Quote:
Originally Posted by pb and h
Don't forget that terrain is a big factor. I think that is my number one challenge with all the hills that I encounter. Every time I get to the top of one I can go max .5 miles till I am going down a hill, some are mellow and others are steep.  |
I have found that terrain is a huge factor. On anything flat or nearly flat I can get good mpg with any small car. On any sort of incline mpg falls off fast unless you can keep TPS very low like 8 to 12. Usually mpg can be half as much going uphill at the same speed.
For an AT Sport commuting you can expect about 32+ mpg with cruise control or steady speeds. Up to 34 would be possible. Any sitting in traffic would be bad and go easy on the small streets leading to the freeway, you can burn gas in stop and go traffic.
As for scan gauge, it's not super accurate and needs a little adjustment to give a reliable mpg reading but I use it as a relative indicator of mpg as I go with the idea of retraining myself on driving habits to increase mpg as best I can. I find that even in heavy traffic with a little throttle I can still get about 20 mpg. The worst is fast starts from stops and hard braking which makes you loose all that momentum that could be used to coast to a stop.
Key techniques are easy throttle all the time, coast when you can or minimal throttle, and light use of the brakes. Be patient and it pays off.
I also note that when I use 205/45-17 tires coasting downhill I can get about 206 mpg but it I use narrow tires like 175/65-15 with light wheels I get 262 mpg on the same stretch with the same technique. This just tells me that rolling resistance is much higher with a wider tire. Both had about 40 psi, ride quality was better with the narrow tire.
Gives me the idea to mount 185/60-15 tires on the stock rims as a daily setup.