wagonbldr

Vintage-42 wrote
I was refering to Interstate i-71 the length of Ohio, where I got 43 mpg holding 60 mph in the company of many vehicles in the right lane.

I think that is a clue there. Drafting. I don't mean so close that you are a mennace to everyone. But staying in line with a pack of vehicles that cut through the air for you. These Boxes we drive push a lot of air, and I have noticed that when traveling on the interstate, it takes more throttle to hold my speed in a lane by my self, verses being in line with other cars. More throttle, less gas mileage.

vintage42

At 60 mph, I was not drafting any trucks. Most shot by in the left lane, and I stayed far away from any trucks in the right lane for fear of windshield damage.

Nor was I tailgating any cars in the right lane. There are so few cars doing 60 mph across Ohio in the right lane that I easily stayed a safe distance away from them.

The manual xB gets over 40 mpg by holding a steady throttle at 60 mph for a couple of hundred miles. At 50 mph it probably gets over 45 mpg.

wagonbldr

Wagonbldr wrote
I don't mean so close that you are a mennace to everyone. But staying in line with a pack of vehicles that cut through the air for you.

You do not have to be real close to someone to take advantage of the draft (possibly a bad choise of words, maybe air disruption). I did not mean that you drove like a Nascar driver and stayed on someones butt. Only that you were taking advantage of others punching a hole in the air. Depending on what type of vehicle is in front of you, their effects can sometimes be felt approx. 100 feet behind them.

vintage42

We all often drive within 100 feet of the car ahead on the Interstate. Maybe that accounts for our good mileage out there.
Today I filled up after driving ~200 miles of suburban with some country, and no city or Interstate at all. The car got only 37 mpg, due to no drafting. There were often cars close ahead of me in the suburbs, but we were too slow for the drafting effect. In the country, no one was ahead of me at 55 - I was punching the air for some cars behind me

vintage42

Joking aside, a good way to feel what drafting does is ride a low-powered motorcycle that requires 3/4 throttle to go 70-80 mph. As you approach the rear of a truck on the Interstate, around 100 feet buffeting is felt but no push.

You don't feel the effect of drafting until you get within the distance that you might normally follow a car. As the wind is cut in front, there seems to be a push from behind and the motorcycle speeds up, making you reduce throttle to keep from running into the back of the trailer. Same rpm and mph, but much less throttle. But this is dangerously close to the trailer and a great annoyance to the trucker who remembers you are there but can't see you.

In chilly weather, the truck not only removes the cold wind, but the pocket of air is also warm with the heat from its huge radiator. One night on I-90 I rode from Rochester to Boston warming up in the pockets now and then.

Cars are so aerodynamic that I have never felt the drafting effect behind one. Maybe you have to get right on their bumper.

hotbox05

great stuff. wish i had a magic car like vintage 42. i will never believe your numbers. if it was as easy as you make it seem everyone would be getting close to your numbers. people aren't end of story.

Archngl

I'm also not sure if premium helps MPGs, but it definately rides smoother. And I definately noticed a difference in acceleration.

vintage42

Would I lie?
Date - Odo - Miles - Gal - MPG - Oct - Notes
4-Jun-06 3,039 268 7.4 36.2 93 Mixed suburb, country
13-Jun-06 3,282 243 7.3 33.3 93 Mixed suburb, city
18-Jun-06 3,521 239 7.1 33.7 93 Equal city, country, I-state
23-Jun-06 3,616 95 3.2 29.8 93 Mixed suburb, city
24-Jun-06 3,905 289 7.8 37.1 93 Lou->Exposed US 42
24-Jun-06 3,924 19 0.8 23.8 93 Exposed 06 Mid-Ohio track
24-Jun-06 4,173 248 5.8 42.8 93 Exposed->Lou Interstate
3-Jul-06 4,402 229 6.4 35.8 93 Mixed suburb, city
13-Jul-06 4,642 240 6.8 35.3 93 Mixed suburb, city
20-Jul-06 4,810 166 4.5 36.9 93 Mixed suburb, country

INTENSE_POWER

Fact: Ethanol Additive in gas decrease your MPG, but it is a much cleaner burning alternative. So as Ethanol mixture is increased in our pump gas our cars will be run cleaner, but loose MPG efficiency.

TheRealBoxster

Does any of that crap on EBAY actually make any diff on PMG? Incluiding CAI

Bossman

hey guys, finally came around to registering since owning my xB. I just drove out from SoCal to Arizona, I left on a full tank and by the time I reached the border I had used over 1/2 my tank and the odometer said it was 150.5 miles. I filled up the car and it took just over 6 gallons. So 150.5/6= 25.083 mpg. I expected better mileage but with the variables such as temp. and changes in elevation it's "ok" I guess. Now around town I seem to get no more than 280 miles per tank, and when I fill up it takes usually no more than 10 gallons. So 280/10= 28mpg.

-Im kind of disappointed by the MPG average im getting as I seem to fill up my car every 4 days. I got longer spread time on my previous car 2004 mercedes C class and filled up every 6 days but I have to average in the larger tank of the mercedes to the box. Hopefully with a CAI I will get a few more around town.

susano705

I don't know if I buy the AC vs Open Windows. I was riding around with my windows open as much as temps would allow and I was getting between 33-34 mpg. I filled up with mid-grade and it jumped to 37. Last week I used the AC all week (no difference in my driving pattern) and my mileage dropped to 30. I was bummed! I just filled up my tank and I'm going to go back to windows open and see if the mileage goes up again.

losmorob

Recent 2-3mpg increase after installing cruise control.

losmorob

Use the same gas pump. Don't top off. Do the math = an accurate gas mileage number.

Max

Or keep a long term spreadsheet. That's really the only way to go for accuracy.

jthebear

This past weekend I drove from Boone, NC to Smithfield, Va. It was a distance of 348 miles. I used 9.4 gallons for 36.9. Most of the time we were on the road we were running 65-70. Sometimes when went up to 80. We left at 12:15 and rolled home at 6:00. That is the best mileage I have gotten. Sadly, I lost one of my racing disc hubcaps. Since it was the third one to go. That is it. The stock hubcaps went back on.

By the way, we stayed in the mountains with another couple that drove a Bonneville. We wound up tooling around the mountains because my Scion had more room for the backseat passengers. Also, coming down a mountain in the Bonneville, when we stopped, you could smelled the brakes. But, the Scion was flawless.

BlueBoxParts

The biggest impact on gas mileage is driving style and the best advice I have heard is to drive like you have a cup of coffee on the dash. If you imagine you have a full cup on the dash and drive like you don't want to spill it, you will be driving as economically as possible. Fast acceleration and deceleration wastes the most energy (gas).

There are guys that have contests to see who can get the best mileage in their economy cars. They use techniques like avoiding using their brakes, putting their car in neutral down hills (to avoid engine braking and slightly higher gas consumption than having the engine idle), drafting large trucks and sealing all the gaps and seams in their body panels with tape. These guys are hardcore about gas savings but the lesson is all about driving style.

Many studies have shown that mid and premium grade gas are not worth the additional expense over standard fuel. In almost all cases you don't get a proportional increase in mileage or maintenance reduction to justify the higher price. In other words, premium and mid-grade gas is a rip-off. Modern cars adjust the timing automatically to protect the engine from pinging and make the most of the fuel regardless of the octane.

I am looking forward to tracking my xB mileage and will post actual readings when I get a couple tanks through it. Still on the first tank now!

vintage42

This is true. If you are driving gently for economy, there is no benefit from premium gas. But if you are in need of 5 more HP due to occasions of hard acceleration, or high speed, use premium.

Scion dropped the rating on the xB to 103 HP in 2006 when regulations made them use the gas that was recommended in the Owners Manual. The recommended gas in the manual is 87 octane or higher. Had Scion recommended 91 octane or lower, they could have continued to claim the 108 HP used for 2005.

2005 xB tested on premium gas
108 hp @ 6000 rpm
105 ft-lb @ 4200 rpm
http://www.automotive.com/2005/12/sc...ons/index.html

2006 xB tested on regular gas
103 hp @ 6000 rpm
101 ft-lb @ 4200 rpm
http://www.automotive.com/2006/12/sc...ons/index.html

losmorob

Oh, you've done it now!
I can see the T.V. news report regarding the recent growth of premium gas sales.
And behind the reporter will be a gas station with XB's lined up.

telemike

284 miles @ 8.66 gallons = 32.8 mpg