Gas Mileage Better with more people/weight?

orion3311

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2016 Mazda CX5 GT
Ok, since buying my 2016 GT in August, I put around 3500 miles on it already. Been paying attention to the mileage as hey, thats why I bought this over something else. I drive 80% highways. Seems like mileage is all over the place...yet the odd thing I seem to get the best mileage with 5 people in the car. Is it because its sitting lower, or has more weight/kinetic energy? I feel like I need to throw an anchor in the trunk or something, but me just driving highways I'm averaging around 25-27mpg. Load 4 adults and drive to New York averaging mid-60mph and I got 28 and change. (my PA highway speeds are a bit more spirited due to the nuts that drive around here).

Is it just me or should I throw some sandbags in the back LOL. (I also put the Curt Class III hitch on which is about 50lbs).
 
No, there is no way you can get better gas mileage with more people and weight. It might be caused by other factors, such as wind direction and road condition, etc. But like you, I do feel this CX-5 with SkyActiv Technology seems like the gas mileage is all over the place and it's very sensitive to all kind of factors and elements. I'm a little disappointed about gas mileage on our CX-5 GT AWD as it can only be averaged at 25.7 mpg while seeing others with the same SA 2.5L AWD setup reached 30+ mpg on average! I have tested by watching the Instant MPG read-out while I was driving on the highway. It hardly reaches 30 mpg with a constant speed at 60+ mph sometimes, not to mention getting an average MPG at 30+ mpg!
 
Yeah, that's counter-intuitive. Maybe your driving behavior changes when you have others in the car? I know mine does.
 
Yeah, that's counter-intuitive. Maybe your driving behavior changes when you have others in the car? I know mine does.
I'd put my money on this. You are probably much easier on the throttle/brakes with a car load of people on a long drive than you would be on your way to work.
 
Is it just me or should I throw some sandbags in the back LOL. (I also put the Curt Class III hitch on which is about 50lbs).

Yes, that's normal in many cars. The biggest consumption of energy at freeway speeds is due to aerodynamic drag. Therefore it's important for efficiency for the plastic fairing under the car to be level with the road surface. The ride height front/back is a little high in back when there is no load in back and this messes with the aerodynamics. Also, a lower car has less drag and loading it up with people/luggage will compress the springs and make it sit lower.

If your CX-5 is like mine, it under reports distance traveled by about 1%. This means you are actually getting better mileage than your calculations show (because you have covered more distance than the odometer indicates). As you add weight, the tire rotations per mile is increased and the odometer becomes more accurate. This has the effect of making your MPG look better.

So, there are two things going on here.

1) When the car is loaded the odometer reports a higher distance traveled than when the car is unloaded.
2) When the car is loaded the aerodynamics are better.
 
Yes, that's normal in many cars. The biggest consumption of energy at freeway speeds is due to aerodynamic drag. Therefore it's important for efficiency for the plastic fairing under the car to be level with the road surface. The ride height front/back is a little high in back when there is no load in back and this messes with the aerodynamics. Also, a lower car has less drag and loading it up with people/luggage will compress the springs and make it sit lower.

If your CX-5 is like mine, it under reports distance traveled by about 1%. This means you are actually getting better mileage than your calculations show (because you have covered more distance than the odometer indicates). As you add weight, the tire rotations per mile is increased and the odometer becomes more accurate. This has the effect of making your MPG look better.

So, there are two things going on here.

1) When the car is loaded the odometer reports a higher distance traveled than when the car is unloaded.
2) When the car is loaded the aerodynamics are better.

In otherwords, lower that b**** to reduce drag. That way you can lower ride height without adding weight! Check the parts reference in my sig.
 
In otherwords, lower that b**** to reduce drag. That way you can lower ride height without adding weight!

Done properly, you could increase your highway MPG numbers. But that's not the point of a SUV configuration. And I'm not sure I would want to put up with the harsher ride.

More problematic, suppose you're in a zombie apocalypse and need to escape. How would you get out of here if you had a lowered vehicle?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZCROYEK1DM
 
Well, my suspension is adjustable, I would just need to find a safe place to do it
 
Ok, since buying my 2016 GT in August, I put around 3500 miles on it already. Been paying attention to the mileage as hey, thats why I bought this over something else. I drive 80% highways. Seems like mileage is all over the place...yet the odd thing I seem to get the best mileage with 5 people in the car. Is it because its sitting lower, or has more weight/kinetic energy? I feel like I need to throw an anchor in the trunk or something, but me just driving highways I'm averaging around 25-27mpg. Load 4 adults and drive to New York averaging mid-60mph and I got 28 and change. (my PA highway speeds are a bit more spirited due to the nuts that drive around here).

Is it just me or should I throw some sandbags in the back LOL. (I also put the Curt Class III hitch on which is about 50lbs).

I noticed in my CX-5 that my mileage increased with miles. That is to say that break-in gives a mileage improvement. With such low miles that you have, your engine is still breaking in.
 
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