crzygrndpa

Just got a 2002 Maxima SE, the car is great but I do a lot of driving and the expensive gas is starting to add up. According to the dashboard meter I am currently getting 19.3mpg. Is this a pretty standard MPG? I do mostly highway driving. Is there some maintenance suggestions for better gas mileage? (e.g. oil filter and type of engine oil to use) Thanks!

TheBigDu

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, with a lot of city (stop-and-go) driving, you won't do too well. I only get about 19-20mpg with mostly city type driving, but it does go up with highway.

The other thing: I see you're a newb here, so maybe you haven't seen the threads about reposting and such. But you should really check the FAQs if you haven't yet. And there is a way to search via Google (check the FAQs or other stickies for how-to, I believe). I only say this because there have been like three million gas mileage threads in the past few months. Doesn't bother me too much, but fair warning: You might get seriously flamed for posting about this.

-Brian

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Yes, the flaming shall commence now: Get a hybrid.

Just kidding...

Do what he he said and do the search thing...

Also, I'm not sure how accurate the MPG thing is on the car... I'd say just doing your own little experiment by just keeping track of how many miles you go with each tank and just calculating the average from there (I'd repeat this several times and take the average).

There are also many factors such as driving conditions, tire pressure, and other maintenence issues....

What kind of driving are you doing? Mostly stop and go? Or highway? This car guzzles a lot of gas in stop and go traffic.... but its pretty good highway... all this is based on my experience of course...

PM me if ya want more specifics cuz I'm not gonna post mileage here and turn this into another mileage thread that I know some many people hate....

TheBigDu

iTrader: (1)

I don't think that MPG guage is very accurate at all. And I completely agree about the guzzling a lot city and doing pretty well highway statement.

jrod1014

iTrader: (2)

I get 20-21 city with conservative-mildly spirited driving... On the highway the mileage shoots up especially when in 6th gear between 70-80mph.. I average 280/tank before I get the light, almost exclusively city driving...

Bobo

You haven't stated how many miles are on your car? Is it a standard or automatic?
What is your tire pressure? How fast do you average on the highway? Do you have a maintenance history for the car? Etc. Etc.

CCS2k1Max

iTrader: (2)

Switch to syn motor oil and gear oil for the tranny. Less friction >> better mileage.

crzygrndpa

Sorry about the multi-post. I figured there was a gas mileage thread on here somewhere; but the search utility was taken offline and I really don't have that much computer time to read every thread myself. Good idea about the Google search, I'll use that next time.

As far as what my car is at, I bought it was 19.5k miles, now it is nearing 22k. I do almost all highway. I drive between Boston, MA and Warwick, RI at least 4 days a week so the mileage adds up. I'll try the synthetic motor oil and go try Google search for some more tips. Thanks!

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Btw, search instructions are here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=368622

Anyways, like I posted earlier... check for yourself to see that your MPG is in fact close to what the MPG meter on the car is telling you. I've found that to be way off sometimes. With all that highway driving you're doing, ya should have more than 20 mpg... assuming your car is in good shape....

Lumbee1

I got 300miles to a tank of gas last week with lots of spirited driving and quite a few runs to redline. I average 25 on the inaccurate computor.

JimmyH

iTrader: (2)

After how heavy your foot is, I think tires are the most important factor. Most people dont realize that some tires have relatively low rolling resistance, and some have pretty high rolling resistance. Going from one set to another type cost me about 3-4 mpg on one of my other cars. Consumer reports is the only place I have seen to get reviews on rolling resistance.

Tire pressure too, as others have said.

Also, monitor your oil level. Over-filling your oil causes power loss which translates into you pressing harder on the gas. Your better off going less on oil than more when filling. This is the main reason I will not go to Jiffy Lube and the like for getting my oil changed. I do it myself. You have to wait about 5 minutes after filling to get an accurate reading on the dip stick. Longer on my car. You think service stations and dealerships are going to wait that long?