my car is turboed making near 400whp i run e85 which takes more fuel i average 20-25 mpg normally on the high way i get 25-30 still

 

I've ignored all these posts for the most part, seeing that my avg. mileage is within the estimated MPG. Here's the thing.. where the heck are you guys driving that you're getting over 30mpg?? There's NO WAY I'm EVER Getting over 28mpg.. EVER!!!! I'm a 70mph driver in the slow lane, and the best i've managed is my current tank at 27.6.. You all must live where it's totally FLAT!!! hills kill the mpg.. either way, i'm happy...

 

sounds like life to me.

 

i live in denver co and its hilly here

 

Been there many times, including last week for GABF, & it didn't seem very hilly unless you head up to the Flat Irons or the 14er's.

 

Its not hard for me to get 28.5 to 29.5 because my commute from Williamsburg to Newport news is 75% Hwy. Driving more town gives me 28 or a little less, but taking my time and accelerating around 2500rpms is important.

My problem lately is, now that the car is good and broken in, is my lead foot and having fun with the 2.4L. Most of my runs now are 27.5-28. :D

 

Your gas mileage would improve if you slowed down an additional 10 mph, but it's probably not safe if you have to do 70 in the slow lane lol.

 

you were in town and didnt let me know. i want to meet the great cionide and, i live on the north west end arvada broomfield area. last week we went on a cruize to mt evans i averaged 26mpg with my foot in it. member hills go both ways on the way down i thhrow it in neutral and get some milage lol.

 

60 in the slow lane in san diego??? I'd be in a body bag!!!

 

Just took a trip with the family. 2 adults, 2 kids, 70-73 mph the whole way. Took 1/2 a tank to get there and 1/2 a tank back. Stayed on cruise as much as possible and got 29.8 on the way and 30.1 on the return. I was pleased with that. Going to switch to full synthetic and log it, then add a K&N filter and logit again.

 

my record, on flat smooth road, behind a semi at 65 MPH is 47.3MPG (by the cars computer, of course) for about half an hour.

my record without drafting a truck is 43.3 MPH, again only while on the freeway and up to speed.

my worst was on an On-ramp. I got 2.2 MPG.

that economy display is adorable!

 

If your rpm's go over 3k then you wont get very good gas mileage. Get an intake and you can feel and hear the motor isnt very happy above 3k rpms. And hills definitely kill mpg... I usually cruise 70 or more on highways and thats where I saw my 30mpg... My mods prob help some.

 

I finally filled her up and was a bit surprised ... she was getting 30.1 MPG and that was with a mix of highway and backroad driving -with a light foot and short shifts of course. I guess having a 14 gallon tank can add to part of the illusion that you are going through more gas than you really are.

Like RC-PILOT, I am thinking about going to full synthetic and adding a K&N to see what it does ... maybe I can squeak another 1-2MPG out of it!

 

Air drag, Tire drag and engine friction are the big loosers in any vehicle and anything you do to reduce drag will help get you better gas mileage.

 

Someone a while back posted pics where he taped off the upper grill and added around 2 mpg to his vehicle. I think he was on to something there. I have not had time to mess around with it yet, but like adding tape to a race car, it will reduce drag from air going through a grill that does not provide cooling. I would think that doing something along those lines would be the cheapest and best improvement to mpg. Who knows.... it could lead to a new upper "closed" grill on the aftermarket with a few choices in the look. Would be an easy choice to make if it really does no harm and really adds 2+ mpg.

 

As long as you're sure the upper grill is not necessary for cooling, then sealing it off will help improve mpg for sure. Also lowering the suspension of the box will help prevent as much air from traveling under it. In order to ensure that engine heat is being dissipated out from under the hood, you can have more open rims. Let's say if you're using steelies with hubs over it (such as the moonies), you're not going to do your box justice. By having something more open, such as 16s that are five spoke, more air can escape through this area.

So as long as the upper grill is not necessary for cooling the engine, then sealing it off will benefit you for sure. But smart driving is really the way to prosper. When I drove highway I definitely saw 28-30mpg on average. Try coasting to lights more.

 

put that car on a diet, gut it and replace the panels with carbon fiber, still wont help much, park the box and get a bike if you really want mileage

 

Actually what I did got me 44.4mpg on the last 5.35 gallons of gas in my 1st Gen xB with a mix of 70mph highway into headwinds and some city driving. If you look in my garage profile you can see the grill block I use in the colder weather. Big things sure are coasting to lights and engine braking to lights are even better since that make the fuel shut off to the injectors aboubt 1000-1200 RPM. How you exit the highway also impacts the mileage more than you would imagine.