I know you guys are probably tired of hearing this topic fly around. However I've been owning my xB for 4 years already and I have only hit 30 MPG once. I see everyone's report of getting 300+ miles on a single tank, but I barely break 270-80 at most. I accelerate lightly and try to let it shift at 2800RPMS or 4000K at most for entering freeways. I used to have rims riding on 205/55R/16's but then I bought stock sized 185/60R/15's and still no change. Could it be my intake? Or am I just unlucky ?

 

im the same way, and i dont know why: http://www.fuelly.com/driver/ajcadoo/xb

 

When I'm driving lightfooted, I usually hit about 300-330 depending on the lengths of the trips, hills, and top speed (generally I won't go much past 60 when driving light). On long distance trips I'm doing 70-75 on the average and still make it above 300 before the indicator comes on. Driving heavy I'm usually doing 280-290 per tank where the indicator comes on at 278. I've got a ton of mods on my car and not the lightest wheels in the world, not to mention the extra weight of sound deadening.

What I would recommend, pick up a scangauge2 and watch your MPG rating depending on how your driving style is. Doing that will help educate you to change your style of driving to achieve better MPG overall.

 

My low fuel indicator comes on when I'm at 270... pretty much regardless how I drive.

 

I'm with you on that 270mi when the low fuel indicator comes on, it's so frustrating! I'm averaging the same MPG's as my dad's 2010 Sonata and that car is heavier and has a bigger engine, what gives!

 

Same here.

2004 xB manual, no powertrain mods.


The light comes on at around 270, if I lightfoot it I can get 310 but that's really pushing it.

However, I live in between of three hills so my car needs to do a lot of hill climb at low speeds , and when the engine is cold.

I wonder if a lot of the people who get 30+MPG lives in flat cities?

 

I live in some hills; my commute to work is mostly downhill and vice-versa. In the winter, I average 30-32mpg (with snow tires), and 37-38mpg in the summer (I've touched 41mpg, but that was in the middle of the night on I90 doing 60mph, so that's not realistic). I do a fair amount of long-distance interstate driving (I'm 50 miles from Buffalo), and my 513s are actually marginally worse on the highway than steelies despite being lighter, since lower weight leads to less inertia. On the other hand, I make up the difference in town.

Basically, you have to not speed (this is important, but nobody wants to be told to drive slow), and drive like you have no brakes -- plan your stops, learn your commute, and coast as much as traffic conditions will allow. Engine-braking is also your friend. Shift up at 2k-rpm, but full-throttle it between shifts until you're up to speed (really! the engine burns a tiny bit more lean), and if you don't have cruise control, spend the money. Cruise control will never really pay for itself in fuel savings in a reasonable timeframe, but it does make driving long distances vastly less stressful in the box, and that's a huge plus.

I have no meaningful powertrain mods, but I do block off my lower front grille (a piece of aluminum flashing painted in flat black engine enamel looks clean and holds up well), and I'm slightly lowered (TRDs).

In the future, I'd like to get a manual steering rack from an Echo, as well as a 5th gear set from a 9th gen Corolla (taller ratio, and should fit right in; that will wait until I need a clutch).

 

I get anywhere from 100-107 MPG just cruising around town....oh were talking about the xB, I get between 28-32 depending on how many people make me mad and I get lead foot disease.

but seriously my Ruckus is the poo when it comes to gas mileage.

 

I can count on my XA getting 28 - 31 on every tank no matter how or where I drive. I track and figure mileage on every tank. In the last year, the best tank was 34.1.

 

I have an '06 xB 5-speed with a header, an axle back exhaust, and Tanabe drop springs. I will admit that I just changed my spark plugs about a month ago, and before I did I would be lucky to get 29mpg's. I drive about half city half highway. I swapped in some NGK's, and on my recent trip to TN I averaged 70-75mph with A/C on and still managed almost 40mpg's with a few stops. Maybe you should look in to new plugs, or possibly clean and regap the ones that are in there now.

 

I am right with you. My best was right at 35 mpg though and I have only gotten below 29 once. I drive in town usually, my trip to work is only 4 miles and there are 6 stop lights and another 4 stop signs. I average around 30 mph to and from. I have an ebay CAI and stock rims and tires for now.

 

Once in a while, poor mpg may be the result of a mechanical issue, but I'll bet 95% of the time it's a problem with your right foot. I routinely get 250 miles with half a tank remaining, and at least 450 miles before the low fuel light goes on. See my fuel log here.

See the best mpg xB thread in the 1st-Gen xB Owners Lounge for how I do it, and how you can do it. Most drivers are still on the gas half a block from stop signs and red lights. I'm gliding to them from 4 blocks away. Most of you are cruising on the highway 5-10 mph over the speed limit. I'm probably driving 10 mph below it. The difference is a good 15 mpg difference - 28 mpg at 75 mph v 42 mpg at 55 mph.

 

I'd rather go 75.

 

I got tired of being in the high speed conga line 1/2 second behind the slug in front of me, with a fuel sucking pig 1/2 second behind me, and half a dozen other impatient tailgaters trailing some slow truck passing another slow truck. I started allowing myself an hour more on a 400 mile drive, and found it much more relaxing to be in my own zone, with no impatience, no tailgaters, and no midway gas stop, since my mpg went up 10-15 mpg.

 

i have the same problem, when i was still in new jersey, i was averaging about 29 to 31 mpg. few months before i moved here in cali, my mpg started going down. now i am averaging 24-25 mpg. i have installed rims and intake in between and i expected lower gas mileage but didnt expect that big of a drop in mpgs. does anyone have any resolution to this problem?

 

Yeah, but sentra, not everyone has the stamina to maintain such amazing mpg. You are the driver that ____es off everyone else because you are going 55 on the freeway in the right lane and people trying to merge on are stuck behind a green box unable to accelerate up to the proper flow of traffic. Ahh...k but it is so true the mpg diff at highway speeds. 26MPG at 80MPH v 34MPG at 65MPH. Once you hit above 3000RPM in 4th gear on an auto on the freeway, you are just chugging fuel.

 

Nope. Nobody gets stuck behind me trying to merge. Either I pulse to get ahead of them so they can merge, or I glide to let them in ahead of me. Usually, it's the latter, because I'm usually looking for an excuse to go slower.

As for me going slow in the right lane, that's why the left lane is there - to pass me.

 

I installed NGK Irridium plugs in my car yesterday. We shall see if that makes a difference. It still had the factory plugs in it at 37K.

 

I get 33-35 on long highway trips (4 hour drive to school) and 30-32 around town. Highest I ever got was 38 on a very long highway trip and I was behind a lot of trucks, lol.

I drive quite slow compared to most people. I hit the speed limit and generally coast while everyone else is flying around me. Just as whokilledthejams said, I coast quite a bit and engine break. I'm a very light footed. I don't have the patience sentra has to drive that slow, but I drive much slower than the general public and it helps a lot. I am in no rush.

I get quite annoyed if I ever get below 30.

 

Just a quick update. I did some serious testing against my mileage vs odometer reading. I used three different GPS systems, one of them so finite... you could get within a foot of exact location. I used these to track my mileage for a few gas tanks... turns out that my odometer is off by 8 miles exactly for every 100 miles driven. So you might want to check your mileage vs odometer as well.

For those interested... here's my fuelly link (add me if you want):