What are your tips on achieving the advertised MPG
#41
Four modifications that were done by me to improve my car's performance also added to the mileage figures.... #1 Lighter wheels and tires... The mileage gains were weak only when trying to rely on coasting due to the reduction in rotating mass, but in the city that reduction resulted in a gain in stop and go driving. #2 Hood louvers.... lowered the temperature under the hood resulting in reduced air intake temperatures and more ignition advance, also better A/C performance and less air turbulence under the car at highway speeds.#3 Swift Mach Springs... The lower ride hight also resulted in less under the car air turbulence and drag.. The linear action of the springs allow me to comfortably increase tire pressure with a positive effect on handling and braking as well as a reduction in rolling resistance. #4 Denso IK 22 spark Plugs.... The lower heat range of these spark plugs have much the same effect as lowering the air intake temperature and using premium fuel by also allowing more increase in ignition timing due to improving the withdrawal of excessive heat from the combustion chambers and lower exhaust gas temperatures..... One more thing that I added to improve comfort was Mugen style vent visors that allow less wind turbulence inside the car with the windows down while driving comfortably even at Texas Highway speeds in 90+ weather..The added width of them provides more shade and makes a bigger difference in cooling the interior when the A/C is in use and the windows are up, so though a comfort item, the ability to use the A/C less is beneficial in conserving fuel and lowering the air intake temperature for more ignition timing advance over a larger percentage of throttle opening positions.
#42
dont worry about it. I have a fit sport auto too in brooklyn and city driving really kills the mpg in nyc. I got 50 mpg cruising on the highway before at night in NJ and got 40 on a recent road trip with a fully loaded car of 5 ppl and gear. But the moment I go back home it is about survival on the streets and not getting wrecked. I have gotten at as low as 15 mpg driving the snot out of it on the streets of nyc and getting stuck in traffic.
One time I had a high reading of 50 mpg on my average for about 40 miles or so, then when I drove for 10 miles in 'normal' NYC traffic, it brought it down to 25 mpg. So all in all it sucked about 1.2 gallons just moving 10 miles in the city.
One time I had a high reading of 50 mpg on my average for about 40 miles or so, then when I drove for 10 miles in 'normal' NYC traffic, it brought it down to 25 mpg. So all in all it sucked about 1.2 gallons just moving 10 miles in the city.
Step 1: Never believe the advertised numbers. They are based of tests of what industry and manufacturers consider "normal" driving. Take the numbers you see posted and remove a few mpgs and you should be good.
That's pretty much it...no Step 2 needed
That's pretty much it...no Step 2 needed
I tried running 40 psi for a few months, and could measure no difference in calculated (not reported by the meter) mileage compared with recommended pressure. However, the ride was notably harsher at 40 psi, so. I backed off to 35F, 33R; the ride is better, and the gas mileage is not measurably different.
Re the OP, have you checked your tire pressures? Under-inflated tires can cut into your mileage.
Re parking brake, an alarm sounds if it's engaged while moving.
Re the OP, have you checked your tire pressures? Under-inflated tires can cut into your mileage.
Re parking brake, an alarm sounds if it's engaged while moving.
anime2k3 seems like you're not alone. NYC is certainly the greatest testing ground for "city driving MPG's" it seems, a real killer.
I'll be traveling down to Queens in a few and will be interested in seeing wazz-up.
"don't worry about it." I love it hobbes87 keepin it real!!!!
I'll be traveling down to Queens in a few and will be interested in seeing wazz-up.
"don't worry about it." I love it hobbes87 keepin it real!!!!
#43
MT here... My daily commute is less than 5 miles one way, 45mph, and includes 15 stop lights. Rarely do I not have someone behind me, so by the time I get the speed up to 40 or 45mph, I am already applying the brakes for the next light. My real time mpg guage rarely gets the chance to slide above 30mpg.
#49
im not sure if this is related or not
I have yet to bring my car into the dealer again,yet. however, When i last brought my car into the dealer i mentioned this issue to him. They found nothing. I'm not sure if this is normal for this car or not.
basically, the car engine or motor, or some sort of fan under the hood, seems to intermittently surge. It randomly goes high and then low, sometimes I hear a slight click when it does this. It usually happens when the car is idling.
When this happens i notice the headlights dim a little. I had a very simlar probelm with my previous car, it was a used 2000 Ford contour SE bi-fuel.
I brought that into a mechanic and he stated that its an electrical problem. wiring harness or otherwise.
Whats are your thoughts? Do you notice this as well with your cars?
basically, the car engine or motor, or some sort of fan under the hood, seems to intermittently surge. It randomly goes high and then low, sometimes I hear a slight click when it does this. It usually happens when the car is idling.
When this happens i notice the headlights dim a little. I had a very simlar probelm with my previous car, it was a used 2000 Ford contour SE bi-fuel.
I brought that into a mechanic and he stated that its an electrical problem. wiring harness or otherwise.
Whats are your thoughts? Do you notice this as well with your cars?
#50
The MPG you have is not normal but might very well reflect NYC driving -Brooklyn driving in particular.
The noise you're hearing is most likely the A/C compressor cycling. Do not try and compare issues of one car with another - a 2000 Contour is worlds apart from what you're driving now. It's normal what you're hearing.
My trip into Queens was successful. I did see my MPG's go way down, 31MPG was bottom. I wasn't in town that long - crossed in at the Triborough Bridge and was always within 5 blocks of Queens end, then left town the next day. That short and intense bit of NYC driving did have kill the MPG though. If all you're doing is drving in the city you're not going to see too much better - but it should be better than what you're seeing.
Rehash:
Have you taken you ride out of the City onto a stretch of open highway and done some cruising?? Get up to speed 65MPH for an hour. Go light on the gas, see how the MPG's behave. I suggest the LIE heading east. This will give you a clear idea of how your engine is performing.
Does the engine rev in neutral? Do this while parked - not while driving. Put it in neutral or park and gently press down on the gas pedal. You should be able to bring the RPM's - that's the tachometer - up to 5000K. Go easy, you wont hurt anything. If your engine gets to 3500RPM's and quits then you defiantly have a problem.
Enjoy the fire works - a really big show.
K_C_
The noise you're hearing is most likely the A/C compressor cycling. Do not try and compare issues of one car with another - a 2000 Contour is worlds apart from what you're driving now. It's normal what you're hearing.
My trip into Queens was successful. I did see my MPG's go way down, 31MPG was bottom. I wasn't in town that long - crossed in at the Triborough Bridge and was always within 5 blocks of Queens end, then left town the next day. That short and intense bit of NYC driving did have kill the MPG though. If all you're doing is drving in the city you're not going to see too much better - but it should be better than what you're seeing.
Rehash:
Have you taken you ride out of the City onto a stretch of open highway and done some cruising?? Get up to speed 65MPH for an hour. Go light on the gas, see how the MPG's behave. I suggest the LIE heading east. This will give you a clear idea of how your engine is performing.
Does the engine rev in neutral? Do this while parked - not while driving. Put it in neutral or park and gently press down on the gas pedal. You should be able to bring the RPM's - that's the tachometer - up to 5000K. Go easy, you wont hurt anything. If your engine gets to 3500RPM's and quits then you defiantly have a problem.
Enjoy the fire works - a really big show.
K_C_
#51
I have yet to bring my car into the dealer again,yet. however, When i last brought my car into the dealer i mentioned this issue to him. They found nothing. I'm not sure if this is normal for this car or not.
basically, the car engine or motor, or some sort of fan under the hood, seems to intermittently surge. It randomly goes high and then low, sometimes I hear a slight click when it does this. It usually happens when the car is idling.
When this happens i notice the headlights dim a little. I had a very simlar probelm with my previous car, it was a used 2000 Ford contour SE bi-fuel.
I brought that into a mechanic and he stated that its an electrical problem. wiring harness or otherwise.
Whats are your thoughts? Do you notice this as well with your cars?
basically, the car engine or motor, or some sort of fan under the hood, seems to intermittently surge. It randomly goes high and then low, sometimes I hear a slight click when it does this. It usually happens when the car is idling.
When this happens i notice the headlights dim a little. I had a very simlar probelm with my previous car, it was a used 2000 Ford contour SE bi-fuel.
I brought that into a mechanic and he stated that its an electrical problem. wiring harness or otherwise.
Whats are your thoughts? Do you notice this as well with your cars?
Heck, even in the worst of traffic with the A/C on, I couldn't imagine 15 mpg. I know "big city" folks have much different traffic than wimpy midwestern town folks like myself, but still.
When you say it struggles up to 20 mph, what exactly do you mean? Like the torque converter is not locking? Are the RPMs surging differently from the rate of acceleration? Is the engine hesitating?
#52
Imagine your MPG after two hours of creeping along at 30MPH stopping every 3 minutes, but not a complete stop but one of those frustrating rolling along jobbies. Two freeking hours of it and that's not in the city driving.
There its stopping every block and charging off like a mad man when the light turns green and sitting gridlocked while firetrucks try to get through.
NOT even a place to have a car - but that's another topic_
I would take the flatlands any day, though I see the Sate of Maine in my future.
#53
You sure that's not the A/C compressor going on and off? It's quite noticeable in the Fit.
Heck, even in the worst of traffic with the A/C on, I couldn't imagine 15 mpg. I know "big city" folks have much different traffic than wimpy midwestern town folks like myself, but still.
When you say it struggles up to 20 mph, what exactly do you mean? Like the torque converter is not locking? Are the RPMs surging differently from the rate of acceleration? Is the engine hesitating?
Heck, even in the worst of traffic with the A/C on, I couldn't imagine 15 mpg. I know "big city" folks have much different traffic than wimpy midwestern town folks like myself, but still.
When you say it struggles up to 20 mph, what exactly do you mean? Like the torque converter is not locking? Are the RPMs surging differently from the rate of acceleration? Is the engine hesitating?
I mean the car is moving, but it feels like everything is in slow motion. There is little to no torque.
#55
I Haven't tried that yet. Ill post back later today with an update.
#58
I can rev fine. 2 k easily with light pressure. full throttle goes past 4k fast. The car is very responsive in park. When im actually driving that's the problem. The first push off is like moving in slo-mo. little torque. I can feed it gas, watch the tachometer rev past 2-3k, and it barely feels like its moving along. The car struggles to get up to thirty.
#60
come to the tri state meet and we'll figure it out. I dont think anything is wrong, just the way the car is designed. Our torque converters dont seem to lock under super light throttle and not until around 2000 rpm is reached. I think its fine. As far as mpg is concerned, take it out on the highway like Krimson said and give it a whirl. Get a reason to do a road trip.
To me mpg of low 20 and as low as 10 mpg is fine in the kind of traffic that we see. could be worse, my old legacy wagon got less than that one time when there was a tanker fire on the kosciuszko bridge and it took me 30 minutes just to move 1 block. I wasted half a tank from williamsburg to flushing and only went like 10 miles.
When you are on the highway, reset the trip and check out your mpg. The computer is pretty close to real mpg. See how high it can get. Then get off and sit in traffic and watch it plummet. You have to realize that the real mpg that you see is the average so far since you last reset it. Since it is a running average, when it drops, the mpg you have been getting for the last minute or so was significant enough to drop the current average.
On my typical commute from NJ to NYC, after refilling in NJ, I get high thirties to mid forties for like the first 20 minutes of pure highway, no traffic. Then I get to the 280 GSP area where I need to get to the Holland, the average starts dropping to low thirties. Then when I get near the tunnel which is only about 6 miles away, it is right around 30. (which means the last stretch I was averaging 15 mpg since shorter distance). When I finally get home after the tunnel, chinatown and the willy b, I have an average of 22 mpg.
That means in order to drop my running average of 30 mpg, in a much shorter distance, down to 22, I have to have had around 10-12 mpg, just from the tunnel to my house, which is only like 4-6 miles. I know since I ran that distance before and googled it.
To me mpg of low 20 and as low as 10 mpg is fine in the kind of traffic that we see. could be worse, my old legacy wagon got less than that one time when there was a tanker fire on the kosciuszko bridge and it took me 30 minutes just to move 1 block. I wasted half a tank from williamsburg to flushing and only went like 10 miles.
When you are on the highway, reset the trip and check out your mpg. The computer is pretty close to real mpg. See how high it can get. Then get off and sit in traffic and watch it plummet. You have to realize that the real mpg that you see is the average so far since you last reset it. Since it is a running average, when it drops, the mpg you have been getting for the last minute or so was significant enough to drop the current average.
On my typical commute from NJ to NYC, after refilling in NJ, I get high thirties to mid forties for like the first 20 minutes of pure highway, no traffic. Then I get to the 280 GSP area where I need to get to the Holland, the average starts dropping to low thirties. Then when I get near the tunnel which is only about 6 miles away, it is right around 30. (which means the last stretch I was averaging 15 mpg since shorter distance). When I finally get home after the tunnel, chinatown and the willy b, I have an average of 22 mpg.
That means in order to drop my running average of 30 mpg, in a much shorter distance, down to 22, I have to have had around 10-12 mpg, just from the tunnel to my house, which is only like 4-6 miles. I know since I ran that distance before and googled it.
Last edited by hobbes87; 07-02-2010 at 09:04 PM.