bob teatow

I also have the 5spd hatch (2.3L) engine.
I'm getting 27 to 28 mpg. Fairly conservative driver. Very easy on the brakes and clutch. Easy on the pedal except to merge onto the parkway during the rush hour home. Most driving is about 60-65 mph on the parkways of Westchester County, NY.

BIG FISH

Well I Guess I'll Get Over The New Car Fever Someday And Be More Mello. I'm Not A Crazy Driver By Any Means, Just A Tad Heavy On The Pedal And Run Her Up To 5 Grand Before I Shift

Monzsta

My 3i with the 2.0 would knock 35mpg no matter how you drove it. Mostly highway. My wife's 3 5 door with the 2.3 ATX is thirsty! Driving it easy, I can barely get 25mpg out of a tank unless I'm on a road trip. Then it sees 32-35 mpg with steady tank after tank highway. Not sure if it's aero drag or engine calibration. Surely, that .3L of displacement and the VVT with the extra 12hp can't be responsible!

bob teatow

Monzsta, hmmm... yeah, I mean very naively I'd expect the 2.3 to do no worse than 15% less since it's 15% bigger. (I know there are a million reasond why that reasoning is wrong - but it's a rough guideline) So I expect the 2.3 should get 30+mpg.

Monzsta, since you have both the 2.0 and the 2.3 - are the transmission and axle ratios the same on both cars? E.g. How fast in mph are you going when you're in fith gear and running at 3000RPM?

BIG, If you're not in a great hurry, and only in light traffic, try accelerating a little less violently and shift up at 3000-3500 rpm. That's my usual style.

ANOTHER mileage factor is the fuel. I noticed that especially as we get into the winter months, they put in some mpg lowering additives (MBTE?) Also, I noticed a sign on the pump the other day that said there might be as much as to 10% alcohol.

DanielleMunich

BIG FISH, of course you're going to get bad gas mileage if you're red lining it! Especially when you have a manual. You know how much gas you burn when you shift that fast? Lots. I have an automatic and I drive 75 mph most the time and I get around 28 mpg. Stop red lining it, not only will your car last longer but use less gas silly.

Monzsta

3000 rpm is about 80ish on both cars.. I'll note it next time I'm in 'em. I'm gonna see if the 3i will accept cruise. The engine is throttle by wire, and the pins are present in the clockspring. (I took it apart and looked.) Chrysler PCM's have features already loaded in the PCM, but they aren't active untill the PCM "sees" an input request for an item. (A/C, cruise, ect.) I'm gonna rob the wife's cruise switch module off the steering wheel, and plug it into my clockspring to see if the PCM picks it up. If so, cruise will be a simple upgrade, by replacing the blank out with the cruise switch.

bob teatow

Monzsta, you're quite the hacker I woulda looked in the sales manual first to see if cruise control is an "available" option.

If you're in the biz, why not just borrow or buy the part from the parts department and return it if it doesn't work?

Monzsta

It's not available yet, and opened electrical items aren't returnable for that reason, so they aren't used as "testers".

On a side note, my wife's 3 5DR popped the check engine light on today. I was frustrated because every tool at my disposal wouldn't communicate with the car. Sigh. I'll take it in and lurk over the tech's shoulder while he works like they do me! I'm also gonna ask them to lay every module update they got in there. I'm hoping they have one to make the transmission more livelier (little firmer shifts, and deeper kickdowns, instead of locking you out of 1st above 35mph. I want access to their tsb's, too.

I went by the dealer one day but they had closed 2 hours ago. The power was out and an overhead door was stuck up. The owners were getting ready to camp out for the night to guard the place. I rounded up a ladder and some tools and was able to get the large door down without trouble, so they said anything I want, name it. It's time to call that favor in!

Both my cars are auto, bob.3k is 80 mph. ALso, in Chrysler products, engines using throttle by wire also use that for engine speed limiting, so the engine limiter is smooth. Mazda still has the built in stutter box, even with throttle by wire. Strange.

DanielleMunich

Has any one had this problem? I've got a pretty large groove on my front right brake disc. Just noticed it yesterday. I am taking it in to the dealer tonight.

BIG FISH

DANIELLE, I FOUND THE SAME GROOVE IN MY RIGHT REAR. SAW ON AOTHER FORUM THAT IT MAY BE CAUSED BY SOME KIND OF COATING THE FACTORY PUTS ON THE ROTORS SO THEY WON'T RUST UP TO BADLY. I AM GOING IN THIS WEEKEND TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR DEALER SAYS. ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THEY DIDN'T MACHINE THE ROTOR IN ONE SPOT.
NOW ABOUT THE REDLINING WITH MY MPG. I STILL HAVEN'T HIT THE 6500 RPM SPOT YET WHICH IS THE START OF THE REDLINE ON THE 2.3 BUT I DO SHIFT BETWEEN THE 4500 TO 5500 RANGE. I'VE BEEN TOLD TO KEEP MY FOOT OUT OF IT (boring since the car loves to be free ) SO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO ON THIS TANK. GONE JUST A TAD UNDER 100 MILES TANK ON A BIT OVER A 1\4 TANK SO I AM GETTING AROUND 25-27 MPG. BETTER. I WAS JUST USED TO MY 944 THAT GOT 23 ALL THE TIME NO MATTER HOW HARD I DROVE IT. OH WELL ,THANKS FOR THE INFO

Monzsta

If you don't have a brake pulsation, I wouldn't worry about it. My rotors are grooved as well, and I'm content to leave them be. They plate the rotors with cadmium to prevent rusting as they sit on the lot or at the plant. The plating wears off harmlessly. Besides, if the pads are as hard as I think, they'll begin to wear the rotor, and any slight grooving will dissapear.. Besides, as a tech myself, I'd likely drive your car, inspect it, then tell you it's normal.

bob teatow

was curious so I looked and ran my finger across the rotors - yes some slight grooves.

If the rotors are plated - that only protects the wear surfaces BEFORE they are put into service. The pad will quickly wear away any coating that it touches.

If mine were plated, they're not well plated or not plated completely, because I think I can see some rust forming at the edges where the pads don't touch.

I've seen after-market rotors advertized (on the web) that are galvanized (IIRC) so they will not rust - except for overnight spotting (hmmm... choice of words ) on the wear surfaces - which is normal for any iron brake rotor.

DanielleMunich

The brake groove was caused by a coating the factory put on the brake pad or shoe I don't remember which and it wasn't put on good so it came off, rolled into a hard ball on the end of some part and was drawing the groove. They ordered me a new rotor and all new brake pads. Plus i got the scratch in my steering wheel covered- they're ordering me a new one. I guess the technician who put in my new carpet must have remembered scratching it because he was real happy to order a new one. I actually had a good visit to the dealer yesterday!

allancooks

Has anybody looked into Kleen Wheels, www.stopbrakedust.com ,they look like a good idea but don't know much about it. Lookes like something that would be great to keep these new alloy wheels staying shinney. It's like $80 for a set of 4 plain black.

BIG FISH

The Problem With Dust Covers Is That They Won't Let The Heat Escape From The Brakes. They Look Nice And Help Keep The Wheels Clean But Under Heavy Braking Conditions You Might Experience Brake Fade And Possibly Warping Your Rotors And Damaging The Brake Pads. That Is My Experience With Them.