Peebles24

I just recently bought my 2011 1LT 2.2 auto, I am not terribly impressed with my economy. I drive very easy maybe not true hyper miling but still very easy. My normal driving is mostly rural roads where I can run about 50 mph. I am in Indiana so it is hilly. The vehicle has 39,000 miles and is bone stock, my best fill up netted me 26.5 calculated and 27.5 per the dic. I know it should be capable of much better than this, the other day I got on the interstate and set the cruise at the 70 mph speed limit, from what I saw on the dic I was only getting around 27 average.

What can I do to make it better, I know it should be capable.

Nazgul 9

Something you can do is try to re-set the mpg and instant mpg on your info bar... I have found that it can get "stuck" and needs to be reset.. try that and see if it doesn't show you getting better mpg....

Nazgul 9

The other thing is don't pay to much attention to the inst mpg I have found it is really not very accurate.. I have an SS and I am getting better mpg then you so if that doesn't work I am sure there are several other people on here that can give you much more informed advice then me....

Tyler Harvey

Something is not right there. I'm getting better mpg in an SS. If I recall when I had my 06 LS my milage was better than 27. All though, hilly roads can cause a engine to work harder.

badassbowtie

X2...If I try to get good gas mileage, I get what you get with my SS. the 2.2 does amazing in my brothers cobalt. like high 30's. I would try maually checking fuel economy. maybe check your air filter and see if its filthy too.

oh and 70mph is a hair too fast for good economy. 60mph is where you want to be...however you may get ran over depending on how people drive around you and the speed limit. ive noticed a sharp decline on the instant mpgs once you get above 60 and above 70

swerv0428

2.2 for me too. I get about 27 mpg around our busy city streets. Dic reads 32 mpg at 70 mph.

Old Lar

I discovered that when I put on new tire (Coopers), my mpg dropped from a little over 30 mpg average to about 27 mpg. I had some Goodyear high mileage tire previously. I keep records for all my gas purchase for the 98K miles on the clock.

Even when I had the original tires on the car I was still averaging 30+ mpg. The same Goodyears were close to $800 for a set of 4 and the Coopers were under $500. I had not believed tires would have made such a difference, but that is the only thing I can say was changed.

Peebles24

I rarely look at the instant. I do reset the DIC at every fill up. I need to check the air filter though. I knew 70 was a little fast for good MPG but wanted to see what it would do. I just expected better than 26.5 from a 2.2 being driven very calmly. My previous car, a 03 monte carlo with 170,000 mile and a 3.4 would average 24 mpg on the same driving. I love my HHR I just expected more.

10HHR

Is the air filter clean? That's a place to start. My 2010 2.4 runs from 30-34mpg depending on load and trip type.

Edit
And speaking of tires, I had a 95 Dodge Neon years ago. Came with Michelin tires and I always got 42 mpg with occasional 45. I put on new general tires and it dropped to 37 and I never saw better than that. So, yea, tires have an influence. Saw it with my own eyes! If you buy tires that cost $500 more and net better mileage, well, you can buy a lot of gas for $500!

Blue_SS

Try adding some air in the tires. You didn't say where they were, but raising pressures just a bit can help with fuel mileage. I'm another who does better with an SS. Good luck! You should be doing better.