"vent windows" or as they use to call them back when I was a misley summer help at work "smoke windows".

 

It looks like it's coming back too. Forecast is for upper 90's again. We can't get off this rollercoaster of hot and hotter.

Stryker, I work in Durham and drive in from a neighbor county. I'm not too concerned with HP as I am with MPG. My last tank avg'd 30.5 so I'm hoping to keep it there, but if upper 90's return, it may go down a little.

Hope to see you on the streets.

 

Do you have a stick or Auto? I have never gotten above 22 mpg, I live in N. Durham, but commute to RTP(Take Gregson to the Freeway, and then hit 40, get off at S Miami) so that is a good mix of city/hwy, but I avg 20.8. I got 22 mpg when I had the GMPP Intake and the IMCO Turbo Muffler.

 

Auto. I drive I-85 to HWY70 and then into RTP. I would say about half of my drive is hwy and the other half is stop and go with the stoplights. My tank avg between refueling is usually somewhere between 30 - 32 MPG. I wish it could be higher, but I'm not complaining at all.

 

Someday the companies will figure out that they can cut out the AC compressor at higher throttle positions. We used to cut out the alternator above half throttle on our race cars. It would be much easier to do with the computer on today's vehicles. It would give a little extra power on heavy acceleration.

 

I never turn my A/C off, Even in the winter I just turn the temp control up.

 

Most modern 4 cyl and smaller V6 cars, even some V8's do indeed use an a/c throttle cut out system/switch, have since the mid seventies.

 

Not sure why so many of you say you only get 22MPG. I have a 2007 2.2 with a five speed, and even with the AC running in 90 and 100 degree heat I always get 30+ hwy, 35+ without the AC. I consistantly get 26+ in city driving, again even with the AC running. I can't believe my HHR is different than others, but maybe the five speed makes more differance than I think it does. True I don't hot-rod it, but I certainly keep up with traffic, which on our freeways is often well above 70MPH.

 

5speed greater than 4 speed on gas mileage, almost always.


Plus 2.2 will use less fuel compared to the 2.4, so yeah a 2.2-5 speed will do far better than my 2.4 auto :)