vito1281

Ok, I did a search, but didn't find exactly what I'm looking for.

Here's the situation...I have a 2003 SE 6sp with 1200 miles on it right now, and I'm getting like 15-16 MPG in 85/15 city/hwy driving. So you may ask what's the big deal if you're using the power of the car? Well, I was in the break-in period, and the car didn't see rpms over 3.2K. Most of my shifts were/are around 2.5-3K rpms, so by no means am I lead footed at this point.

However, I'm still getting this low gas mileage on a 6sp. It has been cold out here in Boston, but from other posts that I saw, people were getting this mileage by basically having a heavy foot, and having an automatic. I also tend to cruise around 1.5-2K rpms, so the engine is not working hard at all.

Is there a problem with this, or is this just the cold weather causing this? Should I have it checked out, and if so, what could be the cause on such a new car?

By the way, I always fill up with 93 octane.

Thanks

jjs

Apparently a major contributor to sucky mileage is short trips. What is your average distance per drive?

92 SE-R 02 SE

its just nissan lying about gas mileage. i cant get better that 14-15 on my 02, and i have 3500 miles on it. WHen i installed my intake, i drove the car very hard and got 10 MPG! Yes 10!!

My driving is like yours, mainly city..

It could be the cold, im hoping the mileage increase when i put more miles on the car..

kramerica72

oxygenated gas=chitty mileage

vito1281

jjs,
some of my trips are not short at all. Actually, most of them are not short. For example, drive to work is about 45 mins long and approximately 11 or so miles (I do sit in traffic for a little bit, but not overly so).

Come to think of it, most of my drives thus far have been at least 20 mins long. No going to the store for 5 mins type of thing (once or twice, but not enough, IMHO, to contribute significantly to the poor mileage).

I've tried using different gas stations, but they all seem to yield the same results.

jjs

Well, scratch one cause!

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

On that stop and go traffic, how hard do you accelerate? Jackrabbit starts kill mileage.

Corelventura

iTrader: (9)

if it make you feel any better, i too live in boston and i do get about 19.1 mpg on my 2k3 auto. also sometime worst.

vito1281

CCS2k1Max: Not at all--no hard/jackrabbit starts! If it's REALLY slow moving, I'll creep up with just letting out the clutch (no gas). At other times, when I need to get going normally, usually rev up to 1200-1500 RPMs and just get going smoothly/normally.

Corelventura: No, doesn't make me feel better cause you have an auto and get better mileage than me (6 speed)--it should be the other way around.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

even if you drive 20 mins, the first 10-15 mins are going to be seriously fuel rich.. plus, youre on oxigenated gas during winter.

All the info I have seen puts the max (even when getting 14 mpg) squarely in the middle of V6 sedans.

I'm sure thats why we are seeing cats dying on 3yr old cars.. just dumping a ton of unburned gas in there.

FASST LN

If there was that much raw fuel hitting the cats, then no one would be able to pass emissions because their HC (hydrocarbons) would be through the roof.

Are you going by your own calculations or the trip computer's?

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

OT but it should be the other way around. Reformulated fuel is used in the summertime (April through October) in non-attainment areas (to reduce ozone pollution). After October, prices ususally go down as refineries reconfigure to sell standard gasoline. I say usually since this year the Irak and Venezuela "issues" have kept oil prices up. Also, if you live in the corn belt you get methanol year round...

vito1281

Hey Tim,
when you say "fuel rich", what does that mean? I've also seen the phrase "running lean" in the forums, anyone care to explain what that is?

So, in other words, according to you getting 16 mpg during winter with my driving style/circumstances is within norm?

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

If you're going through emissions testing, you should warmup the car completely and "turn off all accessories". Ever tried the test on a cold car?

thanpto

How are you determining your gas mileage? Are you using:
the car's computer?--->not accurate,
full tank fill up (miles/gallons)?--more accurate but needs to be averaged over time.

vito1281

No, I'm not using the trip computer--I know it's off by like 2-4 MPG in most cases. I'm doing my own calculations: MILES DRIVEN/GALS. FILLED UP.

The trip computer is putting out something like 20.4 as the reading. I've done this calculation 2 times now, which is about the last 2.5 weeks.

kramerica72

Reformulated and oxygenated fuels are two ddifferent things. In areas where oxygenated fuel is mandated, this gas is generally sold from November to March because cold engines run less cleanly and produce more carbon monoxide. In summer, conventional gasoline is used in most of these areas.

Reformulated fuel is used year-round in high pollution areas.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

I stand corrected. I wasn't aware about states requiring oxygenated fuels in the winter, which is not a federal requirement.

Tripower

It could be that your engine hasn't completely broken in yet. My dad always said that a motor runs better and gets better mileage with time after it's "loosened up" a bit.

I have about 5900 miles on my 02 auto and have averaged 19.1 overall in those miles with a high of 23.4 and a low of 16.3. My average commute is about 12 miles each way to work going freeway half the time and side streets the other. In my experience, the engine does well mileage wise when running on the highway and is less than stellar in "around town" driving. My 97 seems to do 1-2 KPG better in the same conditions. I guess the extra 1/2 liter and weight did make a bit of a difference.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Your right the 3.5 is not "fuel friendly", my new 03 Max auto with 430 miles gets about 16 mpg(mix city and highway mainly highway,my wifes new 350Z gets about 15.7so basically the same. I figure give them a few miles it will get better, I was starting to think I want my 97 back,lol!

Mike S.

This really makes no sense at all since Nissan is NOT the one who sets the MPG on the window sticker. LOL.....lets sue them for 15hp and bad MPG, even though they didn't rate the MPG.

imjd

I also live just outside of Boston and most of my driving is short trips in city traffic, but usually 2 or 4 fairly long highway trips (40 mi each way) each week.

I seem to get about 23 mpg overall. The car has just over 8k miles now. I didn't notice much of an change after the first 1000 miles.

During days when I do no highway driving (just a heavily congested trip to my office) the trip computer seems to report 19 mpg at best, so I suspect the real number is about 16.

I have the impression (based on the trip computer) that the car continues to use a lot of extra gasoline for about 10~15 min after the engine temp reaches the normal range. Even though inaccurate, the trip computer numbers clearly do have some relationship to the actual consumption. My observation is that if you reset the trip computer just before a cold start, and do some city-traffic driving, and then reset it again, over the course of many such experiments, it seems that until the engine has run for something more than 10 min the mileage is quite low. It improves dramatically after that thorough warmup.

I'm also sure that in my particular case, my mileage is extra poor because the first 2 miles from leaving my house are spent mostly waiting at stoplights. It is not unusual for the trip computer to show 7 mpg for the first mile of my trip. (That first mile usually takes over 5 minutes because of stoplights and congestion.)

vito1281, I'm afraid your experience sounds typical to me too. That's the price you pay for a large-displacement engine in a fairly heavy car.

bridgemax

i get around 16 mpg city/hwy on 2k se auto - i think that nissan misrepresented with the milaege like other things they misrepresnt, but what the hell, the max is one of the best cars out there, filler'up and enjoy it...

bridgemax

i get around 16 mpg city/hwy on 2k se auto - i think that nissan misrepresented with the milaege like other things they misrepresnt, but what the hell, the max is one of the best cars out there, filler'up and enjoy it...

TimW

iTrader: (6)

anyone that feels like they got screwed on the gas mileage, look at the Consumer Reports on V6 cars printed in the summer of 01 I believe. Among the things it rates is MPG for a trip under 10 mins. the max got like 15.1. However the Accord got like 15.6 and a volvo got 14.7. I think the A6 was also lower than the max. They also explained the emissions and why the mpg was like this for short trips.

RC03MAX

I live in NY and have been tracking my mileage since day one on my '03 SE (with a great program in my PalmPilot) and I have had average mileage as low as 15 mpg but never higher than 20 mpg....and the bulk of my driving is highway...I have a 6 sp which I drive 90% normal/10% hard and was wondering what is up with the MPG too???

What's really wierd is the first full tank (which was provided by the dealer) got me close to 400 miles...I haven't gotten near that much since

2k1maxgle

iTrader: (1)

I have a 2k1 auto with about 56k miles on it. and my gas mileage sucks too...so i dont guess its just a 2k2+ problem.

wild willy

iTrader: (10)

In reading about the VQ mpg over the past year....All I can come up with is it really varies. I think it depends mainly on your driving style...This winter in my Alti (same engine) I am averaging over 22 mpg and that is almost all city. Some are getting more...lots are getting less

cwerdna

Actually, Nissan probably did set it. Read the 1st question and answer at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/info.shtml.

"Manufacturers test pre-production prototypes of the new vehicle models and submit the test results to EPA. EPA re-tests about 10% of the tested vehicles to confirm manufacturer's results in EPA's lab..."

260HPBuick

Hello,

Here's my take on this... IT's about -6C in Toronto today...

My 2k3 Maxima with 500.0 km on the odo has pretty bad city mileage, about 17MPG. But it gets better after warming up, and probably improves to 20MPG. However, I'm driving it like an old lady.

On the highway, crusing at 100KPH (or 62.5MPH), I'm getting 34MPG according to the computer. Right on target with transport Canada. :-)

The mileage will only get worse once she's broken in (if you know what I mean)!!!

I won't know forsure until I do some real calculations since many say the computer is not very accurate.

James

Craig2kGLE

Uh, I think this might be why your mileage seems so low. You're hitting stoplights and taking a full 45 minutes to go 11 miles. If you work 5 days a week, you're taking 7.5 hours to drive a total of 110 miles - of course your mileage sucks. The engine is still running and burning fuel, even if the car is just idling at a stop light.

I would hazard a guess that if you took your car out on the highway for that same 110 miles, your gas mileage would be significantly better. It would also take significantly less than 7.5 hours.

Good luck!

Craig
2kGLE

SSandMaxima

There is clearly some bogusness going on. I just got 26mpg over the last 300 miles... almost 30mpg over the last 150. Its my best mileage yet... and the most extended cold weather around here in the last three years. I alternate half-tanks of 93 octane and 89 octane. In GA, we do not (yet) use oxygenated or reformulated fuels.

vito1281

Ok guys, I was out of town for the last 2 days, so couldn't read all of your responses...

So what I gather from this thread is that my mileage is fine (as in within the norms), and there's nothing to worry about. Don't get me wrong--I'm not ****ed cause I have to spend a lot of $$$ on gas, but I was more concerned that something was wrong with the car. But, since some of you are getting similar MPG, then I'll just have to live with it. For a 3.5L engine, I think this is not bad at all.

And considering my daily commute is VERY city as opposed to highway/faster rural roads, that also contributes to it.

Anyhow, thanks to all you guys for reaffirming that nothing's wrong with my car!

Happy Max'n!!!

Samzx12

I have never got under 20mpg on my Y2K02 auto. The computer has never shown under 20 mpg either but I mormally get anywhere from 20-23 mpg and I check it against the miles driven divided gallons used. I have read that some people get 26-30 mpg on the highway driving at 65 mph. Personally I doubt that but who knows?

Sam

cwerdna

I generally get between 16.5-21 mpg on my 2K2 auto. Unfortunately I have a lot of short trips w/a fair amount of idling. My best ever was 28 mpg and my worst was 14 when I went lapping at a track.

SkylineGTR

do u use the heater?
that contributes to less mileage as well.

wild willy

iTrader: (10)

That should not make a difference..the fan is electric...if you have the defrost on and the compressor is running that may make a difference

vito1281

Yeh, that's right--heater should NOT make a difference because it actually helps the engine run cooler, by dissipating heat into the cabin.

What I forgot to mention/check is my tire pressure. Visually they look OK, but I'm going to measure the inflation tonight and see what it is. That could be leading to somewhat lower mileage.

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

I drove my car to Kansas from Georgia the first week I had it, so I really didn't have much of a choice in how my car was "broke in". On the way back from Kansas, I got an actual 31.1 MPG (trip computer said 35 MPG). I literally had 540 miles on my tank of gas before I filled it up (with right around 17.5 gallons). I haven't taken it out on the road for that long of a distance since then, but it usually gets 21-22 MPG city with my wife driving to work every day (35 mile commute through the heart of Atlanta). When I drive it during the week, I only get 19 MPG (slightly more spirited driving on my behalf). I think mileage really depends on the break in as well as your driving style (of course). Type of oil used and tire pressure can also play what I would deem supplementary roles, but the biggest factor is the person driving. Gas quality is the only other MAJOR factor, IMHO. Thoughts, opinions, comments... ?

DrVolkl

I don't think it's fine...but best of luck to ya!

I drive to and from work everyday...a trip that takes 14mins. I warm my car up for aprox 2-5mins, sometimes less. Temp: Steady 37-50

I drive highway/city, pretty much 50/50

Get 360-380miles per fill up, usually 15.2 gallons

Change your gas station...or move...sounds like bad gas.