RPM'S

[mrrayrodriguez]

Hey everybody i have a 02 manual solara V4 vvti. I was wondering if anyone knew the best rpms to stay at for best fuel mileage. Especially on the freeway, i know on some cars it doesnt matter how slow you go after a point. Like for example some cars get the same mileage at 2200 rpms when you are on the freeway, and once you get to 3000 or more you will see a decline in mileage.

[ThatVietGuy]

Go 65mph on the freeway to get the best mileage and stay under the speed limit on the streets. Translate that to RPM however you wish. Add in steady acceleration and shifting before 2000 - 2500 RPM and you're set for life.

P.S. You have an I4, NOT a V4

P.P.S. Is the picture in your avatar from Crystal Cove in SoCal, right by PCH? Just curious.

[beigecamry]

I do a lot of freeway driving. I've driven and compared my gas mileage going 70-75MPH and one time I went 55MPH the whole way. This is a 50 mile commute (~1 hour of driving). I found that you get the best MPG when you're doing 55MPH. My RPM's we're roughly 2.25K RPM at that speed. You get good miles per gallon at 55MPH since there's less wind resistance (exponentially increases the faster you go) and the RPM's are lower when compared to 3K RPM at 75MPH. I'm sure if I went slower I would get even better mileage but then that's dangerous since the flow of traffic is usually 65-75MPH. I have the i4 BTW.

[(K)]

If it makes you feel any better I've gotten 32.7 mpg (calculated) highway going about 75 mph on cruise control with my car (same as yours). At 75 mph you're somewhere around 2800 rpm. At 80 you're about 3200 rpm. I'd say somewhere around 60 mph on cruise control would do well for fuel efficiency. You'd be cruising at about 2500 rpm which is pretty good. Don't quote me on that though I haven't been paying attention to the revs when I hit 60 on 5th gear. I'll check for you tomorrow when I'm headed to work.

In the long run though as long as you're using the cruise control you'll be hitting the mark for fuel efficiency rating (33 mpg hwy). Pay attention to the traffic and plan ahead to avoid slower traffic in your lane. Another tip to conserve some fuel is to slow the car by letting off the gas as opposed to stepping on the brakes (for slight changes in speed).

Also, I do have a K&N drop in filter and a slight drop in ride height. I'm not sure how much of a difference it'll make but it's worth noting.

EDIT: You'd be at 2200 at 60 mph. Which is very reasonable. You'd be driving at a moderate speed on the highway, not too fast and not too slow and you'll be saving more fuel than the average driver.

Also, I agree with Chinky that a good filter will increase your fuel efficiency.

[Chinky420]

^^^ (K) brings up a decent point

if you want to help in fuel efficiency, you might want to look into getting a K&N drop-in reusable filter, and also maybe some cheap(er) ground wires from ebay. both of which alone aren't really performance mods, but they are beneficial enough in the milage game to be noted. both showed me a slight increase in gas milage, which does make a difference in the long run. i think for each of these mods i did, i found my gas tank was good for about another 25 miles (on average, sometimes it was 50 and sometimes it was 5 extra miles....).

also, make sure you tires are inflated adequately, take out any unnecessary weight in the trunk, and fill up your gas at nighttime.

[mrrayrodriguez]

Hey thanx for the tips, ill check it out this week on the way to work . oh btw "thatvietguy" your right that pic was taken from crystal cove by pch

[ThatVietGuy]

I thought that area looked familiar