I'm asking for your guys help here in the form of information. I am in my final stage of an on going battle with Mazda to address poor fuel economy. I know this issue has been beat to death but I do mostly city driving and my mileage ranges from 11.5 to 12.5 mpg. I drive city streets through outer Chicago to Norridge, I get up to 30 to 45 mpg for 3 to 6 block then hit a stop light. never stop and go.

I ask what is your city mileage so I have a local point of reference. Please include what kind of city driving you are doing. The more specific the more helpful this information will be.

Thanks in advance.

I have heard that complaint before from customers who do very short trip driving and stay at fairly low speeds. Do you drive an automatic or a stick?

its a manual. look under his username

Thats about the mileage I get with a combination sububan (multilane road) & tollway driving. When I took the car into Wisconsin for the weekend I got over 20 mpg.
Come to the meet on Saturday if you want more information.

I get around 15-16 mpg currently. I pretty much just drive back and forth to work, and around town a bit. Mainly stop and go. During the semester I would drive on 53 a 4-5 times a week for class after work rather than driving around town and I was getting 16-16.5.

In town, I get about 16 mpg. This comes from an average drive of about six to eight miles distance in stop and go traffic (depending on either hitting red or green lights). Hope that helps. I also drive a 6MT.

Even in my current state of tune, boosted and in cold weather I still get at least 15 or 16 MPG.
I top out at 21 or so on the highway.

Thanks guys this is really helpful and gives me a little more back-up.

Mazda Maniac did not know your from our region, nice to know.

Thanks guys this is really helpful and gives me a little more back-up.

Mazda Maniac did not know your from our region, nice to know.I'm not. I just spend a lot of time there.
Sometimes I feel like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal" - I have eaten at every resturant in O'Hare this year!

I live in the Southwest.

I'm not. I just spend a lot of time there.
Sometimes I feel like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal" - I have eaten at every resturant in O'Hare this year!

I live in the Southwest.

My heart goes out to you, O'Hair is a pain to fly in and out of yet alone din at all it's fine establishments. If you're ever looking for something a little better drop me a line my company is right next to the Airport and I believe I could find us something a little better to eat. Of course you'd have to suffer through my myriad of questions.

I used to get 17-18 mpg with a 50/50 mix of highway and city.

I get 17.5mpg, that's 50% highway and 50% Loop/Near North/Lincoln Park driving. If I were just in the city it surely would be a lot less than 17.5mpg but I've never done any calcs for that.

i used to get 18-20 city and 20-22 highway.

since the recall i am down to 15-16 city and 17-19 highway.

but i usually drive a mix and average around 16


hope it works out for you raptor ... keep us posted!

I average 15 mpg mostly 50mph or less.

I've tracked the last 10,000 miles on an excel spreadsheet and my average is almost 18 mpg

BTW - Don't forget that its not Mazda you are fighting on mileage issues.
The EPA makes a "recommendation" and Mazda is "allowed" to place that on their sticker.
Their disclaimer for the entire vehicle is that they do not guarantee performance in any way.
Their only requirement under law is "suitable merchantability" - the thing must basically do what an average consumer would expect it to do based on the nature of the product class as a whole.
In other words, it only has to function as well as the least common denominator in its class (which is the set of ALL vehicles available for sale in the US).

I don't have my RX8 anymore but I remember this very well. I think OPEC designed the rotoray engine...its good for their crude oil sales.

I read somewhere on here that the earlier 2004's (which mine was, a Grand Touring 6 MT) got worse mileage than the very late 04's and the later models.

My "city" driving was a close-in suburb where you're driving 1/2 a mile or more at a time at 35 MPH and then stopping, at a sign or light, etc. and some more dense urban type driving than that. Also, I'm not a lead-footer, probably average maybe a little slower than RX-8 driver average. My "in town" mileage usually ran 14-14.5, once in a while, if I took a short highway hop or two on that tank, it would go over 15. I can imagine that in the Chicago city, with a little heavier foot to the gas, my RX8 would have gotten 12. It did get 20 - 20.5 in pure highway driving. Bottom line is, these earlier models are guzzlers.

Not to mention that when it wasn't slurping gasoline, it was munching down motor oil. I loved it anyway.

I would stop trying to fight Mazda - you won't get anywhere, and Ford is practically bankrupt anyway, so they don't have any money to give you to make amends. Trade in the '04 on an '05.

i have an 04 gt, 6sp MT and do a combination of city and highway. I do about 4 miles city and 8 miles highway every day and get about 14.5 mpg. It sucks. but i still love my car.

Raptor: What's the point of this "fight". Are you actually suing Mazda over fuel mileage??

To answer a few questions here, I own a late model 05 so it is not just the 04's that gobble gas.

Why am I doing this: Well for one I was expecting 15 mpg based on a lot of research and since I'm not getting it I'm the type that wants to know why. I have learned that the RX-8's mileage is all over the map....why. I understand how aggressive driving, weather and driving conditions effect gas mileage but no one has ever been able to explain why similar driven cars can have up to 5 MPG difference. As was pointed out with modern machining process the cars should be very similar in performance yet they are not. I'm at the bottom rung of the mileage ladder and want to know why. This could be a simple fix or require a new engine, my bet is it is an expensive matter to fix otherwise Mazda would not be ducking out on its responsibility. Many here are content with sticking their heads in the sand and accepting below average fuel mileage while saying "it's a sports car", "I don't care", "if I wanted good mileage I'd bought a Civic". I consider these people imbicles, why would anyone justify a improperly performing car unless they did not have the brains to realise their car is malfunctioning.

I want to know "Why" and fix it.

To answer a few questions here, I own a late model 05 so it is not just the 04's that gobble gas.

Why am I doing this: Well for one I was expecting 15 mpg based on a lot of research and since I'm not getting it I'm the type that wants to know why. I have learned that the RX-8's mileage is all over the map....why. I understand how aggressive driving, weather and driving conditions effect gas mileage but no one has ever been able to explain why similar driven cars can have up to 5 MPG difference. As was pointed out with modern machining process the cars should be very similar in performance yet they are not. I'm at the bottom rung of the mileage ladder and want to know why. This could be a simple fix or require a new engine, my bet is it is an expensive matter to fix otherwise Mazda would not be ducking out on its responsibility. Many here are content with sticking their heads in the sand and accepting below average fuel mileage while saying "it's a sports car", "I don't care", "if I wanted good mileage I'd bought a Civic". I consider these people imbicles, why would anyone justify a improperly performing car unless they did not have the brains to realise their car is malfunctioning.

I want to know "Why" and fix it.

you will notice that most that get really bad mileage are in cali... it is like a city but bigger...

you live in a city.. short trips, and lots of idling... go figure...

why dont you reset the ecu and burn a tank of gas on the hiway... i mean like take a trip. see what happens...

you are not going to get the 21mpg that i average, but it will give you a clue...

good luck..


beers :beer:

You write "...Mazda would not be ducking out on its responsibility...." I my opinion, they don't have any responsibility. Maybe they're responsible to sell you a car that's doesn't become a molotov cocktail in a fender bender, but that's about it. You bought the car, its now your car and your responsibility. I'm You seem to be under the influence of our society's need to blame anyone for anything.

Just don't ever buy another Mazda if you don't like it. But there's no way a car company can be responsible for gas mileage for every driver in every location and every set of driving conditions. That's like blaming the dirt because you're allergic to peanuts.

Excuse my libertarian rant, its not anything personal on you - I know it sounds that way. And I do hope you get it figured out...but I just got my wankel spinning over the idea that they're to blame.

you will notice that most that get really bad mileage are in cali... it is like a city but bigger...

you live in a city.. short trips, and lots of idling... go figure...

why dont you reset the ecu and burn a tank of gas on the hiway... i mean like take a trip. see what happens...

you are not going to get the 21mpg that i average, but it will give you a clue...

good luck..


beers :beer:

Actually on the high way I have gotten any were from 17 to 21mpg, I also believe with cruse control I could hit 23 mpg. Which adds to the confusion, this is why I am digging. Maybe when all is said and done my car is working normally and 12 mpg is just what the RX-8 delivers but based based on a lot of other reports I don't think this is the case.

Many here are content with sticking their heads in the sand and accepting below average fuel mileage while saying "it's a sports car", "I don't care", "if I wanted good mileage I'd bought a Civic". I consider these people imbicles...
:soapbox:

I for one happen to be one of those such people who bought this car without regard to fuel mileage. I know better then to drive a car with a 9,000 rpm capacity and sit there and worry about if I'm getting close to what the EPA thinks the car should get. Mazda has no say in what the EPA puts on the stickers. Hmm... and they call ME the dumb one...

Actually on the high way I have gotten any were from 17 to 21mpg, I also believe with cruse control I could hit 23 mpg. Which adds to the confusion, this is why I am digging. Maybe when all is said and done my car is working normally and 12 mpg is just what the RX-8 delivers but based based on a lot of other reports I don't think this is the case.

Honestly I think your car is normal as you say it might be. It's too bad for you that you live where traffic sucks, but.... stuck in traffic means 0 mpg. When you add that time to whatever else mpg-wise you get it looks like it's adding up to 12mph :tear:

If you can get 17-21 on the highway that's absolutely normal... even better than normal. I think a majority of us get 16-19 mixed travel conditions.

Not knowing more of your situation or how you drive, etc. I'd personally say it's either time to cut bait and sell it if it bothers you so much and get on with life. There are lots of fun little cars that get good mileage even in stop-n-go traffic

I've found that it's generally easier to go around rather than thru many of life's problems, stressing out over sueing Mazda, how you think you 8 sucks gas that you don't feel is worth it, that kind of thing is generally only causing you bad karma, hardening of the arteries, sleepless nights, general unpleasantness :uhh:

Take the path of inner peace....

So by your logic if your new 07 RX is returning 3 MPG in normal city driving that's cool with you. The fact that Mazda has the car under warranty is irrelevant, right. I mean come on Mazda can't be held responsible for every ones driving style, right. You bought the car so now that 3 MPG is your problem because you own it...right. Sounds pretty silly doesn't it.

If your car is running out side normal operational peramiter the warranty is there to resolve these issues, plain and simple. It is my believe that my car is outside normal operational parameters, I may be proved wrong and that is why I am collecting data here. If everyone else is sharing a similar experience my quest ends here but if not I will pursue Mazda.

You write "...Mazda would not be ducking out on its responsibility...." I my opinion, they don't have any responsibility. Maybe they're responsible to sell you a car that's doesn't become a molotov cocktail in a fender bender, but that's about it. You bought the car, its now your car and your responsibility. I'm You seem to be under the influence of our society's need to blame anyone for anything.

Just don't ever buy another Mazda if you don't like it. But there's no way a car company can be responsible for gas mileage for every driver in every location and every set of driving conditions. That's like blaming the dirt because you're allergic to peanuts.

Excuse my libertarian rant, its not anything personal on you - I know it sounds that way. And I do hope you get it figured out...but I just got my wankel spinning over the idea that they're to blame.

I don't see any mention on HOW you drive (#). Are you heavier on the gas to get up to speed? Are you constantly on and off the gas to maintain it? IE are you one of those that speeds up/slows down quickly and can't maintain speed? That's a reason why cruise control (#) will give you slightly better milage. It's reading a lot more things than you are to be as efficient as it can in maintaining that speed.

3-6 blocks isn't that far. How long are you sitting at those lights? Just trying to be objective here. I'm certainly the king of crappy mileage, but I know how to get better mileage if I want.

The 3 MPG example is a little extreme. Your mileage may be the result of the first paragraph.

That milage is normal. If you can get 23 mpg on the highway then you're car is fine.
It doesnt have power loss or anything does it? No CEL's? If not, its fine. When I drove all Highway I got 21-22 miles per gallon. I moved and drive 2 blocks to work and sit at one light, now I get 12-15 mpg, probably depending all on that light, but I do drive around town a lot too, so there are untracked variables (not to mention throttle position.

If you dont have power loss or CEL's or anythign weird going on, your engine is probably fine. You arent stating anything about it driving strange or anything bimding, so the drivetrain is probably alright.

Instead of going after Mazda and suing....which probably wont turn out the way you want, I would suggest doing a piggyback setup and moniter your air/fuel ratio. THis would be expensive, but would get you answers. A cheaper thing would be buy a new air filter, put in new plugs, and see if that helps any. Besides sitting in one spot and idling, those really are the only possibilities I can think of that would drastically effect milage.

Really though, thats normal milage. I think that the drastic differences we are seeing are a combination of variables like driving style, fuel, mods, maintanence cycles, etc.

But really, rotaries are thirsty...all there is to it.

Raptor,

What are your normal shift points? I think that would give people a better idea of your driving style. I get around 15 city on my 05 AT (i know yours is a MT), but I use the paddles a lot and rev it quite a bit - gotta make sure to do the rotary maintenance, especially on the AT :)

So by your logic if your new 07 RX is returning 3 MPG in normal city driving that's cool with you. The fact that Mazda has the car under warranty is irrelevant, right. I mean come on Mazda can't be held responsible for every ones driving style, right. You bought the car so now that 3 MPG is your problem because you own it...right. Sounds pretty silly doesn't it.

If your car is running out side normal operational peramiter the warranty is there to resolve these issues, plain and simple. It is my believe that my car is outside normal operational parameters, I may be proved wrong and that is why I am collecting data here. If everyone else is sharing a similar experience my quest ends here but if not I will pursue Mazda.

Well, I see your point, but I'm not sure that any retail-sold passenger vehicle has ever gotten 3 MPG. (not even the Hummer H1?) THus 3 MPG would be an attention grabber. However, plenty of vehicles, of similar weight, horsepower, and aerodynics to the RX8, have gotten 12 or a little worse in the city. And 21 on the highway makes a lot of performance vehicles look pretty lame, in fact.

Yes, I actually get very close to the manufacturers stated EPA mileage of 18 in the city. I drive VERY HEAVY stop and go traffic for 16 miles to and from work EVERY DAY. '04 MT 6 speed. 23K miles.

I didn't used to get that good. I used to get 14MPG. What changed, you may ask?

I READ THE OWNERS MANUAL.

If you shift at the recommended shift points, it works out to just almost exactly a 3K rpm shift point. Sure, it's like driving a truck. But, it does work. It also is great practice shifting 4 times before reaching 40mph. Shifting this way also nets a greater highway mpg, provided you stay at or below 65mph in 6th. I average 24mpg when following the owners manual guidelines.

(heresay knowledge follows)...

I understand that there is a point just above 3K rpm at which a secondary plenum opens in the intake manifold, allowing more air (and thus requiring more fuel) to run the engine. Stay below that point, and your mileage will improve immensely. Your 'Grin Factor' will decrease. But, you can't have both.

This is what kills me. Skillmaker gets good mileage is worst traffic then I do, I am not in heavy stop and go.

Here is a little more background info. I normally drive aggressive about 30% of the time. Most the time my shift points are between 3K to 6K and that returns me 11.5 to 12.5 mpg. Now I did do an experiment and did not let the engine rev over 3K for a tankful. All shifts at 3K and my mileage hit 13.5 mpg. So if I baby the car I can hit 13.5 MPG while SkillMaker hits 18 MPG.

PS that was the most miserable tank of gas I ever used up.


Yes, I actually get very close to the manufacturers stated EPA mileage of 18 in the city. I drive VERY HEAVY stop and go traffic for 16 miles to and from work EVERY DAY. '04 MT 6 speed. 23K miles.

I didn't used to get that good. I used to get 14MPG. What changed, you may ask?

I READ THE OWNERS MANUAL.

If you shift at the recommended shift points, it works out to just almost exactly a 3K rpm shift point. Sure, it's like driving a truck. But, it does work. It also is great practice shifting 4 times before reaching 40mph. Shifting this way also nets a greater highway mpg, provided you stay at or below 65mph in 6th. I average 24mpg when following the owners manual guidelines.

(heresay knowledge follows)...

I understand that there is a point just above 3K rpm at which a secondary plenum opens in the intake manifold, allowing more air (and thus requiring more fuel) to run the engine. Stay below that point, and your mileage will improve immensely. Your 'Grin Factor' will decrease. But, you can't have both.

have you replaced the air filter and spark plugs? do you use premium gas? do you have your climate controls set for the "face" option only? how long do you warm her up before driving? is your tire pressure perfect at all times in each tire?

the questions are infinite, and each will give different results. so many variables will make it impossible to actually prove this case in a court of law, imho. but if you are concerned about it, you could try modifying all of the things listed above.

You went through a full tank of gas driving around in the city, shifting at 3k, in less than 24 hours? :icon5:

Thats like 6 hours straight of pure city driving.

You went through a full tank of gas driving around in the city, shifting at 3k, in less than 24 hours? :icon5:

Thats like 6 hours straight of pure city driving.
i dont think he mentioned the timeframe in which he did his test ... but if youre around chicago, 6 hrs is not unheard of. our rush hours can get ugly

i have an 04 gt, 6sp MT and do a combination of city and highway. I do about 4 miles city and 8 miles highway every day and get about 14.5 mpg. It sucks. but i still love my car.

For a min there I thought this was me cuz you got the same avatar...I dunno how that happened... :Eyecrazy:

I get about 16 around town and about 20 or 21 on the interstate. Mostly normal driving around town with an occasional beep. On interstate, cruise set about 75. Could your winter blend fuel make your mileage lower?

For a min there I thought this was me cuz you got the same avatar...I dunno how that happened... :Eyecrazy:

Wow, you got me to do the same. :hahano: But I have this avitar from another website I belong to. Very strange, I have never seen this pic outside of that site.

This is what kills me. Skillmaker gets good mileage is worst traffic then I do, I am not in heavy stop and go.

Here is a little more background info. I normally drive aggressive about 30% of the time. Most the time my shift points are between 3K to 6K and that returns me 11.5 to 12.5 mpg. Now I did do an experiment and did not let the engine rev over 3K for a tankful. All shifts at 3K and my mileage hit 13.5 mpg. So if I baby the car I can hit 13.5 MPG while SkillMaker hits 18 MPG.

PS that was the most miserable tank of gas I ever used up.

Raptor....try keeping RPMs above 5k RPM as much as possible for about a quarter tank.
Fill it up after that and calculate mileage.
See if that starts to clear up your problem.
Make sure you do this with 92/93 octane...if you get knock, more fuel goes out the tailpipe.
Also, take the time to let your engine warm up to full temp before you start driving.

Anyone that drives in that much traffic has my sympathy. :Eyecrazy:

Here are my data points... hope they help some. I've tracked every mile in excel since I picked it up new-- not that I care much about fuel economy from an economic perspective, but more as a yardstick of something degrading (plugs, filters) or measuring the effectiveness of a mod that I did to it. The most important thing to keep in mind with these numbers is I drive the car like I stole it almost every day, rarely shifting before 6k, and redlining (BEEEP! : ) at least twice a day.

- 2004 MT6, built in September 2003

- Noteable mods: custom intake with RB ram air and green performance filter, Greddy cat back, RP Supercat (yes, it's loud)

- 31300 miles - ~97% of those are commuting to work and back, which is mostly stop and go city miles around 40-50mph.

- 147 fill-ups, 93 or 91 octane used exclusively

- Averaging 15.51mpg across all three years and all seasons (and seasonal tires).

- Averaging ~16mpg during the summer months, ~15mpg during the winter months

- The rare highway trips yielded 21-22mpg, at ~85-90mph

- Mileage for year one was slightly over 16mpg, and has slowly decreased, but I attribute my increasingly aggressive driving habits to the drop.

Would I like to see better mileage? Sure... but I won't change my driving style to do it... this car is too much fun. The only time I've seen <13mpg was when my air filter was really dirty, which tipped me off to clean it : ).