LoadedAgain

I agree with you both (and Jan06xB has so much hard and factual data on xB MPG it would be impossible to win a debate with him).

The problem with going 60MPH vs the speed limit is it adds about 5 hours to an already long trip. I'm not complaining about the MPG. I think it is less due to the aerodynamics of the xB and more due to the motor. To pull 80MPH the little 4 banger is working pretty hard. Hard work = less MPG.

I break 30MPH on a tank pretty regularly on my daily comute; 15 miles each way with most of that being 50-60MPH.

bB2NER

Right! You can get better mileage if you are willing to stay in the slow lane. Cause I drive for a living I can't bring myself to do that so I loose mpgs. I'm fine with that my time is more important.

Jan06xB

Actually any vehicle that shape would get low gas mileage no matter waht the engine and in fact would get worse if the engine was bigger. What you have to do is change the tranny oil if you have a manual - that got me 4-5mpg more when I did that. Apparently the stock oil is not too slippery. Any reduction in friction will help you get better mileage including lowering the body closer to the ground and keeping it clean. Some of the guys on GasSavers.org even went so far as to remove the outside rear view mirrors or you could just fold them back during high speed driving. If I ever get a chance to get going that fast for a mile or so I will check my mileage to see how I do. I know at higher speeds it drops to the mid to upper 30s. Don't knock the engine - it does perform very well and is properly geared to be able to go as fast as possible in 5th - it's the size of the box you are pushing through the air that causes the drag.

goyogi

Hmmmm...I never thought of the oil being a drag on the engine. That makes me believe that was the culprit when I first got my used xB. I got 28mpg and most of that was highway driving back from where I bought it. Since I didn't know when the previous owner changed the oil I changed it the following week and the next tankfuls of gas I got 32-33mpg. I didn't change it myself so I don't know the condition of the oil if it was decent or cottage cheese. =)

My best so far is 36.7mpg after inflating the tire pressure to 40 front 38 rear and changing the airfilter which wasn't too dirty. But I wish I did one change at a time so I could easily see the effects.

Next on my list is the Perrin pulley. It should be here in a week. I did a google search for perrin pulley with mpg to see what other cars are getting. And some people get a few extra mpg with the pulley and some don't.

Then in a few months when my tires are worn a little bit more I plan to get some Sumitomo HTR 200 195/60-15. They are the only low rolling resistant summer tires. They perform pretty well according to user reviews on the tirerack.com.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...ay.jsp?type=HP

My brother has them on his Saturn and says that they improved the handling dramatically and he gets a few extra mpg to boot. I'm sure his stock tires weren't very good tires to begin with. Mine aren't. The previous owner put on 3 different brands of tires. Probably just got whatever was the cheapest.

iKevin

No offense to you GasSavers.org guys but i'm starting to think that website might be doing more harm than good:

-Over inflate tires
-Tailgate tractor trailers on the interstate
-remove side mirrors

I understand wanting to squeeze out that last little bit of mpg . . . . but not at the expense of breaking the law (removing mirrors, tailgating) or creating the possibility of an unstable vehicle/tire failure (over inflation).

Jan06xB

The law on rear view mirrors is that you have to have one and the inside one counts - some have put in rear view cameras to replace them and reduce drag. I don't propose eliminating the mirrors outside because of the safety factor where her in RI it is illegal to pass on the right unless the driver ahead is taking a left turn . . . we have too many Mass drivers that pass on the right all the time as well as they and a lot of RI drivers fail to KEEP RIGHT unless passing. Just making a point that the mirrors cause a lot of drag.

The tire inflation is a myth and is not really a concern - in fact police run higher pressures all the time to improve handling and in fact under inflation is often the cause of blowouts and rollovers.

Tailgating is also not a problem if the proper distance is maintained as I said 3 second rule and they still make quite a draft a hundred feet back and more. If you want to talk about safety how about the jerk that passes me and pulls in way too close in front then slows down to take an exit while kicking up a few rocks into my windshield. The other point is that the truck driver is usually a professional and is less likely to jack on the brakes causing you to rear end him besides the fact that they can't stop anywheres as quickly as you can in a car/xB - I'm just riding their wake and only if they have good mud flaps.

goyogi

In lieu of a point on my record I took a drivers ed course and it happened to be taught by a police officer. He recommended the 2 second rule because with the 3 second rule many people will see the gap, be irritated, and speed up around you to fill it. And in his opinion irritated drivers are the cause of many accidents.

When I follow trucks I try to follow the rule of seeing their sideview mirrors. If you can see their sideview mirrors they can see you.

I love following trucks in heavy traffic. They can see far ahead to anticipate traffic so you use less brakes. And people don't like being behind them so I can just cruise at a comfortable distance behind them instead of a few feet off the next persons bumper. People will fill the void but usually only to move over to the next lane or exit because they don't like to be behind a truck.

And I found that weaving in and out of traffic to get to work saved me only a minute or two and I was wound up. Not worth it.

I'm really wanting the scan gauge as my next mod now.

Jan06xB

2 seconds huh - will have to try that yeah you're right on the three seconds they like to fill in that space but then that's why there are these big pile up accidents - people don't realize just how long it takes to stop at high speeds.

goyogi

I always wondered with the 3 second rule do you start counting at 0 like a stopwatch? I think most people start counting at 1. If you start at 0 then the 3 second rule makes a HUGE gap.

If you start counting at 1 then the 2 second rule really becomes a 1 second rule!

I'm wondering if I should wait a few weeks/months for the new interface software for the SG II before I buy it. I wonder if there will be a price difference. I think I'll email them and see.

Jan06xB

Here is the SL price break - I don't think you will do better than this price - Guys I know contacted SG and thought that new II was going to be less but it was more and the data logging is a long time late in arriving so Don't Wait!!

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=153142

goyogi

Thanks Jan06xB. That is the best price out there outside of California. Unfortunately I have to pay CA tax because 365motorwerks is in CA.

So the cheapest for Californians I found here http://www.therpmstore.com/product_i...roducts_id=365
no tax, free shipping. I just ordered it!

iKevin

Ok . . . finished the latest tank of 89 octane and it was a fluke on the other tank as the latest one is back to 24.9mpg.

HolyHeck

I got 35 mpg going 85 mph on my last trip, and got over 40 mpg when I was going around 70!

lufoxe

No offense... but I'm gonna call BS on that one. I just finished driving from Miami to Orlando, my speed never went over 85, I didn't do any hard accelerating, never got over 3,000 (Until I got to the higher speeds even then I was ~3500) and drove nice and smooth. I got 25 MPG. when I go 70 is when I usually get around 29-30 MPG, but not 40, and definately not 35 MPG going 85.

jcrawfordxb

My other car is a Civic Hybrid. It has a nice Instant MPG Gauge. I "draft" all the time, but don't tailgate. It makes a HUGE difference having a car in front of you. In the box, we've noticed that following an SUV (usually going about 75-80), we can usually get 3-4 extra MPG over the course of a trip.

Don't get me wrong, I always stay back far enough to see hazards up ahead, and I've never had people flash brake lights or anything. I think the two second rule is a good spot to start.

goyogi

Check this out
http://www.airtab.com/

Helps with flat backs like the xB. If you go to the image gallery there are some people that use them on cars.
http://www.airtab.com/Images/photoga...allery1.htm#AP

I wonder how effective they would be if they were just placed on the top of the xB and not the sides.

rvpps2rocks

really late response but i didnt want to read throught all 8 pages but
Putting a 91 in a 87 rated engine does more harm to the engine than good because the engine doesnt run hot enough for it to combust at the right time so ur actually hurting the engine by putting the wrong octane

Gsnorgathon

I figure if you count something like "one thousand one, one thousand two," you're good.

Jan06xB

Yeah three seconds is 3 - not from zero. at 60 that comes out to 3 * 88 feet per second so 264 feet which is plenty of room between cars yeah I guess that is a bit fat isn't it . . .

What is HolyHeck driving . . . an xA??? or was that in hot weather with less dense air - pretty good numbers for those speeds.

bB2NER

Those airtab things could be fastened to a magnet sheet and only used during long trips. Make a long piece for the roof and 2 shorter ones for the sides. Easy on and easy off. Wonder how many would be needed to do those 3 sections? I'm thinking about 3 per side and maybe 6 more for the roof.