My take on getting better MPG
09-20-2009, 01:55 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 09-10-2009
Location: Durham
Posts: 170
My take on getting better MPG
Never go above 3000 rpm. I have been driving 46 miles round trip through city and highway and I stay below 3000rpm and things have been great. The shift point for my engine seems to be just over 2200 rpms. If I start to accelerate and the rpms are about to go up to 3 if I back off just a hair it shifts perfectly.
70mph on the highway = 2.5 rpm
Most of the time I don't go above 2.5 rpm and I haven't had any problems. I can merge with traffic on the on ramp and take off from a stoplight easy as well.
I do have the 2.4L 175HP engine, but I am also running 87 octane.
Just thought I would put that out there for the people who have complained about not getting the advertised MPG. Reset your counters and drive a day without going over 3000 RPMs and see what kind of results you get. If you are able to do it and you get good results then it proves the engine is capable of it.
Now is never going 3000 rpms fun? Nope...do you have to be a lot easier than most? Yep.
Give it a try..what do you have to lose?
EDIT: Forgot to mention what my actual MPG was :P I am getting 28mpg mixed.
70mph on the highway = 2.5 rpm
Most of the time I don't go above 2.5 rpm and I haven't had any problems. I can merge with traffic on the on ramp and take off from a stoplight easy as well.
I do have the 2.4L 175HP engine, but I am also running 87 octane.
Just thought I would put that out there for the people who have complained about not getting the advertised MPG. Reset your counters and drive a day without going over 3000 RPMs and see what kind of results you get. If you are able to do it and you get good results then it proves the engine is capable of it.
Now is never going 3000 rpms fun? Nope...do you have to be a lot easier than most? Yep.
Give it a try..what do you have to lose?
EDIT: Forgot to mention what my actual MPG was :P I am getting 28mpg mixed.
09-20-2009, 03:45 PM
#2
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,804
Your information has been posted before, many times, by many different members. And it is valid and a GOOD review. Most will not adhere to it, however, and complain about the poor gas mileage.
Remember, according to auto experts, 30% of your fuel useage is getting UP to speed.....whatever it is (within the rules of "dominishing returns").
Remember, according to auto experts, 30% of your fuel useage is getting UP to speed.....whatever it is (within the rules of "dominishing returns").
09-20-2009, 05:00 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-09-2008
Location: Elko Nevada
Posts: 725
ive been trying to get the best mileage I can get lately and over the last month to month and a half my lowest tank was 28.8mpg and highest being 32ish mpg, I have the 2.2. most of this is in town i would have to say 90/10 town/highway, and also keep the keep the rpms down, I get it to shift at around 2000. On the highway I still reach 75 to 80 when I go. Im looking at getting even more with a few aero mods. You guys should check out ecomodder.com its a great site with lots of info on get the most mpg.
09-21-2009, 10:27 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: 09-12-2009
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 143
From what I've heard said by several experts in the field, a general "rule of thumb" is this... For every 1MPH you go above 70 you average 1% worse fuel mileage. So at 80 you are averaging 10% worse mileage than if you were doing 70.
From my experiences optimal mileage for most vehicles is at somewhere around 55-60MPH. Anything faster is trading economy for speed.
I tend to drive 3-5MPH faster than traffic, for safety reasons. If I encounter a situation it is going to be on my terms at my speed, not waiting on the cell-phone yacking buffoon ahead of me to notice and hit his brakes. Of course this also means I don't get the greatest fuel economy... but I'm averaging around 26MPG on my daily commute, which ain't horrible.
From my experiences optimal mileage for most vehicles is at somewhere around 55-60MPH. Anything faster is trading economy for speed.
I tend to drive 3-5MPH faster than traffic, for safety reasons. If I encounter a situation it is going to be on my terms at my speed, not waiting on the cell-phone yacking buffoon ahead of me to notice and hit his brakes. Of course this also means I don't get the greatest fuel economy... but I'm averaging around 26MPG on my daily commute, which ain't horrible.
09-21-2009, 01:06 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-09-2008
Location: Elko Nevada
Posts: 725
You supposably get worse mileage at higher speeds, but since im still get 30 plus mpg im not to worried about. Maybe I could get more miles but on a 3 and half our trip I'll just get there instead of taking longer.
09-22-2009, 09:22 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: 09-12-2009
Location: Charlotte NC
Posts: 143
This is exactly why I opted for the 2.4 engine. My daily commute is such that I need a certain degree of performance to be able to maneuver in city traffic. I end up flogging a lower hp engine so much that it kills any fuel mileage advantage. So I went for the larger engine, knowing that I would not be hammering it quite so much to get the performance I need. I was looking for around 200hp... the 2.4 is close out of the box, so I figure by the time I do I/H/E and a tune it should be right where I want it.
09-22-2009, 09:58 AM
#9
New Member
Join Date: 09-02-2009
Location: Nashua, NH
Posts: 10
I have a 100 mile daily commute and my speeds range from 0 to 80 and I feel I am getting great mileage at 28.5 most weeks, running 87 octane. But I traded my truck for the HHR and it was a 4x4 getting 13 to maybe 17 MPG so I am really overjoyed with the HHR!!