- #41 of 93
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Re: Better MPG [steveandbelind]
by ray80
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Feb 16, 2007 (5:50 am)
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Replying to: steveandbelind (Feb 16, 2007 5:33 am)
I have yet to see any for sure magic bean to will ensure great milage (despite claims from here and there). Best thing I know of is driving habits, usual things like no jack rabbit starts, anticipate stops at lights and ease out of throttle early rather then using brakes at last moment, keeping rpms down and no long warm ups at idle on cold winter days. Yours being brand new I would expect it to be a little stiff right now and I would not be surprised if milage goes up on its own for a while as time goes on. Oh and it helps if you don't have 200 lbs of junk in the trunk also (tools of whatever)
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- #42 of 93
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Re: Better MPG [ray80]
by steveandbelind
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Feb 16, 2007 (11:50 am)
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Replying to: ray80 (Feb 16, 2007 5:50 am)
It's a 07, but was bought off of a lot that got it at auction from Enterprise with 4800 miles. I just took a 80 mile roundtrip journey this morning. It took about almost all the way there to get the DIC to level out at 33.5 mpg. Then on the way back it showed 32.4. I took the average of both ways, filled it up and figured it to be 30.3 mpg. The DIC must be off about 11%. Quite a bit off isn't it? Do you think that Lucas Injector Cleaner would help any?
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- #43 of 93
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Checking Air Filter
by steveandbelind
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Feb 16, 2007 (12:09 pm)
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Oh, by the way, how do you get to the air filter?
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- #44 of 93
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Re: Checking Air Filter [steveandbelind]
by ray80
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Feb 16, 2007 (12:32 pm)
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Replying to: steveandbelind (Feb 16, 2007 12:09 pm)
At 30.3 you are still beating EPA estimates I think. Its winter here with cold temps and winter fuel and my milage has gone down. What temps have you been driving in? The air cleaner is under that big plastic thing over engine, and I'd have to look again in manual to see how to get to it. (If you don't have the manual, you could register yours at www.mygmlink.com and get to an online version of it). There is already (or should be) some measure of injector cleaner in the fuel you buy so I don't add any.
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- #45 of 93
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Re: Checking Air Filter [ray80]
by steveandbelind
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Feb 16, 2007 (3:13 pm)
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Replying to: ray80 (Feb 16, 2007 12:32 pm)
I'm in Michigan, so it's quite cold right now. We're talking about average afternoon temps 9-17 degrees. I notice that someone has been saying that the cold temps will make the mpg go down. Strange, because I'm a private pilot and my plane would always operate more efficiently in the winter because the cold air is more dense than in the summer temps. I have even been told this by my aviation mechanics. Should the DIC be off by as much as 11%,(reading more mpg, than actual mpg). Do you reset the mpg at each fillup, or just always leave it alone, to do it's own thing. Like I said before, it took almost 30-40 miles for it to finally get to where it leveled out.
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- #46 of 93
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Re: Checking Air Filter [steveandbelind]
by ray80
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Feb 16, 2007 (4:31 pm)
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Replying to: steveandbelind (Feb 16, 2007 3:13 pm)
I'll bet once temps get above 40 or so you should see better milage, seems to be that way on vehicles I've had anyway. I only use the DIC as a general indicater, not gospel, and if I am trying to save a few pennies it seems to record higher milage. Some like to reset it all the time, but I usually only do every few thousand miles.
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- #47 of 93
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Re: Checking Air Filter [steveandbelind]
by smogdung
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Feb 16, 2007 (5:33 pm)
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Replying to: steveandbelind (Feb 16, 2007 3:13 pm)
You want to see some people crying about low MPG...go over to the Murano and CX-7 forums!!!! Some of those guys are talking about 12-13 MPG!!! They act proud when they claim 18-19. I think that over a typical year you will ave 25-27 for a 2.4L automatic HHR up 29-31 for a stick 2.2L. That sound about right Ray?
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- #48 of 93
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Re: Better MPG [steveandbelind]
by bhmr59
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Feb 18, 2007 (8:12 am)
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Replying to: steveandbelind (Feb 16, 2007 11:50 am)
You have to remember that you are getting an average MPG reading. This will include "zero" mpg for every second the engine is running but the car isn't moving,like stopped at a red light.
Also, the average is calculated since the last reset. If you filled the tank and reset the computer and then drove only 20 miles locally before your 80 mile round trip, you will have put on at least 20% your mileage in local driving. I suspect you had some local driving at your destination (if nothing else, just getting back to the highway) since your 33.5 mpg average dropped to 32.4. No car gets it best mpg until the car is fully warmed up. So depending upon how long the car sat and in what temperature, your return trip could have included anywhere from 5 to 10 miles of the car not operating at peak efficiency.
If you want to get an accurate reading of your average mph, you should not reset the computer at each fill-up. The reading would/should be accurate for that tank of gas, but it does not give you a "real average". There are so many variables; temperature, wind resistance, steady speed vs accelerating and slowing, terrain, etc. And then there is the issue of a "fill-up." Topped off one time vs removing the gas hose once it automatically shuts off. If you've kept record of manual calculations, recompute your mpg based on using 1/2 gallon more and 1/2 gal less. The difference should be noticeable. "Fill-ups" are not always the same. Calculating your mpg over several tanks tends to average (minimize) the several variables.
Of course, if you're going on a trip and just want to see how you do on the highway, reset the computer when you are getting on the highway and note the mpg when you are exiting the highway.
The same principles apply to average speed. Many people are amazed to see that they average say, 24.5 mph, while they drive on a 45 mph road to work. They aren't considering slowing and being stopped for stop signs or red lights. Then there is the lower average speed in the time it takes to accelerate back to cruising speed.
The computer is constantly measuring whenever the engine is running.
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- #49 of 93
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Re: MPG [euphorbia]
by bhmr59
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Feb 18, 2007 (8:31 am)
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Replying to: euphorbia (Feb 10, 2006 12:59 pm)
Are you taking a running average, i.e. averaging each tank's mpg, or a weighted average, i.e. total miles divided by total gallons?
Weighted average will give you a more accurate result.
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- #50 of 93
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DIC
by smogdung
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Feb 19, 2007 (3:38 am)
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Over long periods of time my DIC MPG readout is quite accurate.
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