bad mileage? try this!

[wowser]

I was really mad about my NBC mileage after two weeks of driving this new 2005 automatic. Anywhere from 14-20 mpg even with a lot of freeway and driving like a granny. The car was slow, didn't turn that great and the MPG was a lot worst than my Acura that gets 35 MPG is a LOT faster, bigger, etc. What's going on?????

So I read here to make sure you have the proper tire pressure. How could a car from the dealer have low pressure? They check all that before handing over the keys, right? WRONG. The tires were pathetically low. I bumped them up to 2 psi above what they should be and am amazed at the difference. The car rides a bit firmer, but I can tell it's not struggling anymore. Plus it handles better and I am guessing I'll get 30 mpg or better now. Make sure you check the pressure, it makes a huge difference.

[shellbug]

Glad you found out what was wrong! Congrats on your new car. What color is it?
~Shelly

[callisto9]

what was / is your PSI? just curious. when i got some new tires, they pumped them up over 30, but i thought the correct PSI was 28.

[wowser]

The car is a special edition Dark Flint: dark grey on the outside with burgundy top and interior. Very sharp.

I filled up to the specs on the door jam; 40 rear and 32 front, I think. There's some discussion if this is correct and a different number may be on the gas flap. I have to check.

[Mortville]

[QUOTE=wowser]The car is a special edition Dark Flint: dark grey on the outside with burgundy top and interior. Very sharp.
[/QUOTE

I want that car so bad!!!!! There was one at my dealership last year, but I didn't know if I wanted to give up my Snap, so it's long gone. I am regretting it now! Anyone have one to sell in northeast Ohio? I'll trade you my Snap Orange CC!:D

[callisto9]

I filled up to the specs on the door jam; 40 rear and 32 front, I think. There's some discussion if this is correct and a different number may be on the gas flap. I have to check.

:confused: i thought the PSI was 28??? is your different because you have the vert?

[jpdeuce]

It depends on what you can stand, but I run 40 in the front and rear of my TDI. It definitely contributes to the 45+ mpg I get. I don't mind the extra roughness either.

[ShellBug62]

You know... now that I think about it...

Last week I noticed a low front tire.. Hubby took Brie over to the gas station and pumped her up. I had to drive (expressway) to a conference... and Brie was tearing up the road! I had a hard time keeping her below 80! She handled so much better than before, was smooth at the higher speeds.

I'll keep an eye on gas mileage and see if that made a difference too.

Thanks for the tip!

[paulalves]

Just set my tire pressure a few days ago... what a difference. Car drives much better and fuel economy up by quite a bit!

[callisto9]

i am still wondering...for those of you with a tin top, 2.0...what tire pressure? is 28 psi too low?

[from Margaritaville...]

I'm runnin' Michelin MXVs with 28 psi. on all fours for balanced tire performance. The seemingly low psi.s (28) give me great lateral handling. I bought four 28 psi. valve caps from NAPA to let me know at a glance if my tire pressure drops by more than 3 psi.

[KingKong]

I did that.32 up front and 39 in the back.
But with about 30% freeway I still only average 20 mpg.
And I drive slow...

That has to be the worst gas mileage for a 2.0 Liter engine.

[Oyveychris]

Gas mileage can also be affected by a dirty throttle body or injectors as well as a dirty fuel filter....

[beetlejuice]

Recommended tire pressures should be printed on the inside of your fuel filler cap. There are different pressures for minimum or maximum loads and speeds up to or over 100 mph. I believe a bias to the rear is only for a fully loaded vehicle. I run 32 front and 30 rear under normal conditions. Anywhere within the high and low pressure limits is ok for normal driving - I say run the highest recommended pressure you are comfortable with.
b

[squish37]

Everyone check your mileage again in the summer. I drive a school bus and talked to the mechanic about the poor mileage I was getting on my new vert. (This was in early 2005) I was getting about 20 mpg where I had been averaging 25-27 on my hardtop beetle. (In town driving) He told me in the winter the fuel is different. It has additives to make your car fire in the cold weather which inhibits good fuel economy but in the summer the fuel has additives to make it have better fuel economy instead. Sure enough I get 18-22 mpg in the winter and 24-28 in the summer. Check it out for yourselves. I hope this is true for you too. Also, I live in Northern Illinois. I would think this is not an issue in warm weather areas but who knows.

[KNEWBUG]

:dance2: :dance2: :dance2: :dance2: :dance2: :dance2:

This past weekend I drove from Thousand Oaks Calif. to Del Mar California, a total of 306 miles roundtrip. Speeds were 65-70MPH. I got 30MPG. Current mileage on KNEWBUG is 21,080 miles.

:rockband: :rockband: :rockband:

[from Margaritaville...]

Looks like your steering column has dandruff...

[callisto9]

Looks like your steering column has dandruff... :lol: my whole dash has dandruff.

[Billsbug]

Beetlejuice has it right. 32psi front/30psi rear. The NB is front wheel drive with understeer and these settings will not only give u better mileage than the 'VW recommended' 28PSI, but much better and safer handling at speed ;) . If ur really loaded up in the back seat and trunk, then of course it's a differnet story, add more to the rears...

[Sambeaux]

Should the tire pressure be the same 32 whether you use 16" or 17" inch wheels?

Thanks

[shellbug]

Ugggg, I am only getting about 20mpg :( I checked the tire pressure it is correct.

[Billsbug]

Same for all sizes...

[ghostRder1]

I checked out the psi after I brought mine home. I noticed the dealer put in several pounds more then recommended.

[Steinola]

Plus it handles better and I am guessing I'll get 30 mpg or better now.

Ehhhh... hate to burst your bubble... but that's not likely. The NBC has always been rated at low 20's city, to just 30 highway (and unless you're driving 100% highway, you're not going to get that)... at least with the 2.0L and 2.5L.

I'll typically get 24-25, with properly inflated tires, and average driving (portion highway/portion city). But, yeah... 14-20 would've been abysmal. You'll definitely see an improvement.

As a side note... my dealer checked and topped off the tires when I picked up Kermit from the lot. And they do the same at every service (I check them every couple of fuel fill-ups as well). If yours wasn't checked before you took delivery... someone wasn't doing their job. Most cars are shipped on the carrier with very low tire pressure... so they certainly should fill them up prior to sale.

[mcgyverkee]

our nbc has factory 17s. the door plate has 39 front 34 rear.

[Billsbug]

The 39/34 door panel sticker was a BIG topic of discussion when the NBC's were first delivered and the '03 and '04 NBC's have those stickers. VW was very afraid of suits due to low inflation settings, settings that could lead to a rollover for the NBC if a tire blew. I seem to remember that new stickers with lower settings could be stuck on by the dealer during regular maintenance visits upon request.

I wouldn't go over 32/32, unless you had 2 chubbo's in the backseats and 6 sand bags in the trunk. :D

[harley4jcs]

YOU can fit 6 sand bags in your trunk ??? PS: Nobody has mentioned that the best mileage I ever logged (29 mpg) was the ONE time I had BOTH the top on & the wind behind !!

[Billsbug]

Yep. Well, at least the size u get a Home Depot. :D

[miffmole]

I'm runnin' Michelin MXVs with 28 psi. on all fours for balanced tire performance. The seemingly low psi.s (28) give me great lateral handling. I bought four 28 psi. valve caps from NAPA to let me know at a glance if my tire pressure drops by more than 3 psi.

How do those caps work? Sounds interesting...very expensive?
Thanks.

[Billsbug]

The seemingly low psi.s (28) give me great lateral handling.
Not true at all, the NB has a 60 front/40 rear weight bias, so u need more in the front (if unloaded).

BTW, I tried a higher rear psi for a while, cuz I was told it would help w/ understeer on a lowered car, but the rear just kept kicking out. I know some guys like that in a car, similar to chacteristics of a RWD car like BMW or Porsche, but I don't like that feeling at all.

[LadybugEwa]

Bill, you mean the higher back pressure can give our understeering FWD cars some oversteer, like a RWD? That's very interesting... :firedevil
*goes off to upp pressure in back tires*
:gotme:

[boogety boogety]

Quote:
Originally Posted by from Margaritaville...
The seemingly low psi.s (28) give me great lateral handling.

Not true at all, the NB has a 60 front/40 rear weight bias, so u need more in the front (if unloaded).


:rolleyes:

I'm sure he's glad to hear that... two years after posting... :D just hassling you, billsbug...

Best handling and tire wear balance can be found by following manufacturer's recommendations on the fuel filler door (or door jamb, or glove compartment, or whatever place various makers think of putting the information).

Now, if you want a softer, more comfy ride, drop the pressure a few pounds all around. ;)

If you want better handling and/or better mileage, bump the pressure up a few pounds. ;) ;)

Don't exceed the maximum pressure molded on your tire's sidewalls (or if you do, understand that it will be detrimental to longevity and/or safety, and drive accordingly, you Libertarian, you). :p

As for me, I've always put a few pounds over (usually 4-5) what the manufacturer sez... and I NEVER rotate tires on front drivers, since that way, the rear tires last almost the life of the car (I've gotten 90,000 miles out of a set of rears), YMMV... :D

[Billsbug]

Bill, you mean the higher back pressure can give our understeering FWD cars some oversteer, like a RWD? That's very interesting... :firedevil
*goes off to upp pressure in back tires*
:gotme:

Yeah, Tom (Fowvay) told me about this. Pls be careful, cuz ur used to more understeer. With lower rear tire pressure I never had the back got out, no matter how hard I was rocking it in a turn, it would be more of a controlled slide of all 4 tires. I like that better for spirited street driving. ;)

[from Margaritaville...]

How do those caps work? Sounds interesting...very expensive?
Thanks.

I bought 'em a few years ago at NAPA auto parts. I don't remember the price. When the tire pressure drops about 4 psi, the green barrel of the cap will show yellow instead of green. A greater drop in pressure will show red. This can give you a heads-up if your tire has developed a slow leak and help minimize tire damage. I have no need to manually check pressure any more.

If you're keeping 28 psi in your tires and want to know immediately of any change, then I would recommend a 30 or 32 psi. rated set of caps.

[miffmole]

I bought 'em a few years ago at NAPA auto parts. I don't remember the price. When the tire pressure drops about 4 psi, the green barrel of the cap will show yellow instead of green. A greater drop in pressure will show red. This can give you a heads-up if your tire has developed a slow leak and help minimize tire damage. I have no need to manually check pressure any more.

If you're keeping 28 psi in your tires and want to know immediately of any change, then I would recommend a 30 or 32 psi. rated set of caps.
================

Thanks, I'll check at the NAPA here and see if they have 'em. With gas prices such as they are, it wouldn't take long for them to pay for themselves.

[boogety boogety]

Oh, you mean like these...

http://www.accupressurecaps.com/?leadsource=PS101&s_kwcid=pressure%20caps|1025746039&gclid=CP-m1_vn-JICFRQDkgodfhzEBg

Brookstone used to have 'em, and I've seen them at some auto parts stores... I have the 50# ones on our Insight, they work great for a while... but they do have a lifespan, I believe they have to be changed out every two-three years... so I don't know if you'd want them to save money or have them pay for themselves, since a good tire gauge is cheaper, lasts forever, and checking tire pressure yourself monthly is a good habit to have. And if you don't have a plug-in tire inflator in your garage, get one... best peace-of-mind gadget ever, next to a battery charger... :)