A4 1.8T Avant Tiptronic Mileage Ramble & Survey.
05-27-2000, 02:11 PM
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A4 1.8T Avant Tiptronic Mileage Ramble & Survey.
Let me just start by saying I know there have been many mileage surveys in the past. I'd like to try something a little different by sharing my observations and narrow things down a bit to specifics. I'd really like to hear from those of you with 17" or 18" wheels and Tiptronic transmision. Sedan or Avant is fine. Chipped or not is fine too. Share your experience if you like.
My 99.5 Avant 1.8tqTip now has 8500 miles on it.
My setup is as follows:
99.5 Avant 1.8tqTip with Sport Steering Wheel.
Silver/Onyx Ambition
APR v3 (previously AutoThority .8 bar)
K&N
Mobil 1 5w-30
Ace Desire 17" Wheels
Koni Coilovers (just arrived!)
Bridgetone RE730 225/45-17" (running at 38 psi front, 37 psi rear)
Weathertech
20% Tint
Blah,Blah,Blah....
I drive in the San Franscisco Bay Area (East Bay) and do mostly city driving. Lots of rough roads up here, not the worst I've ever seen, but I do drive through some rough sections of road. I also hop on the freeway just about 1/2 mile from my house to go to work, drive about 1.5 miles on the freeway, exit and drive another 1.5 miles on city pavement. All freeway onramps are on an incline (uphill). I repeat this process returning home. Sometimes I take an alternate route with similar conditions.
I drive mostly with Chevron and Unocal 92 octane gas and I add a bottle of Techron or Redline fuel system cleaner every 2500 to 3000 miles. My driving style varies from mildly to moderately aggressive, which means I drive hard getting on freeway ramps, merging, passing etc. Although, around town I am not always on the throttle and I often let the Tip sit in Auto mode to do it's shifting and avoid quick starts, etc.
Having said all this, my mileage looks something like this:
City: 14-17mpg, usually closer to 15 to 16.
Highway: 23-28mpg, usually closer to 26.
Mind you, I'm not complaining and I don't think there is anything wrong with my Avant. A few things I've noticed about mileage.
1. I lost about 2 mpg when I went to the Ace Wheels and the 17" rubber.
2. Cold starts, short trips, rough roads all decrease my mileage.
3. The A4 Avant is a heavy car for it's size, it takes a lot of energy to get her moving!
4. City driving with chip impacts mileage more than highway driving for moderate driving style. I also drive harder with the chip as opposed to stock.
5. Other things I can't think of just now.
6. My AutoThority chip did a about 1 to 1.5 mpg better around town.
A lot of factors influence mileage, I think they are more than the sum of their parts. My last fill up got me 14mpg on the first 7 gallons of fuel - all city driving, moderately aggressive. To my understanding, driving on the freeway for 1 to 3 miles doesn't help much in the overall scheme of mileage. Out on freeways and highways, I can average 80-85mph and get 26 mpg. I'm sure my mileage at 65mpg would be closer to 28 or 29, especially if I used the cruise control.
Of course, I didn't exactly buy the car to get great mileage so I don't worry about it too much. But it does sometime seem that 14 to 15 mpg is VERY low when you consider that this is only a 1.8L, Turbocharged, 4 cylinder engine. Also, I can't imagine conditions that would be too much worse for mileage, except Auto-X, track or just super aggressive driving all the way around. I think the Tip Avant is rated at 18 and 27mpg by the EPA. California gas (RFG) also isn't the greatest for mileage either.
In the interest of moderation and economy, my GF gets 40mpg in her '94 Saturn. Is she having as much fun? She's says, "No way."
On a more personal note, I have to admit I enjoy driving my Avant like no other car I've ever owned. My Avant might not be the fastest, or the most economical car, but she holds all my stuff, she's pretty and she has a certain quality about her - I guess you could call it "refined" but it's more than just that.
Finally, the A4 Avant is a vehicle with many talents and abilities. She may not be perfect, but she always seems to give it her best, and that's always been good enough for me.
.....Happy Trails.....<p><a href="http://www.dnai.com/~adamant/a4_avant.htm"><img src="http://www.dnai.com/~adamant/adamsavant1.jpg"></a>
My 99.5 Avant 1.8tqTip now has 8500 miles on it.
My setup is as follows:
99.5 Avant 1.8tqTip with Sport Steering Wheel.
Silver/Onyx Ambition
APR v3 (previously AutoThority .8 bar)
K&N
Mobil 1 5w-30
Ace Desire 17" Wheels
Koni Coilovers (just arrived!)
Bridgetone RE730 225/45-17" (running at 38 psi front, 37 psi rear)
Weathertech
20% Tint
Blah,Blah,Blah....
I drive in the San Franscisco Bay Area (East Bay) and do mostly city driving. Lots of rough roads up here, not the worst I've ever seen, but I do drive through some rough sections of road. I also hop on the freeway just about 1/2 mile from my house to go to work, drive about 1.5 miles on the freeway, exit and drive another 1.5 miles on city pavement. All freeway onramps are on an incline (uphill). I repeat this process returning home. Sometimes I take an alternate route with similar conditions.
I drive mostly with Chevron and Unocal 92 octane gas and I add a bottle of Techron or Redline fuel system cleaner every 2500 to 3000 miles. My driving style varies from mildly to moderately aggressive, which means I drive hard getting on freeway ramps, merging, passing etc. Although, around town I am not always on the throttle and I often let the Tip sit in Auto mode to do it's shifting and avoid quick starts, etc.
Having said all this, my mileage looks something like this:
City: 14-17mpg, usually closer to 15 to 16.
Highway: 23-28mpg, usually closer to 26.
Mind you, I'm not complaining and I don't think there is anything wrong with my Avant. A few things I've noticed about mileage.
1. I lost about 2 mpg when I went to the Ace Wheels and the 17" rubber.
2. Cold starts, short trips, rough roads all decrease my mileage.
3. The A4 Avant is a heavy car for it's size, it takes a lot of energy to get her moving!
4. City driving with chip impacts mileage more than highway driving for moderate driving style. I also drive harder with the chip as opposed to stock.
5. Other things I can't think of just now.
6. My AutoThority chip did a about 1 to 1.5 mpg better around town.
A lot of factors influence mileage, I think they are more than the sum of their parts. My last fill up got me 14mpg on the first 7 gallons of fuel - all city driving, moderately aggressive. To my understanding, driving on the freeway for 1 to 3 miles doesn't help much in the overall scheme of mileage. Out on freeways and highways, I can average 80-85mph and get 26 mpg. I'm sure my mileage at 65mpg would be closer to 28 or 29, especially if I used the cruise control.
Of course, I didn't exactly buy the car to get great mileage so I don't worry about it too much. But it does sometime seem that 14 to 15 mpg is VERY low when you consider that this is only a 1.8L, Turbocharged, 4 cylinder engine. Also, I can't imagine conditions that would be too much worse for mileage, except Auto-X, track or just super aggressive driving all the way around. I think the Tip Avant is rated at 18 and 27mpg by the EPA. California gas (RFG) also isn't the greatest for mileage either.
In the interest of moderation and economy, my GF gets 40mpg in her '94 Saturn. Is she having as much fun? She's says, "No way."
On a more personal note, I have to admit I enjoy driving my Avant like no other car I've ever owned. My Avant might not be the fastest, or the most economical car, but she holds all my stuff, she's pretty and she has a certain quality about her - I guess you could call it "refined" but it's more than just that.
Finally, the A4 Avant is a vehicle with many talents and abilities. She may not be perfect, but she always seems to give it her best, and that's always been good enough for me.
.....Happy Trails.....<p><a href="http://www.dnai.com/~adamant/a4_avant.htm"><img src="http://www.dnai.com/~adamant/adamsavant1.jpg"></a>
02-26-2001, 12:37 PM
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Re: A4 1.8T Avant Tiptronic Mileage Ramble & Survey.
Hay Adam, I'm curious if you got any more responses other than what are listed here. I have a '97 TQ with automatic 5spd (pre tiptronic). I just got the car used. I consistently get 15 mpg. Very disappointing. I'm unsure if the car is chipped or not. I do notice it seems to "hold" gears like 2nd/3rd for a long time before upshifting. Seems great for performance but puts a dent in the gas mileage. I"m not sure if the car is chipped or not but I will look soon. Did you notice a difference in the shift patterns with tiptronic as a result of the chip? Thanks for any info, I'm trying to determine exactly why my mileage is so bad.
Darrin
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