jjames

Every other thread I see is something like..."just smoked a rice rocket"...or...."that wood-grain paneled station wagon thought he could take me"...or..."just dusted a dude in a Durango"

NOBODY here is driving his/her Max in a way to get optimal gas mileage. AAMOF, some people seem to race ANYTHING that pulls up to the light next to them. Yet, everyone seems to want to compalain about how his/her car gets crappy fuel economy.

Oooh wahhhh let's call Nissan. And say what? "I was at the drag strip w/ my fully loaded leather clad luxo family sedan, and when I was racing my car, which is totally stock..aside from my after market intake, exhaust and 150 shot of NOS, I only got 15 mpg."

When they stop laughing, let me know what they say.

BTW, I took a trip and got 27.5 MPG. Around town, I drive like an idiot (I admit) and get around 19.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

Thats a generalization. Not everybody here races at every stop light.

Your gas mileage is on par with normal driving.

jjames

Right you are, Tim. It is a generalization. And not a very fair one. I guess I was just trying to make a point. For the most part, I pretty much drive like an idiot. But, I don't complain about my mileage.

2k2kev

it's up to you... I posted in one of those mileage threads that I regularly get 430-ish miles/tank (and it's not empty). I've been running hard this tank ('cause I felt like driving like an idiot ) and only got 330 miles.

Just hard driving off 10 (said 12 before and I was wrong) lights probably 3 times and I lost over 100 miles in a tank... that's going from about 25 mpg to about 18 mpg. So, if you're living over 4000 rpm, don't complain about crappy gas mileage. Even just a few rips can ruin your mileage.

I usually shift at 3000 rpm and try to keep the tach around 2000 rpm whenever I can. Try it for a tank and see how your mileage changes, but you CAN'T race, even once, during your experiment.

Norm Peterson

Let's consider the demographics here. The mere fact that we are folks with enough interest to go online and talk about Maxima-related experiences identifies us as enthusiasts for which the Max (and other vehicles) represent much more than a nice color and a way to get from here to there and back again. In general, we're a young crowd (or we act like it at least on occasion) - just search for the latest "How Old Is Everyone" thread.

The Maxima clearly falls into the "sport sedan" category, where performance is a significant part of the image. More subdued in the GLE than in the SE, but still there. The simple fact that a manual transmission has continuously been offered with the V6 clearly states sporting intent. Other than the Mazda 626 (slightly downmarket) and the various BMW's (upmarket), how many other mfr's can say the same?

I'll even go so far as to suggest that gas mileage was way down on the list of everybody's priorities when their decision was made to get their Max. Behind performance, features, comfort, interior room, value, and probably a couple more that I've overlooked. Otherwise we'd perhaps be driving pre-2002 Altimas or some such and spending less that one hour per year talking about them.

Neither my wife nor I drive with optimum mpg's in mind unless we're on the highway and the low fuel light comes on. 19 - 20 mpg for my wife's short commute in traffic, less if either of us has been running hard, low 20's in light weekend use, and high 20's at a steady 70 - 75 is good enough for me.

I only wish that my other car would get high teens/mid 20's city/hwy, so I'll save my mpg gripes for the single-digit results I occasionally get from that one.

Norm

Shaydz

iTrader: (2)

Nice post and it seems accurate.
I get about 320 miles out of 15 - 16 gals on average if I'm not too gun crazy.
BUT, its all city driving and I am king of quicker than normal starts and stops (tough on fuel and brake pads).
I can see a huge difference when I ssslllloooowwwlllyyy take off from each light and keep RPMs under 35K. My fuel gauge stays where it is much longer. Every now and again, if i'm playing a lot (every TL / CL or riced civic that looks slantwise at me, we go), I can see the the gauge needle moving down very quickly.
Bottom Line - I think you'd have to drive like a granny to get the mileage they say your capable of. I didn't spend that much $$$ to do that so I expect poorer gas performance than that - I just wish it was at least the bottom of the MPG range they give when I drive hard.

I don't think other drivers here are much different in their habits (except the younger ones that GO all the time), but it's just my opinion.

Shaydz

Magellan

IMO, there are many parameters that vary according to driving habits. They include:

gas mileage
tire wear
brake pads
warped rotors
alignment
battery life
paint chips
engine and other mechanical problems

If you drive with gay abandon (that's an old fashion expression meaning without care or consideration of consequences) then the items above will have a poor results.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

too bad Max doesn't come equipped with econometer like on German cars. This is either a separate gauge that shows your MPG or an area marked in green on tach.