Just recently somebody posted an article from MOTHERJONES. The article was about a man who can get unbelievable MPG out of any car. After following all the links I wound up at cleanmpg.com I read the article and followed their tips as best as possible and just filled up last night. To my surprise I had my best tank and MPG.

342.7 miles
refill 9.342
36.6 adjust x 1.03 = 37.7

I have a 5 speed 06 with 8800 miles on it.

My last tank was 28 and have been averaging 30 over the last two months. The tank was over 20% better. I plan on continuing to try to squeeze as much as possible from my car.I purchased a scanguage 2 and that should be coming soon. I really want to get 40MPG from the box. I'll keep you posted If and when I get there. Please visit the site. Even if you follow only half of the tips you will see results.

 

Some of the tips in the article are good ideas, like driving more conservativly. But some of the things he does is out right dangerous, like taking a 25mph turn at 50 with the engine off. Saving gas does not do you much good if you are dead.

 

i got 36 MPG while moving to alaska, I was pullin a 600Lb trailor behind my box..suprised me when i did the math, for i did it several times.

 

read the article.. and of course plenty of those ideas are not practical... and are not even safe... because he is a part of a group of people called hypermilers in which i guess as a hobbie or side job they try to defy limits of the mpg rating on vehicles in contests

i would definitely not want to voluntarily shut my car off while driving to save gas mileage. that would be un safe and just stupid.

 

I agree turning the car off whilew driving is dangerous and stupid. There are several lengthy light on my way to work - and this is the appropriate time to turn them off. I also have a manual and have the ability to coast a lot and for a long time.

 

Really the best way to save money on gas that is actually safe and practicle, don't drive like a jackass and keep up on your maintenece. Hypermilers are idiots. If you want 50 mpg by a Jetta TDi or a hybrid.

 

i get like 250-275 on a take, and when i refill it takes about 10 gallons. is it because of my headers?

 

bigger than stock wheels, driving style, road conditions, performance mods.. and more play factors in mpg

i have 06 xb with borla exhaust and drop in borla air filter, 17" enkeii rims/tires and i get like 275miles on 1 tank and if i really push it and wait for the Gas needle to actually hit the last bar of Empty.. i may get 296 miles, mine are mostly highway miles. i expect my mpg to severely drop when summer comes around.. and im blasting the a/c,

 

oh and yeah.. filling up the lunchbox.. takes only just a little over 10 gallons. i noticed that my tC used to take 12 gallons.... some suv's and luxury cars have 30+ gallon tanks lol

 

Headers should not adversely effect MPG. Air pressure in the tires, speed, AC, stop and go driving--these are the things that effect mileage.

 

Very cool!
You can definitely hit the 40 mpg mark, trust me. I've also got an '06 5-speed, and on stock tires, I've gotten 38.96 mpg commuting in Los Angeles traffic, so I'm sure you can do it! I regularly get 320-345 miles to a tank, too. It really doesn't take much - and I never run more than 29 psi in the tires, since this car is my commuter which I cover about 3,000 miles a month in, and want to be comfortable:

Obviously, no screaming take-offs, or screeching stops. Use the old "eggshell under the foot" routine for acceleration.
When you see traffic slowing or stopping ahead, slide the shifter into Neutral and coast to a stop, or as long as you can if traffic is just slowing.
Keep your speed under 65 mph - even 60 if its possible. The faster you go, the harder these cars are working just to push air out of the way, let alone build speed. Remember wind resistance increases in regard to speed by square. To simplify:50 mph x 50 (squared) = "250". 70 mph x 70 (squared) = "490". The increase of only 20 mph (roughly 40%) = an increase in wind resistance of nearly 100%! *This is obviously complicated by the (non-existent) aerodynamics of these boxes we're driving!
Its easy just to watch your tach, too. As a rule of thumb, anytime you're turning more than 3,000 rpms, you're wasting gas.

Anyway, best of luck with the 40 mpg. I haven't tried for a MPG record for a while since the larger/stickier tires I'm running now aren't really all that conducive to good mileage. Please keep us posted if you make it!

 

im going to give this a whirl... we'll see.

 

I was always very happy with MPG in the box. Now that I can boost my MPG without spending money on any extra equipment is always a +. Its not very hard to do. You do have to become more observant when driving. Especially when coasting to red lights. Good luck to all who try.

 

ScanGauge 2 came today. Cant wait to play with it tomorrow.

 

Man I live in stop and go traffice. No highway. My average is 28. My best high is 31. Whish I could get like 40 mpg.

 

I'm content with my 26-32 mpg avg......it's just too fun to drive to worry about another 50 miles out of a tank of gas.

 

I gassed up last Sunday and drove back from N Darthmouth to Newport coasted a few times but never shut off the engine - you shouldn't do that for several reasons 1st is the odometer turns off. Got 50.4mpg in about 38 miles of driving so it is possible - whenever you can coast with the engine at idle you start saving a lot of gas.

TheRealBoxster - have fun with the SG2 but keep one eye on the road!

 

I've been meaning to ask you what that "1.03 adjustment" is...?!

 

With the stock tires the odometer is off 3% reads lower than actual mileage. Actually I think mine is off by more than that - my digital speed from the ECU to the ScanGauge was off by 3% and the odometer was off by 10% (0.2 miles off in 2 miles).

 

Ah, gotcha.
Yeah, I noticed that myself. As close as I could figure (no hard evidence, just lots of repetitive miles covered), mine was off in the 5-6% area.