New Guy With a Grey Corolla

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Kev250R

This is my other car
#1
#1
Hi all, been lurking for a while but now I have a few questions (which I'll post in the appropriate forums) so I thought I'd join the fun over here :)

I drive a '10 Corolla LE which I just took-over from a friend who no longer wanted the payments. I'm a pretty hard-core gear head who's into trucks and off-roading so the Corolla looks a bit lost in my driveway though owning something which gets nearly 30MPG is nice.

My car is stock and will likely stay that way though I am thinking about tinting the windows and changing the stereo.

Thanks for letting me join the fun!

Kevin
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#5
#5
Thanks for the welcome guys, I'll post a pic when I get a chance.

I'm pretty stoked with 30mpg, but then again I'm coming from a world of trucks and SUV's which barely break 20 (if I'm lucky). My daily Driver averages 9ish, my tow rig 12 so needless to say I'm looking forward to taking a road trip next month in the Corolla, anxious to see what it gets on the highway on a moderate (500 mile) road trip.

Kevin
 
autotech2612

autotech2612

New Member
#9
#9
Unfortunately for me, my mpg will drop beginning late September as Michigan gets colder. My mpg will not return to 40.0 average until May. I usually drop to 50 uphill, but that only happens once on my commute to downtown on the highway. After the peak of the hill, the speed limit is 45-50 due as the highway wraps into a "S" curve.
 
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Donabed Kopoian

Donabed Kopoian

6 Speed Master
#11
#11
When I travel back to Escondido from Reno, there is a hill steep enough to do 90 m.p.h. on while in neutral for a solid 7 miles ... of course ... it sucks going up it because you have to be in 4th gear.
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#12
#12
Okay, so now I'm starting to get curious about just what my mileage will be when I go to Vegas next month!

I don't make a regular habit of coasting but occasionally I do it in my air-cooled VW if the engine is running warmer than I like and I'm on a long downhill with little or no traffic. That car uses manual brakes so I can shut the motor off and still have brakes. The first time I did it in front a friend of mine I explained that I had just switched the car into 'Hybrid Mode' LOL

Kevin
 
Scott O'Kashan

Scott O'Kashan

Super Moderator
#13
#13
Kevin, what about the power steering?

Coasting in neutral has the mpg's absolutely soar to over 100 mpg + and does incredible things for the average mpg's and keeping more money in your wallet! :thumbsup::)
 
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carlile92

Corolla Rookie
#14
#14
Scott you would be surprised to know that with most cars since the 90s with fuel injection actually turn the fuel use way down to nill. I have verified this by
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#16
#16
Scott O'Kashan said:
Kevin, what about the power steering?
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Scott, good point, although on my VW there is no power steering. Or power brakes, or power stereo (has a CB). Mine's an old air-cooled model from the 60's :D I definitely don't condone turning a modern car off on long downhills (or at all when on the road!)

Kevin
 
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carlile92

Corolla Rookie
#19
#19
I posted a couple in my profile and what I meant is I have went down a off ramp at 60 shifted to neutral and reset avg mpg while coasting in neutral and it shot to 500 mpg and then have done the same thing but instead downshifted and rode the rpm at 3k plus just coasting and reset mpg reader and it stayed completely blank until I came to a slow enough roll were the engine had to turn itself meaning you use no gas while coasting and the wheels turn the engine. PS I don't recommend engine braking in auto trans car unless cover by factory warranty
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#23
#23
autotech2612 said:
Is the T100 a manual trans? I'm more interested in the truck now!
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Good eye! That's the old man of my 'fleet'. It's a '93 T100 I've had since '95 (it was my first car!) It's not a manual (I often wish it was). I don't take it out much anymore on trips but for years it hauled all my toys all over the So.Cal. mountains and deserts (now I have a crew-cab Silverado which does most of that for me). Here's a recent pic of it on a camping trip last month near Big Bear. The tool box is a bit ironic as I haven't driven it for work since '02. The wheels and tires are a recent addition from an FJ Cruiser. Oh, and the trailer in front of it is a '63 Aristocrat Lo-Liner.



Kevin
 
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carlile92

Corolla Rookie
#27
#27
And in a manual yes it is made to engine brake but an automatic no and why would you shift to neutral you use less gas just letting it coast and also when you go from n to drive again let's hope the tranny knows to put you in a high gear I know some cars don't appreciate it mine clunks hard if I go from d to n while still moving and then stop
 
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Kev250R

This is my other car
#30
#30
At least in my area a manual transmission anything is pretty rare. A couple of years ago I was thinking about buying a new Tacoma but I wanted a 4x4, manual trans and was told I'd have to special-order it. Cracks me up how many people can't drive a stick either. I'm teaching a friends teenage daughter how to drive and keep telling her she needs to learn how to drive a stick because all the fun cars are stick shifts :rolleyes:

And yes, T100's especially long-bed ones are pretty rare in my area as well. I don't drive the truck very much (less now that I need to replace the A/C compressor) but once every couple of months I'll find a note on the windshield asking if it's for sale. It's not :)

Kevin
 
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autotech2612

autotech2612

New Member
#31
#31
I'm also amazed so many people don't know how to drive a vehicle with a stick shift. I taught myself on a '96 Mazda B2300. It was so easy, and it's all quite logical. Perhaps some just overthink it and get flustered. I tried to teach my roommate on an old Geo Metro (those cars are so simple to shift) and I gave up at the end of the road. I don't have the patience. I told him "if my mother and my sister can drive a stick, anyone can".

I like the simple and functional design of the T100. Sadly, I rarely see one on the road in this state.

Thanks for sharing Kev. Welcome to the Forum. Side note: I'm surprised you guys aren't sick of me by now!
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#32
#32
autotech2612 said:
I like the simple and functional design of the T100. Sadly, I rarely see one on the road in this state.

Thanks for sharing Kev. Welcome to the Forum. Side note: I'm surprised you guys aren't sick of me by now!
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Autotech, thanks for the welcome! The design of the truck was a pretty good one for the time. It does have a few shortcomings (lack of power in the early models, a V6 which was notorious for blowing head gaskets and weak rear suspensions). I've not found a practical solution for the lack of power and my head gaskets have blown twice, the last time Toyota paid for new heads and it's been fine since then. The rear of my truck uses air springs with adjustable Rancho shocks, the front uses larger torsion bars (which lifted the truck enough to fit the larger wheels and tires) and Bilstein shocks. If I had a dollar for every time I've helped someone move with this truck I could probably buy a new one! LOL

Toyota's aren't known for doing well in salt so that might be why you don't see more on the road back in MI. Mine has never been outside of Cali and it's paint is showing a lot of wear (though it's always lived outside). Not sure where I heard it but it seems to me Toyota only made 150,000 T100's. I don't drive it a lot but when I do it's like going-out with an old friend; that truck and I have a lot of memories :D

Kevin
 
Donabed Kopoian

Donabed Kopoian

6 Speed Master
#33
#33
My Dad bought my sister a stickshift Samurai and she hated the thing ... but once she got the hang of it, she loved it. Every car she has owned since has been a stickshift. Both my Mustangs, my Focus, my Matrix, and my '14 S are stickshift.
 
autotech2612

autotech2612

New Member
#34
#34
Donabed Kopoian said:
My Dad bought my sister a stickshift Samurai and she hated the thing ... but once she got the hang of it, she loved it. Every car she has owned since has been a stickshift. Both my Mustangs, my Focus, my Matrix, and my '14 S are stickshift.
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Replace the Mustangs with one Celica and one Supra

Stick shifts are excellent in snow, especially when rocking when stuck in snow. . .
 
autotech2612

autotech2612

New Member
#35
#35
Kevin,

It's often surprising how attached we become to vehicles. I never thought I'd be so attached to my car. A real friend: Loyal and dependable. Every day, I enjoy driving it and every day the thought of my Toyota breaking down and/or leaving me stranded never crosses my mind. I can't imagine owning a Dodge Neon, Chevy Cavalier or Cobalt, Ford Focus, etc. For being 12 years old and with 233,000 miles, my Corolla has a high level of refinement. I think it was either Car & Driver or Motor Trend magazine that stated the Corolla is "a mini Lexus". . .
 
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K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#36
#36
Autotech, I agree, it's pretty cool when a car becomes a part of the family. To so many people their just appliances, turn the key and go but to others of us they work their ways into being an integral part of our lives. I rarely sell my cars and when I do normally friends or family buy them so I still get to see them :D

Kevin
 
K

Kev250R

This is my other car
#38
#38
I know what you mean. A couple of years after he died I sold my Dad's '06 F150 to a friend of mine which is cool since it's still around. Still it was hard letting that one go and I *almost* kept it for myself but in the end am glad that it went to a good home, my friend needed a full-sized truck and it's been a good fit for him.

Kevin
 
Donabed Kopoian

Donabed Kopoian

6 Speed Master
#39
#39
The '08 Matrix went to the dealership, so hopefully the person that bought the car will respect it. The '96 GT went to a guy that autocrosses and he wanted a chassis to build up, so I was glad he wanted to buy it.

I wanted to keep the GT but between work and school, I had zero time to work on it.
 
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