I have Vitz 2003 Model (1000 cc with 4 cylinders). Here I am putting experience for people those are getting real bad performance with their vitz. First of all you need to be sure about followings before comparing mileage with other's cars.
- Fuel tank capacity. some models <2003-4 also have 38 liter capacity. Some are with 40 then 42 and if i am not mistaken some are also with 45 liters.
- Number of cylinders which your car has. Obviously four cylinder car mileage cant be compared with 3 cylinder car.
- Mileage calculation method. I absolutely ignore other's observations about mileage taken with just 500-1000 Rs petrol. This method is not correct. Always try to calculate mileage after consuming complete fuel tank.
- If one car driven in city is facing 1 signal every 2 kilometers and one car facing 2 signals in every kilometer then how come both cars averages and mileage can be same?
Keeping above points in mind now below are some of the simple ways those you can use to enhance your car mileage without putting your car in any big operation.
- Which oil you use for car? Oil comes with ratings 0W30,20W50 etc. At least for 1000 cc car digit before W should be less than or equal to 10 and digit after W shouldn't be greater than 30. I once poured 20W50 in my vitz and my mileage for complete fuel tank was affected by 30-40 kms (Car did 30-40 kms less than what it was doing with other oil grades). Also if you will use synthetic oil then mileage also increases. I personally have observed that i.e. with zic I have observed around 30 kms extra mileage for full fuel tank.
- Which Fuel do you use? Normally I have found Total and Caltex to be good. But again its depends upon pump. Even some PSO and Shell pumps may also be good. But with Total/Caltex I normally get 15-20 Kms etc for full tank.
- Your driving style may also contribute for extra fuel consumption. If you use aggressive foot on accelerator then you may be loosing 15-25 kms for full fuel tank.
- Fuel filter should be replaced/cleaned after 3 years. Its located under behind seats.
- Catalytic converters bloackage can also affect fuel economy. So either clean them of remove them. In vitz there are 2 catalytic converters. One at the start of exhaust pipe system joined to engine compartment. Second is under car in exhaust pipe. I have got removed one that's at the start of exhaust pipe.
- Also gets your car's fuel injectors checked for blockage. They can also be cause of bad mileage but in very RARE cases.
- Gets your car's throttle body and O2 sensor cleaned atleast 3 times in a year.
- Spark plugs should be changed after 10,000 kms. They can also cause problem in mileage and overall car performance.
- Car transmission oil should be changed after every 40,000 kms.
- Always use good quality air filters. Prefer filters with high quality. At the start I used low quality filters having cost of 150-200. But now I have shifted to good filter that is good in quality and cost 350-450. I have observed good top speed because of this change. And this can also improve your cars performance as well.
- Battery terminals should be kept cleaned from carbon.
- Tyre size also impact mileage. I am using bridge stone 185/75/13. Because of this tyre size I am getting atleast 1-1.5 kms less than I used to get before on per liter of petrol.
- Wheel balancing and aligned issues also put some serious impact on mileage. Wheel balancing and aligned should be carried out atleast 3 times in a year provided if you use your car mostly within city.
- Gets AC filters/gas checked atleast once in every 2 years. 2 AC filters resides under your car's dash board. One right under draw box (in dash board) which you can open yourself as well after removing your draw box and get it cleaned through air pressure. Other one needs to be checked after removing your complete dash board. This can also cause performance issue if you use your car's AC. There was problem with my cars AC air throw and also there was high sound of fan. Mechanic got rid of this by getting filter under draw box and cleaning it in just 5 minutes. Now air throw is such that people sitting in the rare seats also feel it.
- Prefer to use good coolant in your car. Don't use local coolants those are 150-200 Rs per liter. Try to use Zic coolant i.e. 350 per liter or Caltex coolant that is around 700 Rs per liter. It can also improve car performance and mileage to some extent.
- Some people have also observed slight improvement in cars performance after resetting your car's ECU/ECM.
I hope these points will help you and at the end my cars mileage.
Tyre size: 185/75/13 (People even dont these tyre size in 1300 cc cars :-))
1000 cc with 4 cylinders
Fuel tank capacity 40 liters (I am sure about this).
450-460 kms with full tank with AC within City and with high octane fuel (PSO). Oil being used is Havoline 10W30. Driving style 50 % light foot, 50 % aggressive.
390-405 kms with full tank with AC within City and with Normal fuel (PSO). Oil Havoline 10W30. Driving style 50 % light foot, 50 % aggressive.
I have also changed car's suspension system to get bit of height. So this also cost me bit in terms of fuel economy.
I will again switch to Zic I believe it is 0W30 if i am not wrong and fuel to Caltex or Total. And I am sure that I will gain 30-40 kms per fuel tank. I have switched to good quality guard air filter and have also changed coolant to zic. So will see and update mileage improvement in next 15-20 days.
To get any help you can contact me at 0333-4236901.