PR5 bad gas mileage

[frozenpr5]

Our 2002 Protege 5 just got 26 mpg.... all freeway miles, and just did some city driving and it got 23 mpg. I know, not good. I had new plugs, wires, and the injectors cleaned about 4 months ago, I'm sure my air filter is dirty, should I upgrade to a cold air intake? If so what kind, and how easy are they to install and do they come with directions? I have the Borla cat back exhaust on it and has been on there since basically new, we are original owners of the car.

[bucksatan]

Have you checked your tire pressure?

[thewrench]

Manual or auto?

I've got an auto and never gotten better than 26-28 on the highway. Those numbers seem about right to me.


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[P-Funk!]

and alignment?

and compensated for winter gas (if that applies to you)?

Noticed excessive black crud on the tailpipe?

[CTt3P5]

My mileage is down as well (filled up this morning and got 23.1mpg). Winter gas owns me....a month ago I was getting 27-28mpg. (chair) Freakin' figures too....I start getting lower gas mileage and gas has gone up .35 in the last month! [sar](yippy)[/casm]

For the record - alignment done last month as well as new plugs and coil packs. Checking tire pressure and filling as necessary today.

[newprot5fan]

My mileage is down as well (filled up this morning and got 23.1mpg). Winter gas owns me....a month ago I was getting 27-28mpg. (chair) Freakin' figures too....I start getting lower gas mileage and gas has gone up .35 in the last month! [sar](yippy)[/casm]

For the record - alignment done last month as well as new plugs and coil packs. Checking tire pressure and filling as necessary today.

I recently had a 4 wheel alignment, but I will tell ya - It didn't do much of anything. The car still pulls hard to the right. I say within 4 seconds I would be in ditch.

I read that some people have tried everything to get their car to stop pulling right. I am curious if other people have this issue too - I guess that could cause a lower gas mileage. I baby my car when driving and a mix of highway /city only gives me 24 or so (manual).....

[JC-MP5]

I cant figure out how either. My car pulls right too!

I guess were all in the same boat as far as mileage. I'm getting horrible mileage since it's been cooler down here. (eek2)

[CTt3P5]

I recently had a 4 wheel alignment, but I will tell ya - It didn't do much of anything. The car still pulls hard to the right. I say within 4 seconds I would be in ditch.

I read that some people have tried everything to get their car to stop pulling right. I am curious if other people have this issue too - I guess that could cause a lower gas mileage. I baby my car when driving and a mix of highway /city only gives me 24 or so (manual).....

Sorry to hear man....I would suggest you take it back to the shop and ask them to do it again (for free of course). And yes that can have an adverse effect on your mileage.

I had the car aligned in Oct of 2006 when I got my new Kumho's and last month had it done again and all tires are wearing evenly.

[mx-p5]

My wife's Pro5 pulls pretty good to the right too. And, after this is also after alignment. Went back, and, they said they did it to the specs. So, SOL for me.

As to the gas milage, I'm getting about 23mpg in my manual, but, i just got a new exhaust put on, so, I like to hear it higher in the revs. But, my wife's auto gets about 23-24 average. Never been any higher, But, she has a pretty heavy foot and some mild roadrage.


Tylor

[bazooka joe]

those numbers are not that out of line...best i ever got was 30..(auto to boot)..i'm turbo'd now and get between 25-28 depending on driving conditions, and how often i "get on it".

[aMaff]

My wife's Pro5 pulls pretty good to the right too. And, after this is also after alignment. Went back, and, they said they did it to the specs. So, SOL for me.

Seriously? Dude, if it's to spec it wouldn't be pulling. Take it back and have 'em do it again. That's bullshit.

[NCZ13]

im getting pretty shitty mileage too the light goes on after about 250-260 miles. its all city tho.

[JC-MP5]

Same thing happened to me. "It's to spec."

Someone said somethign to me about rotating the strut 180*or something.

[aMaff]

are the dots on the top of the strut facing the same direction? (ie, both facing inside - bottom, for example)

If they're not, then sure. If they're even, then don't even worry about that. Point of the matter is that if it's 'to spec,' it shouldn't pull. If something's damaged, they wouldn't be able to align it 'to spec'. Did y'all get the alignment sheets to verify what they say?

[NCZ13]

are the dots on the top of the strut facing the same direction? (ie, both facing inside - bottom, for example)

If they're not, then sure. If they're even, then don't even worry about that. Point of the matter is that if it's 'to spec,' it shouldn't pull. If something's damaged, they wouldn't be able to align it 'to spec'. Did y'all get the alignment sheets to verify what they say?

my dots are pointed towards the sideview mirrors. but im sitting on tokico blues and eibachs. this is where i should have the dots right?

[aMaff]

no idea, don't remember. Point being though that they're the same.

[i12drivemyMP5]

That's where my dots face- back & out. No pulling issues with worn or the new skins. Auto, mpg 23-26 depending on habits. Usually mix of open hwy & rush hour hwy. Not sure if TX gets "winter" gas that's any different. Usually pull 320-350 a tank using 87 octane. Tires are 205/40/17 with 37-38 psi. AC makes little to no difference in per tank mileage.

[JoshP5]

Normal.

[pasadena_commut]

The car still pulls hard to the right. I say within 4 seconds I would be in ditch.


It's most likely the tires. Try rotating front to back and see if it goes away. Or side to side on the front and see if the pull reverses (safe for a few miles of testing, don' t leave them like that though).

This is why it's a good idea to rotate the tires shortly after buying a new set. My theory is that the tire places take the car out for a spin, and if it pulls, they rotate the tires. That moves the bad tire to the rear and minimizes the pull. Of course, they don't tell you they did this. Then 6000 miles later when you rotate the tires the car starts to pull mysteriously, and if you go back to the tire place you'll get the song and dance.

[thrasher]

just lower the tire pressure on the left a little. Always fixes the pull for me :)

[MTV]

I get shitty gas mileage too, and I know why....






Cause I drive it spiritedly!!!

[bucksatan]

I've got a manual, and the WORST mileage I've ever gotten was 26mpg, and that was with all city in the winter, with snow tires on. Last year my winter average was 28.5 mpg. My best is 37mpg, but that was highway in the summer. And yes, I track my fuel economy in a spreadsheet. In fact, my average since last august is 30.5 mpg.

[pasadena_commut]

I've got a manual, and the WORST mileage I've ever gotten was 26mpg, and that was with all city in the winter, with snow tires on. Last year my winter average was 28.5 mpg. My best is 37mpg, but that was highway in the summer. And yes, I track my fuel economy in a spreadsheet. In fact, my average since last august is 30.5 mpg.

Are those Canadian gallons? Those are 20% larger than US gallons, which inflates Canadian MPG by the same factor, when compared to US MPG.

[bucksatan]

nope, I used an online conversion that went from litres per 100 km to US miles per gallon. I think the site I used was: http://www.tdiclub.com/misc/conversions.html

It also gave me the figures as imperial (rest of the world but U.S.) gallons, it was 44+mpg at the best. And most people in Canada use the 3.78 litre US gallon in my experience, except for car makers when they are boasting about their fuel economy.

[joe944]

I have been getting 23-29mpg! Not bad, but I use to get 24-34mpg! I only use chevron. Plugs, filter, tire pressures, and alignment are all good.

[newprot5fan]

I've never gotten higher than 33 mpg (EVER!!!)

Around city, I get a dismal 22mpg

[Spinout]

Well when I always did a oil change and I did the fuel injector cleaner. Then every 6 months balance, rotate tires, and alignment every year. I got a AEM cold air intake it work good and the other thing is to u won't need to buy any more filter. U buy a recharge kit from the part store for 10 dollars and clean it out and recharge the filter every 15,000 miles. Most important check tire pressure every 2 week at least.

[kudakev615]

i just put 1300 miles on my car in about 5 days i averaged 32.37 mpg. thats like 1200 hwy and 100 city miles. i cant complain at all, i get killer gas milage. my car as 81k miles and still runs like a champ. i keep the car in tip top shape (i'ma ase master cert tech;)) and do regulare sea foaming treatment to the car. i recently took the intake mani off to tighten the butterfly screws as a PM thing and i have NO carbon build up on the valves or anywhere for that fact. i do my aligment every 5k miles when i change my oil and have never had any pulling or uneven tire wear. maybe i'm just lucky???

[Rednecks_wife]

We get 28- 32 miles per gallon in the Prote with over 133K miles on her. Best was 36 mpg on vacation this fall coming back from Disney Land. With the MP3 ECU we are required to run 91 Octane.

You want to talk about bad gas mileage? Our 1992 Dodge Dakota with over 240K miles on a 318 V-8 averages 14 MPG.

Then our 1950 Chevy truck gets between 10 & 12 MPG depending if Bill or I am driving. LOL The ZZ4 motor requires 92 Octane except Arizona only goes up to 91.

So you getting 26 mpg isn't all that bad.

[Don Juan]

Our 2002 Protege 5 just got 26 mpg.... all freeway miles, and just did some city driving and it got 23 mpg. I know, not good. I had new plugs, wires, and the injectors cleaned about 4 months ago, I'm sure my air filter is dirty, should I upgrade to a cold air intake? If so what kind, and how easy are they to install and do they come with directions? I have the Borla cat back exhaust on it and has been on there since basically new, we are original owners of the car.

That's not bad! I get about 25 Hwy 22 - 23 City. It sounds as if you have a average Protege 5. If it's 30 mpg your looking for buy a Geo.(rlaugh)

[THE Phen]

I tend to average around 28-31 mpg on mine, city / hwy mix. I've got 115k on mine now. It's most likely in need of plugs and wires since the PO didn't keep up with maintenance much.

[delguini]

when do they actually start with winter gas?

I've noticed that i've gotten a little less mpg recently.

been getting 23.5mpg with a mix of city and highway.

used to get 24 just city and 28 mixed.

[aMaff]

you're going to get worse fuel mileage in the winter regardless of winter blend or not. Denser, colder air = more fuel. A nice side effect is more power. The turbo guys love the winter for the most part lol. Us NA folks too... but not AS much ;)

[Shadow102]

you're going to get worse fuel mileage in the winter regardless of winter blend or not. Denser, colder air = more fuel. A nice side effect is more power. The turbo guys love the winter for the most part lol. Us NA folks too... but not AS much ;)


HA! i will let you drive my car in the cold and tell me how much you love it

Its funny this thread is up top my g/f is having serious fuel consumtion issues. Her car is getting maybey just maybey 275-325 miles out of a tank of fuel. and thats all highway driving. So far i have changed the air filter, changed the plugs, put on a 626 intake mani, just put on a obx header thought maybey the cat was clogged, and reset the ECU. Tire presures are all 32-34psi and the alignment is right on. I cant figure out for the life of me what is causeing such bad mileage. i am about to knock out the second cat to eliminate that being the issue. anybody have any ideas?

[THE Phen]

At what average speed though? What type of acceleration from stop lights? There are other factors on top of alignment, tire pressures, etc.

[aMaff]

why'd you put a 626 mani on there??

[Shadow102]

average speed of 60-80 and its all highway no stop lights or traffic or anything. I dont care what speed its at really anything below 110 shouldnt net that bad of mileage. I pull about 500miles out of my MSP on long trips no problem

[Shadow102]

why'd you put a 626 mani on there??

free it up a little make the curve a little smoother

[THE Phen]

average speed of 60-80 and its all highway no stop lights or traffic or anything. I dont care what speed its at really anything below 110 shouldnt net that bad of mileage. I pull about 500miles out of my MSP on long trips no problem

60 mph = ~ 38ish mpg
65 mph = ~ 36ish mpg
70 mph = ~ 32ish mpg
75 mph = ~ 28ish mpg

These are what I've found for my particular car. Full factory exhaust, SRI, and MTX. Don't forget that wind resistance is an exponential function and will hamper fuel mileage accordingly.

A free flowing exhaust and better intake will yield better mileage. The poster formerly known as Kansei avgs 36+ mpg with his turbo P5 hwy, and overall averages better than my N/A car.

[Shadow102]

her exhaust consists of the obx header stock second cat, and a mazdaspeed axel back. By my calculations she is only getting 23mpg

[THE Phen]

her exhaust consists of the obx header stock second cat, and a mazdaspeed axel back. By my calculations she is only getting 23mpg

Hmm...odd. Mine did that once. Both rear calipers were hung up and dragging. Just throwing that out there. I doubt that's the issue. You'd see the dust on the wheel.

[Diehonda]

her exhaust consists of the obx header stock second cat, and a mazdaspeed axel back. By my calculations she is only getting 23mpg

Something seems wrong for it to be that low. What are her driving habits? Is the car regularly maintained, oil, air filter, etc?

I have a tsudo header, AEM intake, and an aftermarket axel back and get between 28 and 32 depending on how fun the country road is that day.

[Diehonda]

Hmm...odd. Mine did that once. Both rear calipers were hung up and dragging. Just throwing that out there. I doubt that's the issue. You'd see the dust on the wheel.


Or purple hazing on the rotors. I had that with a caliper once too. A small hang up and your gas mileage is shot.

[Don Juan]

60 mph = ~ 38ish mpg
65 mph = ~ 36ish mpg
70 mph = ~ 32ish mpg
75 mph = ~ 28ish mpg

These are what I've found for my particular car. Full factory exhaust, SRI, and MTX. Don't forget that wind resistance is an exponential function and will hamper fuel mileage accordingly.

A free flowing exhaust and better intake will yield better mileage. The poster formerly known as Kansei avgs 36+ mpg with his turbo P5 hwy, and overall averages better than my N/A car.

That's my prob. I'm always around like 80 - 85 (drive2)

[cole naymark]

depending on how fast, the pulling to the right is most likely torque steer. Step on the gas and let go of your wheel. The engineers at Mazda never seemed to figure out how Honda was able to eliminate it from their front wheel drive cars.

[JoshP5]

Yes, Mazda never figured out how to make engines that SUCK below 3500 rpm.

[StealthWyvern]

I've always gotten around 24-25 mpg. Now I have seen as low as 21.3 (bad primary o2 sensor) and as high as 28 but normally its 24-25

[newprot5fan]

I've always gotten around 24-25 mpg. Now I have seen as low as 21.3 (bad primary o2 sensor) and as high as 28 but normally its 24-25

Last tank I got just over 20mpg. It was mainly city driving (I keep it close to 3k rpm when shifting) with winter tires and winter gas, and I have an '02 manual....I would think it should be higher, but the mileage has alsways sucked for me no matter what I do....I have no CEL so I doubt I have a bad 02 sensor.....

[Apapos]

First I want to say Hi to everybody, Im new owner P5 '02 first time posted on forum.
My car just hit 80k. Im driving mostly on the city only where is no hills - chicago.
My millage is terible - I got 200 miles on full tank :(
That give me something like 16- 17 mills per gallon if I'm right...
I check this twice only because I have my car at 3 weeks. My foot is not heavy, I have no pull effect and car sounds and drive like is in good condition..only the millage....
Could you give me any idea what to do next? replace co2 sensor, rotate the tires or go to the dealer and ask for check everything?
I'm little broke now after purchase... so any reasonable ideas are very welcome.
Thanks

[bazooka joe]

First I want to say Hi to everybody, Im new owner P5 '02 first time posted on forum.
My car just hit 80k. Im driving mostly on the city only where is no hills - chicago.
My millage is terible - I got 200 miles on full tank :(
That give me something like 16- 17 mills per gallon if I'm right...
I check this twice only because I have my car at 3 weeks. My foot is not heavy, I have no pull effect and car sounds and drive like is in good condition..only the millage....
Could you give me any idea what to do next? replace co2 sensor, rotate the tires or go to the dealer and ask for check everything?
I'm little broke now after purchase... so any reasonable ideas are very welcome.
Thanks

do you have a check engine light? if so, get that code read...it could be the o2, that's one of the symptoms, but it could be a half dozen other issues as well....

[Apapos]

thanks for respond Joe :)

Nop.., is no red light, weird noises or smog behinde me....

[bazooka joe]

thanks for respond Joe :)

Nop.., is no red light, weird noises or smog behinde me....

well you could do some stuff to the car as maint items, like plugs, o2, new air filter....these things could never hurt, you'll spend a couple of hundred and still may have lousy mileage...maybe time to take it to a shop you can trust??? something definetly is amiss though!!

[neuspeed_junker]

I get the same gas mileage as a V6 mazda6, something like 11.5 or 12 litres per 100/km

[MTV]

I'm gonna start putting Acetone in my tank

[delguini]

im in the process of trying it.
so far so good

[StealthWyvern]

I'm gonna start putting Acetone in my tank

I've heard that it can burn up your valve seals! I don't know if its true or not but just thought Id throw it out their. maybe someone can confirm on this.