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Hyundai Elantra Real World MPG 2011 MY and earlier

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Comments

  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    That is very odd. Try this: on a relatively level stretch of freeway, with cruise set at 60, reset the mpg meter and then see what it reads. It should be someplace in the mid-30s. (I am assuming the tire pressures are set at least at 30 psi.)

    One thing I do is try to coast (in gear) as much as possible. The Elantra actually coasts very well compared to some other cars. So on even a very slight downgrade, I can coast for quite a ways before the car loses significant speed. Also I do a lot of coasting coming up to stoplights, if there's no one behind me. The trick is, keep your foot off the gas as much as possible.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    GLS. No trip computer. These are calculations based on miles driven and gallons to fill.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Oh right. That makes it tougher then.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Overall, my mileage has been slowly coming up to about 26 mpg.

    Friday, though, I drove from Fort Worth, TX, to Cedar Rapids, IA (nearly 900 miles) to pick up my son from college, then we drove the loaded Elantra hatch back to Fort Worth the next day.... almost 1800 miles in 40 hours. Anyway, I joined the 400-miles-on-a-tank club and recorded 35 mpg with the car full of stuff! Overall for the trip I think we averaged about 32-33 mpg, going about 75 mph most of the way in my GLS hatch with AT. Finally I can brag about my mileage.

    :D
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I topped it off and ran the final numbers: 32.2 mpg over 1774 miles. And half of that with this in the car:

    image
  • lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    That mileage seems pretty good overall, but I think you could have squeezed in a laptop computer, or briefcase, maybe?. ;):)
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    They are in there. And this is actually when I was topping it off, so my son had taken out his backpack and viola.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Good thing the DPS didn't catch you!
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    ?

    Huh?

    Why?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    In some states (maybe not TX) it is illegal to block the rearview mirror.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    It wasn't exactly blocked:

    image
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    OK, it looked blocked to me from the other photo you posted.
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    32-33 mpg would be outstanding loaded down at 75mph.

    I get 36 mpg with a 5spd and 50 extra lbs at 65 to 70mph.
    Works out to an 8 hr drive on my 480 mile trip from WV to NY on 13.5 gal of gas. I seldom do over 72mph due to poor mileage and extra engine wear at 3000+ rpm for hrs.

    I just got back from taking the car in to fix the 3 recall notices (air bag issues and gas tank clamp)and bought 3 more oil filters at $6 a pop. They gave me 6 when I bought yhe car to cement the deal. I never knew how golden they were at the time. lol
    There has to be a cheaper anti-siphon filter out there. I asked the service manager, he wouldn't tell me of any.

    Looked at the new Sonata while I was waiting. Looks very impressive with it's big wide tres.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Never having gotten 30 mpg previously, I was pleasantly surprised.
  • spmrebelspmrebel Member Posts: 130
    Try Purolator L14459 Oil Filters. They have anit-siphon valve. You can get them as low as $0.99 per filter after a $1.00 rebate. I use them on my 05 Elantra GT and 05 Kia Spectra EX.
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    I have found on internet car sites, there are 2 things people often "embellish" about. One is the price (incredibly low price) they paid for their vehicle, and the astronomical gas mileage that they get.

    With that said, you may or may not believe this, but I think that as Elantras get higher in mileage, their gas mileage continue to get better - but does eventually plateau. The last highway trip we took in our '02 GLS automatic was from NC to Pittsburgh, and the car had around 65K miles on it at the time - about a year ago. Going up, I did not calculate mpg, but decided to do so on the way back. A lot of the trip was through the mountains (in VA and WV), and I did use the air conditioning a little bit, mainly for the defroster. I had filled up as we left Pittsburgh, and we refueled in southern WV. My cell phone has a calculator on it, and gas mileage was 38.6 mpg. I couldn't believe it. That was with 2 adults, 1 average sized dog, a small dog, and a couple of suitcases.

    I am now driving the Elantra as a daily driver, and it has 75K on it. My trip to work is 23 miles one way, and consists of a mix of country and city roads. I try to keep my foot out of it, and have gotten between 29-32 each week for the past 6 weeks. We are also using the Elantra to run all of our errands.

    I have personally never owned a vehicle before that seems to get significantly better gas mileage as the vehicle gets older (or at least nothing that has done so like this Elantra has).
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    My last daily driver was a Ford Aspire (stop laughing) that for 117,000 miles averaged 32 +7/-2 mpg for the whole time (i.e., never got 40 mpg; never got less than 30)
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    Thanks spmrebel, I'll look for the Purolator oil filter next time. My plan was to do 2 oil changes per filter to get my monies worth out of the $6 Hyundai filter. lol

    A few wks ago I bought 3 filters from walmart, I think they were Super Tech. Opened one up when I got home and it was twice as small as the Hyundai filter. Like lawn mower size.
    I took them back to the store and got 3 filters at the dealer.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    My plan was to do 2 oil changes per filter to get my monies worth out of the $6 Hyundai filter.

    Not even worth doing the oil change. The Super Tech is junk; someone on another forum did a comparison and found the filter media on the OEM filter has three times more area than the Super Tech.
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    The Super Tech is junk;
    I can believe that. The filter was so small I thought I bought the wrong one. I had a hard time reading the fine print and filter book without my glasses. lol

    I hope their Super Tech synthetic oil is better than their filters.
    I bought some of that at less than $3 a qt.
    I think Mobil 1 is close to $6 a qt.

    I like to use synthectic oil when I go on long trips for extra protection.
  • spmrebelspmrebel Member Posts: 130
    No problem. When you get a chance to see the Purolator its exactly the same size as the Hyundai OEM. Almost looks as though they use the same manufacturer!

    There are a couple of other forums out on the web (Doohickie is on one of them for sure) that have a long thread about oil filters for the Elantra. Most consensus believe you should stick to the Hyundai OEM (I am not one of them). However, for those where you don't want to spend the premium then there seems to be the consensus that the Purolator is the best thrid party one out there.

    Happy oil changing!
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I totally agree. Except that so far, I've been using OEM.
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    I'm not one to stick to OEM parts either. Usually they install the cheapest part to get the job done and charge 2 or 3 times to replace the same.

    Can't even find out who makes the filter for Hyundai. But it does seem to be a quality item. Guess it has to be for a 10 yr warranty.

    I wonder if Ferrari has it's own $30 oil filter. lol maybe
    GM and Ford could do the same. But I guess not with their puny 3 yr warranty.

    I think I'll also save 100% on my air filter purchase per this dude.

    Also, I got a Wix air filter for my Elantra for $10 @ O'Reily, compared to $20 for the OEM filter. Looks identical to the OEM, even made in Korea.
    ************
    I guess the only downside is Hyundai not fixing my car under warranty if I have a major eng failure.

    But if they did that I would just tell them I will NEVER buy another one of their cars. Plus I'd tell everyone I know not to buy one.
    Same thing I had to do with a 98 GM trk I had. A rear wheel bearing failed (they said I drove it in deep water) so they wouldn't fix it, on top of oil burning on startup.
    They wouldn't fix either problem.
    I wrote them a letter and told them I wouldn't buy another vehicle from them. And haven't. I never heard back from them either.
    But I still get mail from them to buy a new vehicle. lol
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    As far as using OEM versus aftermarket parts goes, as long as the aftermarket parts meet OEM specs or do not contribute to a failure, the manufacturer cannot deny a warranty claim based on the use of non-OEM parts, according to The Magnusson Moss Warranty Act. The issue with oil filters is that some aftermarket filters that fit the Hyundai filter interface do *not* meet OEM specs, and it's more complicated because the bypass valve specs that are the problems are not typically listed on filter packaging.
  • gary045gary045 Member Posts: 81
    Take, for example, the issue of high sulfur -- elemental sulfur and sulfur oxide -- that contaminates a tank and can lead to false gauge readings. Tens of thousands of motorists in recent years have sustained damage to their vehicles from such gasolines distributed in areas across the United States, according to lawsuits and gas experts.

    The high sulfur fuels can damage fuel sending units that operate the dashboard gas gauges, causing them to give erratic readings -- false high readings and false low readings.

    Until recently, the only solution has involved draining the tank and replacing the sending units, a repair that costs up to $1,000. But fuel additive manufacturers in the last year have come up with a much cheaper fix.

    The average level of gasoline detergent has declined," said Scott Cushing, a fuel additives expert at Chevron Corp. "It is an industry fact."

    It seems that as gasoline prices have gone up, the quality has gone down.

    The decline in gasoline quality prompted four major auto manufacturers to come together about two years ago and set a standard themselves for so-called "top tier" gasoline. The group noted that since the EPA established additive standards in 1995 the average level of detergent had slipped by 50 percent.The retailers that meet the specification include many household names such as Chevron and Shell, but also many smaller brands such as Aloha Petroleum and Jiffy Mart. More information about gasoline that qualifies under the program is available at www.toptiergas.com.

    What do you do if you are stung by bad gas that has broken your fuel-sending unit? Before you go to the expense of replacing the unit, you might try an additive. Late last year, Chevron introduced an additive called Techron Concentrate Plus that is formulated to clean the sulfur deposits from the fuel sending units.

    Most sending units use a strip of silver or silver palladium to transmit electrical signals to the dashboard. Only a few luxury brands use gold, rather than silver.

    The sulfur in gasoline can contaminate the silver or silver palladium and the Chevron concentrate is designed to remove it in one tank of treatment, Cushing said. A bottle for a 20-gallon tank costs about $10. It is sold at most auto parts stores and big discount stores. (Although Chevron puts Techron in its gasoline, the gasoline does not contain the ingredient that cleans the fuel sending units, Cushing said.)

    Chevron is not the only company that markets an additive to clean fuel sensor valves. When Marathon encountered its problem with bad gas, it gave out free samples of Valvoline's SynPower Complete Fuel System additive. It is also marketing MaxLife Fuel System Cleaner, which Marathon said cleans and restores sensors.

    http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060513/AUTO03/605130301/1149- /AUTO01

    Additional gasoline retailers are added to the TOP TIER list as they meet the standards. The retailers known to be on the TOP TIER list are shown below.

    TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:

    QuikTrip
    Chevron
    Conoco
    Phillips
    76
    Shell
    Entec Stations
    MFA Oil Company
    Kwik Trip/Kwik Star
    The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
    Chevron-Canada
    Aloha Petroleum
    Jiffy Mart
    Mahalo
    Tri-Par Oil Company
    Shell-Canada
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Chevron introduced an additive called Techron Concentrate Plus that is formulated to clean the sulfur deposits from the fuel sending units.

    Be very, VERY careful about putting fuel additives in your gas. Many of them will damage the sensors in your car, causing Check Engine Lights that will prevent you from passing emissions tests. If the dealer determines that the additive damaged your sensors, it may NOT be covered under warranty.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    What do you base that on? I've used Techron and other fuel injector cleaners in my two Elantras for years with no problems--check engine lights or other.

    Anyone have any real-world fuel economy numbers to report? On my current tank on my '04 GT automatic, I am about 9/16 through it and averaging 30.5 mpg in around-town travel. I was up to 31.0 until today when I did a lot of stop-and-go driving, sitting at many lights. :(
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    I just passed the 1k mark on my '05 GT, and am up to 30.1 mpg with mixed city/highway driving - but a bit more highway. I will admit, I have not been keeping to the recommended 55 mph of the guide during that time - nor even much to the speed limit.

    Unfortunately I didn't reset the computer after taking it off the lot, so I have all of the test-drive milage figured in there as well.

    (As far as cleaner additives go, I wouldn't recommend using them on a regular basis, but one every couple of months shouldn't be a problem for any of the equipment in there.)
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    30.1 is really good under those conditions--is that a stick or automatic?

    I use the cleaners every six months or so (3000-3500 miles), always with a full tank.
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I used Techron once and got a CEL that required a sensor be replaced on that same tankful. The dealer covered it under warranty but I've heard of dealers that don't if they find out you've been using additives.
  • iowaelantraiowaelantra Member Posts: 58
    My big post is on the 5 door thread. Thought I'd add my mileage info here since that is what this thread is for. Over 12 fills my average is 26.10 mpg. Almost all of the driving has been within the city limits of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My first tank with the car was a trip from Council Bluffs, Iowa to Cedar Rapids (256 miles) Since then there has been one trip to Des Moines (approx. 90 miles one way) and back and about three trips to Iowa City and back (approx. 23 miles one way).The odometer is just a couple hundred miles over 11K. I am happy with the mileage so far knowing that most of it is in the city driving (those of you from Minneapolis-St. Paul or Dallas-Fort Worth might not consider Cedar Rapids much of a city, LOL). My best tank was around 31.4 mpg. I have the auto tranny.
    Doohickie, how does your son like Coe College and Cedar Rapids in general......or shouldn't I ask??????? haha. Cedar Rapids is a big step down from Dallas-Fort Worth.
  • lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    Backy, you of all people should know that a one tank or dashboard readout isn't worth anything when trying to know the actual mileage of a vehicle. At best that is only an immediate consumption rate, like you said, even affected by "sitting at many lights". The posting of "partial" mileage readings can show any car varying from less than 10 mpg to 50 or more mpg. ;) :confuse:
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Over the 26 months I've owned the car, I've compared the measured fuel economy to the numbers from the computer and they vary by maybe .1-.2 mpg. Also, the numbers I am getting now are consistent with other tanks. Third, I consider "sitting at lights" to be part of the daily real-world driving experience, so I don't see why the light sitting should not be included in mpg calculations, just like accelerating from a dead stop (one of the worst fuel burners) would be included.

    Finally, I wanted to post something about fuel economy to get the discussion back on track. ;)
  • lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    Thanks, didn't really think you had "lost it", just was kind of suprised. Understand the thought process. It does seem like the true subject gets lost in the comments at times. ;)
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Doohickie, how does your son like Coe College and Cedar Rapids in general......or shouldn't I ask??????? haha.

    Well, let's just say he's not going back. He had a harder time adjusting than he thought he would, and the distance was a bigger issue than we thought.
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    Automatic.

    Fortunately my work schedule is 10:30am-ish to 7pm, so I get to do the great majority of my driving outside of the normal commute times, so I'm rarely sitting in traffic.
  • iowaelantraiowaelantra Member Posts: 58
    Sorry to hear you son had a rough time, Doohickie. My oldest daughter had a rough time with her freshman year of college, but we didn't have the distance issue. Both my daughters went to colleges no more than an hour's drive from home. My oldest, who had the rough freshman year, ended up graduating Suma [non-permissible content removed] Laude from her college and is now an English teacher in one of the best Catholic highschools in the state of Iowa. Your son may have an easier time of it a little closer to home. Take heart and keep encouraging him.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    We've been off-track for a while now. We have other Elantra discussions, so let's let this one focus on its purpose - posting real world MPG numbers.

    Thanks! :)
  • doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Did I mention I got 32.2 mpg on the 1800 mile trip to and from Iowa?

    (and thanks, iowaelantra)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    ;)
  • fangtritefangtrite Member Posts: 1
    Highest mileage recorded: 36 going from nashville to st.louis

    I have an 06 5 door GLS Elantra manual.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I just got back from my longest trip ever in my '04 GT AT, 810 miles from the Twin Cities to Milwaukee and back. I did two mpg calculations: one started at home and ran until just after I left Milwaukee. It included about 15% city driving, and almost all of it was with A/C on (mid 90s for temps!) and much of it was with a strong headwind. Two passengers and their luggage. Average mpg was 31.1.

    The 2nd calculation was about 350 miles of all freeway, except for three quick pit stops. Speeds were 65-70 (posted limits), with cruise on most of the time, over flat or gently rolling terrain (except for one steep climb up from the Mississippi River which was hard on fuel economy). The A/C was on for only about an hour, otherwise temps were in the 70s with a slight headwind. Same two passengers and luggage. Average mpg was 35.3.
  • aphaltcommandoaphaltcommando Member Posts: 32
    I get around 36 MPG in my 2006 with 8,000 miles in the first three months. The reason that I get more than the EPA numbers (I think) is that I'm at 5,000 feet elevation, and live in the most rural county in Texas. 90% of my driving is on two lane paved roads with almost NO traffic. The closest town to me is 40 miles away, and it has only 250 people in it. At this altitude, the thinner air probably causes the computer to lean down the fuel, giving me the good numbers. Brie
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Ah that Texas air! In the past few weeks I've taken some more road trips and I seem to have found the limits of my '04 GT automatic. It seems to top out at about 37 mpg under what I consider ideal conditions, about 60-65 degrees, dry, no A/C, 1-2 people, 60-65 mph, level or gently rolling terrain. That is with no special techniques other than a light foot on the gas, and tires inflated per door sticker. I might be able to squeeze another 1-2 mpg out of her with more air in the tires and keeping at 60 or lower, but I think that is about it. I used to be able to get low 40s on my '01 5-speed under ideal conditions. If I speed up to 70 or more, the mpg goes down appreciably, into the low 30s. So speed kills (mpg). So does full-throttle acceleration and of course idling.
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    I travelled up to Lake Tahoe, from San Jose over two consecutive weekends, and managed to get my cumulative milage up to 32.2 mpg on my '05 Auto GT 5-door, with under 3k miles.

    I drove, um, quickly. The climb up to 7200 ft didn't help the milage much, but I got it all back on the drive down.

    I'm sure if I drove slower I'd get better numbers...
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    Believe it or not, the drive "back down" doesn't offset the drive "up." The car needs a lot more energy (gas) to propel itself up hill than it "saves" going down hill compared to the car's "average/"
  • bhmr59bhmr59 Member Posts: 1,601
    Did you use cruise control?
  • tsgeiseltsgeisel Member Posts: 352
    Only in one little stretch in Tahoe, where the speed limit was 35mph, and the police were making a fortune on people ignoring that fact.

    I just never know what to do with my right foot when it's not on the gas pedal, or on the brake.
  • aphaltcommandoaphaltcommando Member Posts: 32
    One of the reasons that I get the good milage is that ever since I changed the break-in oil at 3,500 miles, I run nothing but Mobil 1 in the car. I also change out the air filter at every oil change. Oh, I don't think that I put my car type in this thread, it's a 2006 GLS sedan, so it might be a little lighter than the GTs. Brie
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    During the 70 mph open road parts of the trip, I used cruise. It was flat terrain so I don't know that I could have done better with manual control.
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