dtpmike

I have a 2005 xa Auto with around 60,000 miles. We just bought it. We have only had it a few months. In Orlando I think it was getting 26 mpg. In Tallahassee, FL where we live we have been getting around 24 mpg.

I recently swapped to 17" wheels (205-40R17). I know there is slightly more contact of rubber on the road and the wheels might be a little heavier, but I don't think by much. The speedometer is 1% fast according to a calculator I used. Air pressure is max in tires... around 40psi.

My wife always uses AC. There are some hills here, but they are not that bad. She doesn't drive like a speed demon.

Any things I should check on the car?

dtpmike

I did forget to mention that the pumps here in Tallahassee all contain 10% ethanol from what I have noticed.

Murphys_Law

iTrader: (3)

is it an auto or stick? got a heavy stereo, aftermarket mods at all, and how heavy is her foot?

dtpmike

Forgot to mention... this is all city driving... and yes it is an auto.

I have installed a hitch... about 20-25 pounds. Other than that and the wheels/tires it is stock. She carries around a stroller and a car seat (baby is on the way). I would guess that with the hitch, wheels, car seat, and stroller, the car is not more than 100 pounds more than stock.... probably around 80 pounds more at most.

She doesn't have a heavy foot from what I can tell. I usually baby it (try to hypermile) when I drive it, but that is not that often.

Murphys_Law

iTrader: (3)

ethonal dosent help, when they calculate EPA mileage its with pure gas i think

draxcaliber

okay, the small percentage of ethanol in really doesn't effect mpg by a noticible amount. in the case of flex fuel vehicles running e-85, mpg is effected by 25%, but running 10% in gas, you really would be hard pressed to notice a difference.

start by checking air filter and spark plugs. also, with the different size tire, you odometer is going to be reading slightly lower than what you're actually getting. and a good oil change.

also, air down the tires to recommended specs. driving around with them pumped up that much will negate any savings you may get in gas by making the tires wear prematurely, and also, the cars handling and braking will be decreased as they have less traction.

lastly, driving habits, there is more to driving efficiently than not driving fast. mainly just driving smart. anticipating traffic ahead and now speeding up when in a second you'll have to slow down anyway.

also, the weight. i can notice a difference in acceleration with just one extra person in the car, so a car much lighter like the xA is going to notice those heavier wheels and tires, and the hitch, and the carrier.

dtpmike

I just filled up today.... 25 mpg. That is with about 20 miles on the highway cruising at 65-70mph.

For all city driving I think it is still 24 mpg.

merlin06

not to be negative, but there is no way you should be towing anything including a couple bikes in an XA.......get rid of the hitch....your car will thank you

dtpmike

There is nothing wrong with towing a light load with a scion xa. I plan to tow my motorcycle.... with trailer that is less than 1000 pounds, which the xA can handle just fine.

I have used a luggage rack that installs to the hitch.... helped me out bigtime. I picked up two dressers with my xA. Put one when the seats were folded down and there was no way for me to fit the other in there... luggage rack saved the day! I fit another dresser on the luggage rack. Double my storage capacity!

dtpmike

Update: I bought a scangauge 2 and have made some observations...

My scion does get 24 mpg with the AC on, in heavy traffic down a busy road. My wife almost exclusively travels on two roads that have a lot of lights.

After modifying my driving style a little I have been able to get 30-31 mpg on that same road with no AC if traffic is lighter.

My record is 41.4 mpg on a hilly suburban road roundtrip. There are not many lights on it though. I have not tested highway yet.


I think we just have bad luck as far as my wife's route goes. It has several hills too. It doesn't help that she always uses A/C. I don't see that changing anytime soon since it is so hot in FL in the Summer/early Fall.

mdtjr

We get only 25 mpgs around town. It's all hilly were we live and my wife doesn't use the highway.
If I drive it on the highway just alittle the mpgs go up for city/highway driving bout 28 mpg. On our trip to Las Vegas we got 37-38 mpg. It's an auto
wheels and tires are stock, mileage coming up on 20k.

Super-Stormtrooper07

Using AC and using the defogger(which uses AC) eats gas.

My recommendations:
Improve on your driving habits, use AC/defog. only when necessary(and while crusing @ 40+ mph), get rid of those 17" wheels, and go with a light weight 14-15" wheel w/ a energy efficient tire(Cooper makes one now @ $75, Michilen Energy or Michelin Hydro-edge) at a upper/higher max pressure range, use 87 octane gas(preferably Chevron gas), don't idle for too long(over 1 minute)- if so then shut off your engine, if your going to be at idle for 30sec-1minute, then put your tranny in neutral, drive with the windows up(usually) when cruising, clean your vehicle regularly-so it gives it a "slip-stream" smoothness= better aerodynamics. I also recommend going to synthetic engine oil (also tranny oil if you had a manual tranny). Check your spark plug.. if they need to be replaced, go with an irridium plug(NGK or Denzo).

Also, you'll notice from your scangauge II, a higher(hotter) air-intake temperature = yields a higher mpg (which usually occures during summer months = 100+ degrees) ,,, cool gremilin

oldmanatee

I also have an 05 with 17's and an auto...I hit 32 mpg constantly in mostly heavy freeway traffic. Here, that means either 75+ mph or dead stop. That is me and a passenger about 75% of the time. If I am on an open road, I will stay around 70-75, windows up, A/C on and will see 34 or better. Anything over 80 and I will get 28-29 mpg. And we have a lot more hills than you do. I would suggest new set of plugs and check the air filter. And have a shop check to see if the tranny is slipping. You run with O/D on or off?

I run my tires at 45 psi, the sidewall says max pressure to be 50, so I don't see where 45 is high. If you were to drop your t/p to what is recommended for 15 inchers (29 psi) that seems way too low! If you correlate that out, it would be like running the 15s at about 15-20 psi. And you'd never do that, would you?

You might want to take out all the extra weight until you need it, but, the main improvement there will be less rattles.

24 mpg just aint right.