# Shift points for max MPG on the ECO



## jmichael99 (Feb 14, 2012)

within the next two days i will be trading my 2011 Ram for a Cruze Eco. Im just waiting for the dealer to find me a blue one with a 6 speed tranny

So im looking for where everyone shifts at to get the most out of the MPG. 

and how the **** do you reset the avg MPG? I test drove a red one but the salesman or myself could not figure it out

i also plan to drive the blue one when it gets here to make sure everything is good to go


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## Craigels (Jan 7, 2012)

Shift when the light comes on... Hold the reset button on the turn signal stalk to reset mpg.


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## jmichael99 (Feb 14, 2012)

Craigels said:


> Shift when the light comes on... Hold the reset button on the turn signal stalk to reset mpg.


i held the button and nothing happened..i did hear a beep but nothing else


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Just make sure it has cruise control. Think that's were all the savings are.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

While in average mpg mode, have to push what use to be a cruise control set button for at least 3-4 seconds. Or better yet, hold it until it resets. Finding a six speed manual transmission was not easy, then trying to get the color and options you want. We just ordered what we wanted and waited six weeks, then also got a car with 2 miles on the odometer.

If they do find a car, say 300 miles away, pay a kid to drive it over, no telling how he will drive that car, so not really buying a brand new car, but a used one. For us, the price was the same either way, if you don't think about it, those six weeks went by very quickly.

Cruise control doesn't give the best fuel economy, in particular on hilly roads, can feel that accelerator going clear to the floor trying to hold 55 mph going up a steep hill. Best to hold it steady both up and down those hills. But you can't drive that way, for one thing, on a two lane road, will have a zillion cars behind you blowing their horns. For another, your car will speed up to 65 mph and will be a cop at the bottom of that hill giving you a 250 buck fine, but that extra speed reduces fuel consumption going up the next hill. Consider the single most important reason to have cruise control is to avoid getting speeding tickets. 

Found driving at 30 mph in fifth gear shows 50+ mpg consistently, but not very practical when you have to be a dozen places at the same time plus would really cause a so-called accident. What really kills fuel economy is living in a society where everyone has to be at the same place at the same time. You won't get 44+ mpg when creeping along on the Dan Ryan in Chicago during the so-called rush hour, 5 mpg is more like it. So how do they cure this? Reduce the speed limit on a practically empty interstate highway. Can win living in a country ran by idiots.


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## Vetterin (Mar 27, 2011)

Best shift point for mpg is between 1800 and 2500 rpm.
If you are resetting the avg mpg while in motion it is going to show you the current mpg at that time. If you want to see -0- you have to reset it while the car is STOPPED.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Allso reset the miles driven on Trip 1 and 2 and the gals used if you want to find out the MPG. otherwise you are going against the old calibration. 



Vetterin said:


> Best shift point for mpg is between 1800 and 2500 rpm.
> If you are resetting the avg mpg while in motion it is going to show you the current mpg at that time. If you want to see -0- you have to reset it while the car is STOPPED.


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## jmichael99 (Feb 14, 2012)

If you get a tune, can you increase the MPG? what else can help

Sorry for all the questions, my normal drive of 20miles went to about 55 so im looking to save all the money i can


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

jmichael99 said:


> If you get a tune, can you increase the MPG? what else can help
> 
> Sorry for all the questions, my normal drive of 20miles went to about 55 so im looking to save all the money i can


Tune will increase MPG, and also make 6th gear usable up most hills. 

Shift before 2500 RPM for best fuel economy.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

NickD said:


> Cruise control doesn't give the best fuel economy, in particular on hilly roads, can feel that accelerator going clear to the floor trying to hold 55 mph going up a steep hill. Best to hold it steady both up and down those hills.


As I reiterate multiple times... Cruise control *does* give the best fuel economy. Hills barely exist on roads except in very very mountainous areas such as West Virginia. Interstate highways are restricted to 6% grade and will be signed if otherwise. 6% is _not_ a hill and the cruise control algorithms are much more precise with the throttle position than our right foot. On non interstate highways such as back country roads, it is more likely that you will encounter these "hills" but it is best you use your GPS setting to track the elevation change yourself. You'll be surprised at just how *unhilly* most roads are.


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## Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

No such thing as hills in AZ. Can't wait till I pick up a steering wheel to add it. 

I agree with 1.8 to 2.5 shifts.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Best shift point is subjective since it really depends on where you are and what you are doing. If you follow the green light all the time you will end up stalled on a hill. I keep the RPM's above 2000 as much as possible and was averaging 43MPG over the summer, down to 36 now but I am sure between the heavier wheels, snow tires, cold air and winter gas that it will go back up in the spring.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

No problems with hills in Iowa, ha, was told it was a flat state, said not true, passed an ant hill a hundred miles back.

Darn 1.4 L Cruze is so quiet, even use my cruise in town, does go down to 20 mph. Cops all over the place.


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## tedstiles (Mar 24, 2012)

ErikBEggs said:


> As I reiterate multiple times... Cruise control *does* give the best fuel economy. Hills barely exist on roads except in very very mountainous areas such as West Virginia. Interstate highways are restricted to 6% grade and will be signed if otherwise. 6% is _not_ a hill and the cruise control algorithms are much more precise with the throttle position than our right foot. On non interstate highways such as back country roads, it is more likely that you will encounter these "hills" but it is best you use your GPS setting to track the elevation change yourself. You'll be surprised at just how *unhilly* most roads are.


Hi ErikBEggs, People are different. No matter how much you believe cruise control gets the best gas mileage, there are a few of us out here that will argue that point to the grave. I first noticed this with my GMC Sierra which is rated at 30 mpgs here in Canada. I could not get near the mpg rating until I 'did not use' the cruise control. The same thing with the Eco. It has been said before, holding the accelerator at a constant position over hills, in general, will give you better gas mileage and that is because you slow down slightly going up the hill and speed up slightly going down (to which you can take your foot off the accelerator is needed). I'm talking normal hills and speeds. Good luck trying to believe me, but it is true. I'm a numbers man beyond your wildest imagination, sir.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

Put the car in sport mode a few times last tank and still averaged 41.8 mpg with the tune. Basically seem stuck around there. Lol. But really can't complain.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

ErikBEggs said:


> The cruise control algorithms are much more precise with the throttle position than our right foot.


This is only true if your talking about maintaining speed, it that respect the cruise control is the absolute winner. If you use the hypermilling technique DWL(Driving with Load) you will see how wrong your are. This consists of motoring the Instant MPG readout(the engine load) & letting off ever so slightly to always maintain a better number. 

In my area of SW Wisconsin there are 6% grades on most state highways with most hills being 200-400ft in height. If you use the cruise control at 60mph you will be lucky to get 10mpg up the hill. Using DWL & loosing a bit of speed up the grade one can easily maintain 20-30mpg up the same hill. 

Even the slightest grade can have a huge effect on MPG(especially with the cruise control). Looking at a topo map of a highway I run daily there is a 3.3mile stretch that appears flat but actually looses/gains(depending on which way you are traveling) 90ft of elevation(that's 30ft change every mile or 1ft change every 176ft traveled). At 65mph in one direction I can get 50-70mpg. The other way 25-35mpg. 

Only use cruise on the interstate or super flat roads for MPG. The cruise can't read the road ahead, but you can.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Major reason for me using the cruise control is too ease up on speeding tickets since all these Homeland Security cops love to hide behind a bush at the bottom of the hill. The heck with fuel economy, but to get it, you hold the gas pedal constant going down that hill, build up speed, still hold the gas pedal constant so you are using your inertia to get up the next hill.

Cops won't let you do that.

See OP mentioned the six speed tranny, both the automatic and manual transmissions are six speed, so which one is he talking about?


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

Since when does Homeland Security give speeding tickets? They have no local jurisdiction in any state to do so.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Congratulations and welcome to CruzeTalk. Take a look at the thread http://www.cruzetalk.com/forum/27-fuel-economy/5387-how-get-better-fuel-economy.html. Pages 15-17 contain a lot of discussion on shift points.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Beaker said:


> Since when does Homeland Security give speeding tickets? They have no local jurisdiction in any state to do so.



Not directly, but with a directive, since 9/11 our police departments have more than doubled in size with nothing else to do except issue traffic violations.

Also spent millions fencing in our county and city airports. I suppose from a fear that a terrorist would swipe a hang glider and ram into the Sears Tower.

Then constantly lowering speed limits. Only had to drive a block for 55 that years ago was a 65 mph limit, now have to drive 4 miles for a 55 mph limit. On one county road for years was 55 mph. But with a broken down bar on a gravel road intersection, dropped the limit to 35 mph, not a vehicle or person in sight. Not only at that intersection, but 3/4 a mile before and after. 

Where we had yield signs are not stop signs, where stop signs, now traffic lights. Wife was called into emergency at 4:00 AM this morning, I dropped her off waiting a red light that refused to turn green wasting gas for two whole minutes. Not a soul in sight, was tempted to cross anyway, but too many trees and bushes around.

If I feel like buying a bottle of wine to help my wife or I sleep, can't do that after 9:00 PM, against the law. But every bar in this corrupted state is opened until 2:00 AM and the only way to get there is with your private vehicle. Asked why at a city counsel meeting, was in 100% agreement this is a crazy law, but was unanimously voted down. 

They are out to get you.


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## Beaker (Mar 21, 2012)

Local governments decide that stuff. Not the federal. At least for now.


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## ErikBEggs (Aug 20, 2011)

spacedout said:


> This is only true if your talking about maintaining speed, it that respect the cruise control is the absolute winner. If you use the hypermilling technique DWL(Driving with Load) you will see how wrong your are. This consists of motoring the Instant MPG readout(the engine load) & letting off ever so slightly to always maintain a better number.
> 
> In my area of SW Wisconsin there are 6% grades on most state highways with most hills being 200-400ft in height. If you use the cruise control at 60mph you will be lucky to get 10mpg up the hill. Using DWL & loosing a bit of speed up the grade one can easily maintain 20-30mpg up the same hill.
> 
> ...


That is EXACTLY what I am saying. Interstate roads are *restricted* to a _*maximum grade of 6%*_, which is only a 6 feet increase for every 100 feet. That is only a 3.4 degree slope, which is NOT a "hill." The example I used is a ski slope. Beginner gentle ski slopes have a ~10 degree slope, or 18% grade. They are 3 times hillier than the "hill" you are referred to that isn't really there. If you drive on turnpikes (NYS Thruway, PA Turnpike, NJTP) their grade limitations are even stricter. They are a maximum of 3%. It is basic roadway design. If you think you can out calculate a computer on such a gentle slope you are sadly mistaken. _*Always use cruise control on interstate highways.*_ Use your right foot on those hilly back roads.

BTW, your commute, is only a 0.6% grade. That is not a hill at all. Your 50-70 MPG + 25-35 MPG will average out to be close to 40 MPG, which will be a lot better than 99% of people will do over the same stretch with just their right foot.

Also, going up an interstate highway, I've never seen my instantaneous DIC drop below 20 MPG. Grade just isn't steep enough. Anything over 1850 RPMs is into the peak torque range, no problems there no excess gas being sucked down by the engine.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

ErikBEggs said:


> Also, going up an interstate highway, I've never seen my instantaneous DIC drop below 20 MPG. Grade just isn't steep enough. Anything over 1850 RPMs is into the peak torque range, no problems there no excess gas being sucked down by the engine.


The only time "excess" gas is being sucked down by the engine is when it's in open loop, such as during wide open throttle or warmup. Otherwise, the engine maintains a 14.7:1 AFR. The more air you pull, the more fuel you pull. 

1850 is max throttle because the little turbo spools up high enough by that point to give you that kind of power. Don't be fooled into thinking you're not also dumping an equal amount of fuel at that point to maintain that 14.7 AFR.

If we were concerned about driving our cars in the max torque range, we'd be cruising on the highway with the LS 1.8L motor at 4000RPM.


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