How to increase mileage on PT?

I have read this newsgroup and have tried the following things to
increase the mileage on my wife's 2005 PT Turbo convertible: Increase
tire pressure, use the approved KN filter, go to Mobil 1 synthetic.
This is our second PT, the first one being the base sedan. Are there
any secrets out there that will get this car to 30mpg on the highway
and better than 22mpg around town?

 

Try driving downhill more Ride/ draft on the bumper of a BIG RIG )

 

Trash that poor filtering air filter, it will not help fuel mileage. But do
change the OEM style filter at least every 15,000 miles.

Be sure to use 5W-30 Mobil 1.

Switch to a lower rolling resistance tire.

But you will never see anything like 30mpg on the highway. On the way down
from Canada on I-87 (downhill) into Albany I can hit about 24mph if I keep
it under 65mph.

Now if Chrysler had fit the motor with direct fuel injection perhaps I could
hit 25 or 26mph on that run.

Richard.

 

Remove rear seat if not using it.

 

Have not done that! I did get a higher profile tire, a 65 series
Yokohama and run them at max air pressure. Try to keep the revs below
2K and do not drive over 60.

 

I just made it over 1,000 miles on the odometer on my 2006 PT Cruiser. Best
I have gotten so far has been 25.5 mpg.

Stuff that works for me.
The key is to lower gas use, mpg improvements is part of that but other
changes in how you and when you drive a car can impact total dollars spent
on gas..

The mobil 1 helps me a bit on mpg.
Carry the least amount of weight, remove stuff you really don't need to
carry.
I reset the auto transmission so it would not remember how the dealer drove
the car from the donor dealer to the selling dealer.
I pumped the tires up to 35 psi as suggested by the door sticker but did not
like the bouncy feel.
I brought it down to 32 psi. They were set at 30 PSI as received from the
dealer.
Drive slower. I get better mpg at 55 than at 65 mph.
anticipate traffic lights. Turn it off when safe if you think you will sit
there idling more than 60 seconds. The first things the UPS guys do is turn
off the engine when they make deliveries.
Keep the windows rolled up. Use the A/C.

No magic bullet that I have found so far on my PT Cruiser for huge mpg
increase.
What does a Neon with the same engine get MPG wise ? How does its gearing
compare to the tranny in the Cruizer ?
The Cruiser, even though it is not shaped like a brick, has more air drag
than a conventional car. I don't think you can do much about that but sell
it.
I wonder if adding a scavenger tailpipe (tilted downward outlet) would do
any good (or harm)

 

The PT Cruiser comes with a 2.4 Liter engine. The Neon comes with a 2.0
liter engine. Unless you get the SRT-4 version of the Neon with the
230 HP 2.4 liter turbo-charged engine which is the same that is in the
PT Cruiser GT.

Weight is a problem with the PT, so losing the rear seats might help.

With My 2003 GT, the best mileage I got was 26 MPG on a long trip from
Virginia to Maine. At the time I had 12,000 miles on it, and I'm sure
I drove most of the trip well over 60 MPH (probably closer to 70 MPH).
I was alone on that trip (wife stayed home). On subsequent trips with
the wife, I usually only get about 24 MPG.

So... another way to improve mileage (besides driving downhill both
ways) is to get a divorce. LOL

 

I just got in from an 80 mile round trip on the highway. Middletown, NY to
Mahwah , NJ and back via NY 17-M,
NY-17 (aka I-86/Quickway) and NYS Thruway (I-87).
I set the cruise control for 60 mph and sat in the right lane.

Ended up with 26.7 MPG which beats my previous best of 25.5 mpg..

2006 PT Cruiser Touring Edition, N/A engine, 32 psi air in tires, Mobil 1
5w-30, no tail wind, about 1,100 miles on the odometer. .

Steve
N2UBP

 

Some good suggestions have ben given, although I don't recommend
excessively high tire pressure due to the resulting center wear problem.
A big part of your mpg problem is built in, the height and the lack of
smooth sides compared to the Neon. The PT cruiser wasn't built for
streamlining, so higher speeds are not the best for it's mpg.
An example of what the lack of smooth sides does to increase highway mpg
is illustrated by comparing the VW Golf and new Beetle.

I'll add accelerate crisply with light throttle, but not excessively
fast.
Drive on cruise control and between 50 and 60mph.

FYI the Yahoo provided ratings for this car are 22/29 mpg. The EPA
highway mpg is at lower speeds than a steady 60 mph.

My 1995 3.3L "now old tech" Concord
still gets 28 mpg(US) at a steady 60mph on cruise.
At 70mph it drops about 5%.