Hey all. Just bought an 09 Ralliart this past week. Got rid of my 08 Lancer GTS. I enjoy driving the new car (although it is the base model with the Recaro seats...I miss the sound system/sunroof from the GTS) but I am having a hard time coming to grips with the fuel economy. I researched this car extensively, much like I do for all cars I plan to purchase, but unlike other cars I've owned, the Ralliart actually stays within the MPG rating that the manufacturer gives. Typically cars are underrated I've found, but not this one. Filled up gas and although my driving was a little spirited at times, I'm going to end up with roughly 420-440km (260 miles) to the tank, with a majority of it city driving. I tried to shift as early as possible and find the optimum speed for cruising (approx 70km/h) around town. I didn't expect to get numbers like I got from my GTS (~530-550km) but dropping 100km per fillup sucks. I'm glad I live near the border so crossing south into the US for cheaper gas is a plus but I still would like to save $ as much as possible. Here goes some of my questions:

1. Does the car 'learn' how you drive? For example, if I consistently shift before 3000 rpms will the computer ever start doing that on its own? The salesman said this would happen but nothing I've read has mentioned this

2. Any tips for getting better fuel economy? I know I've been pushing the car a bit hard so for my next fillup I'm going to ease back on the throttle. However, if anyone has any tips on saving an extra MPG or two I would be grateful.

3. Am I complaining too much about fuel economy from a performance car? I realize that this is not an econo-box and maybe had my hopes too high for this car to reach ~480km per tank.

Thanks all for any advice/info you can give.

 

Since you are also from Canada i'll share my fuel #'s from my car's dash board.

Mods are catback and resonated test pipe (catless).

City mileage is typically around 10L-12L per 100 km depending on traffic and my driving style. I usually shift at around 2000-2300rpms and use 6th gear ofted.

Highway, while travelling about about 112km/h i'll see 8.5L per 100km. Cannot seam to ever hit that 7.9L that the car is rated for.

A tank in the city much like yourself is right around 420kms.

 

I get 22mpg w/ mixed hwy city including rush hour traffic and stuff. One thing that I noticed was that the gauge shows empty when it still has about 2.5-3 gallons. I have filled it several times way past the empty and past all the beeping and flashing from the display and still have never filled a tank with more than 12.5 gallons!

 

The boring approach:

1. Run tyre pressures 3-5psi higher than factory recommended. Higher pressures = better fuel economy.
2. If you're comfortable taking out your spare wheel and replacing it with a can of "fill your flat tyre with expanding gunk", do it. Less weight = better fuel economy.
3. Use manual shifting, so you can actually control the gear you're in for best fuel efficiency.

The exciting approach:

1. Run tyre pressures 3-5psi higher than factory recommended. Higher pressures = better handling and road feel.
2. If you're comfortable taking out your spare wheel and replacing it with a can of "fill your flat tyre with expanding gunk", do it. Less weight = faster 0-100 times!
3. Use manual shifting, so you can actually control the gear you're in for best torque!

Hmm, I guess it all comes down to that right foot!

Rich

 

I normally get 18-20 around town and about 25 highway with the cruise set. I guess I would average about 22 mpg with normal tire pressure and no performance miss.

 

1- Get a Tune... get rid of pig richness and better power numbers

2- Shell V-power is 0% ethanol (in Ontario anyways). Usually the more ethanol %, the less the fuel economy numbers are.

3- The RA will always use more fuel than cars like the GTI and MS3 because of lack of DI and the AWD system.

If fuel economy was an issue, maybe those 2 I mentioned above would have been a better choice?

 

^This

 

Thanks everyone for the tips/info. I've read up a bit on tuning and it seems to be the most common advice for getting better fuel mileage. Does the reflash void the manufacturers warranty because to me saving $300 a year on fuel is worth it if my one of my diffs go and I have to pay to get it fixed?

 

...or bumping up the torque with a tune and then having the SST fail for a totally unrelated reason. Which would cost you about a billion years' fuel costs.

Yeah, it's worth considering. If it's "just" a fun daily driver, and you haven't been bitten by the Mod Bug - leave it all stock and enjoy the warranty safety-net.

Rich

 

Cheers!

 

^Thank you for all that. I didn't realize that the tank was about 3 liters smaller. It isn't a HUGE difference but it makes me happier knowing the numbers are skewed a bit due to this.