Fuel Economy

[Kaps]

Years ago Shell Oil put out a series of small informational pamphlets called the Shell Answer Man.They said for best fuel economy you should drive like there's an egg between your foot and the accelerator.

I agree-to move the Car faster needs more energy, you are never getting that energy back. With a gentle peddle pressure you are going to get a very good FE - you might be able to beat that by using paddles and shifting before the CX-5s Tranny does.
If I push the throttle gently I see these max RPMs at these gears
1st 2200
2nd 1500-2000
3rd 1500-2000
4th 1500 - 2000 closer to 1500
5th again closer to 1500

By the time I am at 30 mph - I am in 5th gear and RPMs move between 1200 to 1700 based on speed etc.

If you press harder the CX-5 will hold gears till 3000 RPMs and then move up. This almost causes more fuel to burn and yes you will reach A to B faster but for that same distance traveled the switch points I see are more efficient.

 

[TinyTires]

I average 27.5, and get 31 on the highway with AWD (36 psi). Both beat the window sticker, so it can be done w/out driving like an 85 year old. I posted a lengthy story about it back in late Sept.

Performance only suffers in the winter with the winter blend and when I have to warm it up to get all the ice and snow off the windshield.

Couldn't findSeptember post. Operator error?, possibly. Could send me or post link.

Thanks

 

[yrwei52]

⋯ but noticed that 30 mph - 1200 to 1500 RPM in 5th is sweet spot for this CUV

⋯ If I push the throttle gently I see these max RPMs at these gears
1st 2200
2nd 1500-2000
3rd 1500-2000
4th 1500 - 2000 closer to 1500
5th again closer to 1500
By the time I am at 30 mph - I am in 5th gear and RPMs move between 1200 to 1700 based on speed etc.

You seem to forget there's a 6th gear in our SkyActiv-Drive transmission⋯ (whistle)

 

[Kaps]

You seem to forget there's a 6th gear in our SkyActiv-Drive transmission⋯ (whistle)

I dont, i just accurately noted till 30 mph, i was in 5th then @ 30mph. Not sure if 6th kicks in by 40 or so.

 

[yrwei52]

I dont, i just accurately noted till 30 mph, i was in 5th then @ 30mph. Not sure if 6th kicks in by 40 or so.

i believe getting the best MPG should be in 6th gear, not the 5th.

 

[Kaps]

what are the negatives for popping it to 6th at 30 mph? My RPMs are already 1200 ish - should they go lower for even more efficiency ?

 

[CX-5um]

what are the negatives for popping it to 6th at 30 mph? My RPMs are already 1200 ish - should they go lower for even more efficiency ?

The mpgs at that speed between 5th and 6th isn't much. At that speed I'd stick with 5th gear. Would make pedal downshifts from 5th to 4th or 5th to 3rd smoother/faster.

 

[yrwei52]

what are the negatives for popping it to 6th at 30 mph? My RPMs are already 1200 ish - should they go lower for even more efficiency ?

No my point is you're driving in 6th gear at 1,500 rpm with a little faster speed, that would be more fuel efficient than driving in 5th gear at 1,500 rpm with a slower speed.

 

[yrwei52]

Years ago Shell Oil put out a series of small informational pamphlets called the Shell Answer Man.They said for best fuel economy you should drive like there's an egg between your foot and the accelerator.

Yep I still remember that egg thing and I used that egg example teaching our kids how to save fuel while driving!

But it does show our age though ⋯

 

[Guest2019C20]

Years ago Shell Oil put out a series of small informational pamphlets called the Shell Answer Man.They said for best fuel economy you should drive like there's an egg between your foot and the accelerator.

Please don't misunderstand the point of my post...

You get lower pumping losses, and higher burn efficiency *if* you can run at WOT at such low RPM that acceleration is low. Think of it as having a CVT that never let your engine rev above 1,000 RPM, and you're always at WOT.

 

[Guest2019C20]

You seem to forget there's a 6th gear in our SkyActiv-Drive transmission⋯ (whistle)

You can typically manually upshift when the revs hit 1800 rpm. That's right around 45 MPH in 5th. The tranny logic won't let you upshift at lower revs than that.

 

[jhu8]

We had a nice mid to upper 70s day here in Maryland. Did the same drive I usually do coming home from work, was driving 75-80, more the former. Typically would manage 26mpg at those speeds but got 31.5 today. I know warm air is better for efficiency but was not expecting such a big increase.

 

[dougal]

We had a nice mid to upper 70s day here in Maryland. Did the same drive I usually do coming home from work, was driving 75-80, more the former. Typically would manage 26mpg at those speeds but got 31.5 today. I know warm air is better for efficiency but was not expecting such a big increase.

I saw a 2-3 mpg difference in mixed driving from winter to summer. If you look at my fuelly data you can see the dip every winter. My feeling is that this car likes warmer temps.

 

[Boland01]

With my 2016 GT I'm at 30.0 mpg (according to my monitor). However, 75% of my driving is highway. I noticed if I drive over 65 mph or it is very windy the mileage will go down. I've been tracking it for about 8,000 miles now. I keep my tires inflated to 36 psi cold too.

 

[Unobtanium]

I agree-to move the Car faster needs more energy, you are never getting that energy back. With a gentle peddle pressure you are going to get a very good FE - you might be able to beat that by using paddles and shifting before the CX-5s Tranny does.
If I push the throttle gently I see these max RPMs at these gears
1st 2200
2nd 1500-2000
3rd 1500-2000
4th 1500 - 2000 closer to 1500
5th again closer to 1500

By the time I am at 30 mph - I am in 5th gear and RPMs move between 1200 to 1700 based on speed etc.

If you press harder the CX-5 will hold gears till 3000 RPMs and then move up. This almost causes more fuel to burn and yes you will reach A to B faster but for that same distance traveled the switch points I see are more efficient.

In the lower gears, I typically find my vehicle shifting at +-2500rpm. I guess I'm an "average" accelerator most of the time.

 

[Unobtanium]

We had a nice mid to upper 70s day here in Maryland. Did the same drive I usually do coming home from work, was driving 75-80, more the former. Typically would manage 26mpg at those speeds but got 31.5 today. I know warm air is better for efficiency but was not expecting such a big increase.

Maybe a tail wind? Wind seems to affect this thing A LOT! I've averaged low teens before doing 90ish. Wind resistance is a big deal for this engine.

 

[mazdadude]

I saw a 2-3 mpg difference in mixed driving from winter to summer. If you look at my fuelly data you can see the dip every winter. My feeling is that this car likes warmer temps.

In addition to temps, etc., the winter MPG drop is also due to the gas industries WINTER GAS BLEND. Typically we see Winter Gas leave in the spring, accounting for some of your Winter/Summer difference.

http://www.atlasoil.com/Blog/Whats-the-Difference-Between-Winter-Blend-and-Summer-Blend-Gasoline

 

[dougal]

In addition to temps, etc., the winter MPG drop is also due to the gas industries WINTER GAS BLEND. Typically we see Winter Gas leave in the spring, accounting for some of your Winter/Summer difference.

http://www.atlasoil.com/Blog/Whats-the-Difference-Between-Winter-Blend-and-Summer-Blend-Gasoline

Do they use winter blends in the south? You can tell by my fuelly logs when I moved!

 

[jhu8]

No wind at all. I drive that route all winter and nothing like that. only difference was warm temps.

 

[jhu8]

I saw a 2-3 mpg difference in mixed driving from winter to summer. If you look at my fuelly data you can see the dip every winter. My feeling is that this car likes warmer temps.

I agree with the warmer temps.