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Subaru Forester MPG-Real World Numbers

216 messages,  Last post on Nov 26, 2012 at 9:58 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Wagon

Messages Page 23 of 23

#213 of 216 Re: Mileage gauge not working? [sylviecat] by jhawk2tall

Apr 07, 2012 (9:48 pm)

Replying to: sylviecat (May 11, 2009 11:39 am)
turn the ignition to the first click and hold either the - or the + on the clock for 5 seconds.

#214 of 216 Mine is 33 by hiohsilver1

Aug 25, 2012 (6:56 pm)

I get 32-33 hand calculated highway with my 2004 xs 5 sp manual. I keep it 70 or under. It's great- I went from a 98 corolla and didn't give up much- cant imagine getting less than 30 on the highway...

#215 of 216 Re: MPG on '09 Forester--I'm fit to be tied [xwesx] by rustythepuppy

Nov 26, 2012 (9:31 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (Jan 25, 2010 11:07 am)
i kept a written record of my gas logs re mileage the first year but it hasnt changed - in the winter i average 200 miles on 14.5 gallons (the point at which my light comes on and i pull over and fill up at freddies).
 
summer is not much better - 300 miles on 14.5. after my memorial day speeding ticket - who pulls over a subaru forester?? i have kept my speed about 60 mph. no change in fuel economy. the only thing i can attribute to my terrible mileage is that i have a bike and ski rack on top. but still.
 
my commute is 26 miles to and from work. no luck there either.

#216 of 216 Re: MPG on '09 Forester--I'm fit to be tied [rustythepuppy] by xwesx

Nov 26, 2012 (9:58 pm)

Replying to: rustythepuppy (Nov 26, 2012 9:31 pm)
Both of those are still very low, for sure. My '10 is now at about 47.5K miles, and it's running average is still about 23.5 overall. Unfortunately, I lost about 1 mpg during the summer months this year when I replaced the stock tires with a set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires. I had a set of those on my '96 Outback and used them year-round. They were the best all-season I've ever used during winter (really quite decent, though not as good as dedicated winters), plus they have astounding treadwear. But, I also lost some fuel economy on that car (or so I felt I did).
 
These new ones are re-designed, and Goodyear noted that they specifically improved the FE characteristics of the tire. But, apparently not that well, given that they still cause a substantial FE drop (which I know for sure this time because I now keep logs on all my cars). I was bummed, but at the same time that was not my primary requirement when I bought them. During winter, I'm still using the original UGI's, which are now on their fourth winter at 8/32" tread depth.
 
Winter FE is running 20-22 depending on the temps.
 
Your commute isn't the problem. Idling might be somewhat of an issue during winter, especially if you're at ~14 mpg in the winter.... really?! Did you buy at Kendall? I ask because I'm wondering if it is fully winterized with good low-flow lubricants. Drivetrain resistance can cause a substantial drop, but then that still doesn't explain summer. Your rack will definitely cause a drop.
 
Cross bars, all by themselves, will knock off a solid mile-per-gallon. Round cross bars, if you have those, will possibly take more. An odd shaped accessory up there like some bike or ski racks could likely hit you for a couple more. Unless you're using them all the time, I'd try some time without those up there to see what it does. Also, if you actually carry a bike or skis up there, that will hit you more... esp. the bike!
 
When I carry stuff in my cargo basket on top, or even just the basket alone, I only get probably 22-23 mpg during the summer, vs. 26-27 without that up there. It's really a huge hit.

Messages Page 23 of 23

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