Scion xA aero mods

[NeilBlanchard]

I'm not sure - I averaged 37MPG before I did any ecomods - but I was "trying" to get as good mileage as I could. So that was a year round average; a true Combined average. But I almost never used A/C and I kept track of every fillup. My Focus ZX5 only managed ~27-31MPG so I was happy beating that by 6-10MPG.

I have the 5-speed manual, and it has horribly low final drive. Toyota should change the final drive from 4.31:1 to 3.56:1 and either not offer cruise control (which I do not have!) or only put the low final drive in when cruise control is chosen. I can only dream of dropping the RPM's at 65MPH from ~3500 down to ~2300 or so.

What are the RPM's on yours (with the automatic)?

I now know much more effective ecodriving techniques, as well as having the aero mods. And my new year round average is about 46-47MPG.

[RandomFact314]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I have the 5-speed manual, and it has horribly low final drive. Toyota should change the final drive from 4.31:1 to 3.56:1 and either not offer cruise control (which I do not have!) or only put the low final drive in when cruise control is chosen. I can only dream of dropping the RPM's at 65MPH from ~3500 down to ~2300 or so.

What are the RPM's on yours (with the automatic)?

Couldn't tell ya... I also have the 5-spd, we have the exact same car, 2005 Scion xA Release Series 2.0, no cruise control and final drive that is so low I can't figure out the logic in it.

Luckily I don't get on the highway but maybe 1-3% of my total miles per month so It's not a huge issue. Around town, I dont usually get over 2000rpm in 5th.

With such a very efficient engine I know that a GOOD transmission would make a pretty good difference in MPG. I have planned to search around to see if any cars that are the same platform as the xA has a smarter trans that will fit. Maybe is IST, Yaris, Echo, (Vitz, Platz)

[NeilBlanchard]

I made some new smooth wheel covers, because two of the pizza pan ones have come flying off... So, I bought some more cheap plastic aftermarket covers (from K-Mart) - a set of 4 is about $22, but I now use two of the spring wires per cover, so you only can use two.

I then stretched cloth over the front, and painted on glue, and then sprayed them black. This one is very similar to what I did:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ess-19109.html

The only difference is I used waterproof wood glue, which doesn't smell and cleans up with water (before it dries).

Here's another: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ers-18495.html

And another: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...vex-14958.html

[adorable]

Originally Posted by RandomFact314

What do you think about the EPA ratings for this car?
Was 32 city and now they say is 27 city... Doesn't 32 seem closer to right or are we just "trained" to get good mpg naturally and everyone else gets 27?

Scion xA (Scion xA) | Fuelly
Scion xA MPG Reports | Fuelly

From what you can see here, it's about right - 32MPG. But it all depends on what tires you've got, how you baby the gas, driving habits, etc.

Here, I've noticed that speed is the biggest factor. Stay at 55MPH and MPG goes up a lot...and annoying everyone here in Los Angeles. Tires help - I'm usually at 34-36PSI, but the Yokohama Avid TRZ's I'm running may not be the most fuel efficient set of tires out there (see tirerack.com eco tire tests for better ones). These tires change tire tread shape as they wear down - 3D sipes - so fuel efficiency can vary.

Running NGK Iridium IX's (useless - didn't notice a change in MPG), Mobil 1, and do notice that the Mobil 1 increased average MPG by about 3-4MPG (did my own changes the past two times, consistent increase in MPG vs. Toyota oil - using same Toyota filter).

I'm not gunning the xA auto, but generally driving it more towards the slower end of things and trying to stay at or under 65MPH. Naturally, LA traffic can get in the way of that =P Not driving like a true ecomodder by far since AC and passengers get in the way.

From memory, was it about 2000 rpm at about 55mph, 2500-2700 rpm towards the 60-65mph range for the auto transmission.
Definitely could use another gear.

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Haven't yet gotten a monitor to really get into ecomodding, but may try taping the foglights and upper nose intake to see how that changes MPG given the good results reducing Cd drag Fisker, Ford, Toyota, etc. have gotten and published elsewhere.

[NeilBlanchard]

The previous Combined rating was 34MPG, while the current/latest Combined rating is 30MPG. When I bought the xA I was thrilled to get anything 32MPG and above (my previous car was a Ford Focus ZX5 and I averaged ~27MPG; struggling to get 32MPG at best. Within the first two years or so, I averaged 37MPG - because I was trying as much as I knew at the time. I have a manual, and I almost never use the A/C.

So, the ratings are not too far off of what a "typical" person would get.

[RandomFact314]

I thought this was a little humorous. I started listening to Harry Potter on audiobook and my MPG went up a bit. Not sure if it was because it's alot more calming than the garbage that plays on the radio or if I was letting off the gas so I could hear the dang thing (it was very silent, even with radio on 50/63 volume)
The MPG isn't really a ton more and could be some weird coincedence but I thought it was worth smiling about once i was done listening to it and seeing it drop back down that little bit


----
On another note, I drove forever with the gas light blinking, when I filled up I put in 11.239 gallons... Isn't it a 11.9 gallon tank? haha. Whats the most you have added?

[SentraSE-R]

I'm your cousin in the boxy Scion xB checking in to remind you that aerodynamics aren't nearly as important as adjusting the nut behind the wheel.

[RandomFact314]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

I'm your cousin in the boxy Scion xB checking in to remind you that aerodynamics aren't nearly as important as adjusting the nut behind the wheel.

This is good because I'm still planning on getting a SGII and I am not willing to ruin my beautiful car with all that gaffer tape and its residue everywhere, I hoped to leave the drilling holes and tape residue behind when I got rid of my last junker and finally got a nice car.

[NeilBlanchard]

A ScanGuage (or UltraGauge) will be a big help. Sometimes you can lift your right foot so slightly and not even slow down - and you'll gain 10-20MPG on the instant FE gauge. If you do this consistently, then your overall FE goes way up.

I have at least five or six fillups that are 11.6+ gallons.

Do you have the upper grill blocked? That alone was worth 2-3MPG for me.

I agree the tape looks pretty lousy from a purely aesthetic point of view. The Coroplast is fading a lot in the ~5 years it has been on the car. But all the aero mods in total raised my FE 6-8MPG. My best tank went from ~42MPG to over 55MPG.

[RandomFact314]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

A ScanGuage (or UltraGauge) will be a big help. Sometimes you can lift your right foot so slightly and not even slow down - and you'll gain 10-20MPG on the instant FE gauge. If you do this consistently, then your overall FE goes way up.

I have at least five or six fillups that are 11.6+ gallons.

Do you have the upper grill blocked? That alone was worth 2-3MPG for me.

I agree the tape looks pretty lousy from a purely aesthetic point of view. The Coroplast is fading a lot in the ~5 years it has been on the car. But all the aero mods in total raised my FE 6-8MPG. My best tank went from ~42MPG to over 55MPG.

Grill block is usually my first mod on all my last cars but I haven't gotten around to blocking this one off yet. I'm waiting to do something really clean like this:
or this: