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I started to get interested in conservative driving techniques last year after buying a 2007 Santa Fe V6 AWD for the wife and kid to deal with the treacherous Edmonton winters. I drove it for the first two months for the break-in period before I handed it over to her. I noticed that I was getting about 14.3 L/100 km for about 80% city driving which was well below the claimed fuel efficiency of 12.6/9.0. I read about better driving practices and noticed that I could decrease this down to about 11.3 L/100 km or about a 30% decrease just through better basic driving habits.

I was then off to drive my Camry which did not have a fuel efficiency computer. I mostly still tried to drive efficiently though. Out of curiousity I decided to calculate what I was getting the old fashioned way and saw economy of about 9.2L/100 km on my first tank and 9.5L/100km on my second tank for 80% city driving which was better than data on fueleconomy.org which showed 13.8/9.4.

After reading the forums I have decided to take a second step by increasing tire pressure. I just had my winter tires turned over to all-seasons a month ago and thought tire pressure would be at manufacturers specifications but noticed it was only at 29psi. I inflated them up to 41 psi (max sidewall is 44 psi) to see if it makes any difference.

I am debating whether to jump into the fray of getting a more fuel efficienct vehicle but my car is running fine, I like not having to make any other car payments (3-year finance to buy on the CUV for the wife) and I only drive about 1000kms/month. I also want to see what new hybrids are coming out and what they are like to drive.

Anyhow, I look forward to learning more over time and seeing what kind of bang I get for using your suggestions now that my baseline for basic conservative driving techniques is set.

Hi PMRedmonton:

___Welcome to CleanMPG!

___Besides tire pressures and a ScanGauge, next oil change, some nice 5W-20 Mobil1 syn would help some as well.

___City techniques are more numerous than the highway but if you are stuck with an auto, you are limited. The V6 is what is really slamming you in the city so make sure you do the math on another vehicle. The 98 V6 w/ an Auto in the US is rated at 17 mpg (13.8L/100 km) city per the new 08 EPA and 19 mpg (12.4L/100 km) on the 07 and prior EPA city. Pulling 26 mpgUS (9L/100 km) is doing quite well actually! With the < 600 miles (1,00 km’s) per month, have you considered having the wife take the Camry if she travels more miles than you do per month?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Thanks for the ideas, Wayne. I'll consider the oil change idea. I'm not sure about the scanguage as I will probably replace this car within the next year.

About the wife, she has become addicted to the high driving position of the SUV so she will not change cars and we want the kid in the safer car.

I think I will probably be going hybrid with the next vehicle - maybe next generation Prius, the new Honda Fit hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, etc. The only thing I want is a vehicle with very good crash test results, Stability control, power driver's seat (I'm very finicky) and preferably leather seats. I'd also like a hatchback for its utility.

The only thing that troubles me with some hybrids is their low clearance. This is a big issue up here in Northern Canada as the side streets are often not plowed and I worry about getting stuck. I'll probably have to take some out after the next big snow storm to see how one does although I worry it won't be a fair test as they are unlikely to be equipped with winter tires.

In terms of the manual tranny, I've got a problem with the left leg so clutches are a no-no, unfortunately.

I hyperinflated the tires and got my best mileage yet at 8.5L/100 kms or 28 US mpg for 90% city driving. My previous best was 9.2L/100 kms or 26 US mpg for 80% city driving (road construction has decreased the length of my highway run in half). The numbers I am now getting are much better than the listing on fueleconomy.org of 17/25 us mpg or 20 overall us mpg.

The changes I made were FAS when I know I am coming to a stop, some NICE-on coasting and I increased air pressure to 41 psi. I was actually a little low at 30 psi when I checked the tires. A little more NVH but nothing that is too uncomfortable.

I will probably get the synthetic oil that was suggested at my next oil change. I will also consider taking the tires up to 44 psi which is the sidewall rating. A store nearby sells scanguage 2 but they are out of supply for the next 2 weeks but I'll get one then to experiment with optimizing fuel economy.

Hopefully my mileage will continue to improve with more practice.

I just got the scanguage now - I was getting 39 mpg using the instantanous feedback on my first trip. It will be interesting to see how much better mileage I get on this tank.

Interestingly, it seems dfco does not happen in my vehicle. When coasting in gear the car is always burning fuel. The fuel consumption goes down when I shift into neutral and mpg also goes up.

just a test to see if sig is as I want it.