Best mileage out of a full tank of gas?

[Mazda3Rookie]

I have a 2006 M3 S Touring 5-door Manual. The best mileage I got so far has been 353 miles, but that's not on a full tank. The reserve light had gone off about 10 miles before I refueled. I pumped 11.8 gallongs, being the tank 14.5 gallons, the reserve is around 3 gallons.

By the way guys, post also what engine and transmission you have. Driving habits already make for a big spread of mileage, comparing results its almost impossible.

Also, if you want some interesting statistical data on mileage, look at this:

http://www.brianbauer.org/viewdata.php?start=0

 

[rx7mazda]

I just added 3oz of acetone to this tank, so I'll see if I can get better than my average of 27mpg city driving.

 

[goldwing2000]

I just added 3oz of acetone to this tank, so I'll see if I can get better than my average of 27mpg city driving.

You won't. I did the acetone experiment for like two months earlier this year and it didn't make one bit of difference.

now thats some crazy data loggin man....

I've got a spreadsheet with almost the same info. The only thing I don't track is days between fills.

I have a spiffy-neato graph, though.

Oh, and my best tank is like 410 miles. I don't remember off hand and my spreadsheet is at home. I'll post it later.

 

[rx7mazda]

You won't. I did the acetone experiment for like two months earlier this year and it didn't make one bit of difference.

I don't see it helping so far. Usually I get over 110 miles before I hit the 3/4 marker and I'm already below it .

 

[mobomelter]

i like to redline too much.

 

[firefox_mp]

Best ive ever gotten is 437. think by the time i filled up, i had about .5 gals left.

 

[rx7mazda]

Best ive ever gotten is 437. think by the time i filled up, i had about .5 gals left.

That's pretty far, is the Mazda 3's tanks bigger than the P5's?

 

[djltoronto]

Yeah, that is a crazy log you got there. I am using a dinky chart setup like that in Excel, but how the hell did you come up with all those conversions and highlights for lowest and highest values? Do you know how to code in Excel, or did you find some sources online? I gotta know, cuz I would love to track MPG and milage, tuneups, etc like this.

I use Excel quite often at work, so I know my way around it pretty well.
The automatic colour coding of the best, second best, and worst ratings is just some conditional formating.

The most complicated formula in there is the one that projects the date my warranty will expire based on avg kms driven. (on sheet one).

=TODAY()+((160000-MAX(Data!C:C))/(Data!D2/Data!C2))

 

[rx7mazda]

I use Excel quite often at work, so I know my way around it pretty well.
The automatic colour coding of the best, second best, and worst ratings is just some conditional formating.

The most complicated formula in there is the one that projects the date my warranty will expire based on avg kms driven. (on sheet one).

=TODAY()+((160000-MAX(Data!C:C))/(Data!D2/Data!C2))

After messing around with it for an hour, I figured that out. I H4X0R3D yours and input my data, and changed km to mi, hope you don't mind , but an excellent way to log everything.

 

[ZoomVT]

dude i just gotg a round to checking out your spreadhseet. that is some serious logging; how do you use it?
do you mind if i steal it?
i like the stats in the first page. very nice dood

 

[firefox_mp]

not sure of the tank size on a P5, but my 3 has a, i believe, 13 gal tank.

 

[ZoomVT]

15 gallon. i think we established this at the beggining of the thread.

 

[Mazda3Rookie]

According to the 2006 Mazda3 brochure here:

http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsDownloads&vehicleCode=M3H

it is 14.5 gallon.

 

[ZoomVT]

dammit people. stop giving me wrong info. what is it then?
i doubt they changed it year to year. someone popped earlier saying it was 15 gallons in the manual, and now it is 14.5

someone with reliable info please stand up.
(im too lazy to look it up myself)

 

[goldwing2000]

Definitely 14.5 (yes)

 

[djltoronto]

dude i just gotg a round to checking out your spreadhseet. that is some serious logging; how do you use it?
do you mind if i steal it?
i like the stats in the first page. very nice dood

I just fill in Columns B,C,D,E, & F. The rest is all automated.

I posted it here to share... feel free to do whatever you want with it. You can delete all my data, and start with your own!!

If you want sheet one to work, you'll have to tweak a few of the calculations.

 

[Kodiac 3]

2004 sedan manual transmission - i always average about 28-29 mpg no matter city or highway but i do get close to that redline occasionally (that's why we all bought mazdas right?? zoom, zoom)
I push my tank farther eveytime cuz that light comes on at 11.5 so the most i have filled has been like 13.5 and that got me 380 miles. But i am coming up on an oil change and recheck tire pressure and so forth so we'll see soon...

 

[Threedog]

I can't believe how little some of you know about your own cars(and cars in general).
The freakin fuel warning lights not going to wait till you're actually out of gas to come on. The fuel warning light in all cars is supposed to come on in time to give you 30-50 miles to find a gas station. What would be the point in warning you if you only have 10 ft. (!warning! you are currently out of gas !warning! you are stranded in the middle of no where !warning! you are walking home)
14.5 gal. I calculate every single tank. My best is 472 miles, which I know sounds unbelievable cause it works out to well over the epa for the 2.3ltr. It's easier to do when you go non stop on a long road trip. But still, some of you MUST be doing something wrong. I AVERAGE 355 miles a tank city/hwy.
So... coast down hills when possible (neutral), use your cruise when you can, shift by 3k rpms trying to keep it below, 60 mph is perfect, and unless your FOOT IS ON THE GAS, keep it in neutral. That's what I do!

 

[rx7mazda]

I can't believe how little some of you know about your own cars(and cars in general).
The freakin fuel warning lights not going to wait till you're actually out of gas to come on. The fuel warning light in all cars is supposed to come on in time to give you 30-50 miles to find a gas station. What would be the point in warning you if you only have 10 ft. (!warning! you are currently out of gas !warning! you are stranded in the middle of no where !warning! you are walking home)
14.5 gal. I calculate every single tank. My best is 472 miles, which I know sounds unbelievable cause it works out to well over the epa for the 2.3ltr. It's easier to do when you go non stop on a long road trip. But still, some of you MUST be doing something wrong. I AVERAGE 355 miles a tank city/hwy.
So... coast down hills when possible (neutral), use your cruise when you can, shift by 3k rpms trying to keep it below, 60 mph is perfect, and unless your FOOT IS ON THE GAS, keep it in neutral. That's what I do!

So you averaged almost 33mpg. Not impossible at all. But you had to have waited until you were really out of gas to go that far, right? The tanks on the 3rd gen's are 13.2 if I remember right, so if I went the same MPG on my tank, I would fall out at like 430 miles.

 

[Kodiac 3]

wierd - since my last oil change i am around 30-30.5 mpg....