New 05 Vibe with 19MPG on first tank

[fridaysky]

I am a proud owner of a silver 05 vibe automatic (80,000 miles) with great aftermarket stereo with blutooth and sunroof. It almost looks new and was checked out with a trusted mechanic and they said it is in great shape. The only problem is how ridiculously fast I burned through a tank of gas. By my calculations I got around 18 or 19 mpg.. I am driving around a small somewhat hilly town with stoplights but this is significantly lower than my expectation. Does anyone have any advice? I love the car but need better MPG

[keithvibe]

city, winter gas, and hills all bad combosRun a bottle of fuel treatment check your tire pressure. I run mine at 40psi without wear issues.

[fridaysky]

Okay I will try it. Thanks for the suggestions!

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[keithvibe]

right now I'm getting about 20mpg in the city with my awd though. I will take my own advice and put in a bottle LOL.Great job at posting a photo on your second post

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by keithvibe »right now I'm getting about 20mpg in the city with my awd though. I will take my own advice and put in a bottle LOL.I really like my Vibe BUT if it was ONLY giving me 20 MPG It would be out looking for a new home!!! I'm not overly thrilled with the 27 - 33 I get on a regular basis. I accept this only because my wife wanted an Automatic for once in her life, I love my wife, so I accept this fuel mileage.Dave(07, 1.8, automatic, no mods)

[lovemyraffe]

Welcome!I agree with keithvibe. It is a combination of many different things. Give it time, and it will get better.

[KNINE]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »I really like my Vibe BUT if it was ONLY giving me 20 MPG It would be out looking for a new home!!! Same here. The worst I ever got was 30 mpg, and I was mad at my car that week. I average between 32 and 36 mpg. Of course there are no hills where I live.

[keithvibe]

it doesn't get 20mpg all the time just this tank, HAHA. My last one for city I got 26mpg.

[03VibeOttawa]

My two best tanks ever were both 100% city, both at 36US MPG (6.5L/100 km), which I can easily repeat any time by simply staying under 3000 RPMs below 5th gear.I'm averaging close to 31US MPG (7.5L/100km) on the hwy.My worst tank in years was 100% highway (literally, not 99.9) with almost no traffic on the road. I was driving through hilly New Brunswick in September with two buddies, and 300+lbs of luggage, with the cruise set at 3350RPMs. Got 27.821 US MPG / 8.455 L/100Km.

[Entelodont]

If you're going to use Chevron Techron, Advance Auto has the 20 oz. bottles on sale ; 2 for the price of 1. Seafoam added to the gas unclogged a fouled injector on an 02 Buick with the 3800 V6, wouldn't have believed it unless I experienced it.

[vibolista]

Hmmm! Other than using a gasoline conditioner and making sure your tires are inflated to at least 38 to 40 psi... there are some simple things to check and try.1) Open up your air filter box and take a look at the filter. Might need changing. Another related check... make sure that the air pathway is clear of debris. Some small critters love air intake runs to nest or store food and other less pleasant stuff.2) Pull you spark plugs. At 80,000 miles they could be starting to wear or the gap has increased or they may be loaded with contaminants. Their condition really depends on what the mileage history of this car really is and conditions it was driven under. NGK Iridium plugs could help get a little more bang from your gas dollar... pun intended!3) Have your mechanic change the fuel filter, if it hasn't been done yet. 4) Drive light. Take anything that you don't regularly need or use out of your Vibe. Extra weight costs extra fuel to move.5) Drive light. Again?... Yup... use a light touch on your go pedal. Don't be in a rush to get to that next stop light... cause you're just gonna have to stop again and then get going again. Ease gently into your gas pedal any time you accelerate, and if you see you will have to stop ahead... let off the accelerator as soon as you can and coast your speed down. Modern fuel injected cars shut off the gasoline flow when you are coasting to slow... saving gas and also saving wear on your brakes and tires! A tripple savings!Sometimes, modifying your driving techniques when it's safe to do so, will earn you significant fuel savings. You and I drive hilly terrain. So when I go up a hill, I never accelerate, and if there is no traffic behind me, I will allow my Vibe to lose a little speed. I make that up on the downhills, where I let the car speed up on its own... building momentum for the next hill. This is something that I've done so often, that it's automatic for me. Google Hypermiling Techniques. There are a lot of helpfull tips on squeezing more miles per gallon... although some are a little extreme and not that safe, but you'll figure out what to incorporate into your driving technique and what not to try. My average has been running from 35 to 40 mpg with my 5 speed and I really try to do the things I mentioned above. The variability in MPG is temperature and gas formualtion related. By the way, nice car you have there. Looks new, too. Just about everyone on this site really enjoy their Vibes. These little cars are very useful and super reliable. You'll be able to improve on that mileage. Let us know what steps you take and how your MPG figures go. That way we can all learn from what you find out and do.

[cptnsolo77]

Im getting 27 avg mixed highway/city. I keep my tires @ 37 psi and I might bump it up to try to squeeze some mpgs.May have to pull the plugs & get some more mpgs. Im at 87K.