Aveo owner looking for more mpgs

[Roger Jolley]

Greetings. I am new here. I found this forum by googling aveo gas mileage. i own a 2005 aveo and also want to improve the mileage. if you just bought a new 2009 aveo, it may interest you to know that i have had my 2005 for 5 years with no problems except one small one. the door lock cylinders fell down into the front doors. the dealer fixed them under warranty, and said that the setscrews that held them in were loose or missing. no other problems. the gas mileage is the only dissappointment to me, but it is not too bad, i just want to improve it. i am currently a student and drive 100 miles round trip to school each day.
so far, the only thing i have done is to buy tires one size larger than original equipment and to run 40 lbs of air in them. my car came with 14 inch tires. some or all of the newer ones come with 15 inch tires i believe.
i looked at "cold air intakes" but at $200 or so, i may try to rig up a homemade one. next on the list is a belly pan/front spoiler. i am going to use sheetmetal from washing machines. not the white "case" of the washer, but the back of the washer, which is a thinner, gold or brown- colored sheetmetal piece which is lighter but i think strong enough. i repair appliances, and have a couple of these metal pieces to try. i will try several ideas until i feel i have made some improvement in the mileage.
then, i may try some rear fender skirts, either from the same metal, or plastic sheets cut to fit.
after that, i may look at weight reduction. my car weighs under 2400 now, but there is always room for improvement.
i am also waiting for warmer weather to start modding the car, and will keep you informed of results, good or bad, from my experiments.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by Roger Jolley

Greetings. I am new here. I found this forum by googling aveo gas mileage. i own a 2005 aveo and also want to improve the mileage. if you just bought a new 2009 aveo, it may interest you to know that i have had my 2005 for 5 years with no problems except one small one. the door lock cylinders fell down into the front doors. the dealer fixed them under warranty, and said that the setscrews that held them in were loose or missing. no other problems. the gas mileage is the only dissappointment to me, but it is not too bad, i just want to improve it. i am currently a student and drive 100 miles round trip to school each day.

Nice to meet you. I have read reports from many Aveo owners saying these cars are reliable, at least the newer ones. Most of the reviews of 'professional' critics are negative, but many of their complaints seem unfounded. So far I have no problems, but time will tell.

so far, the only thing i have done is to buy tires one size larger than original equipment and to run 40 lbs of air in them. my car came with 14 inch tires. some or all of the newer ones come with 15 inch tires i believe.

The tires that came with our new car are Kumhos. Kumhos are not all bad, some are very good - but the ones on the car got a lousy rating from Tire Rack. When they wear out I'll get better tires.

next on the list is a belly pan/front spoiler. i am going to use sheetmetal from washing machines. not the white "case" of the washer, but the back of the washer, which is a thinner, gold or brown- colored sheetmetal piece which is lighter but i think strong enough. i repair appliances, and have a couple of these metal pieces to try. i will try several ideas until i feel i have made some improvement in the mileage.

I know the sheet metal you refer to. You may not find a piece large enough for it, however. Also, as I recall it is of a heavier weight than the aluminum trim material I used. I have seen no improvement in mileage whatsoever after having installed the grill blocks and the front belly pan. But the driving we do is entirely "city". We're currently averaging 22.5 MPG - and that's with a scan gauge and rather conservative driving.

Since the car gets good FE in highway travel, I think the drawback is with the automatic 4-speed. At speeds under 40 MPH it's apparently not getting good FE while in the lower gears, no matter how gradually you accelerate. I told my wife that if she's on a major road to try to get it up to 40 MPH as smoothly and quickly as possible, and try to keep the speed at 40 to keep it in high gear.

[MetroMPG]

Hi Roger -

I'd skip the cold air intake: it's not going to improve mileage. It's more likely to lower it.

You're right to focus on aero mods, since your driving is primarily highway. If you haven't already, check the list of mods: 65+ Vehicle modifications for better fuel economy - EcoModder.com

Also, tuning the nut behind the wheel is a major factor: 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com

And instrumentation, like a ScanGauge or MPGuino is highly recommended.

Welcome to the forum!

[Roger Jolley]

Thanks for the replies. Maybe aluminum would be a better choice for a belly pan, but I want it to also serve as an air dam to limit airflow under the car. I don't know if aluminum is strong enough for what I want. I have a fair amount of thin (.10 in. thick) plastic sheets to try also for the belly pan, at least.
The cold- or hot- air intake I am going to try won't be metal, I think plastic tubing would work. I will try to make it a short, smooth air path and cut some weight too.
Right now, I am preoccupied with getting to and from school on icy/snowy/foggy roads in 10 degree weather. So I have time to plan out my mods. But in this weather I'm only getting about 26 mpg.
Your thoughts are appreciated. Thank you.

[MetroMPG]

In this weather, I'd focus first on things that make me & the car warmer, sooner:

A partial grille block would be the first thing I'd do. Multiple, benefits from aerodynamics to thermal management. Watch the temp gauge though.

Followed by... a block / coolant heater.

[busypaws]

My lower grill block is the shrink wrap plastic sheeting you put over windows in the winter. A little two sided tape and a blow dryer and your up to 150F in 3 minutes instead of 6-7.
I have the philosophy. If you drive most of the time highway then do the aero stuff. If you are stop and go then do what you can on weight and rotating weight.
Welcome

[NeilBlanchard]

Usually, blocking the upper grill has a greater benefit than blocking the lower grill. Try it with some tape and see how it goes. I saw about a 10% boost with just the upper grill blocked. Then if it works, take some time to make something more permanent.