Mpg

I just bought an 07 corolla and it says that I should get 30 MPG in town and 38 MPG on the highway. I am just woundering what other people get since the MPG that are given to me are under perfect conditions.

I know of a few that exceed 40 if they drive with a little sense.

I have a Vibe, same driveline, that gives me 36-38 on the interstate if I stay under 65.

my wifes new corolla is getting 30 mpg all local driving, should do real good on highway

My good ol 89 did 41 on the highway for Memorial Day. When I drive it, city is in the low 30's, but when my wife drives it, it's usually around 25 or so (something wrong with her foot or something :dunno: )

You have to take the rated numbers for what they're worth.

Unless you drive under the exact same conditions that produced the manufacturer's results (for example, think an empty trunk among other things), you cannot get the same numbers. Use them as a guide only -- Their purpose is to compare models to each other -- remember "your mileage will vary."

You should also expect "city" mileage, which is just about anything that's not steady speed interstate highway driving, to vary wildly, even for you -- highway conditions are more consistent, and probably the only mileage numbers you should use when measuring/evaluating the best mileage you can actually obtain.

For city driving or a combination (like in the real world), don't feel like you've been ripped off or lied to when the numbers are really low -- I have a '95 Corolla (w/1.6L, 4cyl, 100HP) than can consistently get 28-32 MPG on the interstate (even with the trunk loaded), however, in my real life daily grocery-getta, junk-in-the-trunk, short-trip, stoplight-to-stoplight driving, it can get as low as 18-20 MPG for a tank. The car's "sticker" rating is 26 city / 30 highway -- obviously, Toyota's "city" test was not done in NYC.

I've had a 2006 Corolla for a month now, am getting 38 mpg on the highway.

in my real life daily grocery-getta, junk-in-the-trunk, short-trip, stoplight-to-stoplight driving, it can get as low as 18-20 MPG for a tank. The car's "sticker" rating is 26 city / 30 highway -- obviously, Toyota's "city" test was not done in NYC.

Wow, that's not so good. My wife is sitll driving on the same tank from Memorial weekend when we filled up before returning to Chicago (home of the worst gas pridces in the nation :( )

Believe it or not, that's somewhat expected -- a perfect example of how "city" conditions and driving habits can impact mileage:

My typical drive is about 4 miles each way, residential block to block, stopsign to stopsign (about 10-15 of em) -- blocks are between 1/10th of a mile to 1/4 of a mile long, so the drive is a lot of stop, accelerate to speed, then immediately stop again -- this "shoutcut" route is an "alternate" to a somewhat longer route on a major through route with traffic lights, but it is consistently faster because the "stops" at the stoplights are sometimes a minute, and the stoplight route has the potential for longer delays during rush hours, while the stopsign route is consistent at all times. I'm sure the stoplight route would save fuel at the cost of time, but time is also money, soooo...

Greetings... new to this forum (but not to AF)...

Picked up a 1990 Corolla DX back in January.

Drive almost exclusively in town... occasionally might go on a few mile (10-15) out of town but no more than 1 -2 times a month. My trips to and from work are approx 2 miles each way.

My in town gas mileage is running somewhere around 14-15 mpg, near as I can figure. I'm trying to keep track but it seems to vary.

Back in June/July I had to make a trip to SE Ohio (from Northeast KS) and after figuring my mileage out (for the trip only) I ended up around 28 mpg. Now, this was with 2 traffic jams in Indianapolis (IN) totaling about 1-1/2 hours of bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go traffic due to road construction :(

Now, this is on a junk-yard engine (still has the chalk marked price on it $400) that was installed sometime between 1990-something and this year... mileage on the car is about 169,000.

Have had oil changes at 3 month intervals and replaced plugs just after I got it.

It runs pretty good for its age :)

My question is what can I do to improve the in-town mpg? I've run SeaFoam and B12 a few times (not at the same time) after fillups, so that's improved it a little bit, and I'm running ethanol gas more (our cheapest gas is across in MO and it's all ethanol). Car seems to run better with ethanol.

Any tips or places to start would be appreciated... not a mechanic but can do basic stuff :)

Thanks :)

Welcome to our forum!

Most of the time, poor mileage means it's time for a good ol "tune up". Meaning replace the air filter, replace or clean/re-gap the spark plugs, check/replace the plug wires, clean the distrubutor cap and rotor terminals, clean or replace the PCV valve, and clean the EGR valve. Also you should check the oil and change it if it is due. Then check the transmission fluid...if it looks clear or brown and smells burned, it should be drained and refilled along with a new filter. While your under there, check your differential fluid as well (it is separate from the transmission thus has its own reservior). Finally, check your alignment, tire pressure, and drivetrain for loose suspension components. Any or all of these can conspire to suck gas from your tank faster.

Finally, most older vehicles don't tolerate ethanol blended fuels more than the typical 10% that is sold. Newer vehicles that are designed for E85 fuel have components specific to resist the more corrosive nature of ethanol. Ethanol also has alot lower energy density than gasoline...ethanol consists of very short 2-carbon chains versus C4-C12 chains for gasoline.
Hope this helps!

BTW, please check the dates on previous threads before replying. If it is over a year old or so, it is preferred that you simply start a new thread, thanks!