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Hello from Albuquerque, NM. I bought an 08' Yaris Liftback with automatic transmission last month, and just discovered your website. I am reading all that I can from your site and am totally new to this "Hypermiling" concept, but find it fascinating! Based on what I
have read so far, I have ordered the Scangauge II, and am looking forward to using it!
I already bumped my tires from the 32 psi (door pillar) to 35psi cold, and can feel a difference in steering and roll resistance. As I get more comfortable with it, I might raise
it some more. It's a difficult concept for me as I was raised to always follow the door pillar
for "safety/handling", so it may take a little time to reorient my thoughts on the matter,
however 3psi is a good start in the right direction anyway! I'm not sure about killing the
engine at stoplights, but according to one of the threads, just putting it in neutral saves 2.5 times as much gas, so I will start trying that. One immediate question I have, is this question regarding some TSB concerning 2006-2007 Yaris, and switching from the owners manual recommended 5w-30, to a 0w-20 or 5w-20. Does anyone know if the 08' Yaris should be 5w-30 as in the owners manual, or does a TSB override that and recommend a 20 weight variety?? It a new car under warranty, so I need to do it right! Thanks for any help you can provide!!

Welcome aboard, fellow Yaris driver!

The TSB says that you should switch to 5W-20. That is the same for all 1NZ-FE engines, regardless of their year of manufacture.

Congratulations on your purchase and please keep us posted on your progress.

Welcome to the site. Good to see another small Toyota driver here. :)

On another note, if your Yaris came with the Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires you should pump them up to 50 or 60 PSI. I have been running mine at 60 PSI all along, and while the tires are only rated for 12k miles I'm getting 18k out of them.

So, not only will a higher PSI greatly reduce your rolling resistance and improve the handling of the vehicle, but it also grants 50% more life out of the tires.

You may wish to pick up a small, portable 12V compressor, or a foot pump if you like. Either can be had for $10 to $20.

Thanx for your info on the TSB and the Tires. I just got back from the Dealer, and both the Parts Guys, and one of the service managers' were not able, nor aware, of this TSB, and told me to stick with the manual & oil cap specs of 5w-30. The service manager tried to pull up the TSB two different ways (including the number I gave him), but he said it did not come up for an 08'. I don't know if this means the 08's use 5w-30, or simply that Toyota has not put out a TSB yet for them. But if the original TSB came out in March of 06', you would think by now they would have changed the owners manuals/oil caps to reflect the 20 weight oil!?? I will research further though. Tires, yes I have the same tires you mentioned, and I am amazed your tires didn't "pop" at 60 psi, as the sidewall indicates a 44 psi max. I know somewhere on this site, someone said that tires typically could take up to 200 psi before bursting, but I always think about balloons....when half full it takes a good deal to "pop" them, but with more pressure (fuller) they "pop" quite easily....therefore at 60 psi I would think a small pebble in the road might be enough to "pop" them. Obviously you haven't popped any yet or you would have mentioned it, but do you get more flats from nails, etc??? I shall give this more thought, and I appreciate this information you have shared.... I may be less afraid now to experiment with more pressure. Thanx!

but he said it did not come up for an 08'

Your stealership may not be aware but the TSB does not apply to the model year but to the engine type. It shows that the engine type in your Yaris, an "NZ" (1NZ-FE), should use 5W-20. I thought they would have fixed the owner's manual for the 2008 model year to reflect 5W-20, too, but I have no idea how far in advance they get that stuff printed. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Yarii owner with vehicles from 2000 to 2007 have already made the switch so I would definitely consider it safe.

Here is a link to the TSB (if you haven't yet signed up on YarisWorld you will need to create an account): http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=9758&d=1196280467


Obviously you haven't popped any yet or you would have mentioned it, but do you get more flats from nails, etc?

I did get a nail in one tire. It never dropped pressure and it wasn't found until the next tire rotation. I check my tire pressures every other weekend and I have never had to add more than 4 PSI to a tire, and that was after my wife hit a curb with it. :o

I haven't yet had a flat with my Yaris. I just hit 16k miles.

Many Prii come with the same tire type, and dozens of folks on PriusChat also run between 50 and 60 PSI. Their road testing is what originally gave me the idea.

Thanx! I'll definitely raise my tire pressure some more. I did look at the TSB, but it is terribly unclear, as in one part it says all Toyota vehicles CAN use the 20 weight, but then it turns around and says "NOTE:
�� The recommended viscosity grade for this oil differs according to vehicle model.
Use the recommended grade specified on the oil filler cap or in the Repair Manual
or Owner’s Manual for each vehicle.
�� For Prius vehicles, refer to TSB No. EG050–04, “Engine Oil Specifications.”
So I don't know if this means the 20 weight is simply optional, or not optional!
My service manual, and oil cap say 30 weight...The parts guy DID say that as a "first owner" of the car, Toyota would mail me notice if there was a TSB affecting my car.....very disturbing the way they did this.

Glad I could help! It's too early for me to say it's perfect, but I've been using 5W-20 Mobil1 EP since 5k miles and I've had no problems yet. It will be drained at 20k miles.

Most of the folks over at YarisWorld have also switched to some form of 5W-20 over the last year (one fellow even went with 0W-20) and no one has had an issue yet.

Hello from Albuquerque, NM. I bought an 08' Yaris Liftback with automatic transmission last month, and just discovered your website. I am reading all that I can from your site and am totally new to this "Hypermiling" concept, but find it fascinating! Based on what I
have read so far, I have ordered the Scangauge II, and am looking forward to using it!
I already bumped my tires from the 32 psi (door pillar) to 35psi cold, and can feel a difference in steering and roll resistance. As I get more comfortable with it, I might raise
it some more. It's a difficult concept for me as I was raised to always follow the door pillar
for "safety/handling", so it may take a little time to reorient my thoughts on the matter,
however 3psi is a good start in the right direction anyway! I'm not sure about killing the
engine at stoplights, but according to one of the threads, just putting it in neutral saves 2.5 times as much gas, so I will start trying that. One immediate question I have, is this question regarding some TSB concerning 2006-2007 Yaris, and switching from the owners manual recommended 5w-30, to a 0w-20 or 5w-20. Does anyone know if the 08' Yaris should be 5w-30 as in the owners manual, or does a TSB override that and recommend a 20 weight variety?? It a new car under warranty, so I need to do it right! Thanks for any help you can provide!!

Hey there Albuquerque!!! I can't say that I am that good, but maybe we could share info.
Go ahead and pump up to maximum sidewall (that would be the no. on the tire not the door or owner's manual (it isn't safer to have it underinflated). I don't know about the oil though.

--des

Welcome to the site! :D The Yaris is a great vehicle for 50+ MPG in ideal conditions. Looking forward to seeing your results.

Well, I was looking into a Yaris or Fit, but I didn't like their $14,000 + price tag for a small car. And then the 1996 to 2005 Honda Civic HX's are way cheaper used and get better mpg. Plus the HX is faster (than a FIT).

I'm not sure about killing the
engine at stoplights, but according to one of the threads, just putting it in neutral saves 2.5 times as much gas

where did you read that, I disagree? my SGII reveals that i use .2 GPH while stopped both in and out of neutral

+1 for the comments of at least max sidewall PSI in the tires

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where did you read that, I disagree? my SGII reveals that i use .2 GPH while stopped both in and out of neutral

+1 for the comments of at least max sidewall PSI in the tires

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Don't remember for sure whether or not it was this site. I've been google-ing Hypermiling, so I have read stuff all over. Thanks for the info though. When I
get my Scangauge I'll try the GPH gauge to see if my car gets the same results
as yours.

where did you read that, I disagree? my SGII reveals that i use .2 GPH while stopped both in and out of neutral

+1 for the comments of at least max sidewall PSI in the tires

----------------
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Another thought - you might not have automatic transmission. What I read only
applies to Auto Tansmissions, because sitting still in drive still puts a load on the
engine due to torque converter. In Neutral, no load from converter. I will test
when I get Scangauge. Thanx again!!

Plus the HX is faster (than a FIT).

HUH!?? (Your other concerns seems valid. Price, slightly larger, etc. etc.

--des

Another thought - you might not have automatic transmission. What I read only
applies to Auto Tansmissions, because sitting still in drive still puts a load on the
engine due to torque converter. In Neutral, no load from converter. I will test
when I get Scangauge. Thanx again!!

I do have an automatic (the only decision I've regretted about buying the car) :(

I do have an automatic (the only decision I've regretted about buying the car) :( I got my Scangauge yesterday, and quickly verified that less gas IS used sitting in Neutral vs sitting in drive, so I'll start doing that when I get caught at a light. For the Yaris, it's only a small amount though - .17gph vs .14 to .15 GPH, so for short stops maybe not worth it.

Yeh - gas mileage not quite as good as manual, but auto is nice! And by the way, look's like you are getting pretty good numbers in that auto!!

Well, I was looking into a Yaris or Fit, but I didn't like their $14,000 + price tag for a small car. And then the 1996 to 2005 Honda Civic HX's are way cheaper used and get better mpg. Plus the HX is faster (than a FIT).

Sticker on a new Yaris is like $11k (base), a Fit is a bit higher as you suggest. Not gonna get much cheaper unless you go Kia / Hyundai.

I've driven both a Fit and a HX and the difference in power is minimal... a Fit could easily keep up with an HX.

congrats on the fine choice of car ! If my family could afford a second car, a Yaris would be very high on the list.


some thoughts:

1) Pump 'em up ! - follow Wayne's advice and do it gradually, you'll be terrified to go above 40psi at first, then 42, then 45, then 47, then 48, then 49, once you hit 50psi you'll realize that 32-35 PSI is something dreamed up way, way long ago. BTW I have always run at 40PSI at get 60-70K out of my tires. I've run for the last 20K at 45-50 and expect to see 80K.

2) Follow Wayne's advice, he says try the easy stuff first then move on to the more 'extreme' items, pretty soon you'll be pushing your car out the garage to squeeze that extra .000001%.

welcome !

I got my Scangauge yesterday, and quickly verified that less gas IS used sitting in Neutral vs sitting in drive, so I'll start doing that when I get caught at a light. For the Yaris, it's only a small amount though - .17gph vs .14 to .15 GPH, so for short stops maybe not worth it.

Yeh - gas mileage not quite as good as manual, but auto is nice! And by the way, look's like you are getting pretty good numbers in that auto!!

hmmm... it measures GPH to two decimal places now? I know when I looked at it before it just read .2GPH and I don't think I've looked at the GPH since the X-gauge upgrade.. perhaps you are right (it makes sense that it would use less gas, all be it a small amount, it all counts)

as for my MPG... hopefully this summer I'll get it back up into the 44MPG area, this cold weather has been killing me, its a fight to mantain 40 MPG on the same stretches of road I could pull 45-47MPG easily before the fall hit. I feel really bad for the people in higher latitudes than me. The #'s some of the people around here get are incredible

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If your engine is warmed up, you should turn it off for long lights (make that most of the lights in ABQ). I wait til the F measure on the SG gets to 100 or higher. It isn't fully warmed up, but it should at least be purring a bit. You shouldn't turn it off if the light is "stale" or if it is one of those shopping center lights.

Your break even for starting up after stopping is maybe 10 seconds. There has been past discussion of this which you might look for.


--des

Thanx - all help appreciated!!! :)