Colbalt's actual MPG-What will it get

[cobalt66]

I get about 38 to 42 mpg with my 07 5 speed cobalt at 70 mph. But I have a turbonator in it,

[txptree1]

hey cobalt 66, what is a turbonator? Got a '06 LS with a K&N installed 'bout 2 weeks ago. If I can squeeze a few more MPG's with a 'turbonator', I'll invest in one.

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by txptree1

hey cobalt 66, what is a turbonator? Got a '06 LS with a K&N installed 'bout 2 weeks ago. If I can squeeze a few more MPG's with a 'turbonator', I'll invest in one.

An absolute ridiculous waste of money. Also, there isn't a Cobalt out there that averages 38-42mpg tank to tank. Could you do it for a partial tank trip or short highway run? Possibly. By calculating average MPG over a tank of fuel you'll get more like the low, possibly 34-35mpg max, 5spd manual or automagic.

Joel

[goodoldpapa]

My dad has a 06 LS and it consisitently gets 33-34 MPG.

[cliffs_redneck]

My 09 Cobalt XFE sedan (LS with no factory power options, aftermarket cruise control which works great) is consistently getting 37 mpg with 4000 miles on the odo. Little or no city driving, almost entirely rural Missouri Ozarks twisting, hilly county and state roads. Average speed at posted speed limit or slightly below (lots of deer around here). DIC Avg MPG agrees very well with calculated mpg based on tank fills and miles driven.

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by cliffs_redneck

My 09 Cobalt XFE sedan (LS with no factory power options, aftermarket cruise control which works great) is consistently getting 37 mpg with 4000 miles on the odo. Little or no city driving...

Nice! Are you digging your XFE? Mileage will probably improve some as she breaks in. I contemplated getting aftermarket CC a year or two ago, but prices were way high like $400+ with a dealer BCM reprogramming. FWIW, I'm just under 30Kmi and can average as high as 32mpg tank/tank.
Joel

[cliffs_redneck]

The XFE is great. WORST tank so far has been 33.5 mpg when brand, spankin' new.

The biggest complaint I have about it is the BAD Continental tires. Before winter rolls around again, they will be replaced, regardless of the condition and the mileage.

The Rostra CC works every bit as good as the factory unit, in my opinion. The local dealer (Bolivar, MO...no sure if I can mention the name) only charged $32.50 to enable it in the BCM.

Oh, yeah, I sure wish I had a spare tire and jack instead of the inflator...but I also haven't had a blow-out since 1994. Plus, OnStar is free for a year!

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by cliffs_redneck

...The biggest complaint I have about it is the BAD Continental tires. Before winter rolls around again, they will be replaced, regardless of the condition and the mileage..............
The Rostra CC works every bit as good as the factory unit, in my opinion. The local dealer (Bolivar, MO...no sure if I can mention the name) only charged $32.50 to enable it in the BCM.

Oh man you're not kidding about the Continental tires. You should try a Buffalo winter with them . First winter wasn't too horrible, but this past winter was a nightmare. They were fairly well worn at 24Kmi, but I've still got them on at 29K. Bad thing is IMO, even for a lowly LS model, replacement (name brand) tires are $100/ea on the low end! That's ridiculous for a vehicle I bought new for ~$12K. I'm gonna wind-up mail ordering new tires and take them to a shop to have them mounted/stemmed/balanced. What's the word on replacement tires for the XFE? Are they something special on that model? No spare is scary for sure. Good deal on the CC for you! With the economy the way it is, I could prolly get it done cheaper now than before.

Joel

[cliffs_redneck]

From what I've seen, replacement tires for the XFE are no big deal. I bought my '09 sedan in January (first weekend of the year, was about 70+ in Missouri, perfect time to buy a new car) and it has the Continental Touring Contact AS 195/60-15s A friend from work bought an '09 LS XFE coupe within the past two weeks, it has Goodyear Integrity tires, same size. I haven't heard of any changes in sourcing. Maybe it's just a matter of GM being "cut-off" by Continental due to financials? As a rule, I like Goodyear, but I've heard mixed reviews of the Integrity line.

BTW, I chose to have a shop install the cruise for me, even though the install looks easy as pie. Not only did the dealer enable the BCM, they also referred me to the shop that did it. Total cost: $374.48 I've seen the kits as low as $118, mostly they run around $178 or so.

Update on last tank mpg: 37.2 based on fill-up, 37.3 avg from DIC

[rodeo02]

No kidding. I thought I read the XFE had 'special low rolling resistance' tires. My 2007 LS model has the same exact Continental 195/60-15s. I've never had good luck with Goodyear tires either for that matter. I typically buy Coopers, but the only 195/60-15's I can find locally are pushing $100/ea + tax! Yeah, my DIC almost always settles out at around 32mpg, but if I calculate it out full tank to full tank it's a bit less. Goin' way off topic, but if I followed my oil life monitor to a "T", I'd go WELL past 10Kmi between oil changes. I don't go that far. I do 2 OCs a year at about 7Kmi between OCs.

Joel

[angel_iz378]

I have a 4 cyl '07 LT. I regularly make trips back home to NC which is about 250 mi one way. Last time I went home, on the way back, by the time I reached my home exit, I had maxed up to 34.2 mpg. No lie. I have a pic on my Car Domain page to prove it. The dealership when I bought it last year was only advertising 32 mpg on it, but I exceeded that. If I try to recreate that awesome gas mileage, I think the A/C was off, and I was riding CC most of the way at about 70-75mph. Just a word of advice, once you run the A/C, the gas mileage shuts way down to around 20-25 mpg. I still love my 'Balt, I'm so happy I got it.