2005 Corolla -> 10L per 100 KM WTF?!!!

[tubs]

Need some input before I go to the dealership for a check.

2005 Toyota Corolla CE Automatic

36 liters were used for the last 359 kms that is combined city and highway driving. I've been using heating because of the weather and there are some stuff in the trunk which are mostly cleaning supplies, which shouldn't be THAT heavy. 1 to 2 passengers are with me most of the time.

Can this be in the normal range? Seems a bit excessive to me.

Thanks.

[Kai Viti]

Is that oil or gas? :cheesygri

Sounds a bit high.

http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/20/wo/Home.Vehicles.Go.Corolla-Ol0TuFYraIR1zHCFigNSTw/5.11?v102040e%2ehtml#FUEL

[B0000rt]

Does someone have a lead foot?

Maybe Fuel Injection cleaner? Heating doesn't take a hit to fuel consumption, unless you're using the windshield defogger (which uses the A/C compressor) alot.

[fast_typeR]

the fuel consumption ratings posted by Toyota are by no means accurate in real world driving applications. they test it in the most optimal conditions in order to get that fuel consumption rating.

three things,

1) is your car brand new? juding from the 2005 year it shold be. Your car will consume more while it is in its break in period
2) are you comparing the fuel consumption when you're in winter? cars eat up more gas during winter
3) do you use the heater and air conditioner constantly? keeping those on even at the minimal level takes a big bite out of your gas consumption

[Shifty]

Something is likely wrong with the car. Even in city driving with jackrabbit starts, a Corolla shouldn't have that bad fuel economy. My Rav4 gets 10L/100km in mixed city/highway, loaded with my family and baby gear.

Might be a clogged air or fuel filter? Do you have a check engine light on? Tire pressure really low?

[B0000rt]

3) do you use the heater and air conditioner constantly? keeping those on even at the minimal level takes a big bite out of your gas consumption
Eh? Hows heating take a big bite out of gas consumption? (Unless it's windsheild defogging) Coolant is always pumped thru the heater core is it not?

[Webhead]

the fuel consumption ratings posted by Toyota are by no means accurate in real world driving applications. they test it in the most optimal conditions in order to get that fuel consumption rating.

three things,

1) is your car brand new? juding from the 2005 year it shold be. Your car will consume more while it is in its break in period
2) are you comparing the fuel consumption when you're in winter? cars eat up more gas during winter
3) do you use the heater and air conditioner constantly? keeping those on even at the minimal level takes a big bite out of your gas consumption

Tires: check your tire pressure. Under inflated tires will use more gas.

Also, people and anything contributing to weight will eat up more gas.

As fast_typeR states: during wintetime or cold weather you ALWAYS use more gas compared to the other 3 seasons.

[fast_typeR]

Eh? Hows heating take a big bite out of gas consumption? (Unless it's windsheild defogging) Coolant is always pumped thru the heater core is it not?

when you turn on the fan it will take away alot of the current going into the engine, regardless of heating or cooling.

[Jayhoo]

Eh? Hows heating take a big bite out of gas consumption? (Unless it's windsheild defogging) Coolant is always pumped thru the heater core is it not?

Heating puts a higher strain on the car's electrical system. Needs more gas to spin the alternator faster, that kinda thing.

Edit: Beaten to it :P But yeah, get the car checked out.

[konfusion666]

Eh? Hows heating take a big bite out of gas consumption? (Unless it's windsheild defogging) Coolant is always pumped thru the heater core is it not?

i thought anything connected to the accessory belt will cause fuel consumption to increase?

[tubs]

There's only 8500 kms on the car and it was bought in May.

There's no engine light on though. I didn't believe my mom when she said it uses up more gas than our 10 year old POS of a sunfire.

[dablackgoku1234]

I say 10L/100km sounds about right. The 7.8/5.6 litres per 100km posted by Toyota is on a friggin roller in their lab. They did not put into account things like speedbumps, hills, wind, snow, u flooring it to pass a truck on the highway etc. The 5.6L/100km on the highway is calculated at 100km/h. U lose efficiency if you're over or under that speed.

There have been studies on "real world" fuel economy. On average, u add another 40% and that is roughly the real world consumption. So that works out to be 10.9/7.8. And btw, they have rated the Corrolla to be one of the best fuel economy cars on paper and in practice.

I dont have the link to the study, but if anyone knows it, please post it. Another good site to check is www.fueleconomy.gov

[B0000rt]

when you turn on the fan it will take away alot of the current going into the engine, regardless of heating or cooling.
The alternator doesn't take much from the engine power. And I woulnd't say the blower motor takes the most out of it (unless you're a freak and keep it on the highest setting all the time) The rear defog on the other hand draw much more current than the blower motor would eh?

Really, saying that turning on the blower motor reduces gas consumption by the amount the OP is talking about is crazy. You might as well ask him if he listens to the radio on his drive, and tell him that's the problem too.

Heating puts a higher strain on the car's electrical system. Needs more gas to spin the alternator faster, that kinda thing.

Edit: Beaten to it :P But yeah, get the car checked out.
Key word, big bite. Sure it strains it abit, but not anything to severly affect fuel consumption, as the A/C compressor would affect it.

[DragonZealot]

The extra gas spent on powering the blower motor when heat is turned on is next to nothing compared with the power to propell the car.

To propell a car at highway speed you probably need 20 - 50KW of power and the blower only runs at 50W (4 amps x 12V) at most.

However if turn on the heat before the engine is fully warmed up then it eat more gas because the engine will be running cold for a longer period before it reaches optimum operating temperature. This is the reason why car eat more gas in winter, even worse if you have snow tires.

10L in 100 KM is not too too high in the winter if you lead foot and the highways in GTA is worse that city driving.

Chances are your dealership will tell you there is nothing wrong mechanically with your car and this kind of fuel consumption is not abnormal.

[konfusion666]

it sounds like there might be something slightly wrong since 10L per 100km is close to what I get on my 2005 Camry. which, compared to the Corolla, has a bigger/more thirsty engine and weighs like a brick! 3200 vs 2600lb. !

[fast_typeR]

There's only 8500 kms on the car and it was bought in May.

There's no engine light on though. I didn't believe my mom when she said it uses up more gas than our 10 year old POS of a sunfire.

don't worry then, its normal
your car is still new and still in its break-in period, and the weather has been cold

my car was like that too new, but it got much better after the 2nd oil change. So don't worry too much about it right now.

[baymoe]

There seems to be something wrong with your car. I've been driving my corolla (1999 1zzfe non-vvti) for 6 years and it takes roughly 8.5-9.5 litres/100km, and I drive with a lead foot. For the first 2 or 3 years of the life of my corolla, fuel consumption hovered around 8L/100km.

Unless you're running with your A/C on, a very heavy lead foot, snow tires, and loaded with passengers, you shouldn't be consuming that much fuel. Your car is well over it's break-in period.

Did your car consumed fuel at that rate ever since you got the car or did it happen recently? Was any part of the car replaced?

[tubs]

I can't really tell if it's always been that way since I only measured for the last two fill-ups. First one was 9.4L/100km and then 10.01L/100km last night.

I'm getting it checked out anyway on my next oil change. I'm not worried right now, but it's the long term effects I am considering from running rich. Oh well, we'll see.

Thanks for the input everyone.

[pontiac_driver]

maybe you leave your car ideling for warming up, thats a big factor as well

[Viz79]

Need some input before I go to the dealership for a check.

2005 Toyota Corolla CE Automatic

Thanks.

10L/100km sounds about right. Last weekend, I drove a 2003 Corollo CE automatic from Ottawa to Toronto to Alliston (90% highway @ avg. 130kmph) with a full tank of gas and only got about 600km, with three passengers (~400lb).

However, I did remember driving the same car alone during the summer (avg. 140kmph) from Toronto to Ottawa and got *MUCH* better mileage on a full tank of gas.

I won't worry about things, though. Might be a good idea to get a quick tune and check your tire pressure.

~V79~

[contoursvt]

I honestly feel that the greatest factor for fuel economy is weight. I have a 1998 Contour SVT with nearly 240K (I do take care of it though) and I routinely get between 9.5 and 10.0L / 100k.

I dont haul around extra stuff, dont have a heavy stereo and dont carry passengers. My driving is 1/2 city and 1/2 highway. I am by no means a granny driver. My car sees at least redline once or twice a day for at least a gear :) Usually if nobody is around, I mid wind out 3rd on an onramp. Keeps the car healthy ;)

Anyway I think the corolla should be pulling off around 8L / 100 if it was a stick. Not sure how much worse auto would make it....

[Shifty]

I still contend something is worng with either the driver or the car. The 10l/100km number I gave for my 2002 Rav4 is the real world figure that I've been tracking since I bought the car new. No way my Rav gets the same mileage as a new Corolla, it's much heavier even empty, and I usually have it full of family and baby gear, so something is off here.

[camzie]

Something is definitely wrong there.

I get similar (slightly better) mileage from my 1995 Corolla

[warpdrive]

Honestly, it sounds about right for winter driving. I had about the same mileage on a 1.8L Protege for combined highway/city driving.

[umroayyar]

I have a 2002 Corolla CE Auto. Mostly drive in the city, I get about 9.5L/100km driving in rush hour stop'n go traffic everyday. The trunk always carries the big baby stroller and other stuff. On highway drives its around 7L/100Km. You'll never match Manufacturer's posted rate.

[Nyte]

I have the same car, and there is definitely something wrong with your figures. I was getting around 7l/100km in the summer. The only time I remember grtting numbers like that was earlier this winter when I was driving around agressively, keeping the gears low, and all city.

Lately, I've been getting between 8-9l/100km, and I just got new winter tires, so I wouldnt be too surprized if it hit 10l.

Do you go through a lot of snow? That tends to eat up gas.

[Focus]

New car + snow + heat + city driving + auto = low low mpkm

no worry it should improve when the engine get older.

[bdckr]

10L/100km sounds about right. Last weekend, I drove a 2003 Corollo CE automatic from Ottawa to Toronto to Alliston (90% highway @ avg. 130kmph) with a full tank of gas and only got about 600km, with three passengers (~400lb).

However, I did remember driving the same car alone during the summer (avg. 140kmph) from Toronto to Ottawa and got *MUCH* better mileage on a full tank of gas.

I won't worry about things, though. Might be a good idea to get a quick tune and check your tire pressure.

~V79~
That's still only 8.3 L/100 km (I think a full tank on a Corolla is 50 L).

I still get around 7.5 L/100 km on a 98 Corolla with auto transmission, but that's mostly highway driving.

The OP's 10 L/100 km still seems high.

[bensa138]

If you do alot of short haul trips around town... expect your milage to decrease signifcantly in the winter time as the car tends to run richer fuel mixture before it is warmed up.

Hence for the most part cars will get shittier gas milage and will be worse if you do short trips.

Things to do in winter is to make sure you're tires are properly inflated and do not hard accelerate before the car is up to normal operating temperatures.

[tubs]

Thanks for the responses.

I do my best to keep the engine around 2 to 2.5 RPMs max, except for the once in a month "I'm flushing out the engine for 5 seconds" in the highway thing.

The funny thing is the snow tires are getting installed this weekend. Should be interesting...

[pandaharo]

I think a lot also depends on the pump at the station, some pump pop earlier than others (Defective?), so your car might not have used 36l total. The petro I always go to, the pump on island 1 always pop way early and I can fill about another 5l if I keep at it.

[TrevorK]

Heating puts a higher strain on the car's electrical system. Needs more gas to spin the alternator faster, that kinda thing.

You do realize the pulley for the alternator generally runs off the crank and the ONLY way to "spin the alternator faster" is to brings up your RPMs?

The only time heating puts a strain on gas mileage is when it involves the AC system. Some cars for instance use the AC system for the defroster.

[TrevorK]

A guy at work has a 2005 and he gets only slightly better gas mileage with a 5 speed.

[fast_typeR]

we have to keep in mind his car only has 8000+ kms on it. His car is therefore still in its break-in period and it is more gas consuming during this period.

there's nothing to worry about. I assume you already had one oil change at that mileage, and your car will become more fuel efficient after the second oil change.

[Reggin]

10L/100KM is normal for your situation

1) City Driving: Self explaintory

2) Winter: the gas has antifreeze in it, which reduces its efficency and causes fuel consumption to increase

3) YOU'RE CARRYING 2 PEOPLE AND CLEANING SUPPLIES IN THE CAR.

enough said, your fuel economy is normal for the situation you're in.

[gheart008]

Anyone have experiences with these fuel injection cleaners? I'm assuming you mean the ones in liquid form that they sell at like Canadian Tire where you dump it into the gas tank every time you fill up?



Does someone have a lead foot?

Maybe Fuel Injection cleaner? Heating doesn't take a hit to fuel consumption, unless you're using the windshield defogger (which uses the A/C compressor) alot.

[i6s1]

Driving the car cold will also prevent it from going into top gear until the engine is warm. That's what my Toyota does. No fourth gear until warm.

Running the heater uses practially no gas. If that's really the reason, you should drive with your headlights off, not use your turn signals, and make sure you don't use the power seat, locks, or windows.

[dablackgoku1234]

I hear FP60 is the way to go from http://www.lubecontrol.com. But shiet, its expensive to ship to Canada.