Is there a way to optimize gas mileage on a base Vibe?

[special_kac]

I am new to this forum and a base Vibe 2004 owner, going on one year (in August, is the anniversary). I have been getting between 29 and 30 MPG in the city/highway driving. Has anyone ever gotten higher than that? If so, how'd you do it?

[Pick]

keep her under 3k rpms in any gear and it works wonders. Slow and steady, nice and easy

[urbanmonkeygod04]

Yeah, just drive your car gently. My base-auto was great on gas, I'd get to school & back (50 miles each way) on about 3 gallons of gas. Just keep your foot off the gas pedal.

[ToolGuy]

Like the others said and keep your oil and air filter clean and new!

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by Pick »keep her under 3k rpms in any gear and it works wonders. Slow and steady, nice and easy :DI routinely shift at 5000-6000 rpms...maybe THAT'S why I average 27 mpg in my base model.

[Pick]

Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe »I routinely shift at 5000-6000 rpms...maybe THAT'S why I average 27 mpg in my base model. rofl most definitely

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by special_kac »I am new to this forum and a base Vibe 2004 owner, going on one year (in August, is the anniversary). I have been getting between 29 and 30 MPG in the city/highway driving. Has anyone ever gotten higher than that? If so, how'd you do it? I consistently get 33-35mpg. I do a fair amount of highway driving (guess 70%) which helps.Basically, under normal driving, (not emergency or road hazard), keep the acceleration down - never feel like you're pressing the pedal very far, and keep RPMs between 2k and 3k. If you're cruising with RPMs more than about 2300, shift up. Keep highway to Keep tires properly inflated, and avoid idling for long periods. Don't run the AC when you don't need to.You don't have to drive like a grandma, but think of it as "relaxed" driving. Drivin' while chillin'

[northvibe]

its crazy how much your tire air pressure affects ur gas mileage. mine were pretty high when i checked them after the first week of owning the vibe so i deflated them to 32psi as the vibe book said and it jumped a couple mpg..sweetness.

[MadBill]

Strangely enough, tests by BMW and other manufacturers and the practices of ultra-mileage competitors fo many years have shown that the best economy for a given average speed (e.g., averaging say 20 MPH for an hour's driving in the city, with numerous stop lights, etc.) is to accelerate briskly (in the highest possible gear for a manual) and then cruise at a steady speed, again in the highest gear in which the car will run, anticipating stops and slowdowns to avoid braking (which just turns fuel into heat and brake dust!) For a given AVERAGE speed, this uses less fuel than accelerating slooowly for a long time to a necessarily higher speed in order to maintain the same average.If you REALLY want economy at all costs, you can more than double any normal driving average by accelerating at full throttle in the highest possible gear to about 15 MPH, turning off the engine and coasting almost to a stop, then letting out the clutch to re-start and accelerating again in the highest possible gear. Obviously impractical unless you're on a deserted road with 2 gallons of gas and 100 miles to the next station!BTW, this stop/start approach also minimizes heat rejection to the cooling system, and I have used it more than once in lieu of a long walk or a seized engine after failing a water pump or freezing up due to insufficient antifreeze...

[ragingfish]

As was said above, these are some good tips to maximize fuel economy:*check your engine air filter regularly and replace when necessary. The dirtier the filter, the harder the engine has to work, the more gas wasted.*minimize idling. Remember, when you're just sitting and idling, you're getting 0 mpg.*keep your speed low. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for gas.*use cruise control. It maintans a consistent speed and more often than not will reduce fuel consumption.*keep O/D on! When in overdrive, your engine doesn't have to work nearly as hard to keep the momentum going. Less work, better mileage, less engine wear.*reduce unnecessary weight. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%.*proper tire pressure. Underinflated tires can reduce mileage by 0.4%. 32psi is the Vibe's recommended pressure, stick with it.*keep stuff OFF the roof rack. aerodynamic drag can contribute to almost 5% in lost fuel economy. Carry stuff inside the car whenever possible.*use top tier fuels whenever possible. I personally have found TT fuels such as Shell, though costing a few cents more up front, tend to give me significantly better fuel economy. Top tier brands are QuikTrip, Chevron, Conoco, Phillips, 76, Shell, Entec Stations, and MFA Oil Company.*keep your engine tuned. following the periodic maintenance schedule not only keeps your car running smooth, and avoids costly repairs by helping to spot trouble before it gets worse, but also can make sure your fuel economy stays high. a broken or malfunctioning O2 sensor can impact fuel economy over 40%!*some information from fueleconomy.gov

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »...keep RPMs between 2k and 3k...You don't have to drive like a grandma, but think of it as "relaxed" driving...I just got back from lunch and I shifted at 2500 the whole trip to and from the restaurant. I noted two things: 1) I felt like "grandma" 2) it took me about 20 seconds to get the car up to hwy speed with the a/c on.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »Strangely enough, tests by BMW and other manufacturers and the practices of ultra-mileage competitors fo many years have shown that the best economy for a given average speed (e.g., averaging say 20 MPH for an hour's driving in the city, with numerous stop lights, etc.) is to accelerate briskly (in the highest possible gear for a manual) and then cruise at a steady speed, again in the highest gear in which the car will run, anticipating stops and slowdowns to avoid braking (which just turns fuel into heat and brake dust!) For a given AVERAGE speed, this uses less fuel than accelerating slooowly for a long time to a necessarily higher speed in order to maintain the same average.Interesting- I'll have to try this. Any details on what they mean by accelerating at the highest possible gear? I'm not sure I fully understand that.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe »I just got back from lunch and I shifted at 2500 the whole trip to and from the restaurant. I noted two things: 1) I felt like "grandma" 2) it took me about 20 seconds to get the car up to hwy speed with the a/c on. Yeah, well, grandmas generally also brake firmly when they see any potential road hazard, such as lightposts, mailboxes, and other cars...I imagine shifting at 2500 would take you 20s! I generally shift about 3k. So it might shave a good 25% off your time!

[MadBill]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »Interesting- I'll have to try this. Any details on what they mean by accelerating at the highest possible gear? I'm not sure I fully understand that.With a manual, this means using the highest gear that will allow you to accelerate without bucking, pinging or lugging too badly. As an example, the infamous "Skip Shift" fuel economy function on Corvettes means the RPM can be as low as 600 after it forces a shift into 4th gear (from 1st) at low throttle openings! For an automatic, the equivalent would be using light throttle to get an early up-shift, then stepping down as much more as you can without forcing a downshift.

[ColonelPanic]

Changing your driving behavior just a wee little bit in one of these cars usually gives a difference in mileage nothing short of dramatic! Everything makes a difference.With previous cars that had larger engines, it seems I had more room to play around. I could drive easy for the most part, then get on it a bunch, but the mileage didn't go down the toilet too bad.My base/auto Vibe: it absolutely needs to be babied! No question about it, if I'm asking more out of the engine than I really have to, I'll easily take a hit of 5 MPG or more.It was really bad recently, when I had a combination of problems that had to keep me constantly burying the accelerator, I was lucky to get over 20 MPG on the highway. It's doing much better now that the car is fixed and I'm not having to give it too much hassle. The guys here have all provided great input on this. I'll echo most of what was said here. And the key - just go easy on the car. Use the cruise control when you can, and you'll have no problems getting the mileage back up a point or two.

[Kari]

My base automatic got 31 mpg for city driving on my last tank, with the A/C on the entire time because it's so hot outside, and even 20 minutes of idling while talking on the phone the other day. My driving style does seem to be what others have described though...steady, lower RPMs, don't floor it, just work up to your speed gradually. I do have to step on it on occasion if people are being stupid or there's a lot of traffic to pull out into, but even then, I seem to average around 27. I got 42.5 mpg on the highway -- twice even! -- back in early June when I didn't need the A/C so much, and I get about 37-39 mpg when I do need the A/C on trips. I just try to keep the engine from revving any higher than it needs to.

[binary]

Quote, originally posted by silver_vibe »I routinely shift at 5000-6000 rpms...maybe THAT'S why I average 27 mpg in my base model. So THAT's what I've been screwing up... I've been eeking in a flat 30mpg.

[21Rouge]

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »its crazy how much your tire air pressure affects ur gas mileage. mine were pretty high when i checked them after the first week of owning the vibe so i deflated them to 32psi as the vibe book said and it jumped a couple mpg..sweetness.Wait a sec. If one increase tire pressure from 32 to 34 than fuel economy should *improve*....and a reduction in pressure should decrease economy.

[zionzr2]

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover »Wait a sec. If one increase tire pressure from 32 to 34 than fuel economy should *improve*....and a reduction in pressure should decrease economy.And you tires would wear improperly! of course if they are stock contis they will do this anyway

[special_kac]

Thanks so much! Even though I always do my scheduled maintenance, I will double-check my tire pressure today...I don't have to worry about accelerating to quickly b/c I usually drive like a grandma!

[vibebob]

quote northvibeits crazy how much your tire air pressure affects ur gas mileage. mine were pretty high when i checked them after the first week of owning the vibe so i deflated them to 32psi as the vibe book said and it jumped a couple mpg..sweetness.that almost defies logic because one would think that the higher the tire pressure the lower the rolling resistance and hence higher mpg. I'll have to give this a try. I have my tires at 35psi cold. I've seen stranger things. ** shrugs **

[billy]

Park it - you'll be amazed on how much you save on fuel expenses. Maybe even ride your bike or rollerblade to work.....or purchase a Smart 2 seater with the 800cc turbo diesel engine.....or just walk.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by MadBill »Strangely enough, tests by BMW and other manufacturers and the practices of ultra-mileage competitors fo many years have shown that the best economy for a given average speed (e.g., averaging say 20 MPH for an hour's driving in the city, with numerous stop lights, etc.) is to accelerate briskly (in the highest possible gear for a manual) and then cruise at a steady speed, again in the highest gear in which the car will run, anticipating stops and slowdowns to avoid braking (which just turns fuel into heat and brake dust!) For a given AVERAGE speed, this uses less fuel than accelerating slooowly for a long time to a necessarily higher speed in order to maintain the same average.I've been trying this for a couple tanks, and I seem to be getting about 1-2mpg more. (For me essentially what I've lost by having the AC on all the time now).Basically, I still shift up between 2600 and 3000, but I'm heavier footed on the throttle getting up to cruising speed. I'll also cruise at a little lower rpm - whereas before I wouldn't cruise below 2000rpm, I'll upshift if I can keep it above 1600.So, a little faster acceleration for more MPG? Yeah, I'll take that!

[northvibe]

im no expert on the tire pressure thing, but if the tires are not inflated to their proper psi higher or lower i would think the car would get worse mileage. maybe areodynamics does it or the crappier ride."A change of 2-3 psi can completely change a vehicle. An underinflated tire will ride smoothly but feel sluggish, have mushy turn-in and go around corners with high slip angles or just not much grip at all. An overinflated tire will feel harsh on impact and over smaller bumps, and while responding crisply, will lack grip when pushed hard." quote from a website on tire pressure

[navydave]

How about a clean car with a good wax job (reduces drag)?, and some synthetic oil may help improve mileage.

[mcgusto82]

you got a bad batch. i drive my vibe hard. i mean very spirited.i've never gotten anything lower than a average of 32 mpg. i do have a 5 speed base though.

[MarkM04]

Increase psi will reduce rolling resistance, and can possilbe increase fuel milage. Never the other way around. Tires can wear unevenly though, which is why there is a recomended amount.Removing the roof rack bars could also decrease drag, and give better milage. I may also try 5w-20 oil soon.

[GMJAP]

You could also buy low rolling-resistance tires. Probably not worth the mileage increase to buy just for that. But when you need a new set, something to consider.

[Z600]

Hey, I just posted in the Vibe Lounge about a MPG experiment I did. Take a look! I had great results....~Z600

[binary]

TireRack.com has a lot of great information on air pressure... check out these articles!!http://www.tirerack.com/tires/...h.jsp