I've put over 40K on 2 differnt B's
and my mileage on both of them were pretty consistant with one and other

 

I know a guy that doesn't drive exceptionally fast or anything and his half tank is as low as 150 miles, when I normally see 200+ at half.

 

I get POed if I'm not close to 150 miles at the 3/4 tank mark.

Correction to my previous post. I'm at 477 miles, and barely below the 1/4 tank mark. I think 525 miles is in the bag, and I've still got a shot at a 550 mile tank. Today's drive was 98 miles at 51.5 mpg.

 

I did it. A 552.5 mile tank, and I still had more in the tank! My fuel gauge light went on at 503 miles, but I drove another ~50 miles before stopping at a gas station. I was approaching the Yolo bypass, an elevated roadway going into Sacramento, where running out of gas would have been dangerous. I'd passed my goal of 550 miles on a tank, so I pulled into a gas station.

First thing I decided to do was add the 2 gallons of gas I was carrying around in case I ran out of fuel. Bad idea, as I couldn't empty the container. I'm guessing I put in about 1.6-1.7 gallons from the fuel container, plus 9.082 gallons from the pump.

552.5 mi/10.682 g = 51.7 mpg
552.5 mi/10.782 g = 51.2 mpg

Even if I'd needed the whole 2 gallons from the container in addition to the pump gas, 552.5 mi/11.082 g = 49.9 mpg, and ~50 mpg for a full tank on an xB is a good tank no matter what criteria you use.

I was taking a lady friend car shopping from Napa to Sacramento today. Real world driving.

 

Was she scared?

You have us all beat.

 

She's a typical clueless driver, with her foot still on the gas <1/4 mile from red lights. My wife and kids drive the same way. But then, so did I until a year and a half ago.

So yes, I took flak for driving "too slow," and no credits for getting 50 mpg getting there. I'm sure I can beat her mileage by 40% without even trying.

 

Ok I just did 323 miles on 9.3 gallons or 35.1 MPG driving in mixed conditions with AC on sometimes...still warm here one of my better tanks since AC was on a lot and there was a good bit of stop and go in traffic

 

Nice. Any time you beat EPA mileage estimates by that much, you're doing well.

 

TKS! I am trying to get to 37...mostly on driving technique

 

How much do you think your car weighs?

 

about 300lbs more than stock due to full audio and video system

 

I'm on another good tank. Hit 280 miles again at the half tank mark, up from a dismal start. I was only at 63 miles at the full mark, and 136 miles at the 3/4 mark, far from indicators of a good tank.

I took my friend back over from Napa to Fairfield to complete her car purchase, and did some mileage experiments on the way home. On five consecutive ten mile loops, I was able to tease out 63-67 mpg with P&G. Best combination was gliding down to 20 mph and pulsing back to 40 with a load of 78-83. Worst was a delta of 25-40 mph with a load of 68-72. I can't drop to 20 mph on most roads, but it's useful to know that when I can, I can get nearly 70 mpg.

 

Just drove my wife to her office, as she'd left a bottle of Coca Cola in the freezer. It's a 3 mile drive each way. I managed >49 mpg!

The secret is to climb a big hill first. I got 22 mpg going about 1.3 miles to the top of the hill. Then I coasted the rest of the way to her office - using a long downhill to build speed to climb the hill to her office. 40 mpg at the halfway point. Leaving her office, I coasted a mile down to sea level, where we live. I P&Ged through the empty industrial park, building my mileage up to 48 mpg. I have about a 100' elevation gain and then some 25 mph residential streets before I coast downhill to our house. I always gain about 1/2 mpg on that last coast, if my trip distance is 10 miles or less.

 

ARGGG these STUPID Mouse OVER POPUP ADs!! Wiped out my post as I was typing it...

Those are some great numbers Darrell. 48psi (sidewall+4) is some pretty high pressure in your tires. Truckee Ca Elevation: 5,817 FT to Rene NV — Elevation: 4,505 FT is a bit downhill. I did a trip to Vermont and back and averaged 46.7mpg 413 miles mostly all highway and some of the trip was up a mountain on a very steep dirt road. I am talking 15mph down hill in first gear no gas and up that hill slipping tires in first all the way up. I also found out when I got back that my tire pressure was only 38psi instead of the usual 40-42 psi that I usually run. I get more than 40mpg at speed great than 55mph all the time so it is possible. The most I have ever seen on my ScanGauge II was 80mpg average from the State Line in Tiverton to the Portsmouth side of the Sakonnet bridge but that was because it is about a 250 foot drop in elevation and a newly paved Main road in Tiverton.

 

You've got some great numbers, too, Jan. Is your xB an automatic? They're geared 22% higher and get correspondingly better highway mileage, but it would be tough to eke 45 mpg out of one consistently. I love hills for their mileage potential.

 

I could do much better if I had an auto

 

The auto xBs have a big highway cruising advantage because of their final drive ratio. But overall, because of torque converter slippage and inability to use brake specific fuel consumption curves effectively, manual xBs get better mileage.

 

but the torque converter is a lock up converter

 

Yes, but you're only in lockup when in top gear and under light throttle pressure. I imagine most leadfoots manage to keep their ATs in slippage mode most of the time, because they're always accelerating, rushing around in traffic, or attempting to pass someone. They're thinking about their "awesome" power, and not paying the slightest amount of attention to whether their torque converter is locked. Once they push their rpms over 2200 in city traffic, their torque converters are likely slipping.

 

That's why I always give moderate to quick acceleration to reach the final gear or gain speed for a neutral coast when trying to conserve gas.

I still manage 32+ when driving like a leadfoot.