stock 2009 corolla

[mercury7]

just an update, still at around 44mpg average, I got 47 on the way to work today, I have been experimenting shifting in to neutral down long hills, this helps keeping my speed up while eccomodding but does not seem to help in overall mpg, I guess the corolla does the fuel shut off thing when coasting in gear is the main reason......it really seems like a 5 speed would have made this a 45mpg car without even trying.....also of note is the excellent scan guage feature....if this car had a small electric assist on take offs and climbing hills then I would easily be getting 70 to 80 mpg.....makes me wish I was a mechanic....there is definitely plenty of room in the trunk a mod like that.

[mercury7]

well it looks like I am doing this thread myself lol...one more update though, increased my tire pressure to 40psi today...up from 35, result on the drive to work today was 49mpg vs the 47 I got yesterday. I am coasting as much as possible while trying to keep my speed up to at least 40 so it looks like 49 may be the best I can do. Happy but wanted to break 50

[Stan]

Mercury7, a couple of thoughts for you. First, I read that somewhere that Toyotas with manual transmissions have zero fuel injection if you coast downhill with it "in gear". They don't burn much at idle, but it's greater than zero.

Second, back during the first oil embargo (1973) President Nixon was recommending inflating tires to the max sidewall pressure plus 5 psi, for max fuel economy. The tires on my Golf are rated a max of 44 psi, so I keep them inflated to between that and 50 psi. In general, rolling resistance goes down as tire pressure goes up. A 100 psi tire has about 30% less rolling resistance than a 30 psi car tire, and an iron train wheel has about one tenth.

Keep up the good work...the 10th gen Corolla sounds like a great car!

Stan

[mercury7]

thanks Stan, the first week I had it I inflated to 44psi and sure enough the next day one tire went flat.....picked up a nail......so I reduced back to 35...which is still above recommended....anyway so now I am back to 40psi....I actually had a hard time finding the max for my tires...they are 15 continentals

[Stan]

I am confident you know that inflation pressure has nothing to do with a tire's propensity to pick up a nail...

I have never seen a DoT-approved tire (any tire legal for sale in the USA) that did not have its max rated inflation pressure posted on the sidewall. Even Contis...

[mercury7]

btw....as far as creature comforts I would say 35 psi is great....I can definitely tell the difference in ride quality as I go up.....but right now I am just trying to see how good mpg I can get

[mercury7]

my bad....continentals are 44 psi

[Lit'l Cat]

2009 XLE purchased 6/2008. Mid July drove from Richmond VA to Buffalo NY. 60 MPH got 44-46 MPG! I was thrilled. Usually avg 34-35mpg in mixed driving 50% city 50% Hwy here in Richmond

[feather foot]

I own a 2009 Toyota Corolla and I have been getting 56 mpg on long trips in excess of 200 miles at 60mph. In town I have been averaging 43 mpg.

If you buy the Corolla then get the manual rather than the automatic. I always shift from 1st directly into 3rd and then shift directly into 5th gear. The engine will not noticably lug and pulls just fine. Long before I reach a stop sign or light I shift into neutral and coast to the line. On long downhills I shift into neutral and get the max fuel computer readings on the dashboard of 99.9 mpg. It won't register any higher.

[Lit'l Cat]

Feather Foot,

Do you live in a 'flat' part of CA? The milage you're getting is incredible!

Unfortunately as it gets colder here, I'm losing MPG now down to 33.4 - 34.5 mpg