MiniRX7

Hi guys, i just almost finished a most of a tank of gas, and i will tell you the fuel economy sucks *** right now.

I put on 386 kms on approximately 44L of gas, and i was wondering if the bad fuel economy is because there is only 386 KM on the ODOMETER and the car isn't broken in.

I don't race the car and i shift pretty early. I am trying to save gas but i can't better the EPA. Even though most of the driving is city (about 100kms on the highway), this is quite expensive.

Anybody else have worse economy??

ED

KLOOGY

iTrader: (12)

The way I drive... I dont think so !

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

I'm not good at conversion but when i first had the car i usually get around 17-18mpg (98% city driving in H-town traffic). As the miles started racking up even with some occassional more enthusiastic driving i manage to get 20-21mpg.

This is all calculated the old way. On several highway-only trips i managed to get 27-28mpg @ 70-80mph.

SteVTEC

WTH?

386 km / 44L = 11.4L/100km = 20.6 mpg

A couple of red flags.

1) The car isn't broken in yet. Mileage on new cars is almost always below what you'll get once the engine/car is fully broken in. Engine break-in takes 1000 miles, but entire car break-in can seriously take around 10,000 miles / 16,000km.

2) If you're on the gas that the dealership gave you, it's probably only 87 (US) octane. The VQ engine requires 91 octane (US) and most stupid Nissan dealers don't seem to understand (or care about) that and put the lower octane in. Putting lower octane in these engines has been proven to give lower mileage and power to the point where you would have saved money by putting the more expensive gas in to begin with. I know Canadian octane ratings are different from the US, so just check with your manual and adjust accordingly. The point is, be sure you have the right gas in the tank, otherwise your mileage is definitely going to suck.

The 2k2 6spd is rated for 21/28 and you're getting 20.6 with the vast majority being city so that really isn't bad at all. Just let the car break-in some more and be sure you have the right gas and you'll be in good shape

MiniRX7

Thanks stevtec <==such a funny name..

Actually yeah i was on dealer gas, but i just installed (LOL) 94 octane gas for my 2nd tank. I hope it gets just a tad better.

I really gotta get the car broken in. Most of the time the computer registers a reading of 13L/100km unless i really really feather the pedal and drop it in to neutral on a coast to a stop.

Thats a really pathetic way to come close to the EPA standards.

Oh well, i guess its a price to pay for a good car..

ED

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

Steve used to own a Honda

As far as your mileage goes, once you get all that lower octane gas out of your tank you should get better mileage. Given you also have a manual it should definitely be better than what i get (auto).

Just enjoy your car, chances are you probably won't mind the mileage anymore

SteVTEC

Nissan trip computers don't seem to be that accurate. I'd calculate it the good old fashioned way: by hand

(A Palm Pilot or other PDA comes in very handy here )

(Liters Filled) / [Trip Distance / (100 km)] = Your Fuel Economy in L/100km

At least from reading the Altima boards, their computers seemed to be way off. I'm not sure how the Maxima computers are but they're probably the same exact code. The trip computer in my fiance's Toyota Highlander is almost dead-on accurate.

For best mileage just leave it in gear at zero throttle while coasting. When the car is in this scenario your fuel should be cut off completely. If you're in neutral the engine is burning fuel at idle while you're coasting.

I'm not sure how it is in Canada, but at least in the US the EPA gives you a range or mileage that the car will get. 21/28 is just an average. In the fine print it might say 17-26 for city and 24-32 for highway so you're still "within spec". Also keep in mind that the EPA estimates are just that. Estimates. My now-deceased Honda Accord V6 was rated for 20/28 yet I never got above 27 mpg on the highway, even when I drove like a granny. Straight city mileage I got 18-ish. It sucked. My 99 Max 5spd is rated for 22/27 and I get almost exactly that. 27.0 right on the dot for highway and 22 city almost right on the dot also. And that's with my heavy footed driving style too

00Semaxi

i got my 6 speed last monday and lready have 1400 miles on it, I think that the gas mileage is great, I get about 24.6 mpg in the city and on the highway I get 29.2 mpg. (I took the car on a 12 hour trip) give your car some time to break in though, the first tank of gas was used up pretty fast.

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

Steve, you are correct. The trip computer is way off (at least 3mpg more than reality)

2k2kev

I'm up to 1800(+) miles. I'm getting over 420 miles / tank, and I'm using 89 octane.

Jaws

Ok, firstly there is no such thing as the EPA in Canada, Transport Canada is the regulatory agency that publishes the fuel consumption ratings. For your car, the ratings are 7.7 L/100km (highway) and 11.0 L/km (city). The octane ratings in Canada are the same as in the States, I run 89 most of the time. The computer lies; for example when it reads 8.5L/100km, the actual consumption is about 10. Your car will break-in, and it won't suck the gas too badly. 386k is not even warmed up....