Sad Modder - Please help

[worthrj]

1994 Corolla 1.8L auto

Tires to 44 psi - yep
Partial grill block that also wrapped under the bumper till the oil pan - yep

Testing time. 31.88 mpg with those mods.

I was getting 31.70 with 35 psi and no grill mod at all. (best tank ever)

Normally I get about 29 or 30 mpg just taking it easy on the pedal.

Anything advice would be helpful. Thanks.

[whatmaycome14]

Originally Posted by worthrj

1994 Corolla 1.8L auto

Tires to 44 psi - yep
Partial grill block that also wrapped under the bumper till the oil pan - yep

Testing time. 31.88 mpg with those mods.

I was getting 31.70 with 35 psi and no grill mod at all. (best tank ever)

Normally I get about 29 or 30 mpg just taking it easy on the pedal.

Anything advice would be helpful. Thanks.

What expectations did you have? What are your goals?

[dirtydave]

roll around in neutral as much as possible

[worthrj]

My goal is to hit 35 mpg regularly

[whatmaycome14]

I would add a lower air dam, rear wheel skirts, and as much underbody paneling as you can manage. That, combined with eco-minded driving, should do it for you.

[2000mc]

Partial grill block that also wrapped under the bumper till the oil pan - yep

grill blocking always sounds good to me, so long as you can monitor temps

i think adding an air dam was probably my most helpful aero mod. rounding off the bottom of the front end might have an opposite effect.

Testing time. 31.88 mpg with those mods.
I was getting 31.70 with 35 psi and no grill mod at all. (best tank ever)

i wouldnt read into it too much unless you control for as many variables as possible and do a-b-a tests back to back

[BabyDiesel]

Give us as many details of your car, it's condition, mods, driving style, instrumentation and route and we can surely help you out the more info we get, the easier it will be for us to nail down how to help.

35 should not be too difficult, unless the transmission is slipping. I was averaging that before coming here in my sporty 98 Escort ZX2.

My guess is that you are not controlling the throttle like it needs when cruising. Back in the winter, I did a quick test with this. At 50 mph, I could get 37-44 instant mpg by manipulating the throttle, but going the exact same speed. Those extra 7 mpg added up quickly!

[MetroMPG]

Your Corolla is too old for a Scangauge or OBD2 equivalent, but an MPGuino will give you instant feedback and resettable trip data that would help a lot.

[worthrj]

Baby Diesel,

Condition: My 94 corolla has 149,000 miles on it. In great shape. I rebuilt the entire front suspension from ball joints to struts two years ago. The transmission gets regular fluid changes and shifts great. My engine uses 1/3 quart at most in 3,000 miles.

No instrumentation yet, but a vacuum gauge just arrived on the doorstep a few days ago.

Mods - tires to 44 psi with nitrogen. I just removed the parcial grill block, but probably should put it back on. I have lots of gaps that I could plug up with tape on the front end.

Driving commute - I have 2 stop signs and 8 lights on the way to work which is 4.5 miles away. That is the only route I can take. My family goes places in my vehicle around town. Nearly every Sunday I commute 90 round trip on the highway at about 65 mph.

My slush box locks up at about 47 mph.

Driving style: I am trying to be sensitive to the pedal. Am I going to ruin the transmission by going from locked up slush box in 4th gear to neutral coasting? Or is the transmission designed to downshift every gear? So far to date, I never EOC, and I always idle at stop lights/signs with the a/c always on. It's brutal in South Florida summers. I have become a semi-pro at DWB. And also a semi-pro at coasting in whatever gear the car is in.

Your thoughts?

[user removed]

The 4.5 mile work commute is a big reason for low MPG. Make sure your engine is up to proper operating temperature within 1-1.5 miles. Might need a new thermostat if temp gauge is reading below halfway when warm.

regards
mech