Originally Posted by jeffislouie

If you are looking for a very easy to use app, I like "Road Trip LE". It's super easy to use and takes a few quick data entry points to give you your mpg, plus it tracks it and provides a cost per mile (gas only, obviously). I totally agree, btw. Considering the size of the Maxima and the fact that they run 290 hp out of a 3.5L V6, 21-24 mpg isn't bad at all. My brother's VW CC with a 2 liter turbo motor gets about the same MPG but isn't nearly as quick.

Originally Posted by jeffislouie

Just remember, YOU ASKED! :-) I found another thread where I listed the following tips and just cut and pasted (and added a bit here or there), so here are some good tips for you to think about: 1) Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Check them when they are cold and the car is on a level surface. As temps drop, PSI does too. For the best MPG, inflate 3-5 psi above factory recommendations. I usually run my tires around 35 psi, but go a little higher when I take long trips (I drove to Florida pumped up to 37 all around). 2) Make sure your air filter is clean. Dirty air filters can kill mpg. Seems like most people are already on top of it, but it does get ignored. 3) Make sure you keep your car empty. You'd be amazed at how many people keep way too much junk in the trunk. A friend of mine was complaining about mpg on his car. I popped his trunk and he was lugging around weights, an extra tire with rim, and a ton of clothes/shoes/sports equipment. An empty car is a light car. 4) Make sure your brakes aren't dragging. Dragging brakes can be caused by icy conditions or improper maintenance. 5) Stop warming up your car. Even in the coldest conditions, your car does not need to be in a state of static idle for more than 60 seconds. 30 seconds is adequate in most circumstances. Also, while your engine is warming up during this time, the CVT fluid isn't. If you are going for trips of shorter than a few miles, idle for 30 seconds, then drive gently until the temp needle starts to move. When your care is idling, you are getting 0 MPG. 6) Focus on driving gently. A ton of gas is wasted driving too aggressively. Keep the RPM's below 2000/2500 during acceleration. Keep your eyes ahead and, when traffic permits, coast if you see a light changing to red. When you are stopped at a light, you are getting 0 MPG. 7) If you get stuck at long train crossings or traffic lights that last more than 60 seconds or so, turn off the car. I travel on roads where there are metra stops and freight lines. When the gate comes down, I turn off my car. Instead of burning fuel for 3-5 minutes at a time, I burn no fuel. Yesterday, I got stuck on my way home at a train crossing near my office. When I came to a stop at the light before the crossing, I shut off my car and started the timer on my iPhone. No joke, 4 plus minutes. I wasn't burning fuel. Almost everyone around me was for the whole 4 minutes. After the train passed and gates went up, I started up and got moving, only to come across the second train crossing, which I know to be a freight line. I came to a stop and shut down and activated my timer again. It was a long train and I sat there for 8 minutes with my car shut down. Nearly everyone around me kept their car running, wasting gas and watching their money evaporate. 8) When driving on the highway, keep the speed consistent and below 70. I just drove from the Waukegan courthouse to a gas station and reset, then hit the highway and set my cruise control at 63mph. When I pulled into my office 20 something miles later, the computer said I averaged 30.6 mpg. Not bad. Granted, sometimes people are just in a hurry. I get it. This is why I try to build in at least an extra 15 minutes into any commute I may have. 9) Use cruise control. When I drive on a road with a 45 mile per hour speed limit, I accelerate to 52 or so, and set the cruise control. If you see a light change to red ahead, turn it off and coast down (traffic permitting). When I drive on the highway, I tend to set the cruise control at 62-64 mph (speed limit is 55) and pay attention. When a car or truck hops in my lane going slower, I do my best to change lanes and pass while keeping my speed (aka without disabling cruise control or touching my brakes and then accelerating). 10) Braking. People have different ideas on this. Here's my take. Using the brakes is wasteful. You should only brake in an emergency or when you are stopping. Otherwise, if you use predictive driving techniques, you should use your brakes very little. You'd be amazed at how little you touch the brake pedal if you pay attention, try to predict traffic flow, and keep your eyes ahead. Compared to other people, I rarely touch my brakes. Braking wastes energy. 11) Don't use drive through ATM's/tellers, drive through's at fast food restaurants, and if you are picking up a friend of loved one, don't sit there idling. Idling nets you 0 MPG. I always park and walk in for fast food, bank transactions, to use the ATM, etc. When I am waiting to pick someone up or get to court and park early, my car gets shut off. I spoke with a woman via the Accord forums who was complaining about bad MPG's. Every day, she would wait for her kid to come out of school and leave her car running for at least 5 minutes, sometimes more. 12) Use the correct recommended fuel (and oil). Premium is expensive, but using regular usually results in reduced economy. Also, for other cars, using premium when regular is recommended results in lower fuel economy. People think "premium" must mean "better". Octane is a measure of resistance to detonation. So if your car is designed to be most efficient with 87 octane and you use 93, the fuel is more resistant to detonation. Modern cars like ours are pretty good at adjusting, but the Max will get less power and lower economy running 87 (I most definitely do not want to start that argument again, so take this or leave this, but please don't argue about it. It's boring and no one ever wins these debates ). 13) If these don't help you get better MPG, get your car looked at. A good mechanic can be the best help you'll get here. Whenever I wrote "traffic permitting", here's what I mean. Don't be the jerk who gets to 35 in a 45 and then stays there because you think you understand traffic flow (you don't). Don't be the guy who coasts down to a stop for over a mile when people are trying to get home. Don't be the guy who screws up everyone else's day because you want to save one or two mpg. Don't be the guy going the speed limit in the left lane for the sake of MPG. Don't be the guy who's actions have a negative effect on other drivers. When roads are empty or there is very little traffic and no one behind you, sure, start to coast down. Otherwise, be aware that the stuff you do in your car can really tick off other drivers. Don't inject yourself into other people's lives to save a few pennies. Perhaps there is something included above you haven't thought about. Hope it helps. Most of these tips were the result of some experimenting with my old car, an 05 Accord. When I started, I was getting 22 mpg average. After using these tips, my average went up to 27.1 mpg (with some tanks working out to 30 mpg). Bear in mind, you don't have to use all of these tips, but these are some easy ones to follow. Make it a game and try to have fun smashing old records (seemed to help me stay on track). Good luck!

Originally Posted by My2010FoUrDsC

very informative. I will practice these steps from here on out

Originally Posted by jeffislouie

- you have to get used to the car and as you do, your MPG's will improve. The CVT is pretty efficient and if you drive it smoothly and don't take advantage of all that potential speed and acceleration, the car can be pretty efficient

Originally Posted by MrWilson44

Computer says 17.4 how often does it update because sometimes I don't drive as aggressive yet it still stays the same.

Originally Posted by MrWilson44

Computer says 17.4 how often does it update because sometimes I don't drive as aggressive yet it still stays the same.

Originally Posted by Propa Teknique

My Overall MPG went from 25.8 to 23.1 in a matter of weeks. I'm not an aggressive driver and my job is 2 miles from my house. On weekends I do venture out onto the freeway but that is a big jump. What else can contribute to that? My oil is changed regularly, I use premium fuel, the air filter is clean.

Originally Posted by jeffislouie

Extra idling, running the AC more frequently, bad traffic, less highway miles more city miles, tire pressure a bit low, air filter clogged, e-brake dragging, junk in the trunk, windows down on at highway speeds, etc.

It's likely a combination of a few of the above, maybe some other stuff.

Up here in Chi-town, we get different formulations of gas in the summer and winter, which affects economy. Not sure if that's the same by you.

Originally Posted by partsace

I don't know if you remember this, but you are driving a 4-door sports car! Who cares about MPG's. The only thing you should be worried about is; are you having fun driving your Maxima? I am! I take corners at 60 mph, I go from 0-to-60 as fast as I can and I don't care about how much gas I'm using. When I need gas, I get it. But the gas I use is 92 octane ethanol-free gas. I usually get over 400 miles on a tank of gas! After I do a fill-up, by miles-to-empty reading is about 438, but then I leave the gas station with my tires on fire and it drops to 425.

Scott