Horrible gas milage

[copeland]

I am getting 17.6 MPG on my i4 solara.. I'm dying here with the gas prices so high. I do mostly city driving, but it doesn't make sense that my solara would get that bad gas milage. I do drive pretty aggressively sometimes, but i have cut back for a while and its still this bad.

Does anyone know what could be the cause of this? A possible problem with my car?

[Aotoyota]

try and reset the ecu by disconnecting the battery for about 15min.
then go driving for about 20min but take it easy.

the ecu learns our habits and driving styles. you might lose some
pick me up when flooring it but the milage should increase.

you might consider getting a kn filter too.

[gnegroni]

Consider following this post too... same intentions, different name:

Fuel

[Gadgetjq]

I am getting 17.6 MPG on my i4 solara.. I do mostly city driving, but it doesn't make sense that my solara would get that bad gas milage.

Actually nearly 18 mpg in city driving for a fairly heavy car like the Solara isn't all that bad. You probably get 26 or better at steady highway speeds.

Things you can do to try and increase mileage:

1. Totally change your driving habits. Accelerate like there's a raw egg between your foot and the gas pedal. Decelerate early, use brakes only to come to a final stop rather than speeding up to a stop sign/signal then slamming on the binders. Every bit of heat generated by your brakes is coming right out of the gas tank.

2. Make sure tire pressures are at least where the manufacturer recommends (sticker on doorsill) or a couple of pounds higher for less rolling resistance.

3. Don't carry unnecessary 'stuff' in your trunk. Every pound you have to move uses a little more fuel.

4. Use AC only when necessary. At highway speeds fuel used to run the compressor is about the same as additional drag caused by leaving a window open but at city speeds you can do a little better fuel wise by opening windows and turning the compressor off.

5. Avoid short trips. Anytime the engine is below normal operating temperature it's being fed a richer fuel mixture than when it's warmed. If you can consolidate multiple cold starts into one longer trip with a warmed up motor you'll get 'much' better mileage.

If mileage is still too low for your pocket book maybe you should consider getting a scooter for running errands and getting around town. There are some really nice ones, Burgman and Honda Silverstar come to mind) that get excellent mileage, they're comfortable and quiet too.

Cheers

[gnegroni]

Actually nearly 18 mpg in city driving for a fairly heavy car like the Solara isn't all that bad. You probably get 26 or better at steady highway speeds.

For an I4, it might be nearing on the low mileage side. Make sure the air filter is cleaned up (paper filter should be changed yearly, if not with every oil change). When was the last time you performed a tune up?

4. Use AC only when necessary. At highway speeds fuel used to run the compressor is about the same as additional drag caused by leaving a window open but at city speeds you can do a little better fuel wise by opening windows and turning the compressor off.

If you can and its cold enough, tilt sunroof open, open vents and run air thru without AC. If its cold enough, you won't need AC on highway.

[kingkakyle]

thats how it is sorry
even on the sticker it says 23mpg city

dont worry i get about 18-20 cuz of all this damn la traffic....
and when i mean traffic i mean it takes an hour to drive about 5 miles... or less haha

when i go strictly highway, no stopping 80mph i get up to 34-36 mpg haha so its not the car its just depends on how long ur sitting idle and stop and go

[gnegroni]

Well, you are kind of right... he does say he drives fairly aggressive and mostly city. Those early EPA numbers were kinda high for normal everyday driving.

[Grnarowana]

We can reset the ecu? What if the mileage on a solara is already good. Is it possible to reset the ecu and possibily get more mileage out of a car?

How do you reset the ecu? Here's a better question, where is it?

[gnegroni]

How do you reset the ecu? Here's a better question, where is it?

To reset the ECU you only need to disconnect the battery for 10-15 minutes (can't remember), after which the system will start relearning your driving habits.

If you drive easy enough on the gas, I doubt there be much changes, but our cars like to go on the rich side... in other words, it couldn't hurt to try.

[anwagbo3000]

i have been getting around 23 miles a gallon, and great acceleration, driving thru the city i get 22.1 and on the highway about 24.3, so i just ball parked it to be 23

[DevilzAdovocate]

I get about 22-23 highway and about 18 street.

[GzNutz]

On a 180mi round trip to IL on sunday I averaged 29.8 mpg doing approx. 80mph. Most was highway but still had some city driving. This was with the 3.3 too.

[gnegroni]

On a 180mi round trip to IL on sunday I averaged 29.8 mpg doing approx. 80mph. Most was highway but still had some city driving. This was with the 3.3 too.

Are you talking about measured MPG or what the display is telling you? Either way, that is good mileage for the 3.3l.

Note: Some people have small margin between highway and city driving... tells me some might drive in the highway as if they were in city traffic? (I used to drive pretty fast in highway traffic)

[GzNutz]

That was what the display was telling me. I reset it when I filled up. I can get a more valid number by doing the math next time I fill up.

[gnegroni]

When I mentioned the display I mean the middle dash multi function display (AVG MPG, INST MPG, Distance, AV Speed, etc). If I go by it, I ended up having more MPG than I think I was getting. Once again, I divided all my calculations by 18.5 back then so I may be off on the negative side.