New Corolla owner [ Archive] - GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump

Just picked up a 2006 Corolla CE, stripped to the bone w/ MT.

I'm a father/husband/attorney in McKinney, Texas, which is about 20-90 minutes north of Dallas, depending on the time of day.

I'm happy to have found this site...hoping it will help me to make the most out of my car.

Well well, you got a new one, eh. Hopefully you can make the most of it, because Toyota sure hasn't acted like that's there goal with it.

You'll have to clue me in on why that is, though I'm sure I'll find a thread on the subject eventually.

The car does seem to be a bit of a black box, if that's what you mean. We'll see...

I mean that this new generation corolla has crappier gas mileage than it's predecessor. :p

Ahhh...lucky me.

Oh well...gives me more of a challenge, I guess. Besides, the baby seat would be more of a b@!*$ to fit in the back of a pre-'03 model than it is in this one.

Sucks the way cars keep getting increasingly...bloated.

F(walletSize) = carSize;

alternatively...

F(averageamericanwaistlineSize) = carSize

...which, BTW, = me annoyed that the new Corolla is tank-sized compared to the original Camry.

Still...baby seat. And hybrids seem a little too George Jetson for my tastes.

And hybrids seem a little too George Jetson for my tastes.

HCH is a little to normal for my tastes, :p

Can you give me some advice about a "notice to apprear"????

I would say: "It depends on what the judge has for breakfast on the day you're supposed to show up." ;)

Feel free to PM me.

First of all, welcome to site! I hope you don't get bombarded with work-related questions unrelated to fuel economy.

Next, the stripped M/T Corolla is a good place to start. How many miles so far by the way? As it breaks-in mileage should increase. In the meantime, I'd recommend over-inflating the tires, coast as much as possible (especially if you can do so safely with the engine off), and perhaps get a device to track mileage better than the fuel-fillup method. Lot's of OBD-II folks here have the "ScanGuage" to monitor a variety of fuel economy and other conditions in real-time.

This is the hardest part, and it took me a while to get used to: don't drive over 60mph, or even 55. Past that, the "Wall of Air" you have to overcome starts eating the mileage. Also, (if so equipped)use the A/C at those speeds instead of having the windows down -- less drag.

Otherwise, search the site for the info gathered and feel free to ask us anything.

Good Luck!

RH77

i think his corolla has more hypermiling ability due to the bigger engine size (1.7 liters vs his 1.8 liters) and very simliar curb weight but more torque for the toyota. As well I think the corolla is more areodynamic than my civic for sure,

MILK THAT TOYOTA!

another new member with a 2006 MT Corolla, but mine is an S. Is that worse then the CE for MPG?
I also have a couple of questions about my Corolla.

1. What is the best way to accellerate from a stopped position?
I Typically start easy and shift up at around 1900rpm's from a stop and throughout the gears. Is this too soon? Is there a sweet spot I should be aware of?

2. Are there any safe aftermarket parts that would improve MPG like special air filters, spark-plugs etc..?

3. What are some of the typical MPG's that others here have gotten from the 06 5-Spd Corolla's?

Here are the ratings you can find at fueleconomy.gov (http://www.fueleconomy.gov) City/Hwy/Combo:
with 4-speed Automatic: 26/35/29
with 5-speed MT: 28/37/31
SPORTS with 6-speed MT: 22/31/25

I looked at that but the S model only had 1 review. He might be a serious leadfoot driving in 2 feet of snow, where as the Regular manual Corolla has 17 reviews. And there is a pretty sizable difference between the 2...About 6MPG for what is essentially the same car. The CE is only 20lbs lighter.

I suspect the major differences between the manual transmission cars are 1) the final drive ratio and the engine rpm at cruise; and 2) driving technique. Sport cars are sometimes driven 'spiritedly.'

BTW, I was citing the EPA ratings only.

Wowzers and welcome! Even though the new Corolla is bloated, it's still a great car! See my sig for our sticky threads on Fuel Economy.

I'm sure you will learn lots of ways to get your FE up!

1. What is the best way to accellerate from a stopped position?
2. Are there any safe aftermarket parts that would improve MPG like special air filters, spark-plugs etc..?


It depends on how you are driving that day. My two cents is that if you are P&G ing (Pulse and Gliding) then you should reach your max speed asap. The mpg lost in the initial sustained pulse will be canceled out by gliding only seconds into your ride. If you are a "keep it at one speed" type of driver on this day, then you should gradually increase speed being careful not to rev to much as this is when you TYPICALLY get lower FE.

I am about to buy one soon, but K&N makes aftermarket air filters that fit into your stock air filter housings. These filters are made from cotton (as oppossed to paperish materials). The benefit is that they allow more airflow, thus increasing your FE. Just changing my DIRTY air filter to a new one increased my FE by 2mpg. Im assuming this is because Ive increased air flow from "restricted by dirty air filter" flow to a clean, regular flow. I wonder if I can get another 1mpg by increasing the regular flow to a high air flow with a K&N air filter. The stock K&N filters cost about $50 but since they are WASHABLE they will pay for themselves after three changes, and thats taking into account fuel savings. Im guessing that a new intake for the CONE shaped K&N filters will prob increase air flow even more than the ones that fit into your cars stock air intake. Moon discs (essentially flat, no design, smooth finish hubcaps) should also help as it will cut a small amount of drag in your wheels.

If anyone feels otherwise, let us know. Im a newbie here so others may not totally agree

Thanx for the tips everyone.
I purchased the K&N air filter, pumped tires up to max PSI, drive 55 on Highway, turned off engine and coast as much as possible, timing lights better, slower starts and the results on my 06 Corolla for the last 3 days?
Started each day with a full to the top gas tank...
Day 1. 128 miles 2.48 Gallon fill up = 51.61MPG
Day 2. 126 miles 2.64 Gallon fill up = 47.72MPG (Left work early at traffic time)
Day 3. 135 miles 2.39 Gallon fill up = 56.48MPG
That's an average of 51.79MPG since I started. And the last day which is the best day is after filling tire pressure, changing the air filter and learning to maximize my route better. I'm hoping to stay in the low to mid 50's.
I'm figuring on saving over $60 bucks a month in Gas alone!!!

PS Does anybody know how involved it would be to change out the stock air intake and replace it with the K&N aftermarket in my Corolla? Or how much I'd benefit from it?
I've done brakes/rotors, transmission flush and filter, Oil changes, master cylinders etc...
Easy stuff on older cars but do not know what would be involved in the air intake on this newer vehicle.

And Thanx again everyone for the tips...