My Pontiac Firefly / Chevrolet Metro / Geo Metro / Suzuki Swift
metrompg.com welcomes fuel efficiency nerds everywhere

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Latest fuel economy stats
for my '98 Firefly 1.0L 5-speed
  best: 2.3 125.1 104.2
 worst: 6.4  44.1  36.8
prev.3: 3.3  82.3  68.6
   all: 3.8  73.4  61.1
L/100km | mpg IMP | mpg US
Jul 28/07: more, graph, calc.
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Best non-hybrid MPG: Mitsubishi Mirage
Highest MPG for a new car: Mitsubishi Mirage?
Mitsubishi's 1.2L, 3-cylinder Mirage is the first new non-hybrid car that can match an old Metro's mileage. The company says 44 mpg (US) highway, 37 city. (Some drivers are already beating that in various economy driving contests.) How? An efficient engine, very light weight and aerodynamic design.


Cheapest to own? 2015 Nissan Micra Forum
2015 Nissan Micra Forum
The Micra's fuel economy isn't its most notable feature -- the $10,000 price is. That makes it one of the cheapest cars to own. And its 109hp, 1.6L engine and good power-to-weight ratio means it's fun to drive too.


Latest 10 posts:
1. Recipe for getting 99.7 mpg from a Geo Metro
2. Aerocivic.com - famous aerodynamic Honda Civic gets a web site
3. Snapshot: effect of tire pressure on rolling resistance
4. 65+ vehicle modifications for better MPG
5. Metro mania: forget stocks, put your money in old Geos!
6. 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips for better gas mileage
7. Experiment: how long should a block heater be plugged in?
8. Everything old is new again: Car and Driver magazine modifies an econobox to improve MPG
9. Project Convertible XFi: alfresco efficiency
10. The floor is yours: MetroMPG opens a fuel efficiency forum
11 ... 64. Show all posts


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Links:

Good MPG forums: I spend a lot of time at Ecomodder.com and have also been known to lurk around cleanmpg.com.

Chevrolet Aveo forum - AveoForum.com: discussion of the Chevrolet Aveo and its siblings (Pontiac Wave, Pontiac G3, Suzuki Swift+, Daewoo Kalos).

> Lots more Metro links...
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Send me a note:
darin AT metrompg D-O-T com,
or here



MetroMPG has opened a fuel economy forum
Read about the project here, or go straight to EcoModder.com.
ScanGauge fuel economy computer Save fuel with a ScanGauge II fuel economy computer.
I personally recommend this tool. I've owned both versions (I and II) and can't say enough good things about it. If you're serious about saving fuel, get one.

For more information and to order, visit EcoModder.


Show more posts:   page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5 - page 6 - page 7



Posted Tuesday, October 25/05 in Driving efficiently

drafting Economy driving equals boring, slow and safe, right?

Tell it to the judge!

What follows is a collection of techniques that are guaranteed to increase your efficiency - and may attract the attention of the local constabulary as well.

Continued inside...



Posted Thursday, October 20/05 in Driving efficiently

better mpg through video games Two very different games are available online that try to teach users how to drive efficiently. One's primarily a marketing tool for a car company, while the other is strictly educational.

Neither is going to give Grand Theft Auto a run for its money.

Continued inside...



Posted Monday, October 17/05 in Driving efficiently

The Dukes of Holland The Dutch call it "the new driving" - and it's yet more evidence that Europeans take their driving more seriously than us North Americans.

That's right - new driving. Like new math. It's social marketing, meant to encourage a wholesale shift in the way folks behave behind the wheel. (After all, who wants to drive the old way?)

Yet, bizarrely, the Dukes of Hazzard are the spokespeople.

Continued inside...



Posted Tuesday, October 11/05 in General

energuide label "Hybrid or not, if you want good fuel economy you have to drive like you want it."

Truer words were never spoken. These came from autoblog.com, in an item about U.S. consumer backlash against manufacturers of hybrid vehicles because of their "unattainable" EPA fuel consumption ratings.

This consumer kerfuffle has led to various responses from manufacturers, and from the EPA itself.

Continued inside...



Posted Tuesday, October 4/05 in Driving efficiently

Online video - The next time you get gas: economy driving Reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions, and minimize wear and tear on your car.

That's the message in "The next time you get gas: economy driving", a video I produced in 1993 while working part-time as an instructor for Young Drivers of Canada and studying in the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University.

It may be 12 years old, but the message is perhaps even more relevant today than it was when I made it.

It's online now and available for your viewing pleasure.

Continued inside...



Posted Sunday, October 2/05 in Driving efficiently

checkered flag For those of you who are watching (i.e. me), it would appear I've finally beaten the elusive Canadian hwy fuel economy rating.

My most recent highway trip (249 km) returned 69 mpg (IMP), 4.1 L/100 km, 57.4 mpg (US).

No. Please. Hold the applause. It's not like I just took the checkered flag.

Continued inside...



Posted Monday, September 26/05 in Suzukiclone info

Toronto Star logo "Transportation pods" - now there's a diplomatic (and apt) description of the Suzukiclones.

Imagine my surprise to read it this weekend on the front of the Toronto Star auto section, under the title, "Five cheap used cars - good on gas," by Mark Toljagic.

The car's pros and cons were briefly outlined, but most interestingly (to me anyway), the issue of durability was addressed.

What was the verdict?

Continued inside...



Posted Monday, September 19/05 in Driving efficiently

fun nerd quiz Ever wonder how much of a difference specific car mods (or driving techniques) make to fuel efficiency?

So did the engineers at Honda.

For you economy numbers nerds (you know who you are), there's a particularly illuminating paragraph in an overview of the 2005 Accord Hybrid that attributes specific fuel saving values to each of the component technologies that make up Honda's hybrid approach.

Care to guess which gadget/refinement nets which increase in fuel economy?

Continued inside...



Posted Monday, September 19/05 in Driving efficiently

ignition key "So what! I drive a 15-year-old Metro!"

Well, unless your Metro is electric, there is one feature in the list of Honda hybrid technologies that applies to you. All Metros came factory-equipped with the "idle-stop" feature: the ignition key.

Continued inside...



Posted Friday, September 16/05 in Mods & Tests

wrench Tools, additions & modifications in the quest for greater efficiency:

  • drilled extra large holes in the intake silencer/air box (in the right front fender)
  • new distributor cap & rotor
  • Bosch Platinum 2 spark plugs
  • K&N air filter

Continued inside...



Show more posts:   page 1 - page 2 - page 3 - page 4 - page 5 - page 6 - page 7






EcoModder fuel economy forum Note: MetroMPG has opened a fuel economy forum
Read about the project here, or go straight to EcoModder.com.



darin AT metrompg D-O-T com, or here