Me and my wife decided to show my new toy in Austin so we drove the New Max to Austin from Dallas, Tx. I got anywhere from 35-39 miles per gallon on the whole trip. Distance from Dallas to Austin is about 155 miles....relative speed 72 mph(cruise control), mmmmmm....

Pic to see.....



Have avi movie if need more proof....

 

OK, now you must compute the built-in error in the computer. It's pretty simple.

Take 37.6.....divide by 2.......carry the one......add 3......move some numbers around here......done. You got 24 MPG.

 

Your wrong......
Same trip to Austin in 97 Auto Max took some over half a tank...
Now took only 1/3 of tank....
simple to understand.....
Need more proof.....

 

he is joking

 

But it would still be nice to know your actual fuel usage.

Did you fill up at the start of the trip, and again when you arrived? If so, distance, divided by gallons for the second fill = real miles/gallon.

My computer is consistently 2-3 MPG optimistic (I enter every single fill up in to a spread sheet so I can see trends ... last tank (19.?) was a leadfoot tank )

 

I know but someone got bashed for getting 33.3 mpg, just letting everyone know you can get better than that....

 

No did not fill up when I left, but still had fuel close to the Full Mark on the gas guage....Was tempted to race a Mustang GT but did not, too many cars on highway.......Next time...

 

All you need to do is coast down a long hill and reset the computer - I'm sure you can get it to spit out large numbers.

We used to do that in our '89 Lincoln - it would read up to 70mpg.

You MIGHT be able to get a number like that if you drove about 2 ft behind a semi trailer so your car had no wind resistance.

Otherwise I don't believe it.......

 

The numbers you report are meaningless unless you calculate distance traveled/gallons used. The gas gauge is non-linear and we all know the trip computer is off at least 2-3 mpg (if not more).

 

I made a similar business trip from Saddle Brook, NJ to Albany, NY (and back). Distance was approximately 380 round trip (including 60 around the great City of Albany). Computer posted a 37.2!!

Of course I did not drive normally... Well not normal for a Maxima owner. I accelerated to 6th gear, set the cruise control to 60 mph, and didn't hit the brake until I arrived at my exit. Same thing going back.

When I got home, I filled up the tank and the pump read 11 Gallons... well that was only 34.5 mpg, but hey I have a 3.5 Liter V6 under there!!! My old Eclipse 2.0 Turbo was lucky to get 28 mpg.

 

No doubt, the Nissan software engineers built some "Kentucky windage" into the trip computer. I also found the average speed to be off by about 2 MPH.

Is there any way to calibrate the computer?

 

Don't even think it's possible... I think the 28 estimate is far closer to accurate.

 

Sometimes I wish I had a tall 6th gear just for the great highway economy you guys are seeing. It hurts to see the engine rev at 3500rpm when I'm only coasting but at least power is always on tap!

 

No I don't hide behind trucks like other people....
Interstate 35 does not have too many hills(between Austin and Dallas).....
Did you read the post about another person getting 37.2 mpg.....huh..
Seems like your ignorance has overshadowed the reality of what the Maxima can do.....Sorry you don't support or respect the capabilities of the Maxima., even though you own one...If you'd like I can show the video of the occurence.....What more proof do you need?

 

a third of a tank? 18.5 total gallons divided by 3 = 6.16666666667

155 miles divided by 6.16666666667 gallons = 25.1 MPG.

but even that is an estimate. the needle on the fuel gauge is not 100% accurate.

the computer should never be trusted.

 

Sorry wrong info given, not 155 miles, closer to, 215 miles...just asked wife...family is in Onion Creek(South Austin).....now makes more sense...

 

Heh. My Dodge Caravan had an 'instantaneous' MPG reading, updated every 5-10 seconds or so. Twas very easy to get it up to 99 MPG ;-)

Wasn't so easy to get the avg MPG up real high, though.

 

You win the million dollars. Smartest comment that I'v e ever read on this forum in regads to MPG on a 5TH Gen. Max. I used to get 26-28MPG on my last car, was a 2K V6 Accord Coupe. When I travel in my 2K Max, I lock the cruise control at 70 MPH, and get 26-28 MPG. Around towm I average 21-22MPG. After all, it is a 6 cylinder 200+HP engine.

 

You win the million dollars. Smartest comment that I'v e ever read on this forum in regads to MPG on a 5TH Gen. Max. I used to get 26-28MPG on my last car, was a 2K V6 Accord Coupe. When I travel in my 2K Max, I lock the cruise control at 70 MPH, and get 26-28 MPG. Around towm I average 21-22MPG. After all, it is a 6 cylinder 200+HP engine.

 

You are correct except that in the Maxima when it reads "E" and you fill up the tank, you only get ~15-16 gallons in there. The rest is in the reserve tank (aka "below the E").

Therefore, 15 total gallons divided by 3 = 5 Gallons.

215 miles divided by 5 Gallons = 43 MPG!!

Who needs a Honda Hybrid?!?!?

 

Tailwind.

 

I've a short highway trip this morning ... 70 miles or so to the golf course.

I'll fill up just before hitting the highway, and then again either when I get back, or when I hit a congested area down near Pinehurst (but I don't think there is such.)

Will report the computer indicated, and the calculated mileage.

You cannot make even a reasonable estimate of gas consumption by interpreting the gas gauge needle.

 

That's true, too many variables to consider when on the road, but it does give me way better gas mileage than my 97 Auto Max...

 

OK, Here's the real deal.

138.5 miles down to West End, NC (west of Pinehurst) and back. Stone stock 02 6spd, with 11,500 on the odometer.

70 mph on the cruise control for 30 miles or so, then 55, with some 45 and 35 for 35 miles or so. 4 miles of some very slow, but not stop and go, through the golf course community.

On the way down, the MPG indication was varying between 33.0 and 33.2 while doing 70. By the time I turned into the golf course community, it was up to 35.0, back to 34.3 (possibly less) after two miles of 25mph.

Played eggfoot (not leadfoot) on the two lane roads, max speedlimit and max speed of 55 (except for one 3rd gear pass) and was back to 35+ mpg indicated by the time I reached the four lane.

Kept it on 65 the rest of the way, had seen 36.5 mpg by the time I got off the highway. 4 miles of 45mph with stoplights, was at 36.4 (with some dips to 36.3) by the time I stopped at the gas station.

138.5 miles / 4.266 gallons = 32.46 MPG

4 MPG off.

The 37.6 MPG indication shown by MaximusMorpheus is completely plausible over a long trip, if you are gentle on the gas. But you really will only get about 33+ MPG. (Only!. That's darn good for this weight, and all that engine.)

Now, 33MPG is not at ALL bad. When you have lots of thoroughbred horses, it takes a lot to feed them, even if they aren't working hard.

Make them work, and you'll see more oat consumption.

Now, what we need is 200+ highway miles at a cruise control 75 or more

 

I only had 1500 miles on odometer when this happened with new JWT intake......and cruise control 95% most of the way, trip occured 2 hours after Columbia accident, nobody on the road...
Great info....

 

Whoa man -- great detail
And to think you were driving and doing all these numbers -- now that's scary !!

 

No Huhu. US 1 is very lightly traveled in that direction at that time. Really all I had to do was note the MPG readout occasionally (and all except the final, and the 35mpg at the golf course turn in were from memory.) The mileage and number of gallons come off the odometer and the pump receipt.

I'm not getting those numbers today!

 

The MPG calculated by the Maxima computer is 3-4 MPG higher than the actual MPG. Over 30MPG at 72MPH for a 255HP V6 is pretty good. My 87 SE have 155HP and doesn't get over 30 MPG

 

Just out of curiousity ... have you actually read any of the thread?

I don't think that anyone has claimed that the fuel economy computer is not optimistic. Furrfu!