2006 Or Thereabout Matrix Owners?
 

My Matrix is a 2006 Xr, 5 speed manual. Fun ride and everything, however, I'm finding that I'm only getting "sticker" mpg on it with a combo of city/interstate driving (I drive, ugh, 78 miles a day in the work commute, hoping to change that in the next month though to something in the 6 mile range). Anywho, my maximum mileage thus far is 36.8 mpg, with a running weekly average of 34 to 35 mpg. I'm using some hypermiling techniques that I kind of noodled out on my own (coasting, taking it out of gear, P&G in city, engine off at lengthy stoplights, etc).

My daily drive is 20% city and 80% interstate, each way, approximately. I understand that reliably getting 35-ish mpg with this combo is pretty good all things considered, but...

The car has no modifications whatsoever. None. The mileage I'm getting is coming strictly from habit changes. Ok, great. Most Matrix owners I know in my area get like 24 to 28 mpg with their "normal driver" driving habits, so I'm ahead of the pack. However, looking on a Matrix owners forum I see routine claims of 40mpg to 46mpg from people who rarely if ever indicate any kind of modifications or driving habit changes and are driving similar age Matrix automobiles. Am I missing something here?

If I'm not missing something and they have some kind of secret for better mileage, would anybody have any clue what that might be? Air dam comes to mind, the bottom of the 2006 Matrix looks like it is grinning from ear to ear. Other than extreme modifications that my wife would totally balk on, is there anything really "big" that I'm missing (and are there ways to hide "extreme" modifications from a spouse that kind of only tolerates one's eccentricities)?

My tire pressure is set to 44psi, btw, which is the max listed on the tires. Thinking of popping it up to 50psi, assuming this is still a safe range psi for an auto that potentially carries my kids from time to time.

Any suggestions or observations?

what speeds are you running on the highway? speed is one thing that will kill you.

if the speed limit is 55, do 55. if it is 65, then do 63. (I try to stay away from 65 or higher)

just a thought.

also isn't the matrix the same as the pontiac vibe?

Highway speeds are 65. I run at 65. Will try 63 this evening and for the rest of the tank. Will a 2mph reduction make a noticeable impact I wonder? I've considered doing 55 mph and running behind semi trucks, since their max is pegged at 55mph in Ohio, however, most of them go as fast as they can in between smokey the bear sightings, so it's kind of hit and miss for sitting behind them at 55.

I think the Vibe and the Matrix are more or less the same. The Matrix has been around for quite a few years (2003 or prior I think, not certain) and is essentially a Corolla with a different body, probably on the same frame (guessing on the frame of course). Same year Corollas get 40mpg-ish I hear, so some aerodynamic tweaking might be required on my part (or blocking that damn dam, lol).

On 44 psi rated tires, a 50psi fill shouldn't be much of a strain I would think?

They may have different driving conditions, inaccuracies in their measurements, and inaccuracies in their reporting. You may have inaccurate measurements too.

I ran 50 in 44psi tires for a decent length of time with no detrimental consequences. I don't recommend it to others but it didn't cause me any problem.

It sounds about as worthwhile as it does difficult -- not very much on either end.

You will most likely gain by keeping up with them and drafting with a 2 to 3 second following distance. There was a thread titled something like "To draft or to slow down?" where that very question was explored quite thoroughly.

personally, I get my best mileage at 50mph but on a highway that the speed limit is 65, that is all but impossible. the slower the better because aero will kill your mileage. I just suggested 63 because it is less than the speed limit. if you can stand to do 60 then I would try that. as far as drafting trucks, I wouldn't do it. the last thing you want is a ticked off trucker.

as far as aero goes, you might want to look into a grill block. there is a guy here with a vibe and a lady here with a matrix (same thing, different color) they have huge grills. I would block that off first. this helps with engine warm up times and aero as well. you can use plexi-glass (well fake plexi) and it doesn't look that bad. check my garage if you want to see mine to get an idea.

as far as the tire pressure thing goes. just one simple coment "blowouts suck"

True. I do have a CB in the car (and radar detector). Kind of from the days when I didn't care about MPG, lol. They do tend to get pretty ticked and exact revenge from time to time.

Will do, thx.

Sure. If it were a low to mid 30's tire I wouldn't even consider it. As it is, it would be 6 psi over the printed max. That's why I'm considering it.

You can use your CB to ask permission to draft. There is at least one person on the forum who does that. However, a 2 or 3 second following distance is further than most people use on the highway anyway. Try it, you'll be surprised just how far 3 seconds is at 65mph.

Blowouts happen from excessively high temperature, which results from underinflation. Overinflation will not cause a blowout unless it's really extreme -- I'm guessing you'd need 150psi in a 44psi tire to cause anything resembling a blowout, at which point you'd actually have the bead come unseated and the air come out around the rim. Maybe 100psi could do it if you hit a sharp pothole hard.

True. Using the Trip ODO and Fillup math method. Know it's not perfect or anything, but it gives a reasonably close estimate. Probably need to get me one of those do-dads you folks talk about for getting on the fly measurements.


Cool. The oil place I went to had it already up to 40psi (they fill the tires each visit). Just a quick nip up to 44psi. Probably as quick to 50 on the way home tonight. If it doesn't work out I can always let air out of the tires. :)



With P&G you may be right. With cruise control, probably easier. Ohio is pretty flat in the central part so it's not like there's a lot of lost opportunity for long glides on the roads.

Also considering my next oil. I think a 0W-30 synthetic would work. Are there recommendations anywhere on what kind of spark plugs/wires to put in a little putter like this one to be found?

Sorry for doing so many noob questions, this kind of thing fascinates me. You should see how energy efficient our home has become the last 5 years from my inability to not be fascinated with stuff like this, lol.

Good idea on the ask persmission.

I do a 2 second+ lead on my motorcycle for ALL vehicles in front of me, because I have this peculiar aversion to death or serious dismemberment. Yeah, it's kind of stunning how big a gap that leaves.

I'm thinking that 50psi would work fine in that case. Thx.

Are you filling at the same pump, stopping at the first click, and doing it at the same time of day at the same temperature? That's about as accurate as is reasonable, and I believe it's the way most people here measure (myself included).

The oil is probably a good idea, just don't be disappointed when the improvement is tiny. It's generally agreed that changing plugs and wires early will never pay off, though switching brands when doing a scheduled change might net a miniscule improvement.

Take a look at mods others are doing. Most have to be free or nearly free to pay for themselves. Grill blocking and warm air intake are two popular mods.

You know, mostly yeah. Though I'm not sure what "first click" means.


The reason I'm considering the oil is that it needs an oil change as in right now today, so if I don't do it now, it will be another x number of miles before I'd think about it again, heh.

From a suggestion on a rather nice looking grill block made out of plexiglass on this thread I think that grill block is in the works for this weekend. What precisely is a warm air intake mod, is there a link explaining them?

It means not topping off. When the pump clicks and stops pumping, that's when you stop.

Search the forum for "wai" and "warm air intake". Lots of folks here have done it and I'm probably going to do it on my truck this weekend. It's exactly what it sounds like; it's like a cold air intake (common mod done for power), except you find a way to heat the air on the way in. I think most people use heat from the exhaust manifold.

Hi, I have an 03 Pontiac Vibe GT. It's a 6 speed, but otherwise it's nearly identical to your car (same drivetrain, etc) and I've been asking myself the same questions. Here's a few tidbits specific to your car that I've discovered:

- This is the same drivetrain as a Corolla, but the Vibe is a heavier vehicle than the Corolla is. You can't really expect the same FE due to the weight difference. (unfortunate side note, this weight difference also causes the clutches in our cars to quit prematurely although I'm at 57k miles now and still going strong).

- The MPGs that you are getting are easily above EPA ratings, so you're not doing bad at all. Are you the sole driver? I've been doing some basic hypermiling for the last several weeks, but my efforts are diminished a bit because it's a shared care and my wife mocks my old-man style driving :). She drives a bit harder than I do and she will not kill the engine at stop lights.

- I have not yet modified anything, although the grill block has been calling my name because our grill opening is huge. I might try this in the upcoming weeks. The WAI intrigues me as well, I'll be looking into that.

- Other than extreme body mods (wheel skirts, etc), you can at least remove the cross bars on the luggage rack to cut down on your drag.

- Same tires as well, mine are just over 40 psi right now and I'm considering going up to 50.

- not sure if the lighter weight oil will help significantly (it may, I've just not tried it), but make sure your basic maintenence is up to snuff. Replace your air filter if you haven't in awhile.

Let us know your progress, I for one would be interested in hearing what you're efforts yield.

Hook up behind a big rig with about 3 stripes between you. Thats about 125 feet, close to your stopping distance. In your Matrix that will make the greatest difference. Try 55 MPH or just find a truck that is going that speed.
Slower is better.

Drafting and 55 MPh should get you to 40.

regards
gary

Don't the Vibe GT's have the same motor as the Matrix XR-S, not the XR? Required premium and not as great mileage as the regular XR?

On my old '03 XR I usually did 36mpg running about 68mph with 50psi in the tires. I also had an automatic though. My best tank was 42mpg doing some serious drafting (read: DANGEROUSLY CLOSE-AKA-STUPID:thumbdown::o )

Do you have the steel wheels/hubcaps 16inchers? Alloy 17's? Alloy 16's?

Everything said so far on the thread "should" net you at least 38mpg minimum but I'm a huge believer in big wheels killing mpg's. Ask me how I know..:confused:

Not sure how close they are engine-wise, but I got an '06 Corolla with an AT and easily average over 40 mpg in the summer. My commute is 80 miles round trip with 90% at 65 mph.

Only mods are a Coroplast grill block behind the regular grill, and tires at 42 psi. I drive speed limit and use the cruise as much as I can. Some drafting, but stay 150 ft back.

Good Luck!

I used to have an '03 Vibe (base model, 1.8 1ZZ engine and automatic, same as the Corolla) and was lucky to get over 30 MPG most of the time. There were some things seriously wrong with that car under the hood that I never got figured out. :( That was back before I really knew anything about this hypermiling stuff also, so I really wasn't trying to drive for mileage - but I wasn't being rough on the car either.

My wife also has an '03 Vibe with the 1ZZ/auto but has had much better luck, usually getting more than the old EPA ratings. She's managed to get around 40 on the highway, not even doing anything crazy - just driving it slow and easy on the throttle. She's driving very little now - 6 mi/day city commute 3 days a week, so I don't know how well it's doing these days other than she has to fill up once every 3-4 weeks. :cool:

I'm the sole driver (99.99% of the time, there's always the odd day in the year when my wife will drive it). The few times she's driven the car she treats it like it was an indy car vying for pole position, shifting at 3500 to 4000 and generally abuses the crap out of it. Not because she's uber cool and has a Need For Speed, but because, well...I have no idea why, and neither does she. Women.

I can feel the siren call of clear Plexiglas even as I type this, lol.

No luggage rack and no cross bars, thankfully.

Putting mine at tire manufacturer's max seems to make it noticeably roll a longer distance on glides, fwiw. Pumping it from 44 to 50 this afternoon at lunch.

Will do!

I found a back road way to work that shaves 6 miles off of the drive and that has max road speeds of 55 mph and very few stop lights. Needless to say, that's my new route. Since my last tank I've been trying a lot of hypermiling things I've found on this forum and the miles on the trip ODO are much higher compared to the needle position on the fuel gauge than it normally is. That's A Good Thing (tm). Will be interesting to see how that pans out in real mpg once I fill it up, in case I'm experiencing a placebo effect hallucination.