EPA mpg vs. your mpg

[Pi1otguy]

Almost all of us feel the pain at the pump now-a-days. Heck, some of us (me included) sometimes hold back tears and rage at the pump. So I guess the great question is:

What kind of car/motorcycle do you have?
What's your actual mpg?
Has it increased since a year or 2 ago?
Is it higher or lower then the EPA mpg?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

 

[TMetzinger]

2001 Subaru Forester
21 City, 25-28 highway (depending on terrain, usually at 75 MPH)
I think EPA on it was 18/25, but it's been a while.
I watch tire pressures, and do the scheduled maintenance.

I could probably get better mileage by driving slower, but 65 puts me to sleep, literally.

 

[Pi1otguy]

1999 Isuzu Amigo
23 mpg actual (I drive slow now); 18 mpg (epa combined)
Used to be 19 a year or 2 ago, but I've inflated the tires, and pretend to super-mile (as opposed to hyper-mile).

 

[KennyFlys]

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
19 MPG on average
I've owned it for less than a year but it's consistent thus far in the 20,000 miles I've driven it.
Slightly lower in town and higher on the road. I keep the tires inflated higher than normal; about six pounds over. That makes a a huge difference with no apparent abnormal wear on the tires.

 

[Pi1otguy]

Now that fuel injectors are computer controlled can we ask our mechanics to lean the mix like they did on our old carb'ed cars? It used to work magic on an old Nissan I had, but killed it's 0-60.

 

[Bob Noel]

> What kind of car/motorcycle do you have?

Mercury Mariner Hybrid

> What's your actual mpg?

as bad as 24 mpg in the winter, and 32+ mpg in the summer

> Has it increased since a year or 2 ago?

No

> Is it higher or lower then the EPA mpg?

The EPA original: City seems lower, highway rating is higher

These new EPA numbers: Higher.

 

[Bob Noel]

fwiw - I believe ethanol has lowered the mpg of cars today.

 

[Pi1otguy]

fwiw - I believe ethanol has lowered the mpg of cars today.

Well, gas is kinda energy dense compared to other practical fuels short of natural gas & hydrogen.

Gas: 46.9 MJ/Kg
Gasohol (10& ethanol): 43.54 MJ/Kg
Ethanol: 30 MJ/KG
Methanol: 19.7 Mj/Kg

 

[fgcason]

fwiw - I believe ethanol has lowered the mpg of cars today.

I don't believe it lowered MPG. I know for a fact that it definitely lowered MPG. I take my known base numbers before ethanol and knock 10-15% off the mileage and get pretty close to today's reality.

P.S. Thanks for reminding me. I need to go rearrange the fuel line plumbing to the jeep's carburetors before it vapor locks again this summer. (Funny how it never vapor locked before ethanol even when operating in much hotter conditions... ) I'm even considering bypassing the mechanical engine fuel pump and STC'ing in an electric fuel pump while I'm at it. It's amazing the hassles one will go through just for the excitement of paying an extra dollar a gallon...I'm still considering writing a letter to the gas companies that start with "Dear Cretin..."

 

[Dean]

The wifes car is a Linclon LS with the 3.9 V8, EPS avergae is 23 mpg, she gets 28 mpg. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 V8, epa is 18 mpg and I get 21 mpg.

 

[KennyFlys]

The wifes car is a Linclon LS with the 3.9 V8, EPS avergae is 23 mpg, she gets 28 mpg. I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 4.7 V8, epa is 18 mpg and I get 21 mpg.

That's about what my Cherokee will come up to with extra tire inflation. On flatter roads, it will jump to between 22 and 23.

 

[msupples1]

2004 Jeep Liberty, 4WD, 3.7L V6 automatic
19 city, 24-25 highway
15/19 is EPA, so much higher
Along with an oil changer every 3000 miles, I also change the air filter. Before I started replacing it every 3k miles I got 1-2 mpg less. I also change the spark plugs get changed every third oil change.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

Now that fuel injectors are computer controlled can we ask our mechanics to lean the mix like they did on our old carb'ed cars? It used to work magic on an old Nissan I had, but killed it's 0-60.

No...

 

[kevin47881]

2008 Nissan Titan 4x4 with tow package

regular gasoline = 15 MPG combined (got 15.9 last week driving to and around Atlanta)

crapahol (E85) = 12 MPG combined at best (that's a 20% decrease!)

My wife has a 2005 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4x4 and gets 22 MPG religiously.

Unless I'm on company business the Titan stays in the driveway and I use a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage which gets me about 31 MPG.

All three are about as advertised.

 

[wbarnhill]

Almost all of us feel the pain at the pump now-a-days. Heck, some of us (me included) sometimes hold back tears and rage at the pump. So I guess the great question is:

What kind of car/motorcycle do you have?
What's your actual mpg?
Has it increased since a year or 2 ago?
Is it higher or lower then the EPA mpg?

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm

2008 MINI Cooper S
Actual: 32mpg City, 40mpg Highway - 36mpg combined
EPA: 23mpg City, 32mpg Highway
Properly inflated tires (not overinflated), premium fuel as recommended by manufacturer.

 

[gprellwitz]

2001 Acura CL3.2 Type S, 177K miles, premium fuel as recommended by the manufacturer.
EPA: 17 City, 20 Combined, 27 Hwy
Mine: 24.5 (Chicago-area highway & suburban driving)
About the same as a couple of years ago.

 

[SCCutler]

2001 Cadillac Deville-

Real gas, steady-state at 80mph (cruise control on), around 26-27 mpg; switch it to the contaminated gas (with ethanol in) and it drops to 21-22.

Thanks congressional morons.

 

[nddons]

2004 Ford Expedition 5.4 liter V8, 92,000 miles
14 city, 17 highway (sometimes a little higher).
EPA was 14/17, if I recall, so I'm right on.
I sometimes get lower MPG when I wasn't expecting it, which could turn on the type of gas.

 

[2256Q]

Cadillac and Taurus. Cad does better by 2 or 3 mpg, Taurus does worse, 1 or 2 mpg.

 

[Dean]

2008 Nissan Titan 4x4 with tow package.

I had an 04 when they first came out, brakes where junk, but other than that it was a great truck. Fastest 4x4 truck I have ever owned. I could get about 22 mpg on the highway if I set the cruise on 60.

 

[Noah Werka]

1987 VW Jetta bought new...5 speed...original clutch
265k miles
Uses no oil
38mpg highway...33mpg knocking around town
Minimal maintenance...normal usage repairs
Best vehicle I have ever had

 

[jmaynard]

2007 Lexus RX350 4WD
28 highway (95% of my driving is at 60-70 MPH), 22 or so city (though I can't really tell for sure, since I do so little of it) - and, unlike most folks here and unlike my previous vehicle (a 2001 RX300), I can't tell any difference between 100% gasoline and E10
No change, though it did drop to 26 MPG highway over the winter
Higher than EPA (20/25)

 

[timwinters]

I don't do much city driving and have never kept track of city MPH but here are the highway figures and I typically run about 8 over the speed limit so that's 78 mph in most states 83 mph in OK and SD. Missouri mandated ethanol the first of this year.

Personal vehicles:

2000 Toyota 4-runner
115k miles
21 mpg highway before ethanol
18 mpg highway after

2002 Subaru Forester
45k miles
28 mpg highway before ethanol
26 mpg highway after

Work vehicles;

2002 Chevy truck 4x4 4.7L
145k miles
20 mpg highway before ethanol
16 mpg highway after

2008 dodge 3/4 ton, cummins, 4x4
10k miles
23 mpg highway at 60
17 mpg highway at 80

 

[bstratt]

2003 Ford F-150 P/U, V8, 4 x 4 - 16mpg @ 82mph

2007 Acura TL - 32mpg (but uses premium gas)

2007 HD Heritage Softtail Classic - 45mpg (but uses premium gas)

 

[jesse]

2001 Suzuki Bandit 1200S (40 mpg)
1998 Pontican Sunfire (30 mpg highway..no idea town).

I basically don't drive my car except for the months of Nov - Feb. I ride my bike on select days during those months that is warm enough.

 

[tonycondon]

my oldsmobile alero gets in the high 20's, about 28 or so at 60 mph on the highway. pulling my glider trailer at 70 down the interstate is more like 12. thats on ethanol. i gain a few more mpg on regular gas but here in corn country its about 15-20 cents cheaper a gallon. hard to turn that down.

 

[kevin47881]

Tony -
Have you performed the cents/miles calculation with both gasoline and crapahol (E85)? When I did it for my truck it was slightly less expensive per mile to run gasoline.

 

[tonycondon]

letsee, ethanol is 3.76 right now so at 28 mpg that comes out to 13.4 cents/mile

i think the spread is about 15 cents so normal gas would be 3.91 and IIRC from the last time i had a tank of that i could probably get 30 mpg. that would be 13 cents/mile.

 

[KennyFlys]

letsee, ethanol is 3.76 right now so at 28 mpg that comes out to 13.4 cents/mile

i think the spread is about 15 cents so normal gas would be 3.91 and IIRC from the last time i had a tank of that i could probably get 30 mpg. that would be 13 cents/mile.

Not much difference unless you were doing courier work as I was last year, driving 350+ miles a day.

 

[tonycondon]

exactly kenny. plus i live in corn country and come from a family of grain farmers.

 

[kevin47881]

Tony, don't get me wrong...corn is a great crop. I just don't agree with using it as a fuel for a litany of reasons.

That said, I think it's great the farmers (and more especially your family and friends) will be having a profitable year due to the sell price/bushel.

Thanks for doing the math - I'm glad it's more cost effective for you than it was for me.

 

[tonycondon]

yea ill just have to send my uncle on my grocery runs this year

i understand the reasons why ethanol really is not ideal as a gas additive and mostly agree. but in my situation its worth it. if i lived somewhere else where the incentives were not as good, i would probably feel the same way that you do

 

[Rob Schaffer]

2008 Mazda 3s
2.3L 4-cyl 150hp
EPA rates 22 city, 29 highway

I've been getting 26-27 average if I drive to work through the suburbs, and 31-32 if I use the highway every day,.. but part of that is toll road so I still lose money

Great car and I like the sportyness of it. Gets me to the airport fast

 

[SteveW]

What kind of car/motorcycle do you have?
What's your actual mpg?
Has it increased since a year or 2 ago?
Is it higher or lower then the EPA mpg?

- Mazda Miata (2000)
- average over last 120,000 miles = 37.2 mpg (all logged) (3226 gallons in 120000 miles)
- not really
- higher (EPA Highway = 29)

 

[Shipoke]

I dont track my mileage ,and if i did it would probably P*ss me off how bad it is . i drive a Chevy Avalanche.
Dave G.

 

[Rob Schaffer]

How about the Tow Truck Dave?