'm sure you thanked the impound manager (just kidding zimagold...clearly not financially sound advice)! Good luck getting to 50mpg!

[azraelswrd]

Indeed. You can ALWAYS improve. Never doubt the power of driver adjustment. Cover all the bases in my sig and who knows what you'll get in time. I bet even slowing down to 55 mph might bump you up a few MPGs.

If you haven't already done so, check out the 100+ tips -- it has more than enough ideas to work on.

[FastPlastic]

Once your done with the driving tips. Don't forget to check out 48 vehicle mods for better fuel economy a great list with difficulty, price, improvement and examples.

[zimagold]

I'm really interested in more aeromods. Do you think a front air dam will have a bigger payoff than trying to smooth the underbody of the car? An underbody tray is better in terms of not making the car look too crazy, and it's also more practical for day-to-day driving. I think that might be my next mod.

[ChrstphrR]

Originally Posted by zimagold

Do you think a front air dam will have a bigger payoff than trying to smooth the underbody of the car?

I haven't tried a front air dam, but my car originally has had a plastic undertray... then I scraped it off on it's maiden voyage home.

Recently, I readded a coroplast tray to "replace" the OEM undertray - which only covered up to the end of the Jetta's oilpan -- roughly the front 1/3 of the car.

More recently, a roadkill porcupine or raccoon knocked it off.

The front 1/3 undertray did make a noticable seat of the pants feel -- the car tended to coast from higher speeds for a longer time. I didn't have a chance to measure the differences in depth. In my case, the front undertray probably makes 2, possibly as much as 4 mpg difference coupled with good driving habits.

And, like you, I'm more interested in less visible mods (but I might consider real wheel spats, IF they make a difference, and IF I can make them look a little better than handmade by a 8 year old).

A partial undertray will get you the lion's share of the effect without having to worry about considerations for the exhaust, and even if it's not pretty... it's under the car. If you still value aesthetics, that might be the tipping point for undertray versus an airdam.

[Tourigjm]

50 mpg is definitely attainable in a 98 corolla, I've done it with some minor mods, and driving really really carefully.

over the summer i was hitting 42-43 pretty consistantly. I've been doing terribly lately. Hypermiling doesn't work so well on/around a college campus.

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...trip-4580.html

[zimagold]

Hey Tourigjm, that's quite an achievement considering you have the 3-speed VE. What RPM does it run cruising at 60mph?

This summer, I had to replace my starter contact points @ ~150,000km - the job cost $250....ugh. I'm now more aggressive with turning off the engine at stop lights because I figure I'll sell the car before the starter wears out again.

Good to know 50mpg is attainable. Unfortunately, it's 99% city driving for me here in Vancouver. I might take only 2 or 3 trips a year out of town, and that's the only time I see these higher numbers.

Cheers,

[Tourigjm]

IDK what my cruising rpm is at 60, ill have to check next time. I think it sits between 3200-3600. pretty high :-(