2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!

And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
5-liter engine!

What am I doing wrong??

Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!

Joe

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

jsherman wrote:
> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>
> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
> 5-liter engine!
>
> What am I doing wrong??
>
> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!

Relax and give it a chance to break in!

My '04 started out getting upper 20's for the first tank or two, but the
mileage increased as it broke in, pretty rapidly at first, then more
gradually. My car now has 23K miles on it and it's getting the best
mileage it ever has. I now see 34-36 mpg at 65 mph on the highway and
typically average between 32 and 34 overall, per tank. I've seen as high
as 38 on a one-way trip recently.

A good idea to boost mileage a bit is to change to synthetic oil in both
the engine and transmission. I run 5W-30 in the engine and Redline MT-90
in the trans (you MUST use a GL-4 oil like MT-90 in the Hyundai trans).
I switched the engine oil at 7500 miles and the trans oil at 10K. If you
live up north, you'll notice big difference in the winter, as the engine
will turn over easier and the transmission won't feel like it's full of
molasses.

The suggested tire pressures (30/30) are a joke and the consensus among
Elantra enthusiasts is to run somewhere around 36/32 front/rear. The car
handles better, you get better tire wear and it should improve gas
mileage, too.

If you're interested in getting the most from your GT, check out the
Elantra GT club and ElantraXD sites. You'll find lots of tips and
modifications there. Probably the best of the lot is to replace the
stock rear sway bar with the 19mm bar from the Tiburon GT. It
DRAMATICALLY improves the Elantra's handling.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
day 1.
Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
was 33.
Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
Keep the faith; it will improve.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
day 1.
Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
was 33.
Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
Keep the faith; it will improve.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

Thanx, Brian :-).

Were you saying that you first changed to synthetic engine oil at 7500
miles, or is that the interval you use? Do you have an auto tranny?

Also, on the sway bar issue, is that something that a novice mechanic
like myself could tackle? Could it possibly void the warranty?

Can you tell me where the other Elantra sites are?

joe



Brian Nystrom wrote:
>
> Relax and give it a chance to break in!
>
> My '04 started out getting upper 20's for the first tank or two, but the
> mileage increased as it broke in, pretty rapidly at first, then more
> gradually. My car now has 23K miles on it and it's getting the best
> mileage it ever has. I now see 34-36 mpg at 65 mph on the highway and
> typically average between 32 and 34 overall, per tank. I've seen as high
> as 38 on a one-way trip recently.
>
> A good idea to boost mileage a bit is to change to synthetic oil in both
> the engine and transmission. I run 5W-30 in the engine and Redline MT-90
> in the trans (you MUST use a GL-4 oil like MT-90 in the Hyundai trans).
> I switched the engine oil at 7500 miles and the trans oil at 10K. If you
> live up north, you'll notice big difference in the winter, as the engine
> will turn over easier and the transmission won't feel like it's full of
> molasses.
>
> The suggested tire pressures (30/30) are a joke and the consensus among
> Elantra enthusiasts is to run somewhere around 36/32 front/rear. The car
> handles better, you get better tire wear and it should improve gas
> mileage, too.
>
> If you're interested in getting the most from your GT, check out the
> Elantra GT club and ElantraXD sites. You'll find lots of tips and
> modifications there. Probably the best of the lot is to replace the
> stock rear sway bar with the 19mm bar from the Tiburon GT. It
> DRAMATICALLY improves the Elantra's handling.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

jsherman wrote:
> Thanx, Brian :-).
>
> Were you saying that you first changed to synthetic engine oil at 7500
> miles, or is that the interval you use?

Both.

> Do you have an auto tranny?

No, it's a manual. BTW, the autos seem to get substantially lower
mileage, despite having pretty similar EPA ratings.

> Also, on the sway bar issue, is that something that a novice mechanic
> like myself could tackle?

Absolutely, it's an easy job. IIRC, it took me all of half an hour.

> Could it possibly void the warranty?

No. The sway bar won't cause wear on any other parts. Besides, unless a
mechanic knows it's on there, it's pretty unlikely they'd even notice.

> Can you tell me where the other Elantra sites are?

http://elantragtclub.tripod.com/elantra/

http://www.elantraxd.com/index.php

IMO the Elantra GT Club is the better of the two sites, but they're both
useful.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

elantra05newbie wrote:
> I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
> day 1.
> Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
> Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
> was 33.
> Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
> Keep the faith; it will improve.

I would bet that yours will continue to improve too, though it depends
heavily on your driving habits.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

elantra05newbie wrote:
> I concur with Brian. 3000 miles on my 05 GT and I tracked my mileage from
> day 1.
> Started out at avg 23 and highway 28.
> Average has gone up from 23 to 27 (mixed driving) and latest pure highway
> was 33.
> Not a Toyota, but I knew that when I bought it.
> Keep the faith; it will improve.

Thanks for the encouragement. I got a boost today when I filled up.
My last tank got 30mpg combined (two-thirds highway and one-third city
driving), so it is definitely getting better.

Joe

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

Thanks, Brian.

J.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

2005 Elantra GT Hatch Sulev Automatic epa 24/32.
Just did a 3 day vacation loop from nyc to Hershey,Lancaster,Maryland &
back.
Mixed driving mainly highway but some nasty tie-up and a bunch of site
seeing.
just over 600 miles...31MPG for the trip, interstate was 75mph with A/C on
90% of the time.
Now I have a heavy foot and in NYC traffic I've gotten as low as 19mpg.
though I average about 25mpg in normal local traffic. (Outer-boro NYC)
"jsherman" <jsherman9901@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1124765341.741371.17580@g49g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>
> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
> 5-liter engine!
>
> What am I doing wrong??
>
> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!
>
> Joe
>

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

jsherman scribbled out on 8/22/2005 8:49 PM:
> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>
> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
> 5-liter engine!
>
> What am I doing wrong??
>
> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!
>
> Joe
>

Yep, the mileage will improve. We just finished a 2200 mile roundtrip
to GenCon and averaged about 33 mpg at 70-75 mph. If we drop the speed
to 65 mph, our Elantra easily gets 34-36 mpg.

-Dan
2004 Elantra GT

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

2005 GLS automatic, about 4,000 miles. Started at about 27 mpg. Now
just over 30 mpg.

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

I have a 2001 Elanta with 120,000 miles on it.
Since the car is new I averaged 29 miles to the gallon, city and highway
combined.
Average speed on the highway is 70-80 miles per hour and I put my foot into
when leaving the stop sign or traffic light.
All and all not a bad car for the money.







"dan" <dan.nospam@performance.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:1125011012.6437faee763c3e0f93fa27149ef48a66@t eranews...
> jsherman scribbled out on 8/22/2005 8:49 PM:
>> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
>> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
>> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
>> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>>
>> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
>> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
>> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
>> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
>> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
>> 5-liter engine!
>>
>> What am I doing wrong??
>>
>> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
>> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!
>>
>> Joe
>>
>
> Yep, the mileage will improve. We just finished a 2200 mile roundtrip to
> GenCon and averaged about 33 mpg at 70-75 mph. If we drop the speed to 65
> mph, our Elantra easily gets 34-36 mpg.
>
> -Dan
> 2004 Elantra GT

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

That's nice to know. My 2001 Elantra has only 32000 miles
so there is quite a way to go. BTW did you receive a letter
from Hyundai with regard to the manifold may have cracks,
Taking mine in on Tuesday for free inspection.




On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 07:50:23 -0400, "Bain" <Bain@hotmail.com> wrote:

>I have a 2001 Elanta with 120,000 miles on it.
>Since the car is new I averaged 29 miles to the gallon, city and highway
>combined.
>Average speed on the highway is 70-80 miles per hour and I put my foot into
>when leaving the stop sign or traffic light.
>All and all not a bad car for the money.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>"dan" <dan.nospam@performance.nospam.com> wrote in message
>news:1125011012.6437faee763c3e0f93fa27149ef48a66@ teranews...
>> jsherman scribbled out on 8/22/2005 8:49 PM:
>>> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
>>> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
>>> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
>>> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>>>
>>> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
>>> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
>>> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
>>> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
>>> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
>>> 5-liter engine!
>>>
>>> What am I doing wrong??
>>>
>>> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
>>> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!
>>>
>>> Joe
>>>
>>
>> Yep, the mileage will improve. We just finished a 2200 mile roundtrip to
>> GenCon and averaged about 33 mpg at 70-75 mph. If we drop the speed to 65
>> mph, our Elantra easily gets 34-36 mpg.
>>
>> -Dan
>> 2004 Elantra GT
>

Re: 2005 Elantra -- AAAAAUUGH!!
 

mine cracked after the bumper to bumper was up.
it cost 1200.00 cdn to replace it. so it will stay cracked.
next spring I will be putting a better exhaust system on the car for the
same money.





"irwell" <hook@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4gbug19bq1vmd0dt24ra4vtm5uiokup3co@4ax.com...
> That's nice to know. My 2001 Elantra has only 32000 miles
> so there is quite a way to go. BTW did you receive a letter
> from Hyundai with regard to the manifold may have cracks,
> Taking mine in on Tuesday for free inspection.
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 07:50:23 -0400, "Bain" <Bain@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I have a 2001 Elanta with 120,000 miles on it.
>>Since the car is new I averaged 29 miles to the gallon, city and highway
>>combined.
>>Average speed on the highway is 70-80 miles per hour and I put my foot
>>into
>>when leaving the stop sign or traffic light.
>>All and all not a bad car for the money.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>"dan" <dan.nospam@performance.nospam.com> wrote in message
>>news:1125011012.6437faee763c3e0f93fa27149ef48a66 @teranews...
>>> jsherman scribbled out on 8/22/2005 8:49 PM:
>>>> OK, I have an Elantra GLS 5-speed hatchback with about 800 miles on it
>>>> so far. It is a great looking, running, and handling car with plenty
>>>> of amenities. It has it all over Corolla, Civic, Focus, and the like
>>>> except for one thing -- the gas mileage SUCKS!!!
>>>>
>>>> And I absolutely baby this car -- no jackrabbit starts, all the highway
>>>> driving done between 55-65 mph. The EPA highway estimate for the
>>>> Elantra is 34mpg, and I haven't even broken 27mpg yet. Every car I
>>>> have owned in the last 20 years has done FAR better than its EPA
>>>> estimate; even my 1990 Grand Marquis got 26mpg on the highway, with its
>>>> 5-liter engine!
>>>>
>>>> What am I doing wrong??
>>>>
>>>> Please, somebody tell me the mileage will get way better after the
>>>> engine is broken in. PLEASE!!!
>>>>
>>>> Joe
>>>>
>>>
>>> Yep, the mileage will improve. We just finished a 2200 mile roundtrip
>>> to
>>> GenCon and averaged about 33 mpg at 70-75 mph. If we drop the speed to
>>> 65
>>> mph, our Elantra easily gets 34-36 mpg.
>>>
>>> -Dan
>>> 2004 Elantra GT
>>
>