Quite a few people mention the seeming ineffectiveness of the ECO in the 'on' position in several Hyundai models.

I wonder how many people experiment with the 'ECO-on' setting, but drive like their usual selves. I would think people using the ECO setting should also feather foot the car for its maximum ability to squeeze gas drops.
However, I think all people should squeeze gas drops, even in the 'ECO-off' position.

Another item..... use 100% ethanol-free gasoline, if you have it available in your region or state. Go to pure-gas.org for accurate addresses & a great zoomable map showing nearly 5000 stations selling 100% pure gas. With careful records of 10% ethanol tanks AND 100% ethanol-free tanks, our 3 cars have increased mpg by 8%, 7-8%, & 6%. All 3 car engines also are smoother, quieter, & have a bit extra power.

Use 100% ethanol-free gasoline. Careful tho! You'll like it, won't go back to 10% ethanol blends & might even get political, to get your elected officials to get off the ethanol bandwagon.

 

Thanks for the info on non-ethanol. I'm going to research it a bit and check it out.
I too have noticed no difference using the ECO. I'd like to know the story on that.
Overall my mileage is in the 33mpg range, though I expected higher.
A question for Accent owners:
Can the shifter be used as a standard? How to best use that?
Thanks all for your contributions.
Davidg

 

From my earlier post on page 3;
================================================== ======
MPG from 7/25/11 - 12/7/11, 39.48MPG on 14,238 miles tracked.
MPG from 12/8/11 - 1/16/12 36.94MPG on 5,229 miles tracked with snow tires.
<snip>
Oh, I'm trying a little experiment with the "ECO" feature. The first 19,000 tracked miles were with the "ECO" button on/engaged but I never liked how the car pulled away from a stop, jerky, kind of like someone who didn't know how to drive a manual shift. I plan to drive without "ECO" until at least mid-summer and compare to my previous MPG's. The car does "feel" much better at low speeds with the ECO off. I think I can use my brain and light foot to obtain the same MPG but time will tell.
================================================== ======

4/11/12
The ECO has been off since 12/9/11 but I don't have a previous winter for comparison of MPG. However, since I removed the snow tires at the end of March I can compare that to my average of 39.48 mpg from July-Dec 2011 (see above) with the OEM tires. I've driven 2,278 miles (end of March to today) with the OEM tires and averaged 39.69 mpg WITHOUT using the ECO mode. I'll have a much better comparison as I get close to a years ownership but it looks like the ECO mode doesn't help or hurt my gas mileage.

 

Oh, I'm trying a little experiment with the "ECO" feature. The first 19,000 tracked miles were with the "ECO" button on/engaged but I never liked how the car pulled away from a stop, jerky, kind of like someone who didn't know how to drive a manual shift.

4/11/12
The ECO has been off since 12/9/11......
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Get some 100% ethanol free gasoline. I suspect the ECO button was made to be used in conjunction with 100% ethanol free gasoline(as was the engine itself) & isn't functioning quite right. In my switch from 10% ethanol to 100% pure gas, I've noted our 3 cars, not only get better mpg, but also became smoother, quieter & do NOT need as much downshifting to go up hills.

Yeah, somehow that ECO button must be affected by the 10% ethanol that is so prevalent, making 100% pure gasoline unavailable to scores of millions of people.

 

David,

Sorry I don't always read everything (or listen very well according to my wife, lol) and missed your question about the auto trans in manual mode.

Here's how I use the manual mode, for better or worse. I use it mainly on long hills/mountain grades. Going up to hold the transmission in one gear so it's not shifting between 5th and 6th gear as an example. Going down hill I will shift to 5th to help hold my speed so I'm not coasting over the speed limit. The above is done with the cruise control ON. Yep, using manual mode doesn't break the set point on the cruise. I drive about 90% of the time with the cruise ON because my ankle bothers me using the gas pedal for long periods. Also, the transmission will override your manual shift points if you try to do something that would damage the tranny. Example, like trying to downshift from 6th gear to 1st while driving 60 MPH.

BTW, my earlier comment (months ago) about shifting into neutral to coast to a stop is something I NO longer do because it doesn't help my MPG.

Hope this helps,
Bruce

 

Thanks much for the shifter and how you've used it. I'll try to do the same.

I too am dissappointed with the Accents mpg. With it advertised at 30/40 I expected closer to 40 as I live in a rural area.
The car I just got rid of was a 1994 Geo Prism (197,000m), which averaged about 28+ driving as I pleased. My Accent's in the 33 mpg range (BTW check out "Fuelly" as a site that compares thousands of cars mpg's.) Very informative.
The Accent drives well otherwise, but if you have to drive "perfectly, under perfect conditions, then there's something dishonest about the suggested mpg.
I wonder do other makes and models have the same discrepancies?
Thanks for the help and communications. David

 

David,

Enjoy your ride. I have an '02 Accent with 188,000 miles on it. Keep up with recommended maintenance and you won't have an issue with your car ... Hyundai builds a quality product. My mileage? I drive my car 900 miles a week, and consistently get 38 mpg on the highway. I recommend a K&N air filter. They're expensive but will yield an immediate 3 mpg improvement. I also prefer ethanol-free gasoline. It's tough to find, but worth it.

 

I'm enjoying the warmer weather and so is my Accent. Since April 16th I've driven over 2,000 miles and averaged 42.5 MPG. I noticed on Monday the 23rd were I usually average over 45 MPG, my MPG dropped to 41 which was due to the lower temps (in the 30's) and snow. Everything else was the same on Monday, driving speed and even filled up at the same gas station. My Accent is hugely effected by the outside temperature.

mpg miles gallons fuelup_date
42.46 376.2 8.860 4/16/12
39.872 385 9.656 04/17/12
48.373 193.2 3.994 04/17/12
46.321 215.9 4.661 04/20/12
44.186 207.1 4.687 04/21/12
36.693 273.4 7.451 04/23/12
41.169 197.2 4.790 04/23/12
48.669 201.1 4.132 04/25/12
42.485 2049.1 48.231 Totals/Average

All notes are in my fuelly account below.

https://www.fuelly.com/driver/tbb107...ent?fu=2531800

 

Your comment on warm air vs cool are is correct. Many people have found (not just with the Accent but many different cars) that the warmer the intake air, the better the mileage. Power drops slightly but mileage goes up. Some people have gone so far as to add "warm air intakes" to their cars.

Similar to a CAI (Cold Air Intake) that places a cone filter outside the engine compartment to get cooler air into the engine to make power, a WAI (Warm Air Intake) is when people move the air intake into the engine compartment to get warmer air off the hot engine to raise fuel economy. I've seen people disconnect the air inlet and place it above the exhaust manifold to get the warmest air possible. However, you have to monitor the AIT (Air Inlet Temperture sensor) to make sure you don't allow the air to get too hot which will cause detonation.

 

NovaResource,

Thank you for the information and explanation. Funny, when I was roadracing motorcycles horsepower was "holy grail" so many were fitting cold air intakes on their bikes. Of course we didn't race in conditions much below 45 degrees with most of the racing taking place from late March through October.

It is interesting to think about MPG and horsepower differing on wanting hot versus cold air, but like you mentioned up to a point. The point being you don't won't spark knock (detonation).