Hey guys,
i have a 01 neon as a work car..its an automatic car..im only averaging about 28-29MPG and its about 95% highway miles..ive seen people post they get high 30s out of these cars..any tips on better MPG with these?

Also how crutial is the timing belt change on these 2nd gen crs..my car has 105k on it right now...

 

Timing belt is very important on the 2.0's. If they break, it can break your engine. I try to change them every 75k or so. Simple things like tune up, fuel filter, air filter, exhaust flow can help gas mileage. Cold air intake will help with the mpg.

 

I would highly recommend changing the timing belt every 100k. As far as fuel economy goes, I was never able to break 30-31MPG in my R/T, and I wouldn't say its normal for a regular Neon to get anything beyond that anyways.

If your looking at things that could help, do the regular maintenance (oil change, trans fluid, spark plugs, wires, etc), and you could always swap in a Cold Air Intake and a few little bolt-ons that help increase efficiency ever so slightly.

Also, keep in mind there are A LOT of factors that play in to MPG. Seasonal gasoline, regional gasoline, temperature, humidity, age of the car, driving habits, and sometimes there are certain engines that just wont get as good MPG as other engines that are exactly the same.