Hello Group - 1999 Toyota Corolla LE

[mariohere]

Hello Group,
I am the relatively happy owner of a 1999 Toyota Corolla LE, automatic trans with overdrive, - fully loaded. I was very happy to find this car with no rust and only 91,600 original miles. It is a beautiful red - venitian red pearl - I believe is what Toyota calls it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this car is the first to come with the aluminum block and laser etched valve guide seats. I also really like the look of the lower roof as compared to the post 2002 cars. These qualities lead me to think of this car as the Low Aluminum Corolla. Has anyone else heard of nick names for this car?

The sun roof has a sun shield of sorts over the front. Does this serve any purpose? I want to take it off as I feel it may be adversely effecting my fuel mileage. Any feedback here?

Which leads me to the only disappointment that I have with this car. I'm currently getting 29 miles per gallon. This was a bit of a shocker as I thought it would surley do better than 30 mpg. Also, I am coming off of a 1991 Geo Metro Convertible, manual trans, which would get 42 mpg all day long any road city hiway, whatever. The spark plugs are brand new and the tires are fully inflated. Does anyone have any experience improving the fuel mileage on these cars? Please advise.

Thank you & Happy New Year!

 

[trlhiker]

Welcome and congrats on your find. The shield over the front of the sunroof is there to block the flow of air from coming into the sunroof when its open. Have never heard of a low aluminum corolla. As for your milage, is that city, highway or mix?

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

29 miles per gallon city, highway or combined? Ethanol fuel, or not? Is that measured using a calculator or an onboard fuel economy computer? Fully inflated tires...to what psi and what kind of tires are they?

 

[mariohere]

mpg - Hello Scott and Trlhiker

I calculate my miles per gallon by fill up and with math. I fill the tank, and reset the trip meter. drive for almost an entire tank full. Fill up the tank to the exact same place then divide the miles that I drove by the amount of fuel it took to fill the tank to the exact same place. this gives me an exact mpg reading.

My driving is usually about 20 percent highway and 70 percent country roads and 10 percent city(stop and go). I generally call it 70/30 city/highway or combined. I have Pireli Tires inflated to 42 psi.

The fuel that I have been using is 10% ethanol and I use an additive to improve the quality.

I might take off the wind deflector as I generally want the air to come in when the sun roof is open. Thanks

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

Then that's pretty good fuel economy. Ethanol in gas reduces fuel economy about 10%, which costs the average motorist about $300 per year while the government gets to collect 10% more in fuel taxes! Interesting how that works, eh?

Keep in mind, the Geo Metro is a smaller car and likely wasn't fully loaded, as your Corolla is. AC, power windows, door locks, etc., all add weight and weight reduces fuel economy.

42 psi is way too high tire air pressure to maintain, will prematurely wear out the tire in the center of the tread, will make the car ride like a rock, while also increasing the likelihood of a wheel being bent and/or a tire having it's sidewalls damaged. Very high air pressures also increase the amount of wear and tear the entire suspension system suffers from, because too high air pressures result in a very stiff ride and this transmits road impacts to the MacPherson struts, coil springs, tie rod ends, the rack and pinion unit, etc. Toyota engineers recommend 30 psi in your Corolla's tires and you'll find this recommendation on the tire placard for your Corolla, which is a sticker that is usually mounted on the drivers door edge where it latches. The maximum tire inflation pressure listed on the sidewall of a tire is not the recommended air pressure to maintain in that tire. The correct recommended inflation pressures for the tires is listed on the tire placard for your vehicle. If you can't find the tire placard, check the owners manual for verification of the recommended tire inflation pressures.

The tires themselves can have an impact on fuel economy as well. Tires with an aggressive tread design that do well in the snow will also have higher rolling resistance, which increases drag and lowers fuel economy. Tires that don't have an aggressive tread design tend to increase fuel economy, with the trade-off being less snow traction.

With almost 100,000 miles, the spark plug wires are due to be changed as well. NGK spark plug wires are excellent and reasonably priced.

Has the air filter been evaluated? A dirty, plugged up air filter can also reduce fuel economy.

For preventative maintenance purposes, with almost 100,000 miles, I recommend the fuel filter be replaced before it takes out your Corolla's very expensive fuel pump inside the gas tank. When the fuel filter gets plugged up, it makes it harder and harder for the electric fuel pump to pump fuel through the fuel filter and this can cause the fuel pump to burn out. Most electric fuel pumps cost about $400-$500 to replace, whereas a fuel filter is about $40-$50 to replace. For this reason, I recommend fuel filters be replaced every 50,000 miles, as it's inexpensive insurance. $40-$50 or $400-$500. It's a no brainer.

What brand, type, (synthetic or petroleum), oil is being used in this Corolla and what viscosity? Substantial improvements in fuel economy can be had with top performing motor oils.

 

[mariohere]

Tires

Scott,
Thank you for the information about the tire pressure. That totally makes sense! I don't want to put any unnecessary stress on the suspension, steering and other systems.

Do you have any knowledge about the Low Rolling Resistance tires? 29 miles per gallon is not good fuel mileage to me. I need to do something to increase this. any feedback would be much appreciated.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

My pleasure. I've been in the automotive industry for the past 25+ years and I enjoy helping people with their vehicles.

The below article will provide you solid information on Low Rolling Resistance tires -

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=155

In my 25+ years in the tire industry, I could be wrong but it just seems to me that if a tires rolling resistance is reduced, reducing drag, then its road holding grip is also reduced. In inclement, slippery conditions, this is a safety issue. To spend $400 + on a set of LRR tires in order to save 1-2% on gas costs doesn't seem financially wise and seems more like something the government would do, (with our taxpayer money of course! lol). 29 mpg X a 1-2% fuel economy increase would be an increase to 29.29 to 29.58 mpg. At an average annual mileage of 12,000 miles traveled, with gas at $3.50 per gallon, that would equate to a savings of $14.34 to $42.60. Spending $400+ to save that little money, well again, that sounds like something the government would do! lol

Considerable fuel economy improvements can be had with the proper engine oil. What brand, type, (synthetic or petroleum), and viscosity of oil is currently being used in the engine, if you know?

What kind of spark plugs are being used? i have recently had some very good experiences with a new spark plug technology from a company named Pulstar. Their spark plugs take the 50,000 or so watts that an ignition coil delivers to the spark plug and amplifies that to 1 million watts. Yes, that much! Their spark plugs are an ingenious design where they actually install a capacitor inside the porcelain of the spark plug, greatly amplifying the spark that is generated. The benefit is more complete combustion, which improves power, fuel economy and also lowers emissions. The engine will also start easier/quicker and run smoother. Below is their website -

http://www.pulstar.com/products.htm

They do manufacture a Pulstar plug for your Corolla -

http://www.pulstar.com/howtobuy.cfm?s=vmm&year=1999&make=TOYOTA&model=COROLLA%7C&engine=1432911

Advance Auto Parts and Auto Zone both sell these plugs and can special order them at no additional cost for you in about a day. I personally use these spark plugs in my vehicle and have been very pleased with them.

Below is a link that shows the spark created by the Pulstar plug vs a standard spark plug -

http://www.pulstar.com/pulsedpowertechnology.htm

Below is a video that is on the Pulstar YouTube page showing the spark of a Pulstar plug on the left with an NGK standard design spark plug on the right. They have other brand comparisons as well -

http://www.youtube.com/user/PulstarPulsePlugs#p/u/25/me9IzzYuxuE

Pulstar plugs also come with a money back guarantee, so you're not risking anything.

If you'd like to try these plugs, let me know and I can advise you the proper way to install them, which is much different than a standard spark plug. If you install them the way you would a standard spark plug, the likelihood is very great they will break and you might utter a few curses you didn't even know you knew. lol

 

[mariohere]

Scott,
Great information thanks again.

Currently I don't know what oil is in the car since I just got it. But when I change it I will be going to a full synthetic at the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer, at the thinnest that I can.

I am also a fan of Amsoil(I think it's the best oil out there), but, at this point, I can't justify spending the extra money on it. I'd rather spend that money on LRR tires and Pulstar spark plugs.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

Exercising our Constitutionally guaranteed rights of free speech isn't anti-government, that's pro-government. The government is all citizens, as it is by the people and for the people. We've all read the news reports of the $300 hammers, etc., which is very wasteful of our taxpayer money, which in and of itself is anti-government, as it is detrimental to the government and our very country to waste our taxpayer money. We all need to take part in our government, as we are the government and if we remain silent and don't take part in our government, then by definition it would cease to represent the wishes of the citizens anymore and that would indeed be anti-government. However, this is really outside the spectrum of this thread and might be best left to another thread.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

Scott,
Great information thanks again...

Currently I don't know what oil is in the car since I just got it. But when I change it I will be going to a full synthetic at the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer, at the thinnest that I can.

I am also a fan of Amsoil(I think it's the best oil out there), but, at this point, I can't justify spending the extra money on it. I'd rather spend that money on LRR tires and Pulstar spark plugs.

As to the recommended oil for your Corolla, the O.E. recommendation is for the 5W-30 viscosity, which means the AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-30 can be used, which can save a lot of money in fuel. After moving up my daily driver to this product from the 5W-30 viscosity, the fuel economy increases were such that even if someone provided me another brand of oil for free, or free oil changes at a quick lube, it would cost me more to use than AMSOIL. Combined reduced maintenance and fuel economy costs have this product saving me over $200 per year and that's a tad bit more than the 1-2% fuel economy savings of LRR tires, with a much, much lower price too.

The free AMSOIL Online Product Application guide link is below. You can use this to look up the viscosity recommendations, capacities, filter part numbers, etc., for almost any vehicle -

http://www.amsoil.com/mygarage/vehiclelookup.aspx?i=1&zo=349698

Consumer beware that many of the so-called, "synthetic", oils available at retail discount auto parts stores are not truly synthetic oils in the traditional sense of the term, but instead are merely petroleum oils subjected to more refining, a process called hydrocracking. This does produce a better oil than a regular petroleum oil, however in my opinion this oil still is hampered with many of the inherent performance drawbacks of a petroleum oil.

AMSOIL synthetic motor oils can save substantial sums of money vs other oils and for you or anyone else in this great Corolla forum, I will extend wholesale price savings for you and that saves about 25-30% off of retail prices, which are in many cases lower prices than what you'd pay for competing oils sold in discount auto parts stores. I can also offer you wholesale prices on not only the full line of AMSOIL products, but also wholesale prices on Wix oil/air/fuel/transmission and cabin air filters, Mothers car care appearance products, Trico wiper blades and much more. If you're interested in saving money, send me a private message and I'll take care of you.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

By the way, an interesting additional piece of information; in 2009 Toyota began recommending the 0W-20 viscosity for their vehicles. The 0W-20 and 0W-30 viscosity's are merely numbers on a viscosity chart and it doesn't mean zero protection. So rest at ease.

 

[mariohere]

Agenda

My point is simply that this is a corolla forum, and that clearly you have an agenda(which to me is disrespectful of government). more than once you commented about unnecessary spending being something the government would do. Government spending is intrinsically, that is by it's nature, in service to the people. Have you ever taken a course on Government & Politics? Perhaps, it might give you more reason to respect the government. Agreed that this subject would best fit somewhere else.

Exercising our Constitutionally guaranteed rights of free speech isn't anti-government, that's pro-government. The government is all citizens, as it is by the people and for the people. We've all read the news reports of the $300 hammers, etc., which is very wasteful of our taxpayer money, which in and of itself is anti-government, as it is detrimental to the government and our very country to waste our taxpayer money. We all need to take part in our government, as we are the government and if we remain silent and don't take part in our government, then by definition it would cease to represent the wishes of the citizens anymore and that would indeed be anti-government. However, this is really outside the spectrum of this thread and might be best left to another thread.

 

[trlhiker]

Personally I think politics should not even be discussed in this forum. I go to many forums where if a member brings up politics, they get a warning, next time a suspension, third time a ban. Either open up a political section or keep politics out.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

My point is simply that this is a corolla forum, and that clearly you have an agenda(which to me is disrespectful of government). more than once you commented about unnecessary spending being something the government would do. Government spending is intrinsically, that is by it's nature, in service to the people. Have you ever taken a course on Government & Politics? Perhaps, it might give you more reason to respect the government. Agreed that this subject would best fit somewhere else.

Government is forever intertwined with our every day lives, including our Corolla's and very much so with gas prices, inspections, registrations, the taxes we pay for all the above, etc. To turn a blind eye to that might not be wise.

There is a distinct difference between necessary spending and then unnecessary, bloated, wasteful spending of our taxpayer money, as I pointed out. Our nations economy is teetering on collapse due to out of control spending. Respect? How about the government respecting the will of the people, which wouldn't exist without the people? That's where the respect should come from. The government exists to serve the people, not the other way around.

"Government isn't the solution to our problem, government is the problem" - Pres.Ronald Reagan. I suppose Pres.Reagan was very anti-government and anti-American too, just like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, etc.

If you perceive the principles of freedom, what our great country is founded upon, as an agenda, so be it.

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

Politics is unfortunately heavily involved with our cars.

 

[led560]

Politics is unfortunately heavily involved with our led cars.

It's really very bad, Because every year we have a lot of damage to the cars, But government isn't the solution to our problem.

 

[mariohere]

The solution

The solution doesn't usually exist in any one component. You may want to look up a "systems approach". Where a combination of the components of the system are optimized for a desired outcome. Each part plays it's role and does what it does best.

 

[cali62]

amazing how many sheeple there are in this country. Politics is never off limits IMHO. Prblem is, we do not discuss it enough, and the gov is using that against us.

 

[mariohere]

off limits

I think it can be off limits if it is distracting from the purpose. But I agree with you about the sheople. However, it's not the gov't that is using the lack of discussion against you, it is ignorance itself. When someone tells you that you need freedom! and you incorrectly associate that freedom with government being bad then you are allowing ignorance to control you. and becoming a sheople. As far as cars go, regulations can be very beneficial.