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SUV gas mileage - Feel free to participate

1070 messages,  Last post on Jun 04, 2009 at 10:34 AM

You are in the SUVs Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Ford Expedition, GMC Envoy, Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Nissan Pathfinder, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), SUV

#1054 of 1070 Re: MPG was hurt by disconecting battery... [wvgasguy] by ateixeira Dec 05, 2008 (1:15 pm)
Replying to: wvgasguy (Dec 04, 2008 2:46 pm) Well, I don't drive a 5000 lb SUV, but the person asking does.   Our Forester weighs about a ton less and I hit a 36mpg peak this week. Definitely using every trick in the book, though.   Our van weighs about 4270 if the brochure isn't lying.
#1055 of 1070 Any effect of empty roof rack on mileage? by lmacmil Dec 12, 2008 (10:51 am)
Edmunds did a test last winter on the mileage effect of an empty vs loaded roof rack. Mileage was about 20% less with a couple of items on the roof rack. I'm wondering if there is a significant effect, say > 1 mpg, of an empty roof rack vs no roof rack at all or if the cross bars have an effect. Fyi, I have a Highlander that came with a roof rack that I have never used.   My guess is that an empty roof rack has little effect on mileage. Anyone seen any data that says otherwise or care to speculate? Replies to this message: ateixeira (Dec 12, 2008 12:03 pm)
#1056 of 1070 Re: Any effect of empty roof rack on mileage? [lmacmil] by ateixeira Dec 12, 2008 (12:03 pm)
Replying to: lmacmil (Dec 12, 2008 10:51 am) I should take the rails off the roof of my van, and you just reminded me.   I tried once and it was not easy. Gotta ask other Sienna owners what's the trick.
#1057 of 1070 MPG SOLUTION!!! by xtierra Dec 14, 2008 (12:09 am)
Replying to: wayn1 (Jan 01, 2001 11:06 am) my 2005 xterra 4X2 would give me close to 400 miles per tank on highway trips.... my fuel gauge went bad and i took 4 months to fix it. once i fixed it along with cleaning my battery posts, i was shocked to see my truck use too much gas.... i was around 11mpg!!!!!! so with 100,000 miles i thought it is something with my engine... cleaned throtle intake, mass air sensor, new spark plugs,new tranny fluid, new diff fluid..... 4 bottles of lucas fuel treatment..... got up to 13.89mpg.... mechanic plugged nissan computer and showed me that my engine was performing at 86%.............. wow........... he re-set the ecu and instructed me to keep rpm's from 1000 to 1500 and drive to and open highway to get to 60 mph with low rmp's and to keep at 60 mph for 15 minutes..... while the ecu completed the re-learing procedure for the air/fuel mixture..... took a 265 mile trip the following weekend through mountain areas at 70 to 80 mph and got 20.25 mpg////////////// BACK TO NORMAL..   if you notice your mpg dropp, did you have your truck at the dealership? did you disconect the battery? this is the most common cause for bad mpg. Replies to this message: tidester (Dec 14, 2008 12:28 am) ateixeira (Dec 23, 2008 10:43 am)
#1058 of 1070 Re: MPG SOLUTION!!! [xtierra] by tidester HOST Dec 14, 2008 (12:28 am)
Replying to: xtierra (Dec 14, 2008 12:09 am) That's a great tip, XT! Glad you got that fixed.   tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper
#1059 of 1070 Re: MPG SOLUTION!!! [xtierra] by ateixeira Dec 23, 2008 (10:43 am)
Replying to: xtierra (Dec 14, 2008 12:09 am) 1000 to 1500 rpm? Wow. That truck must be geared super-tall.   Just make sure you don't lug the engine.
#1061 of 1070 MPG by twoplankr22 May 21, 2009 (10:47 am)
I've been getting between 14.5 and 15.8 mostly city in 05 ford escape driving like an old lady. been super busy last week, driving faster, accelerating harder etc, and now 17.9mpg....no weight taken out, nothing new done to vehicle. any explanations?? Replies to this message: ateixeira (May 21, 2009 11:04 am) kipk (May 22, 2009 4:15 am)
#1062 of 1070 Re: MPG [twoplankr22] by ateixeira May 21, 2009 (11:04 am)
Replying to: twoplankr22 (May 21, 2009 10:47 am) During warm-up you get poor mileage, so maybe the fact that you've been busy means you're driving it longer and more often when the engine is already warm. That helps.   Avoid short trips, and try to combine errands so the engine is already warm when you start.
#1063 of 1070 Re: MPG [twoplankr22] by kipk May 22, 2009 (4:15 am)
Replying to: twoplankr22 (May 21, 2009 10:47 am) Lots of things contribute to mileage and perceived mileage.   For instance, the position of the car when fueling. Generally if it is leaning away from the filler tube, the tank will accept more fuel, same if sitting with the front lower than the rear. So for more accurate calculations, always use the same pump with the car sitting in the same position.   Set the nozzle "Switch" at the slowest setting and let it run until it clicks off, and STOP! EVERY TIME.   Just using some numbers for the sake of example.   We drive 225 miles and it takes 15 gallons to fill the tank on level ground.=15 mpg. If the car is leaning away from the pump or the front is down hill, the tank may take 16-17 gallons. = 13-14 mpg. Since it has taken on 1-2 extra gallons of gas, the next 225 miles might take only 13-14 gallons if filled on level ground again.= 16-17 mpg.   Throttle position can also make a difference. I've found that with our 03 pilot I seem to get better mileage when using enough throttle to allow transmission shifts, without lifting my foot, at 2200 rather that 2000 rpm. However at 2500 the mileage is worse than letting it shift at 2000. Engines have sweet spots that are the most economical. Delicate balance between engine economics and transmission shifting, which goes back to engine economics. Seems to be an ever ending circle.   And as ateixeira said above, you may have been doing more driving with a warm engine.   My work commute is 6-7 miles depending to the route I take. With air temperature at 40 degrees the cold started engine will deliver 16-17 mpg. With engine at operating temps, more in the 21 mpg range. Shorter drives reflect lot bigger differences.   A Scan Gauge II is a useful tool as it can show all types of functions. Most useful to me are instant real world mileage and trip mile which can be reset any time. Even resetting it for different trips, it will still keep track of todays mileage as well as previous day and tank. Wonderful and useful toy!   Short version: Don't get terribly excited about a particularly good of particularly bad tank of gas. There are too many variables.   Kip

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