I know you guys are getting tired of threads regarding gas mileage, but I'd really like to share my good news with you all, as well as some advice to those who are getting <300 miles per tank. Since I bought my Max in December, I've been putting only 93 octane in the tank. I don't know what kind of gas the previous owner used to put, but I treat "her" well, even with gas prices skyrocketing. Anyway, on to the meaty part. I was getting an average of ALMOST 300 miles per tank, usually around 280-290. I decided to change out the fuel filter with a 1996 300ZX one, as well as hacking the airbox and getting a drop-in K&N panel filter, and let's just say I'm on 1/4 tank right now, and have already exceeded 300 miles. I'm expecting about 350 by the time I fill up again, and that's mostly spirited city driving. I know this is all stated in the stickies, but I just want to emphasize on how these relatively cheap "repairs" really do save money in the long run. So if you're reading this right now thinking, "Damn, I wish I got anywhere near 350 miles to the tank", then go out and get these. The 300ZX filter cost $13 at NAPA, and the K&N filter was ~$45. Alright, that's all I have for you guys now. I'll be posting some pics in a bit - in the process of "LEDing" the interior. Have a great day!

-Maurice

 

i get from 28 to 29 mpg on 91 octane which is the highest CA gets. i drive 90% freeway tho. twice, i hit 30mpg, but only twice.

 

Nice man thanks for the tip, being a teenager, id ratheer get better gas milage than go faster, because i am BROKE. haha. id rather have a nice car with gas in that i can drive, than a faster car with no gas that i cant afford to drive

 

At 30 MPG you would be getting roughly 510 miles per tank...... i dont think thats true.

 

its true, but only twice. i never let the tank go all the way empty so i don't have the full milage. i know how to do simple math to calculate miles per gallon. i filled up 11 gallons after going 335 or so miles since the previous fillup

 

dang at least you get 93 octane...

 

cool congrats how much highway driving do you do i do all city and get about 315-320 a tank. i also like to get on it once in a while too

 

this is news to me...but we can really put a 300ZX filter on our cars??!?!?!??

 

yes........

 

How does using a different fuel filter help mileage? If the 300zx filter is bigger, then won't you be using more gas if your theory is correct? I think the K&N had more to do with your mileage than the filter did. Lata.

 

you have inspired me to finally get a new fuel filter. so the 300ZX one fits our cars huh?

 

as it was already stated, yes. its just 2 times bigger so it lasts 2 times longer. the setup is the same but u will have to use some force for it to fit in the reg clampings.
the hose is really stuburn. got my at the dealerstealership for $11 i believe.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maximakid17
At 30 MPG you would be getting roughly 510 miles per tank...... i dont think thats true.


I'll vouch for the 30mpg. Strictly highway, the best I've gotten is 31MPG. Most of the time, its 24-26MPG city driving.

 

350 miles to a tank for city driving is pretty good, but it depends what the definition of city driving is. I have gone in excess of 510 miles on a tank when highway driving umpteen times and have gone 550 miles on the highway on more than one occasion. My best so far has been 31.7 mpg. I think a few orgers would get better gas mileage if they didn't continually drive their cars like they stole them, particularly at stop lights and stop signs and when accessing the highway/freeway.

 

shiat, I can get 350 on a tank with city and high driving. That includes many boosted moments

 

I agree with the first post. I had the K&N and hacked airbox for awhile though. However, recently I started to notice that my gas mileage was suffering a bit and then I remembered that I hadn't changed out my fuel filter at the interval I had documented in my maintenance log. I was over by about 25,000 miles. I changed the fuel filter (stock) and noticed right away that my gas mileage started to improve.

I will be driving to Alabama this weekend (I live in Florida) and I will be tracking my mileage both ways. I hope to come back with some great numbers to report to you guys. I will keep you posted. My last long trip was 420 miles on a tank full on the tripometer.

 

hows that not true? ....it can be, i used to get over 500 easily, but now im gettin around 450 a tank highway and around 370 city driving

 

Thanks man. I'm getting the fuel filter today when i leave work. I get about 260 in the city and would love to hit 300.

 

I too have hit about 32 MPG on a trip, that was awesome, was sitting at about 300 miles at half a tank.

 

How fast were you driving, 96GreenMax? My highest MPG was based on a 550 round trip from Blaine, Washington to the center of the state and back despite having to go over the Southern and Northern Cascades. I think I achieved this MPG because I don't believe I got over 65 mph for any length of time and was often only going 55 or so because of the twisty roads and traffic.

Not sure what optimum MPG is on the highway but with my 5-speed I would suspect it is about 60 MPH or less. I recall a thread on this several months ago.

I know a lot of orgers drive at 80 and 90 MPH for extended periods but I don't go over 75 unless I am in the middle of nowhere in the daytime because I don't want to lose my licence and its clean right now, touch wood.

 

i get 94...at sunoco gas stations which is where i usually fill up anyway cause htey have a nice carwash...my brother took my 96 maxima to canada a few years ago and avg'd like 34 mpg

 

I have auto and was going about 85 the entire way. I think one thing that might have helped was the road was downhill. I was on my way back from denver so the stretch of road was between the Colorado border and central New Mexico

 

hmm... what i dont understand is how on earth are u guys getting such good gas milage.... i have 94k on my car and im lucky if i get 21mpg city... i have a full tune up and everything..wtf!!!

 

yeah i hit 30.5 mpg on the way to rocky point from Tucson, and my car was packed with 4 guys and a trunk full of luggage. I also downshifted to 3rd and flew by cars at 100+, maintaining an average speed of about 90. This car is amazing.

I noticed i have a "Nissan" fuel filter. At 125K I'm hoping this isn't the original. Is it possible? I get about 19-21 mpg in the city, but I love to speed.

 

How do we know if its the original fuel filter, garbury? It would help if you said how long you have owned the vehicle and what mileage it had on it when you bought it. Theoretically the fuel filter should be changed every 30,000 miles so you should be on your 5th fuel filter by now, not the original one which I highly doubt is the case.

 

Perhaps one of the reasons some of the members get crappy gas mileage is the tires and wheels they are running. I enjoy the 4x4 look, lol, and am still running the stock 15" sawblades that came with the car as well as the OEM Goodyear Eagle RSAs in 215-60R-15. Don't bigger wheels with lower profile tires have more resistance resulting in lower MPG?

 

yea they would thats why you get a larger rim and a low profile tire and it will be the same thing as having a small rim with a fat tire

 

Huh? Who runs small rims with fat tires?

 

umm... how did you change the fuel filter ?

 

i agree with the stop lights/signs, that's just a waste. but exit ramps have become a whole new definition of fun since i got the DaddyMax.

 

MadMVD - just did that myself- put a 1996 fuel filter on the Max. My bad coils were ruining my party however. Will let you know how it works when she's back on the road.

 

How does a new fuel filter improve gas mileage, when it would cause more fuel to get to the injectors.

 

You definitely get more mileage out of your tank by using the highest octane possible. I did my own little experimentation a while back and noticed a big difference in MPG, I don't exactly remember the number but it was around 50 - 80miles difference between 89 and 91 (highest I've seen around my area). In the last few months, I changed out of the 15" sawblades and into the 17" 2k wheels and that affected the MPG a bit because of how heavy these wheels are + tires. Also driving habits has a lot to do with it. On 5-speeders, if you don't over-revv each gears beyond 3,500 rpm's you will get more miles out of your tank.

 

Exactly. That's what I want to know. Anyways, mileage has alot to do with alot of factors: driving style, traffic, weight in car, tire pressure. I still don't understand how another or a new fuel filter will help MPG.

 

He did more than just replacing the fuel filter so those things might have contributed to the improvement. The fuel filter in my car is 2 years old and it has 32k miles in it so its time to replace them.

 

I havent changed my fuel filter since i purchased the car back in '96

 

Recommended filter change is at least every 30k miles.

 

WTF, maX5? You were 7 years old when you bought your maxima! I don't be thinking so, lol!

 

It's like saying "I got bigger fuel injectors...my mileage is up!"

 

When I got my Max I instantly replaced the dang fuel filter just because most people neglect it, the fuel filter in it looked ancient lol prob the original :P I get right to or just above 400 miles to the tank.