Need tips for MPG

Robotaz said:

When you're coasting, make sure and leave the car in gear. If you take it out of gear, the engine idles and uses fuel. If you leave it in gear, the engine is not using fuel.

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If going downhill, sure, but on any type of decline the increased drag will not be worth it. put that clutch to the floor and roll. Pulse and Glide FTW.

First suggestion: Check your tire pressure. Properly-inflated tires make a big difference in MPG.

Second suggestion (which may or may not be practical): Spend as much time as possible cruising between 50 - 60 mph in 5th or 6th gear. That seems to be the sweet spot for fuel efficiency in my experience.

But that may not match the driving you do. Stop and go in the city is going to be lower, so YMMV. Literally.

What everybody else said. I've also found that the brand of gas matters (even down to what station I buy it at). I always use top-tier premium, and I've had my best luck with Exxon. The type of drivING you do and the type of drivER you are makes huge differences. If you can't keep your foot out of it, you won't get what the average old guy gets. I have a 30 mi commute with 2 of what pass for mountains in PA in between, and I get anywhere from 38-41 mpg and I've gotten 45-48 mpg on a trip. I'm over trying to 'beat' the other guy...I have nothing to prove, nor compensate for. My Si has no mods so those are numbers I get with a stock Si. YMMV.

coopermidnight said:

Averaging 40 in a 6-speed would be pretty hard unless most of your driving is cruising without stopping. On a trip to Orlando (about 70 miles) my gauge said like 45mpg, but that's after spending like an hour in top gear at 2500.

I typically shift around 3-3.5k and do occasional 2nd gear pulls to redline and 34+mpg is still dead easy. Of course we don't have hills in my state If your numbers are low, you may still have to break it in a bit.

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Close to 12K miles, probably 50% highway at 65mph, 25% regular city at 30-45mph, and 25% stop and go. By the computer, 40.7 for the life of the car; 40.9 the last 3K miles or so. No complaints.

Micah said:

If going downhill, sure, but on any type of decline the increased drag will not be worth it. put that clutch to the floor and roll. Pulse and Glide FTW.

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Surely to God he’s not that stupid.

Typo. Incline

I read a few replies- Your right foot is the biggest factor. Shifting at too low of RPM can actually be worse on MPGs due to having to use more throttle. Coasting should be done in gear, even if it is an incline.(if it is too steep, maybe you should wait a little longer before you coast) Back to the first statement - the amount of throttle you use will determine how much fuel is used. I average 30 mpg with 90% city 10% highway, but I do not drive for MPGs haha.

sib2on said:

Hi all,

So I’ve been noticing around the forums, people are posting a 40 average mpg. For me personally, I’m at around 30-31 mpg. Any tips for bettering my mpg???

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Afraid I am in that boat. Commuting mostly on highways. By the computer, I average about 44mpg into work and about 36mpg in more stop/go traffic coming home from work. Lifetime average (9000+ miles) is 40mpg

Surely there are some hypermiling sites that could assist but ones that come to mind:

1) tires inflated to correct or just above factory settings
2) easy movements - gas or brakes as many have mentioned
3) mine seems to coast real nicely in 6th gear, hardly any engine drag.. so looking ahead and judging traffic - do I need to brake or just lift off the gas etc
4) AC use. AC is a consumer of drag on the engine.. it becomes a comfort vs mpg thing, but something to consider.

Keep pedal movement minimal, without being in boost. Shave off a few miles an hour of speed going uphill while staying below 0psi if possible, and speed up on downhill sections while in vacuum. These cars are fairly easy to hypermile by staying out of boost and keeping highway speeds below 70mph.

I've noticed that 60mph or so on the highway is the sweet spot for mpg numbers. I see about 45mpg consistently doing that. Up it to 70-75mph and I see a drop of 5 mpg or so.

Shifting for both fuel economy and performance logic:
There is no one correct answer to what rpm you should upshift. It all depends on what you want to do with the car in the next seconds of driving. If you want more power, then you might want to downshift or stay in your current gear. If not, upshift to keep the engine revs down to save fuel and wear and tear on the engine and accessories. Don't upshift if that will result in lugging the engine. It doesn't matter if you are driving a sports car, motorcycle, or family car; the following is the basic logic to follow for shifting a manual transmission for both efficiency and performance:

· Try to think ahead about the next 10 seconds or so of driving

· If you upshift to the next higher gear will you have enough power to do what you want to do with the car? (this all depends on how fast you want to accelerate and whether you are going uphill or downhill)

· If so, go ahead and upshift, but not if that will result in lugging the engine

· If not, then decide if you can attain the level of power you need in your current gear or you need even more power

· If you need more power than is available in your current gear then downshift

For best fuel efficiency, you really want to avoid running at high revs and light load; engine efficiency is terrible in that region. Better to run a little more throttle and lower revs, though the point at which fuel economy begins to drop with boost differs for every engine.

Keep running this algorithm in your head as you drive. You always want to strive to get in top-gear, but not at the expense of not having enough performance, or lugging the engine, or not having fun!


Dave

thank you, everyone, who has replied. I have a lot to take in but much is appreciated

luigi2120 said:

Like everyone is saying stay out of boost. I actually shit at about 3500 rpm and still get about 38 mpg on my way to work.

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Sounds like way too much information there. And messy.

Shit I am only getting like 23mpg in my EX-T but I am not too worried about it . A tank still lasts me almost 3 weeks.

Go me! Yeah it would be a bit messy