is anyone else getting crappy MPG?

[nappyjim]

I posted this on another M3 board without much success.

I got an 04 and it has 6500 miles on it, manual. Now i got it in the summer and i was averaging 24mpg. Now this is after break in and i RARELY brought the rpms above 4, let alone 3 and still got crappy mileage. Now its cold out and its getting even crappier!! Last tank I average 18.9 MPG! WTF is going on here? (argh)

I have a lot of questions to ask you people who also drive manuals.

1.) When do you shift to 2nd gear? I usually shift at 3k rpms.

2.) If you going 40-45mph do you shift to 5th or stay in 4th? I heard 5th is better cause of lower rpms, but then i heard 4th cause the engine is actually burning fuel more "properly" in 4th, which leads to better mileage.

3) How long do you need to warm up a car when its cold? In the morning I let it sit for 10 min. Any other time during the day I will sit there till my idle drops to around 1k.

4) Is higher octane any better for MPG? Right now I use 87. Ive used mutliple brands so its not the brand thats causing my poor mileage.

5) Any suggestions on how I can get better mileage? I already checked my air pressure in the tires. I can drive like a grandma and still get crappy mileage.

[Golum]

I think the biggest reason for the large drop in fuel economy is letting the car warm up for 10 Min, that yeilds exactly 0 MPG. I let my cars warm up for the time it takes me to scrap the windows or if the windows are clear I let the car warm about a minute or so. You really need to just let the oil circulate through the engine. Where I live it gets a little cool, last week the temp averaged about -21 C or -6 F and other then everything being a little stiff when you start out everything is fine, and the car warms up faster while driving.



I posted this on another M3 board without much success.

I got an 04 and it has 6500 miles on it, manual. Now i got it in the summer and i was averaging 24mpg. Now this is after break in and i RARELY brought the rpms above 4, let alone 3 and still got crappy mileage. Now its cold out and its getting even crappier!! Last tank I average 18.9 MPG! WTF is going on here? (argh)

I have a lot of questions to ask you people who also drive manuals.

1.) When do you shift to 2nd gear? I usually shift at 3k rpms.

2.) If you going 40-45mph do you shift to 5th or stay in 4th? I heard 5th is better cause of lower rpms, but then i heard 4th cause the engine is actually burning fuel more "properly" in 4th, which leads to better mileage.

3) How long do you need to warm up a car when its cold? In the morning I let it sit for 10 min. Any other time during the day I will sit there till my idle drops to around 1k.

4) Is higher octane any better for MPG? Right now I use 87. Ive used mutliple brands so its not the brand thats causing my poor mileage.

5) Any suggestions on how I can get better mileage? I already checked my air pressure in the tires. I can drive like a grandma and still get crappy mileage.

[nappyjim]

I think the biggest reason for the large drop in fuel economy is letting the car warm up for 10 Min, that yeilds exactly 0 MPG. I let my cars warm up for the time it takes me to scrap the windows or if the windows are clear I let the car warm about a minute or so. You really need to just let the oil circulate through the engine. Where I live it gets a little cool, last week the temp averaged about -21 C or -6 F and other then everything being a little stiff when you start out everything is fine, and the car warms up faster while driving.

Ok, ill stop the 10 min warmup. But that doesnt explain the poor economy in the summer months.

[dajiggalo]

hmmm.... The best mpg I've had was nearly 34 mpg, but that was going damn near 80 mph with the cruise control on (road trip from Ohio to Atlanta). The worst I've had (which was this winter season) was about 24. The fuel mileage improved slightly after break-in and has so far remained somewhere in the 26-29 mpg range with 40/60 city/highway driving. Do you do a lot of stop-and-go driving? On highway driving, I get at least 26 mpg. If you get 24mpg on the highway, then something is definitely wrong.....

[nappyjim]

hmmm.... The best mpg I've had was nearly 34 mpg, but that was going damn near 80 mph with the cruise control on (road trip from Ohio to Atlanta). The worst I've had (which was this winter season) was about 24. The fuel mileage improved slightly after break-in and has so far remained somewhere in the 26-29 mpg range with 40/60 city/highway driving. Do you do a lot of stop-and-go driving? On highway driving, I get at least 26 mpg. If you get 24mpg on the highway, then something is definitely wrong.....

Not too much city. I live in a suburb. I go to work at 5am, no one is on the road, so its pretty much smooth sailing at 40-45mph. I dont go out much and for instance, i just filled the tank up and went 90 miles on the highway and im like 5 marks away from half a tank. And i had cruise on.

[m_long84]

I get pretty decent gas mileage. I use 87 octane also and don't usually shift till 3500 or 4000 rpms and still pull anywhere from 26 to 30 mpg. I also commute every day so I do a lot of highway driving and a little city driving. Did you think about checking the air filter on your car. I've heard that if those get dirty or aren't maintained properly they can rob you of good mileage, but I'm not sure that it would have that kind of effect. Good Luck.

[mobomelter]

I get about 25-27 depending on my driving. i generally shift at about 5 grand. unless i'm in the mood to speed then i shift at the redline. i still get at least 25 mpg. i'm sure i could drive the car nicer but that wouldn't be any fun. i would check that air filter though.

[Texas2000ES]

I've got a 2000 Protege ES 1.8 auto, we've had it since 2002 and its never gotten over 28 mpg... my wife just got a minvan so now the car is my daily driver and its getting 25-27 hwy, 22-24 hwy with the cruise on.. I'm going ot change the oil and filters and do a tune up this weekend, to see if that works... my cousins wife has a 2002 LS manual and they get 34-38 hwy... I don't get it either...

any suggestion on plugs and wires? and air filter? I was going to to go with a CAI but if that makes worse mileage than maybe I won't... BTW I drive 85 miles a day round trip, for work...

Josh

Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread :)

oh yeah, if I use 87 octane the check engine light comes on and then it gets 20mpg.. if I use 89 the light stays on but the mileage improves... if I use 93, the light goes off... weird huh ???

[mobomelter]

hmm you might want to see what code your car is throwing before you do anything else.

[nappyjim]

thread jacker!!! (fu)

nah, lol its cool.

To whoever shifts at 5k and still get 25mpg, i hate you!

Im gonna check the air filter. But when I thought about that before, i really didnt think those would be the culprits since the car is new... but who knows.

[Texas2000ES]

it registers as an 02 malfunction.. don't remember the exact code right now.. but the 02's are fine, just had them checked.

[DrummerJim50]

I average 27-28 mpg fairly consistently, 70% city and 30% highway. Only thing I would say is keep up on the maintenance - just like everyone else has been saying. The air filter was dirty so I replaced mine when the car had about 12k miles on it.

It's possible a sensor is malfunctioning or something - O2 sensors, EGR valve, etc.
How many miles is on the car?

[Greenbread]

im getting like 220-240 gallons a tank but all my driving is in city

[tgv121281]

I'm getting like 305-320 miles per tank...but 60% HWY, 40% agressive city

[Mnementh]

hmmm.... The best mpg I've had was nearly 34 mpg, but that was going damn near 80 mph with the cruise control on (road trip from Ohio to Atlanta). The worst I've had (which was this winter season) was about 24. The fuel mileage improved slightly after break-in and has so far remained somewhere in the 26-29 mpg range with 40/60 city/highway driving. Do you do a lot of stop-and-go driving? On highway driving, I get at least 26 mpg. If you get 24mpg on the highway, then something is definitely wrong.....

34 MPG!! - I did the same thing, 80 MPH on cruise from Phoenix to just west of Palm Springs, and I only got 29 MPG, I only stopped once..... Do you have a 5 spd? I have an AT. Does that make a difference in hwy driving, gearing, etc. I get 22-23 average daily with 70/30 city/hwy. I have not seen a difference in mileage before or after break-in.

Something doesn't seem right here??? (uhm)

[nappyjim]

When on the highway do you really get better mileage if you stay at like 65 rather than 80?

Cause people always say that, but I dont understand how it could be true. On the highway if im going 60 my rpms are at 3000, now if im going 80 my rpms are around 3500. I understand my rpms are higher which means burning more fuel, but Im also traveling faster. So wouldent the increase in rpms be proportional to the increase in speed?

3000 to 3500 is a 15% increase
65 to 80 is a 19% increase

Sould shouldent my mileaghe actually improve at 80?

[DrummerJim50]

not necessarily.....it's not as much of a linear relationship as you're trying to make it.
Say....3000 to 3500 rpm is an increase of 15% in rpm, but will likely be a 30% increase in fuel consumption.
Similarly, if you're at 2000 rpm and then redline the car at 6000 rpm, you'd likely be burning 10X the amount of fuel even though you've only increased the rpm by 3X.

[Sveivo]

This might sound weird but a tech at Mazda told me that you're not supposed to calculate milage until after 15K miles, which sounded very odd...

I asked him because I was getting around 25 average in my P5 and thought it was low. Now that I'm close to 20K my gas milage has gone up, although it may be due to other reasons.

The 15K thing sounds like bs, any thoughts?

[ZeroAccess]

I have 45k on my p5
(just bought it) but I mean the first tank went 320 miles and ya know since I just bought the car there were a few spirited moments and a lot of hwy driving (100mph)

and I got 26 mpg so 320 miles in 12 gallons
I wasn't complaining!

[DrummerJim50]

The 15K thing sounds like bs, any thoughts?
I kinda understand because of the whole engine break in period....although 15k miles sounds excessive. I've always been told that 5k is the normal break in period.
I've been tracking my gas mileage since 4000 miles and it hasn't changed at all between 4k and 32k miles.

[dajiggalo]

well, here's how it worked out for me...... I drove non-stop at an average of 74-79 ("damn near 80") to Atlanta, GA from Columbus, OH. I only stopped for gas/food/restroom (about 3 times). Yes, the enigine was above 3000 rpm, BUT there was very little ACCELERATION. I had the cruise control on and was completely on the highway. When you accelerate, that's when you burn the most gas, thus city (stop-and-go) driving has less mpg. Driving at a constant speed over a long distance will give you better mileage. Of course, keeping the engine speed around 2000 rpm versus 3000 will burn less fuel but my absolute best mpg were when I entered Georgia driving at around 70 mph, so sorry if I gave misleading information.... however I still recieved around 29-30 mpg at 80 mph.... Oh yeah, I used to own a Mazdaspeed Protege and that beast kept getting worse mileage as time went on. I guess Mazda is a helluva lot more "hit-or-miss" than Toyota or Honda with their build quality.

[Sveivo]

I guess Mazda is a helluva lot more "hit-or-miss" than Toyota or Honda with their build quality.

I understand your concern about the gas milage, but I must say that Mazda is not at the bottom of the quality ladder. Just do a www.google.com websearch with "Toyota engine sludge" as keywords. Mazda vehicles have imprefections, sure, but, as I researched, they are overall among the most dependable cars.

Although it is sick that the new Civics are getting close to 45 mpg on the high way (shocked)

[Mnementh]

not necessarily.....it's not as much of a linear relationship as you're trying to make it.
Say....3000 to 3500 rpm is an increase of 15% in rpm, but will likely be a 30% increase in fuel consumption.
Similarly, if you're at 2000 rpm and then redline the car at 6000 rpm, you'd likely be burning 10X the amount of fuel even though you've only increased the rpm by 3X.

This especially holds true considering the vvt (variable valve timing) on the 2.3. I am not sure were it starts to kick in, I'm guessing about upper 3,000 to 4,000, but I did the same drive I mentioned below, going out to Phoenix, at 90 MPH and I only got 22-23 mpg. I was above 4,000 rpm.

I guess all things considered from everybody's comments, my gas mileage is just about right. Still, I was expecting a little more.

[nappyjim]

dont wanna jinx myself here, but for this tank im on, i have been doing 2 things differnt.,

Only letting the car warm for 1 minute, and from first to second, im shifting towards 4k rather than 3k. Now right now it SEEMS like I will be able to hit maybe 28 mpg. Im at 210 miles driven and its right about halfway between the E mark and halfway mark.

But its werid. Sometimes I will only drive 25 miles and I will notice a substantil dip in the needle, other times I can drive 60 miles and barely notice and change in the needle.

Maybe it just cause its a little warmer this week 30's rather than teens and thats why im doing better. Cause im baffled at how shifting at 4k will yield better gas consumption than shifting at 3k. From first to second only. 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 i am stil shifting around 3.

[shaggin'wagon]

with a majority of freeway driving..... (150 miles or so a day) and i drive around 80-85 mph and lately i have been getting 25ish mpg........w/o cc

[chuyler1]

Spending even 10 minutes warming up your car is going to put a hit on your gas milage. Also, if you put on snow tires, that will make a significant difference. Be carefull with the defroster, on the P5 it turns the A/C on so I'm guessing it does the same on the Mazda3. Once your windshield is clear of fog/ice you should change it to floor or vents. Do not change the type of gas you use, ever. Unless you install a turbo your car should always take 87 octane.

[Sveivo]

Unless you install a turbo your car should always take 87 octane.

Could you please explain why that is? I mean, it makes sense, since our cars don't require premium, but I filled up with 93 octane today, and the engine is a lot quieter and revs smoother.

What are the effects of switching between grades?

Thanks

[mobomelter]

do a search on google. i know a partial answer but i'm sure there is a website that explains it fully.

[nappyjim]

do a search on google. i know a partial answer but i'm sure there is a website that explains it fully.

something to do with the engine doesnt completely burn the higher ocatane fuel, which leaves crap in your engine.

Kinda like smoking. Smoking 1 or 2 isnt gonna hurt you. But the more you smoke, the more tar builds up in your lungs.

[Greenbread]

iv been using 89 octane latley and my car stopped pinging. so i would thing 89 is actually needed for me, also it seems more responsive and i have got better millege.

also v-power claims it cleans your engine as you drive so wouldnt that cancel out the excess octane? lol i tried

[eting_pro5]

The P5 gas gauge seems to be weighted so it eats through the first half of the tank faster than the second half.




dont wanna jinx myself here, but for this tank im on, i have been doing 2 things differnt.,

Only letting the car warm for 1 minute, and from first to second, im shifting towards 4k rather than 3k. Now right now it SEEMS like I will be able to hit maybe 28 mpg. Im at 210 miles driven and its right about halfway between the E mark and halfway mark.

But its werid. Sometimes I will only drive 25 miles and I will notice a substantil dip in the needle, other times I can drive 60 miles and barely notice and change in the needle.

Maybe it just cause its a little warmer this week 30's rather than teens and thats why im doing better. Cause im baffled at how shifting at 4k will yield better gas consumption than shifting at 3k. From first to second only. 2 to 3 and 3 to 4 i am stil shifting around 3.

[DrummerJim50]

iv been using 89 octane latley and my car stopped pinging. so i would thing 89 is actually needed for me, also it seems more responsive and i have got better millege.

also v-power claims it cleans your engine as you drive so wouldnt that cancel out the excess octane? lol i tried
I think altitude can make a difference on a car engine - compression and pressure in the cylinders - so for some, 89 may work better (plus mazda quality could be spotty at times). Other than that, the octane rating basically refers to the temperature at which the gas burns (again, which is effected by compression and pressure).

Gas companies want you to think their "premium" gas is better.....it's not necessarily better, just a different mixture that burns hotter and costs a little more.

[chuyler1]

If you are baking a cake and the instructions ask for 2 eggs, you put in two eggs, not three. If your car's manufacturer says to put in 87 octane, you put in 87 octane, not 93. What's so difficult about that? There are a number of different factors that make a difference and if Mazda tunes your engine to run on 87 why go and put 89 or 93 in it? You may 'think' you're getting better performance or a smoother ride but ricers also think that a wing and ground effects kit makes their car faster. Its a figment of your imagination. Save your pennies and buy 87 unless your car's manual states otherwise.

[mobomelter]

You may 'think' you're getting better performance or a smoother ride but ricers also think that a wing and ground effects kit makes their car faster.

nicely put. honestly i don't know why you'd want to spend more for 2 octane points....

[BlueMonsta]

i get about
500km/40L HWY..... kinda of garabage if u ask me (91 Protege LX auto, 2.0L engine)

[mobomelter]

what is that in miles? i constantly get 25 mpg but i do alot of city driving since i deliver pizza. and i like to redline alot at work.

[chuyler1]

I was getting 29-31mpg before I put my snows on. That is with a good deal of back road driving (35-50mph) and some highway driving (65-75mph).

[Solo2Protege]

Tire pressure and wheel alignment can have a drastic effect on mileage as well.

I have just over 3600 miles on my 04 3s, and i get 290-305 miles per tank, even as low as 275-280. I do mainly freewau driving, but shit, all the freeways here at rushour are stop and go anway.

Compare that to my 15 year old Protege LX that has never had the engine cracked open, at 320-350 with all kinds of mods...

My first dealer filled tank got me around 355-360...never seen that since!!

[OrngSpd03]

I get shit milage in the winter in my MSP. Here are the points I know about Winter Mialage. These seem to be accurate and my dealership backs these as valid reasons.


Oil is cold, Engine has to work harder to move pistons etc.. I have an engine block heater and it helps on those really cold morning. The oil is all warmmed up and ready to flow! No warm up time unless you want the heater ready to keep you warm.

Also Winter Gas formulas are mixed differently. In the winter It is crappiest from Dec to March. (I can run Mid grade in summer when its hot but it has to be premium in the winter.)

Check your Tire Air pressure. Cold and warm snaps can cause your tires to be low. Defrost for foggy windows runs your A/C, Even If your A/C light is not on. Running the fans, rear defrost, etc make the altanator work harder.

The Air comming into the car can be too cold. I have a CIA but if the air is too cold it can be bad.

A ten minute Warm up would not significantly harm your mpg but can add up a little if done every morning.

[Don Lockwood]

I live in Montreal and we got freezing weather in January, not so cold so far for February. I never heat up the engine, i just start, buckle up and go. Of course, if temp is below -20c (brrrr!!!) i let the engine run until the RPM comes down to about 1500, wich takes a minute or so. Then i just drive off gently and warm the engine as i drive. Don't have a block heater and always park my car in the steet. I usually shift around 3000rpm and don't use 4th and 5th gear for city driving. Gas up with regular 87 octane.

Here is my gas mileage for the past month driving my 4 door GS 2.0L.

1800km (1116miles) used up 164 litres of fuel... no clue as to how many gallons this translates into...sorry!

But this gave me about 9L/100km or about 31mpg.... mixed city/hway winter driving.

For summer/automn driving, i got about 8.5L/100km or 33mpg out of mixed normal/spirited driving.

Best mileage was as trip from Montreal to Gatineau ... 6.2L/100 or 45mpg on cruise control going 90-100km/h (55-60mph)

I am happy with the mileage i get. I get better numbers than i was expecting.

[goldwing2000]

1800km/164L = 25.82 MPG

100km/9L = 26.13 MPG

100km/8.5L = 27.67 MPG

100km/6.2L = 37.94 MPG

The first three are average. The last one is damn impressive.

[mobomelter]

holy crap 37mpg?!? i don't think the 1.6l civic engine does that well.

[goldwing2000]

Well, if you went a constant 55-60 mph on the freeway, we would all get great mileage.

Unfortunately, if I do less than 80 around here, I get run over. 25 mpg in the winter is good enough for me. It's better than the 8 mpg in my Blazer.

Last summer, I actually got real close to 30 mpg once but mostly hovered around the 28 mpg mark.

[mobomelter]

my problem is keeping my revs down. certain songs come on and i'm just sitting there thinking "must red line, must go fast..." lol that kills my mileage.

[Don Lockwood]

BTW... i used the "Car Economy Calculator" from Natural Ressources Canada to convert L/100km to MPG.... i believe the canadian gallon is not the same as the american gallon.



1800km/164L = 25.82 MPG

100km/9L = 26.13 MPG

100km/8.5L = 27.67 MPG

100km/6.2L = 37.94 MPG

The first three are average. The last one is damn impressive.

[goldwing2000]

You are correct, sir! Canada uses imperial gallons (when they use them at all).

For future reference,
1 imp gallon = 1.20094992042874 US gallon
1 liter is equal to 0.264172 US gallons.
1 km is equal to 0.62137 US statute miles.

[majic]

Date Gas Odometer Mileage Price Fill Up
YYYY MM DD (L) (km) (km) L/100km mpg ($/L) Cost
2004 Nov 26 14
2004 Nov 28 43.95 462 448 9.81 23.98 CT $0.739 $32.48
2004 Dec 1 42.04 842 380 11.06 21.26 Shell $0.718 $30.18
2004 Dec 6 47.55 1335 493 9.64 24.39 Esso $0.717 $34.09
2004 Dec 10 49.32 1836 501 9.85 23.89 CT $0.669 $33.00
2004 Dec 15 51.36 2361 525 9.78 24.04 Sunoco $0.662 $34.00
2004 Dec 19 45.77 2832 471 9.72 24.20 Esso $0.679 $31.08
2004 Dec 23 50.07 3319 487 10.28 22.88 Esso $0.699 $35.00
2004 Dec 28 48.28 3839 520 9.29 25.33 Esso $0.744 $35.92
2005 Jan 1 44.35 4342 503 8.82 26.68 Esso $0.699 $31.00
2005 Jan 6 48.72 4865 523 9.31 25.25 Shell $0.739 $36.00
2005 Jan 7 39.19 5385 520 7.54 31.21 Esso $0.689 $27.00
2005 Jan 10 38.63 5799 414 9.33 25.21 Sunoco $0.699 $27.00
2005 Jan 15 49.39 6340 541 9.13 25.76 Esso $0.689 $34.03
2005 Jan 25 45.90 6793 453 10.13 23.21 Esso $0.719 $33.00
2005 Jan 29 46.15 7234 441 10.46 22.48 Sunoco $0.715 $33.00
2005 Feb 5 46.01 7682 448 10.27 22.90 Esso $0.739 $34.00
2005 Feb 11 45.86 8199 517 8.87 26.52 Shell $0.807 $37.00
2005 Feb 12 47.62 8813 614 7.76 30.33 Esso $0.819 $39.00
2005 Feb 13 49.42 9417 604 8.18 28.75 Shell $0.769 $38.00
2005 Feb 15 45.02 9951 534 8.43 27.90 Shell $0.734 $33.04


JAN 7 - I drove from Oakville to Pickering to Collingwood (Blue Mountain) to downtown (Danforth) and back to Oakville. I took 400 series/DVP/Gardiner/80kmh roads.

on the major highways i drove 100kph using cruise control. on the 80kph roads, i drove 92-95kph (cruise as well). I had 3 stop and go traffic situations + some city driving that accounted for < 5% of the entire trip. this is with 3 adults weighing in at about 450lbs total + 3 snowboards and other equipment, I was finally satisfied to see those numbers.

it was a bit tough not racing the engine and it was nice to get a contsant speed going without shuffling through gears or idling

FEB 11 - some city but mainly highway a few traffic jams (sporadic) but pretty good avg for some mixed driving

FEB 12 - did about 100km around town here (not too much stop and go) and then on the hwy to Montreal i drove @ 110kph half way and then when i relized we're running late for our reservation is stepped it up to 117-119kph (cruise)

FEB 13 - ALL but about 20km (at most) highway, 20km was pretty much downtown Montreal in traffic going places. cruise @ 117-119kph

looks like 110kph cruise is a decent compromise b/w mileage and speed.

[RED SP23]

holy crap 37mpg?!? i don't think the 1.6l civic engine does that well.


This is fact, absolutely true!. I drove from Newcastle, NSW to Noosa, Queensland in Australia (Holiday resort) some 1100kms, with two adults a baby and the SP23 packed to the hilt. I sat on 110 -120 kph all the way and got 42 mpg (Imperial MPG) 6.72 litres/100kms on 98 RON BP Ultima fuel.

It's a great highway car...RED SP23

[SHINE Man]

my problem is keeping my revs down. certain songs come on and i'm just sitting there thinking "must red line, must go fast..." lol that kills my mileage.



DUDE! i know exactly what you mean.....i deliver pizza also.....

you get some good songs going...or just get a customer that makes you crazy and you gotta drive it off.....


my mileage sucks compared to all of you......i usually get a constant 18-19 MPG.....don't know if it is a problem with the car.....or if it is my driving.....i always gun it from the lights and usually drive atleast 50 on surface streets...

but i'm too impatient to drive more conservativly...OH...and i usually shift between 3500 and 4000....

[Screamin'3]

I have about 10000 miles on a 3s 5-door, auto trans and AC on almost all the time (it's Texas after all and our winter can get HOT, too). The first few tanks I was averaging 20-26 mpg. This was a mix of long hwy trips and short, zippy, city trips. After about 5K miles the milage settled out and I am now consistant 24-28 mpg, ~300 miles/tank.
The window sticker numbers (21 city, 28 hwy) are from the US EPA and is an antiquated system. It reflects perfect world milage with no AC, and never above 55mph. It is so out of whack with the real world that they are looking at revamping it to reflect the REAL world driving.
Remember, we have a fairly large 4 cyl. engine putting out respectable HP. It's not a Civic HF 1.5L.

[chuyler1]

The window sticker numbers (21 city, 28 hwy) are from the US EPA and is an antiquated system. It reflects perfect world milage with no AC, and never above 55mph. It is so out of whack with the real world that they are looking at revamping it to reflect the REAL world driving.
Remember, we have a fairly large 4 cyl. engine putting out respectable HP. It's not a Civic HF 1.5L.
Agreed.

The highway value reflects driving 45-55 mph with occasional stops. It should reflect driving 65mph on flat to moderately hilly terrain without stops. In other words, what most people would get on a road trip. No one drives 45-55 on the highway anymore.

The city value reflects driving 25-35 miles per hour with frequent stops. For the most part this value is usually pretty close if you drive conservatively.

However, both values do not account for A/C, which in order to get a proper average, should be turned on full blast for 30% of the testing. Both values do not account for cargo capicity or even a second passenger. Many small engines have such little torque that even adding a second passenger will make a difference in fuel consumption when larger engines will be less affected. Even how much gas is in your car has an affect. I get a better average if I let the car run down to E than if I fill it up at half-way.

[baronharkonnen]

I would not let your car idle for 10 minutes. Thats insane unless its 10 degrees outside! Not only does it burn gas, it causes excess engine wear. Also, I have never tried to watch the RPM's. Just shift when it feels natural. Its almost as bad shifting too soon as too late. If your RPM's are too low and the engine bogs and you give the throttle a good push to "torque" out of the bog without downshifting, your also burning gas.

Besides, no car ever gets the MPG figures on the sticker. My Maxima gets 22 city 24 highway. The Nissan frontier pickup I had used to get 20-22 mgp with 4 cylinder. BWM M-3 I had got around 18-20. Best milage I ever got was from a 93 Acura Integra, which would get 30 on the highway, but honda engines have no torque and you have to wind them out to get any power.

The EPA tests are unreal because they are done without considering a lot of factors like A/C and road conditions.

[Gambino]

for what its worth, my dads 3i averages about 36-38 mpg (but he never uses third gear). Too lazy to figure mine out for my 3s, but right now I have 317.3 miles on my tank and I am a little under a quarter tank. I usually get around 340 miles per tank.

[r1ceburner]

I just bought my '05 Mazda3s last weekend and put 287 miles on the odometer and 11.8 US Gallons in the tank. Considering that my car had 4 miles on it when I drove off the lot, 24.3 MPG is probably respectable. I have tried to keep the revs under 4,000 and leave the slushbox in "drive" the entire time. Not nearly as much as get-up-and-go as the Firebird that this car replaced, but it handles like a go-kart, so I'm pretty content. =)

[Gambino]

a little update...I just filled up my tank this morning, it took 11.03 gallons. I put 338 miles on those 11 gallons which comes out to about 30.7 mpg. That is pretty good, especially considering I am a fairly aggressive 19 year old

[WalksInDarkness]

My 2.3L 5-Door A/T has about 2k miles, and I have always consitantly gotten 25mpg +/-1mpg the whole time. I think that is actually good results, as 90% of my driving is suburban "Backroads" and I rarely get the car at a steady cruising speed (a lot of hitting the gas on long stretches, and full stops at 4-ways and stuff). Also fairly good since my tranny is Auto.

[Gambino]

just wanted to re open a kinda old thread to brag a bit. My trip odometer (reset at every refuel) just turned over 200 today and I still over over a half tank of gas!!

[ZoomVT]

yeah but at least is my experience that the bottom half of the gauge goes much faster. when i was getting good mileage i was getting about 325 out of a full tank. no i get barely 21 mpg.

[Gambino]

I have never gotten less than 300 per tank, and it usually only takes 11 gallons when i fill it up

[r0cky00]

I started out my first few times at about 24mpg, now I average 25/26 to and from work per day. If I get on the highway, I'm usually at 29/30. I had shifted around 4k, not stomping on the gas, for first and second gears for in town driving and I'm getting closer to 27mpg that way. Just my experiance so far, but typically, I get 25 in town, 30 highway.

[Mace Windu]

When the car was brand new I was getting way under what the factory said. Like 22-25. Now that I have 11k on it the consumption is in line. I just did a road trip of about 800 miles round trip and averaged 32 mpg. All highway, going at least 80mph and sometimes as much as 90 or 100mph ;)

[ZoomVT]

no way!
whenever i go on large roadtrips my MPG is about 23 max and i drive consistently in the 95-105 range.
Maybe i shoul dtake my car to the dealer and check out why im getting such shitty mileage.

[goldwing2000]

... i drive consistently in the 95-105 range.
...why im getting such shitty mileage.

There's your answer right there! (braindead

Try doing the speed limit for a tank or two and you'll be amazed at how much better your gas mileage gets.

[MortMan]

I've had my Mazda3 for about 3 months now and put 3700 miles on it. As of now I get crappy gas milage due to driving city 100% and always flooring the gas. Back when I was gridlocked every morning I would get 17 MPG from sitting in traffic 40+ minutes to move half a mile. Now I get an average of 22 MPG. For the rare occasions that I go highway more than 50% of the time I usually get around 32 MPG.

If I use the automatic instead of tiptronic (which I rarely do) it knocks the MPG up to about 24. I tend to floor the gas a lot to show up the MASSIVE population of ricers around here who always rev their engines at me. :) When I drive all nice and whatnot I can get around 26 MPG.

BTW I've got a 2.3L with no performance mods.

[ZoomVT]

There's your answer right there! (braindead

Try doing the speed limit for a tank or two and you'll be amazed at how much better your gas mileage gets.

yeah i guess thats the cost of having fun. im not complaining but i feel the difference is a bit extreme.. oh well