Accent coasts poorly, but why?

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Originally Posted by theclencher

What were your other vehicles? If they were heavier, they would have coasted further.

These are the cars I've driven on the same hills I do now that coasted better:

2001 Hyundai Elantra - odd that another Hyundai coasted better
1990 Honda Accord
200? Mistsubishi Eclipse (friend's car I got to drive a few times when he visited)

The Accord was the best, then the Elantra, then the Eclipse. I think the main reason I notice is that I live on a big ridge right off a state highway and if you coast well enough you can go 3.4 miles before needing to use any power. It goes up and down a bit, so if your car doesn't coast well enough you can't make it. The Accord coasted so well that I needed to brake to keep the speed safe in the initial downhill stretch.

[trollbait]

Originally Posted by maximilian

I have been trying to figure out in general why the Accent's mpg is only 32. That's worse than the Aveo and the Yaris. I notice that the automatic transmission Accent is actually rated higher than the manual one for highway driving.

Most manuals sold in the US are geared more for performance than economy.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Originally Posted by trollbait

Most manuals sold in the US are geared more for performance than economy.

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the explanation as the discrepancy was hurting my brain!

[theholycow]

Oh yeah, that's for sure. My VW runs 3000rpm at 70mph, but has plenty of torque for half the rpm. I'm in high gear at 25-30mph and grabbing for another gear but there isn't one.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Driving in the highest gear possible was one of the big habit changes I learned when I started looking into fuel efficient driving. Before that I always kept it between 2,000 and 2,500. It was how my mother taught me when I first learned.

[zero_gravity]

i know its a different generation, but my '04 accent manual coasts wonderfully. maybe a dragging brake caliper?

[GasSavers_maximilian]

I sure hope so. It's gotten pretty warm the last couple days (40s), so maybe I'll try and take a look. My mechanic's pretty cool, so he'd probably be willing to take a gander as well. I'll get back to you. I need to write down everyone's suggestions so I don't forget any.

[Eyeteaguy]

Hey,

I too have a 2008 Accent and it coasts like crap over 80 km/h (50 Mph). Once below that it will go quite a long way.
It has to be aero, do they say at what speed the drag was calculated at?

I have a Focus ZXW and it coasts forever and a day.

A belly pan is a great idae, I'll see if I can't find one or get one made.

I am getting 38-40 MPG right now, yourself?

Eyeteaguy

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Finally another data point! Is yours a manual? It's gotten cold here again, and I've been too wimpy to jack the car up in the snow to check things out. Take a gander at my gas log. It'll give you a better answer than I can.

[zero_gravity]

i really dont pay much attention to the ratings. i know they're wrong for my accent, i get around 30mpg city and even up to 40 highway. more than enough for me