so I finally went in to get an oil change, and then later talked to one of the techs..I asked him what they could do about my horrible mileage..he then said, well thats only an estimate don't go by that..and I replied with well i filled a full tank, reset the mileage, did the math and I'm geting 16 a gallon..He countered with, "well we can't really do nothing unless you have an engine light"..so the next time I go in, he said he will hook it up to the computer and see if its running "lean"..He wasn't a **** or anything, actually really nice about it, but man this really just sucks..a full tank got me 230miles...

 

All city driving I'm guessing? I average about 24 with mostly highway miles.

 

Try not letting the engine go over 2k rpm for a tank or at least half. It has got to improve. If I keep my foot out of its pretty decent but I'm at 19 or so having some fun. Check air filter, go to synthetic or blend oil and air up the tires a few lbs over the factory setting.

 

Many things can affect gas mileage. First check all your tires and make sure they are 35 psi or more. Check your air filter and make sure its clean, or clean it if its the kind you can clean. Make sure your alignment is good. Does the car pull to one side when you are cruising on a level road? Make sure your tires are good and there is no unusual wearing - scalloped edges, excessive wear in one particular area or the whole tread. After that, it gets more exotic - leaky fuel injectors, unreleased parking brake, seizing wheel bearing, ECU malfunction etc.

 

It's an 07'...not sure what the problems could be.

tire pressure
air filters
MAF
Mods
driving style
elevation
temperature

All effect the gas mileage.

 

Of course NOTHING affects gas mileage as much as city driving. When I was driving in downtown Atlanta traffic, I was very happy to get 12 MPG. On the open freeway, I am getting nearer 29 MPG.

Every second you are sitting at a light or otherwise stopped with the engine running, you are getting absolutely ZERO MPG. And when you are in any gear other than 5th gear, you are getting less than optimum MPG.

 

i average about 20 mixed driving. I like to have a little fun when I drive though. If your doing alot of city driving it will eat up the gas. Its a v6 fuel economy isnt exactly a huge factor in a maxima. Now a 2.5 altima will get you like 30+ mpg easy. Your gas mileage does seem bad though. On the weekends when im doing nothing but city driving and im getting on it alot I get about 16mpg on average.

 

+1 on what dues said... mostly check your air filter and tires... alignment is huge also..

i drive very agressive and avg. around 18-20 mixded driving...

try a different dealer if you can....

 

My mileage drops in the winter as well for several reasons:
Heated steering wheel is on A LOT!
Heated seats on.
Head lights are on more.
Defrost/Heat with A/C on.
More engine idling before I leave and also when I get to my destination. (When its cold and I am in my car- it is running to keep warm.)
Winter gas

I am getting @ 18 MPGs with a 70/30 city/highway mix.

 

How much gas would heated seats and headlights eat up?

 

maybe driving in philly is the reason for horrible gas mileage. whenever i'm driving in the city with stop and go traffic, I avg about 18mpg

 

The more drain on the efficiency of the engine and its components the more gas is needed to burn. Thats what I was always told.... I don't know for sure but it sounds reasonable to me.

 

More along the lines that the electricty for those comopents comes from the alternator. The higher the demand for electricty the more the alternator robs engine power to generate that electricty. But you still want to go your customary speed so you need to step on the gas pedal that little extra more.

 

I'm a Philly guy too, with an '07. Most of the time since the car was new, I've averaged around 18 or 19 in mixed driving. I work in the Bala area and commute to home up in North Wales. So it's mostly city with a little Route 309 highway driving thrown in.

At 16,000, I had my 15,000 service done. Though I said nothing about the mileage I was getting, for some reason, since that service, I'm now getting between 20 and 21 on the same route - much closer to what I used to get on the '02 Max.

I don't know what the dealer did, if anything, but I'm happy to be getting a little better mileage.

I've also noticed that driving more conservatively does make the mileage better in the Max (and probably all cars). Aggressive driving really eats up the gas. It's understandable though with the Max's performance.

Harry

 

If you are in the city and like to step on it 16 MPG is GREAT!

 

This is a good starting list for what can impact your gasoline mileage. Here are other factors that should also be considered.

- Wind speed and direction (either a drag or a help)
- Driving speed (I believe that 55 mph in top gear is the most efficient speed -- but can't prove this -- could be as low as 45 mph) This may not apply to CVT trannies.
- Stop and go driving (worse than highway cruising)
- Running the A/C (added drag on the engine)
- Running the headlights or any other feature that demands electricity from the alternator
- Hills
- Idling the engine (see light's comments in post #6 above)
- Ethanol in the gasoline (less energy in ethanol than in gasoline)
- The automatic spark advance setting on your engine
- Worn spark plugs or deposits on the plugs
- Whether the engine has been fully broken-in.
- The weight your car is hauling (empty the trunk of junk)
(These are all I can think of at the moment.)

I just returned from an over 2 K mile round trip to Chicago (using gasoline with 10% ethanol at all times). Going east I had a light tail wind and got 25 to 26 mpg. Driving back west I had either a cross wind or a light head wind and got 24 to 25 mpg. Going both ways I was cruising at the speed limit to 2.5 mph over (except slower in a rain storm in Iowa coming back). I was also carrying slightly more weight coming back than going.

Early last year, I tried running my tires at 35 psi and found that I was getting more wear on the tread in the center of my tires (an indication of over-inflation), so I went back to the factory recommended tire pressure and the wear seems to be more even across the whole tread. If your tires are under-inflated, the tread will wear faster on the sides than in the middle.

 

I'm not sure, but I think the CVT has something to do with it specially on city driving; the non-CVT may get a little more during city driving.

 

I doubt it, that's pretty much what the CVT is designed to increase efficiency at. It can hold the rpm at 2k or what have you for accelerating instead of going to 3500 then upshifting and revving up again. In theory if you stayed at a lower rpm the whole time it should require less gas to accelerate. Maintaining a steady low speed may be a different matter, no clue. The only thing that really impresses me about the CVT is how fast it 'shifts' in manual mode but I don't use it that often.

 

It's odd but I've heard this from other people on the forum. We tend to drive on the freeway from Seattle to The Dalles in Oregon during the summer. When our 2005 was new it was hard to get out of the low 20's for gas mileage (24 say). We didn't drive down for the winter, then in the spring when the car hit 15-20k miles we drove down again and were getting 27-28 (same conditions). For some reason or another it seems the mileage jumps up to where it's supposed to be. Can't tell you why.

 

City MPG is the CVTs forté... especially if you keep the revs low and let the tranny accelerate the car as QwikKota noted (still can keep up with / pull away from traffic).

CVT doesn't offer much on the highway MPG front, though I just got my best ever all-highway trip mileage - 29.5mpg round trip Charlotte to Greenville SC (~220 miles @ steady 65MPH, 60°F). I know its just one trip, but I was VERY happy with that. Hit 20k miles on the trip as well.

 

I would check the air filter that is one of the most overlooked items in the mpg department.

 

I think you are right on that. I can't prove but I notice the best mpg between 45 and 55 mph in my 07' CVT.

 

Dang that is some good mileage. Do you have anything done to the car to improve efficiency? I.E. synthetics or bolt on mods? I take it no since you are leased. I wonder how much mileage varies from car to car? I rarely drive the speed limit since you will get run over in Houston but I'd like to try that speed for 50 miles or so.

 

As I noted, it was just ONE trip and it was virtually rock solid 65mph door to door - but it I'll take it! My typical highway - the little that I do - has been more like 24-25.

As you suspected, its a lease, so no mods. Conventional oil. I keep tire pressure the same as I do for all my FWD vehicles - 35F/33R. That usually corresponds closely with the recommended "sustained high speed" pressures from most MFGs, has always produced perfectly even tire wear for me and alleviates the mushy response noticeable with the "standard" pressures (I'll notice a pressure drop - especially in the front - way before the idiotic TPMS light goes off.) If it helps a little on the MPG, its just a bonus.

My experience has been that if you are not at least up to 10k miles, don't get too worried about your Max's mileage. Mine was abysmal at the beginning (~10-12mpg) and has risen steadily.

As far as variation between cars, its probably more about variation between drivers - even the variation in mood in a single driver. All cars are sensitive to driving style, but it seems to me that CVTs are similar to turbocharged cars in that spread in MPG between conservative and aggressive driving styles is wider than it is in other vehicles... milk'em and save some gas or be aggressive and be rewarded - but prepare to pay the price. I like having that choice. The nice part about the VQ35/CVT combo is that the motor is flexible enough to play at either end of that spectrum - torque around at 1500rpm all day or let her fly.

Most importantly - as Light noted, if your city driving includes lots of stop lights or standstill traffic, thats a lot of 0mpg to average into the mix. You can literally watch your MPG drop on the trip computer just sitting at a light or in traffic and there's not much you can do about it.

 

230 per tank???? Um. Take your foot off the gas. I'm getting 400+ per tank. Use cruise.

 

When I drive aggressive on my 07 I get 17.5-18.5 and when on highway the best avg I had was 27 and that was on a 300 mile road trip all highway

 

My only highway mileage has been limited since I bought the car but it will get 25 around 65-70mph. I would like to take a trip to Austin or what not and set the cruise on 65 to see what she'd get. Not the flattest trip but better indicator than driving in metro highway traffic. And you are very correct about moods affecting driving habits. I try my best to be nice and calm on my commute but there is always some non-driver getting in my way or cutting me off etc. Then I get angry and either let the engine rev to 4500 or higher depending on the level of animosity generated.

I am not overly concerned with city driving as my 96 Max only got around 21 and this isn't much difference. The comforts and newness if you will greatly make up for that. For a V6 this motor has some very nice torque around 2k to 2500 rpm. Great for city driving. I can't stand a 4 cylinder and will never own one unless it has a big ol hair dryer connected to it. I'm at 21k miles so its fully broken in.

 

Yes , I have made a few trips from Austin to Houston and fron Houston to Austin usually I ave about 25-26.5

 

You said it.

 

Probably wasting gas on racing Civics and Corollas

 

Hah, I've been trying to get a 2002ish Rustang to race from a roll. Now that I have Fujita power I'm invincible, lol. For the new Mustangs I just let the truck out of its cage. Got a race setup with a new Bullitt when a friend takes delivery. Too scared of Civics!

 

Here is what I do to get 23.5MPG in the city and 28-30MPG on the highway.

Keep tires inflated to 40psi and check them on the first of every month.
Keep oil and filter changed every 6000 miles.
Rotate and balance tires every 6000 miles.
Gently ease off from stops (don't nail the accelerator).
Plan and combine trips for errands.
Drive the highway or interstate as much as possible.
On the highway, I set my cruise at 70 miles per hour and stay there. I NEVER go over 80!!!!! If I need to pass a car, I do it gently instead of stabbing the accelerator (although it is fun to do that sometimes).

 

i get 230 mostly sometimes a lil more. it just depends on were ur driving but some of the advice given could help out

 

ha why does everyone think i beat on the car..its brand new, thats the last thing I'm going to do..I don't have a led foot, I keep it under 2k all day long..watver I guess thats what you get with a 6 cylinder..

 

I'd be able to believe your car is getting less than it should. I get a tad under 300 miles to a tank from when the light comes on until I find the cheapest Texaco/good gas station. I am at 240 right now with 3/8 of a tank left. Did some hwy driving sunday and monday.

 

Im getting the worst gas mileage right now. Did a reset not to long ago and havent driven much. Its about 15.5 and climbing. My wifes car has dropped recently from a high of 25mpg to about 20mpg. Must be the gas.

 

Here are my comments to your points -- in order.

1) I tried running my tires at 36 psi and found that I was wearing the tread faster in the center (from over-inflation). What you save in gasoline may well be wasted by wearing out your tires faster and unevenly at this higher pressure.

2) If you are using synthetic motor oil, this is a waste of resources. You can push your OCI up to 7,500 miles (and safely to) given your tendency to do so much driving on the highway rather than city streets. If you are not using synthetic, the extra slipperiness of synthetic could help improve your mileage -- marginally.

3) Good practice to rotate your tires and 6 K miles is fine. Don't think this will improve your gas mileage, but it will increase your tire mileage (unlike driving them over-pressure at 40 psi).

4) Good practice. Because I have the manual trannie, I also shift to neutral and coast into red lights to reduce gas consumption. (Don't do this with an automatic trannie.)

5) I do this whenever possible bacause when I come home from town, my Max has to climb about 1,200 feet in elevation over about 2 miles of roads. Trip combining really makes sense in both reducing gasoline consumption and mileage build-up on your car.

6) This works well during most of the day. But at rush-hour in many cities (Chicago comes to mind), the conjestion and stop-and-go on the highways eliminates most of the gas savings from driving highways.

7) I too have reduced my cruising speed since last summer. I used to consistently drive at from 5 to 9 mph over the speed limit on every road. I now drive at the speed limit to no more than 2.5 mph over. And, like you, I never cruise at over 80 mph (but will get over that speed when passing). Here in Colorado that has me driving the interstates between the cities at 75 mph and the back roads at 65 mph. Cruise control can (in most cruising cases) get better gas mileage than you can controlling with you foot.

 

Staying under 2K can also keep the trannys life span up a couple years right?

 

One week (roughly one tank) I got down close to 18mpg. I put fuel injector cleaner the next time i filled up and that next week it went up to 22 mpg. The cleaner plus the lack of getting stuck in the previous week's snowfall helped out a lot, on top of what others suggest.

 

Right now I am getting about 230 per tank as well...