I tell no lie. If you want to see details, skip the story below.

On my way back up to Kansas, I always make one stop in Norman, Oklahoma because that's about how far one tank of gas used to get me from my house in Houston, Texas. This time around after some recent maintenance I have been getting 30mpg.
So this time, by the time I ran (Didn't run out, fuel light just came on) out of good ol' Texas 93 Octane, I was in Edmond, first few gas stations that I stopped at only had 87 (I don't play around with that, some people do, that's cool and all, but I don't), first one I found that had premium had a big sign outside saying "We only have REAL gas." At first I was excited but I was pissed off cause it was lower octane (North of texas only 91's avail ) and it was a higher price @ $3.09 a gallon. So I sucked it up and Filled up to continue on with my trip to Manhattan, Kansas.
About 10 miles out I look down and realized that I've only used a little bit less than 1/2 of a tank , I thought my gas gauge was broken until I filled it back up and did the math.... 37mpg .

My speedo/tach is off cause of my tire size, all I know is that I stayed around what the car thinks is 3k the whole time, timed it out using mile markers so I was doing 71.

So, I made a thread to brag, I'll add pics later (Like that will help?)

Shorter version:
Filled up with 100% real gas (91 oct) in Oklahoma, got 37mpg.

Current specs of my car:
-5 speed
-174,xxx Miles
-Mobile 1 Syth 10w30 and Filter
-Z32TT Fuel Filter
-Recently seafoamed
-225/45/17s up front @ 34 psi, 235/45/17s in the rear @ 40 psi (forgot to do my air after Gymkhana, usually I bump the fronts up in psi on road trips).
-Warpspeed Y-Pipe+Hi Flow cat
-Underdrive Pulley
-Bomz SRI
-Tools and clothes in the trunk too lol.
-No A/C (Compressor on the car, but not being driven by the belt)

I'm so in love w/ this car right now, saving me SO much money, anyways, I guess thanks to the .org for all of it's knowledge and tips for helping me keep this car running so good (I should donate the savings so I can become a premium member, I'll do it when I get back home).

 

Wow, what was the actual numbers, miles traveled, gallons used or filled?

 

296.3 miles traveled
7.980 Gallons filled (wasn't real gas though, kinda hard to find nowadays, now I'm all for it!!)

In retrospect, I should have made a video (of my filling up my gas tank or something), I know there are going to be ALLOT of doubters.

 

37mpg wow ! that's not bad at all.

 

Haha, and we were just talking about this the other night.

 

you get similar mileage with 87 or 89 octane?

 

Nice probably depending on where you drove cause atmospheric pressure can take an effect on gas mileage air density etc etc. As well as the tempiture of the gas can take effect that is all i can think of for the high mpg you got, or u drove really slow or in neautal the whole time

Since you left those out i figure i add them to ur equiation. Also 91 is fine all i put in mine, i hardly find 93 but i have suncos 94 on a full tank it seemed it is hyped a little bit, mpg didnt change nor did i feel better power. Makes me wonder if it is really 94. Heh

 

My car runs like crap up here in KS (Slow, idles wierd), it could be a combination of the altitude and lower octane but either way, it's not the same car (performance wise) whenever I take it up here and I usually get worse gas mileage, but this time around I tried this "100% gas thing" and well it's working out for the better. So far I don't feel much of a performance loss but my car is still having a REALLY hard time find a good idle (Jumps between 1 and 2k).

All of this and I still get 37 lol.

Anyways, I'll update this thread later when I go back to OKC to that gas station to get more of that magic in my car to see if I can repeat these results.

 

What is your definition of "real gas"? Haha, I don't mean to tool on you, I am just wondering if it is Premium fuel or what exactly you are talking about.

And I believe that you scored in the 30s for mpg, as it really depends on what kind of terrain you are driving and the atmospheric conditions (eg, humidity). I used to average 24/25 mpg driving from Boston to Albany NY, because it was hilly and I averaged 75-85mph. When driving from Boston to Washington DC, I got 27-28 and was doing 80 mph for more than half the trip and about 70 for the other half.

I still think that the reason why I picked up the extra 4mpg was because of the flatter terrain that I traveled in. Assuming that traveling from TX to KS is very flat, I believe that you were able to get in the 30s.

 

Mine will struggle to 296.3 miles on 15.96 gallons.

 

Your tires set off the speedo by 5.3%, which means you actually traveled 281 miles for 35MPG.

I don't doubt that you could get 35, mine gets 30+ in daily driving (I use speedo correction to compensate for the inaccurate odometer readings) and I don't really try.

 

I also get the best mileage with 91-92 octane. There's only one station around here that I've found that sells 92, and it's always a few cents cheaper than the premium elsewhere. You bet I filled up there every chance I got when it was on my route to work. Sadly, that place is well out of the way now and I hardly ever get to fill up there.

35MPG is sweet, dude (agreeing with poster above, smaller tires mean your actual mileage was a little less). I've also found that having some weight in the trunk helps my mileage, somehow. I'm guessing that it's a combination of loading the rear suspension to get that beam out of the wind, and balancing the weight distribution. It's a noticeable difference, though, whatever the cause. I'm a little baffled by how much it actually seems to help, but I'm thankful for it in any case.

Everything on that mod list sounds like it would help you get the mileage you got, with the exception of the tires. Congratulations.

 

Wrong, I anticipated that so I kept track of miles via the highway mile markers, even though my mileage odometer was somehow corrrect, unless the highway markers are incorrectly spaced, I did travel those amoount of miles (well most of those miles, when I exited off of I-70 to Manhattan, I could no longer keep track via highway markers).
I first looked at my fuel gauge I was thinking the EXACT same thing, but I reset one of my trip meter multiple times and it matched up w/ the highway markers every single time.

And yes, this is the first time I traveled UP to Kansas with extra weight in the back (While not overloading the car, last time I had weight in the car traveling northbound, I could barely see out of the rear window, and every nook and cranny was filled with stuff), the TRUE test is when I return to OKC tomoro with the rest of my belongings from KSU, I'm filling up in Manhattan with the usual 90/10 mix and I will go to the same gas station in OKC and fill up again.

When I mention real gas, I mean 100% gas, not 90% gas and 10% ethanol, like most gas stations serve now-a-days.
Like a nice portion of off the beaten path gas stations in Oklahoma, this one advertised the fact that they had "100% real gasoline," so I gave them a shot, and well I'm not regretting it so far!!!

As for the using lower octane thing, I am not for sure, I can only say what I have personally expierienced from the VQ30 motor.
I always use whatever is "Premium" in TX (my home state) "Premium" is 93 octane, but in the states further north of my (OK, KS, MO, NE) state, 91 octane is considered "Premium." I personally am not a believer of using 87 octane in a car with a high compression motor, but I do know of other people who use 87 in Maximas and do not have detrimental results.

Lets try to answer more questions... Uhm... If you are getting less than EPA results, more than likely you need some maintenance done to your maxima. I have ALWAYS gotten (with reasonable driving habits) at or above 25 MPG in a 5 speed (VQ30DE and DE-K) Maxima. Only times I have gotten less is with a lesser octane fuel or aggressive driving.

Lets see uhm, like I said, I set my cruise around 3k RPM, and I estimated my speed using the stopwatch on my Blackberry Bold (just incase there is some stopwatch inaccufcy) at 72.1mph, which my speedo read around 74mph and like uhhh 3.1kjrpm.

Also, after I filled up on gas, the trip was pretty flat, the only really serious hills IMO are when you cross the TX/OK border, after OKC things seem to flatten out pretty much... But I am at a higher altitude, so wouldn't that mean thinner air, which would work against me???

Again, I will upload some pictures I toook (of the gauges and the trip) when I reutrn home (sory for the spelling, I am a bit not sober....)

Also, thanks again everyone, I know it's not everyday a 11 yaer old 3.0L v6 accomplishes anything over 30mpg, but I'm really thinking it's this 100% real gas that really helped.

 

I remember the select stations around Boston that had "real gas", but they disappeared shortly after I got my car in 2007.

And idk where you can still find 94 S1, I thought that Sunoco discontinued that many years ago? Every Sunoco I have ever been to has had 93 though. If I am wrong, let me know! And how do you have trouble finding 93? I have never had an issue in MA.

 

93 would get better milege then 91? I didnt know it came down to mpg, i thought it was just better quality. I might start going 93 now.

 

OP: Why did you bother filling up when you hadn't even used 1/2 tank of gas? That could distort the mpg reading as you might not have filled the car to the brim with the most recent fill up and did with the previous fill up.

Were you driving with the benefit of a tail wind behind you?

Comment on the terrain, please.

 

Ok man, sorry to burst your bubble. I was gonna give you the benefit of the doubt however:

Filling up your tank half way leaves LOTS of room for error. Your error rate on a 1/2 tank is twice as high as a nearly empty tank. Most people know this without needing it explained to them. I just put gas in my car the other day at a Shell station, my gas gauge was at 1/4 mark. The pump shut itself off automatically at 11 gallons. Normally at the 1/4 mark I can get 13+ gallons, and afterwards my fuel gauge will stay above full for 90 miles. This time, my gas gauge fell below full at 30 miles. If I would have done the math at the Shell station that day, I had 385 miles on my trip odo and only put in 11 gallons? No way did I get 35MPG. Not on winter gas with daily driving. I highly doubt you had an accurate read. And BTW, my car can do 300 miles by the half tank mark too. It's pretty usual since our gas tank is oddly shaped and the gas gauge moves faster below 1/2 tank.

5 speed Maxima's do worse on the open road due to shorter gearing. The AT's actually do a little better on highway MPG's.

Wider section width tires (235 in rear is 20mm wider than stock SE rubber) will create more friction. That is why the newer Maxima's kept getting worse MPGs every generation: they became heavier and used wider rubber. The newer 3.5 engine is capable of the same MPG's as the 3.0, I know, my 3.5 gets better MPG's than a 3.0.

So, you are stating that with wider tires, more weight, filling up at half a tank and a 5 speed on the open road you are getting 37MPG? Now I am doubting you.

Although I do agree that the Y-Pipe may improve things, I averaged 1mpg more during the 9 months I had a y pipe. And real gas makes a big difference. I think gas companies like spiking their gas with additives as most cars use 10% or more gas this way. But still man, 37 mpg...ok. Now if you did a full tank, several times and averaged it out I think your numbers would be more realistic.

Now you'll prob be butt hurt at my skepticism, but honestly, even if you "only" got low 30's, that is very good. The Maxima is very efficient when running well. I don't think any car can match the performance/economy ratio that a Maxima provides. I mean really, your 5 speed will get from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds, and get good MPG's. Very few new cars even come close.

 

Don't know how many i get but i got 295 miles out of a FULL Tank was like $42 of gas. is this normal? i have a bad Knock sensor and Crank Sensor thats it runs perfect. is this bad or good?

 

I don't get how most people on .Org get a higher MPG than whats stated by the manufacturer!

I get exactly what the manufacturer said I would get and not any more or less. I guess this means I need to buy more parts for my car in order to increase my MPG, maybe a new exhaust system and intake will help things, or maybe 1-piece headlights as well, or maybe even some lowering springs and a lip it

 

Sounds good to me. might as well test it out since im getting about 19-21 average right now :/

my engine needs some help considering i'm shelling out nearly $50 a tank for 93 aki here in texas

 

Lets see....

First thing is first, my trip odometer was wrong, I did a more accurate test and yes, you guys were right!

Also I forgot to list an important spec about my car, see original post.

Made in china, your logic is there, but honestly the results do not lie.

I filled up at the same gas station today, so far same results, getting around 37mpg, I am no longer using my in car odometer to keep track of the miles, hopefully google maps provides an accurate mileage account.

In the end, my car is getting considerable higher MPG than what it used to on these trips.

In the past, Sugar Land, TX -> Norman, OK was about as far as this car would go on one tank of gas (gas light would be on for 10-20 miles, can't remember exactly). If I make it home from Moore, OK then I have accomplished some type of MPG increase, my math says 37mpg (well maybe really 35mpg), if this is true then I should arrive home with about 1/4 of a tank,

 

I partially agree with this. Strictly speaking, the best way to get a true read is to fill to shutoff (don't top off), run it until the gas light comes on, then fill to shutoff at exactly the same pump. This ensures that any error on entry is replicated on fillup (unless the pump is serviced between your visits: unlikely).
I am also interested to see what your round-trip average is, as many factors including slope may affect your A-B mileage that would be counteracted on the B-A trip.

What I disagree with is that pump error likely played a major role in this (though it is certainly possible; clearly, a 2 gallon short fill is possible and not terribly uncommon). If you filled to shutoff both times and weren't parked on a weird slope in either place, you probably got close to the mileage you measured, I'd say within 1 MPG. A good intermediate test is to see if the needle starts dropping prematurely compared to what you're used to seeing. If it drops later, of course, you know you probably have a complete fill and you're still getting great mileage. I don't doubt your ability to perceive this, though. Usually if I have a low fill, I know it within 30 miles because the needle is no longer pegged, as mentioned above.

Edit: I see you posted second-tank results. Consider me convinced.

 

If you're buying gas at $3/gal, that's 295mi/14gal=~21MPG. That's lower than I've ever gotten, even with a bad KS, though that does have a significant impact. If you have a lead foot and drive mostly in the city or just do a lot of idling, that could account for the rest. I don't know personally how much the crank sensor could affect mileage, but I'd bet it does some. Fix your car and I have no doubt you'll see an improvement.

You're joking, but some of those probably will help. I'm working on procuring some springs to test out my 'beam in the wind' theory as we speak. A better flowing air filter has helped me in the past, as has a taped grille for a makeshift WAI. Still working on getting some high-flow exhaust bits on to see if they help. It sounds counterintuitive, but in many cases, fast = efficient.

 

37mpg isn't bad, some of those mods you have there seem to have done the trick. I just took a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to Kzoosho's with Ninos_Maxima and we averaged 31 MPG and this was averaging 80mph, 32psi on 225/55/17, 330,700 miles, two people, A/C on and random 100mph+ runs over the course of the trip. I'd challenge your MPG but its mentally and physically impossible for me to do 71 mph on open road, especially in the Max lol

 

Where did you figure im paying $3 a gallon and i only have a 14 gallon tank? Its a 18.5 Gallon Tank according to a Manuel. not sure if its that big but its somewhere around 16-18 gallon gas tank. no way in hell im getting 21MPG trust me.

 

for some reason the manual is terribly wrong about our tanks, ive never ever been able to fill up over 16 gallons, no matter how empty the tank.
ive avging 460miles per tank with a blown suspension and bald front tires. your car has a problem.
and he possibly figures your paying 3 dollars a tank since ive yet to see 93 octane cheaper than 2.95 for a month now.

 

The main reason for my low speed is because I don't know how fast I'm going, lol. I usually cruise @ 76 mph, but because I can't see my speed, I don't trust myself cruising 6+ psl.

We shall see if its the gas or terrain, I'm in Dallas now, I will be leaving for Houston around lunch time.

 

Agree with Handson,

I never been able to fill up over 16 gallons.

Yo Acck,

37 mpg huh. yo thats dope man. It prolly was the gas. I notice whenever i use fuel injector cleaner my mpg goes up too.

 

I jus saw that lol ...thats funny lol

YO man...i got a SOny GPS that tells me how fast im goin. Its pretty accurate with my speedo.

 

Correct. Did the best I could with the information given. If you (Travis) had given us gallons instead of price, I'd have been able to calculate your mileage more accurately. I have filled up 17.5 gallons before, but I was completely out. I guarantee you did not use all 18.5 gallons, or even very close to 18, but if you had, your mileage would have been even worse.

</threadjack>

 

i've done 18.2.

 

Well, that's actually not all that uncommon. I've always gotten higher real-world MPG than manufacturer estimates in ALL my cars over the years. Manufacturer MPG ratings are merely "estimates" figured up in a convoluted way by the EPA. Even at that, the EPA doesn't even ACTUALLY "test" (still not a real world test, but a rather elaborate simulation) but a fraction of new cars.

 

Too many doubtful variables pointing towards a high improbability of achieving the OP's claimed numbers.

 

Anywho, whoever said something about elevation, temperature and terrain was DEFINITELY onto something... My fuel mpg plummeted when I got to TX.

Even though I was doubtful this time with my car being loaded to the ground and my windows down most of the time, it was still worth a shot.

Still, I am very excited saving near $30 on this trip!! Just wish things worked out as well southbound as they did northbound.

And I just filled up over 16 gallons, 17.20x to be exact. I've done it many times before, don't know what is goin on @ you guys gas stations...


Final southbound numbers 17.20x gallons w/ an estimated 520 miles (30mpg)

Final northbound #'s
I will save this thread for future reference and update it again next time I visit KS (sometime this time next year).

 

hey man, 37mpg (7.6 km/l here in canada) is if outstanding. my 2000 maxima SE has something wrong. it's like 15km/l! lol pig on gas right now.

 

This makes me wanna start shelling out for the 93 octane stuff ahah

 

Just wondering if "real gas" was referring to ZERO Ethanol content? I have to say I tend to get 15-25% better gas mileage when I fill up with 91 with NO ETHANOL versus 91 with even minimal 3-10% ethanol. Unfortunately most gas stations in my part of the country tend to sell 90/10 gasoline/ethanol mix at 91 Octane as it saves them money. It also keeps water from clogging the fuel filter, thereby reducing the gas station's liability for selling "bad gas" if they get a little H2O in their tanks.

 

AACKSHUN - Sorry just noticed you did clarify on what you meant by "real gas" and my guess was correct. I sure with I could find a "real gas station" in Colorado.

 

ill teach you young grasshoppah!! both of my maximas pull over 30 mpg WITHOUT FAIL.

 

My A33B has a hard time getting past 25MPG