Improve Fuel Economy - Tips

#1
Okay everyone, since the Corolla is an economy car and one of the main reasons why motorists purchase this car, let's use this thread to share fuel economy tips. With the administration in Washington driving gas prices to $5 per gallon and more, getting better fuel economy will save us all money.

What fuel economy tips does everyone here have to share?
 
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#2
I have a 2005 LE. When traveling on freeways, the sweet spot is 60 MPH. I get approximately 38 to 40 MPG at 60 MPH vs low 30's at 70 MPH. It takes longer to get where your going, but with the price of gas, it's worth it.
 

dreb

New Member
#4
for 89-92 corolla with 4af carburated engine very very important to use the factory spec long tipped spark plug so as to make the engine run effieciently and burn the fuel properly, it really improved my fuel consumption , now i can get 6.5-7kms per liter of gas from my previous 5-6 kms per liter. carb must be services at least every 50,000kms so as to assure that the inside is clean and remove cloggs
 
#5
Leave early for work. You never know if traffic has slowed down or will be at a stand still due to an accident or construction.

If traffic is very slow due to one of the above, leave a large distance in front of you. There's no sense in start, stop, start, stop like everyone else does, right on someone's bumper. Keep a low speed to save wear on brakes and save fuel. There will be people who take advantage of space you leave them and cut in. Compensate accordingly by adjusting speed distance.

Drive 55 on the highway, unless the minimum speed is 60.

Don't accelerate hard up hills; take it easy and when you go downhill, you'll get back to speed with less fuel being used. That stated, don't use cruise control in a hilly area.

Limit A/C usage.

On the highway, close windows and allow the fan to be on without A/C if it's not too hot outside.

With manual transmissions, shift early, but don't take too long to get to the speed you want. That also wastes fuel.

See a stop sign or stop light ahead? Coast. Coasting really does save a lot of fuel.

Avoid excessive idling, especially on a cold morning. It's more efficient for the car to warm up for just a few seconds and then start your journey slowly. It's also better on your automatic transmission.

Limit use of accessories.

As always, adhere to scheduled maintenance and DON'T forget about tires and alignments. Also, make sure your brake calipers are properly releasing.

I've had a fair share of motorists who dislike my driving style and activate their high beams, ride my bumper, cut me off, etc. I just ignore it. I had one woman really on my bumper one time, then trying to get around me. Finally gunned it past me, only to pull into McDonald's a 1/4 of a mile down. Apparently, she was very, very hungry.

My average miles per gallon on http://www.fuelly.com is 40.4 miles per gallon. That's also using the A/C this summer. Today, I earned 41.4 mpg. So, I'm going two weeks on one tank and spending between 70 and 75 dollars on fuel per month. My Corolla is a manual transmission.
 
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jack

New Member
#6
Buy a little rectangular device named "Scanguage II" that plugs into your obd II plug under the dash to constantly display actual mpg, average mpg, and reads your trouble codes when the check engine light comes on. I bought one for every member of the family and they have easily saved the cost of the device and more.
 
#8
Keep tires inflated to manufacturer's recommended pressure... no more, no less. The cost of replacing prematurely worn tires will far exceed the money saved by over-inflating the tires.

Keep the car in tune, replace the air filter regularly, and keep your foot off the gas as much as possible. I'm a huge fan of coasting whenever I can. Lifetime average on my 2015 LE Eco is just a click over 40mpg (63,000 miles on the car).
 
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