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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Google

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.

Firefly efficiency mods

Posted Friday, September 16/05 in Mods & Tests

wrench

Last updated December 2009

Note: see also 50+ vehicle modifications for better MPG.

Modifications done to the car, plus tools & resources used in the quest for greater efficiency:


Aerodynamics

Transmission & engine

Intake

Other

  • tire pressure 38 psi (front) 36 (rear); boosted to 48/46 Feb/06; again to 52/48 fall/06 - tested

  • aftermarket cruise control (only used for testing, or on flat roads)

  • new brake calipers (on Firefly #1 - the old ones were dragging slightly & replacement noticeably improved rolling resistance)

  • daytime running lights switch - so I can turn them off on a divided freeway, where DRL's safety contribution is lowest. (It's highest on undivided highways where there's an oncoming overtaking hazard, and where other cars are approaching your path at right angles - e.g. urban driving).

  • engine kill switch (to keep the ScanGauge alive if the engine is stopped while at rest or coasting)

Tools

  • a good tire pressure gauge

  • a ScanGauge

  • Accessing the brain trust at EcoModder.com

  • Books: Road Vehicle Aerodynamic Design by RH Barnard; Aerodynamics of Road Vehicles edited by Wolf-Heinrich Hucho

Future mods ...

  • lowered ride height

  • custom, taller 5th gear

  • shaped tire deflectors/fairings

  • front wheel skirts

  • photovoltaic solar 12 volt assist

  • electric drive hybridization

  • experiment with increased EGR

Note: see also 50+ vehicle modifications for better MPG.





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