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Help with MPG...

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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 08:41 PM
  #1  
DOMINION's Avatar
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From: Vegas Baby!
Question Help with MPG...

Not on my 8 but with my friends 2003 VW Jetta Wagon Turboed. Is there any way to help his MPG?

Thanks,
-Gil
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 09:06 PM
  #2  
map's Avatar
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Here is a treatise on hypermiling http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

Or were you looking for more than just driving tips?
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 09:07 PM
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what is he getting?
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 09:12 PM
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Not just driving tips. Hes going to trade for a Honda if he cant get better than 20-21MPG.
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 10:00 PM
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From: Boosted...
Originally Posted by DOMINION
Not just driving tips. Hes going to trade for a Honda if he cant get better than 20-21MPG.
Fuel injection mapping, timing advance are the key.
He will need to find a good tuner and work with them.
What about methanol or water injection?
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 11:03 PM
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From: 2017 Miata RF Launch Edition
Is this a factory 1.8T?

With my 1.8T Passat, I actually gained 2-3 mpg in non-spirited driving after I added an APR chip (yay for remapped boost and fuel).
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 11:14 PM
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Tell him to get the Honda. My wife picked me up from Long Beach in her Civic took me inland to Walnut then took me to Brea for lunch and back home and the f@ckin needle is still at full.

Oh yeah with the A/C at full blast! It's hot and humid here in L.A.

I need to get back to Vegas where it is a nice dry heat.
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Old Jun 14, 2008 | 11:23 PM
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From: hollywooood!
wow, thats a first. and a small factory turbo not doing its job of being efficient for mpg...

is he already driving with light throttle and using a higher gear when possible?

pack light or don't pack anything in the car at all. seems like people still carry unnecessary stuff... i know people who still have their owners manual in their car, and its been more than 10+yrs.

what i carry is only registration, box of tissues, sunglasses, a bottle of water, and a jacket. everything else i bring is on a day-to-day basis. should be light enough.

and i also up the air pressure 4 psi.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 10:02 AM
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Originally Posted by DOMINION
Not just driving tips. Hes going to trade for a Honda if he cant get better than 20-21MPG.
I have a Passat with a 1.8 turbo. On the highway, it is possible to get over 28 MPG with the car fully loaded with passengers and luggage.

Unless you drive like an animal, I don't see how you get 20-21 on a Jetta on a regular basis unless all of that time is spent in bumper to bumper, city style traffic.

Fuel injector nozzles on this engine get filthy very easily. Have them pulled and cleaned and use FI cleaner regularly.

The Jetta should also have an MPG monitor in the dash. This can be used to sharpen your driving skills so as not to waste fuel.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 10:45 AM
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i can tell ya what got me some extra miles in my car. Clean the MAF sensor, guess when the car new it was getting air it lightened up the mixture
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 12:06 PM
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Can you recommend a way to clean the MAF sensor? I'm driving an Infiniti with a VQ35 in NYC and i get no more than 12 mpg . That's with grandma driving too.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 01:26 PM
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From: San Antonio, Texas
what could also be the problem is if the air filter is dirty. air filters need to be super clean to allow maximum suction of air to let the engine breathe easier, and won't restrain anything on it. and at that i really doubt a jetta would get 20-21 city mpg.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 04:04 PM
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From: Bryn Mawr, PA
Originally Posted by SayNoToPistons
Can you recommend a way to clean the MAF sensor? I'm driving an Infiniti with a VQ35 in NYC and i get no more than 12 mpg . That's with grandma driving too.
they sell MAF cleaner at auto parts stores. Basically you unhook the wire harness, screw out the MAF sensor and you gently spray the sensor wires with the cleaner 10-12 times, and you put it back in. Very simple cleaning action that got me 2mpg (from 12 to 14 ave MPG 160 miles per tank, to 190ish)
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 08:40 PM
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tune it!

Easy fix...

A few mpg to be gained by advancing the timing/leaning out the cruise a bit.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 09:30 PM
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(without reading any replies)

- take the turbo off
- buy a better car
- ask in a vw forum
- buy a better car
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 10:56 PM
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- Over inflate the tires a few psi above the recommended pressure
- Smooth inputs (don't mash the gas in)
- Stay out of the boost
- Short shift (stay out of the boost)
- Stay at or below th speed limit
- Make sure the plugs, air filter, and injectors are clean, if not, clean or replace

There's other stuff that I can't think of right now
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 11:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Jedi54
(without reading any replies)

- take the turbo off
- buy a better car
- ask in a vw forum
- buy a better car
taking the turbo off wont do much.

In fact she'd have to put more load on the engine to ever get to speed! Keep the turbo in, and try to stay outta boost.

Short shifting.
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Old Jun 15, 2008 | 11:45 PM
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changing driving habit is usually the most effective way, so many people have lead foot and love to brake way too much
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Old Jun 16, 2008 | 01:58 AM
  #19  
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trash the car. get a misubishi galant 1995.
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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 05:51 AM
  #20  
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From: Vegas Baby!
Originally Posted by SayNoToPistons
Can you recommend a way to clean the MAF sensor? I'm driving an Infiniti with a VQ35 in NYC and i get no more than 12 mpg . That's with grandma driving too.
Yeah dont touch it our your f**ked lol use a can of cleaner from autozone or something.

So thats about the right MPG oh well. Guess hes screwed! lol thanks anyway guys.
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