I had a pesonal record this weekend of 310 miles to my tank. All highway driving and probably could have squeezed another 10 miles out of her. Just wanted to share.

I hit 300 miles on 1 tank. I drove as normal the first 3/4 of the tank. Then I normally goof off the last 1/4 of the tank. As i was doing this I noticed I was gonna be near a gas station
with fair prices for a good while. So I toned it back down.
I could of hit the 310-320 on 1 tank had I kept if out of the redline.
I have a stock 06 btw and use the A/c every day.

I regularly (with significant horsin around and bsin) get 280ish. I got 310 once, but that was cause I did all 65mph...

Maybe I should do that more often...

I have been doing a 140 mile trip on occassion. Do 75-80 on the interstate. Routinely get 320 to 340 before the warning light. I really think the more I have it on cruise the better I get.
BTW get about 210 in town. This is not a city car! It likes to stretch its legs.

I can't keep my foot out of accelerator enough to get that kind of mileage. I get about 240-250 in town. On the highway, about 270-280.

get about 210 in town.

That's pretty much exactly what I get.

That's pretty much exactly what I get.

Yup.

Gas guage is a little wonky. But I did hit halfway at 155miles. That's with about 70/30 highway/city driving if you're counting miles wise. But counting time wise its about 60/40.

I hit 300 miles on 1 tank. I drove as normal the first 3/4 of the tank. Then I normally goof off the last 1/4 of the tank. As i was doing this I noticed I was gonna be near a gas station
with fair prices for a good while. So I toned it back down.
I could of hit the 310-320 on 1 tank had I kept if out of the redline.
I have a stock 06 btw and use the A/c every day.

how fast were you going? coz i got stock 06 too and i only hit 200-225 miles. i shift at 3k city and 3.5k highway and cruising at 70-80 miles at the highway. what are your tircks?

Once the car breaks in with some miles on it you will get a higher mileage per tank I promise. :)

Miles per tank doesn't mean much unless you say how much gas you used. You can't just say you got 287 miles in a tank, because it's not the whole tank, unless you actually ran out of gas. I got 315 once, and filled up with 14.5 gallons. The light was on most of my drive home

I had a pesonal record this weekend of 310 miles to my tank. All highway driving and probably could have squeezed another 10 miles out of her. Just wanted to share.

I once hit 520 kms (323 miles) 100% highway with almost no traffic (night) and a very constant speed of about 62 mph (110 kms/h), with a final 30 miles at 49 mph... my reserve light came on just as I passed a closed gas station with the post "next gas station, 35 miles". :Eyecrazy: :Eyecrazy: :Eyecrazy: :Eyecrazy:

When I arrived at the station, I put in it 60 liters (15.8 gallons), that is, it was almost DRY.

Congrats.

Not to dampen your achievment, but I had a new best 2 weekends ago. 75mph with no traffic, myself and 1 bag in the car, 361.4 highway miles. I could've made it one more exit I think, but I chickened out (and I was shooting for 360). 13.72 gallons. 26.3 mpg.

Oddly enough, that's not my best mpg, but on that tank I filled up early. (27.something on that one).

My average mileage has gone up with age. I'm not driving any different on a day to day basis. I used to average around the low 17's commuting, but lately I'm in the low to mid 18's.

65k miles, AT Touring.

I have found that the difference between cruising at 80 mph vs 70 mph is a couple of miles per gallon but only a couple of minutes difference in time travelled depending on how far you go of course. Go 60-65 and you'll do even better. I always downshift when I am slowing down. I always have. That's how I can have 143,000 miles on the original rear brakes on my daily driver with pad life to spare. When you decelerate in gear, there is no fuel going into the engine. It's free mileage. It is not hard on your clutch or transmission and is actually far less stress than regular driving.

Here's my problem...

Size 15 shoe... dammit if that redline doesn't just sneak up on me! :lol:

One thing that would help mileage is if Mazda would get rid of that worthless 4.44 rear end and replace it with a 4.10 like it should have always had.

One thing that would help mileage is if Mazda would get rid of that worthless 4.44 rear end and replace it with a 4.10 like it should have always had.

Then the 4 port 4AT couldn't get out of a parking spot... :) . A lower 6th gear ratio would have been perfectly fine. Mazda has never really been in tune with the world market.

how fast were you going? coz i got stock 06 too and i only hit 200-225 miles. i shift at 3k city and 3.5k highway and cruising at 70-80 miles at the highway. what are your tircks?
Maybe its a CA thing cause I have only managed to get a little better than you. I'll get about 210 all street, and 270 all highway.

I got 46 mpg on my last tank............

But I filled up a total of 3 times before I calculated my mileage.

My right foot weighs 150 pounds, so i can't get that high. my best so far was 250-260 miles on a tank. that was mostly highway, about 70 mph with cruise.

-Steakboy

While this may be YOUR record on one tank... I'd like to see what the REAL record on one tank is.

It looks like therm could've made it to 400mi on one tank... 26-27mpg would allow that and still have enough to get you to a gas station.

I ran out of nerve at 330mi on one of my tanks, and I discovered I still had 3gal left in the tank. I wouldn't have made it to 400mi without running completely dry, but it would've been close.

I normally get about 240-250 a tank now. My car is not a stranger to "fun" either so I'll take it. :)

I normally get about 240-250 a tank now. My car is not a stranger to "fun" either so I'll take it. :)
i agree :rock:

In the last month I have consistantly been getting 310-325 miles per tank. All highway driving averaging 75mph on cruise with a daily commute of of 100miles each way.

I have been using 93 octane to achieve this, where as I has always used 87 in the past and averaged 260-270 miles per tank.

Car is in the garage now with 200.8 miles on trip and just below the 1/2 way mark. So theroretically I could get 200 more miles but not likely.

Hmmm... My highest mileage was on a tank with 87. :dunno:

I just took a long early morning trip and turned around and came back with the a/c on most of the time. I had the cruse control on 55mph most of the time and the fuel lite came on at 398 miles. I pulled into a gas-station, I was pleasently shocked $2.95, best price I've seen in months. It took 13.5 gal so my new best is 29.5mpg, bettered all previous seven rotarys and more HP too.

When are people going to learn.........

You can't measure MPG by tank full.

Must be a lot of Math flinkies on this site.

When are people going to learn.........

You can't measure MPG by tank full.

Must be a lot of Math flinkies on this site.

who's measuring MPG by the tank? we're measuring range, which is MPT.

When are people going to learn.........

You can't measure MPG by tank full.

Must be a lot of Math flinkies on this site.
Thanks for the math lesson. We'll be sure to defer to you in all future discussions on this topic. :bootyshak

People who give "I regularly do XXX miles per tank" are giving useless info (we need MPG info, people!), but someone like oldrotor who gives miles on a tank AND gallons consumed is helpful.

Nearly 400mi on 13.5gals? THAT is impressive.

Sure is :bootyshak

But I like Dominions boobie pictures better

In the last month I have consistantly been getting 310-325 miles per tank. All highway driving averaging 75mph on cruise with a daily commute of of 100miles each way.

I have been using 93 octane to achieve this, where as I has always used 87 in the past and averaged 260-270 miles per tank.

Car is in the garage now with 200.8 miles on trip and just below the 1/2 way mark. So theroretically I could get 200 more miles but not likely.

You know come to think of it, I usually put in 87 as well. However this tank I felt like spoilier her a bit, so I mixed half the tank with 93 and half with 87. I wonder if the extra milage is worth the extra gas cost. Somone with math skills should formulate that. I have no time. :)

Thanks for the math lesson. We'll be sure to defer to you in all future discussions on this topic. :bootyshak

People who give "I regularly do XXX miles per tank" are giving useless info (we need MPG info, people!), but someone like oldrotor who gives miles on a tank AND gallons consumed is helpful.

Nearly 400mi on 13.5gals? THAT is impressive.

When starting this thread I wasn't looking for exact science, more hey look at me I never got over 300 miles per tank before. However if you want science I can give it to you. I always fill my tank and top it off. When I filled up again after getting 309. I put 14.8 gallons in the car. I hate math so I'll leave the rest to whoever. :) On a side note, how far can you generally drive once the warning light comes on. Or for you science guys, how many gallons are left once the light comes on?

It seems that MPG varies from car to car. Each RX-8 seems to suck up gas at its own rate.

When starting this thread I wasn't looking for exact science, more hey look at me I never got over 300 miles per tank before. However if you want science I can give it to you. I always fill my tank and top it off. When I filled up again after getting 309. I put 14.8 gallons in the car. I hate math so I'll leave the rest to whoever. :) On a side note, how far can you generally drive once the warning light comes on. Or for you science guys, how many gallons are left once the light comes on?
That warning light is something that is probably more variable than anything else, at least from car-to-car. Heck, even from tank-to-tank. Mine came on once when I had about 2gals in the tank, yet another time when I had about 3gals in the tank. I trust the needle more than the light, and the light doesn't always come on when the needle is in a specific position. At least it hasn't in my case.

That's about 20.9mpg, btw, on your 309mi tank.

my best 14 gallon tank was 328miles.(23.4mpg) But my average tank (13.5) of everyday driving is about 170-190 (12.6mpg)

woo expensive to drive car :(

thats right the light comes on at a calculated point. not a specific spot on the guage. it calculates somehow from load and fuel used

It seems that MPG varies from car to car. Each RX-8 seems to suck up gas at its own rate.


no that is driver to driver not car to car

^^yeah what he said...the fact that my car in everyday driving does 13mpg and in pure highway driving at 70mph can do nearly 24mpg just says something about my driving style...i have fun with my toys.

Riddle me this. I am in an '04 6spd, and I am getting nowhere near 310 miles to a tank. Possibly because of traffic while going to work, but I try to avoid it at all cost and keep it in 6th most of the time. I am using synthetic oil and 93 octane. Any ideas on why I am getting 230-240 miles to the tank? Fill me in PLEASE!!!

what RPM were u shifting at to get 310? and, what type of driving? we need details- all the pertinent info please, as specific as possible...

Dammit, these "XXX miles per tank" isn't helping here, people. We don't all fill up at exactly the same point. Keep your receipts and write down your mileage. Takes just a few seconds.

FWIW, on my last fillup I did 14mpg more or less on the nose. That is ALL "around town" stuff, never turning a wheel on a road with a speed limit over 45mph (though maybe did a little more than 45mph on occasion, har har har). 183mi, 13.1gals. Filled up a li'l early 'cuz I was going on a highway trip.

But there's my point about miles per tank. I can say "hey, I only got 180 miles on my last tank! Jeez!", but that doesn't tell anyone whether I tanked up with 13gals or 15 gals. That makes a big difference in terms of the actual MPG... I actually did 14 (poor), where at 15gals it'd be 12.2 (really poor), or at 15.5gals it'd be 11.8 (really, REALLY poor).

The difference between around-town and steady highway speed is quite remarkable. On the highway I'm getting 70% better mileage than in-town, which is a greater spread than I would've imagined. I can get the EPA number on the highway, but not even close in town.

all "miles per tank" measures is how much the owner likes to gamble -shrug-

what RPM were u shifting at to get 310? and, what type of driving? we need details- all the pertinent info please, as specific as possible...

It was pretty much all hwy driving with the AC cranking. I drove from Albany down the throughway to Jersey and back. I would say that 30 miles of the driving was city driving.

Here's my problem...

Size 15 shoe... dammit if that redline doesn't just sneak up on me! :lol:
Are you using the Fred Flintstone method of acceleration / deceleration?

http://www.topthat.net/webrock/images/car.gif

Dammit, these "XXX miles per tank" isn't helping here, people. We don't all fill up at exactly the same point. Keep your receipts and write down your mileage. Takes just a few seconds.

FWIW, on my last fillup I did 14mpg more or less on the nose. That is ALL "around town" stuff, never turning a wheel on a road with a speed limit over 45mph (though maybe did a little more than 45mph on occasion, har har har). 183mi, 13.1gals. Filled up a li'l early 'cuz I was going on a highway trip.

But there's my point about miles per tank. I can say "hey, I only got 180 miles on my last tank! Jeez!", but that doesn't tell anyone whether I tanked up with 13gals or 15 gals. That makes a big difference in terms of the actual MPG... I actually did 14 (poor), where at 15gals it'd be 12.2 (really poor), or at 15.5gals it'd be 11.8 (really, REALLY poor).

The difference between around-town and steady highway speed is quite remarkable. On the highway I'm getting 70% better mileage than in-town, which is a greater spread than I would've imagined. I can get the EPA number on the highway, but not even close in town.


I would go even further and say that any "xx percent city, yy percent highway", or "mostly highway", etc. is all but useless as well. Everyone's city and definition of city driving is different. The RX-8 sucks fuel at idle. Variations in actual "city driving" conditions will make a big difference.

You want a benchmark to compare mileage, try a highway run with little or no traffic, cruise control, at the speed limit, without significant wind or elevation changes. Anything else introduces too many variables and subjective interpretation, unless you've got a dyno set up with the EPA test routines.

I must be EBF...

What else are these "pontoons" good for?!

My first tank driving home from the dealer on the highway I got 325 miles on a full tank. Now I get about 260-270 city and 290 or so mixed.

I just returned from a several day trip through Northcentral New Mexico and Westcentral Colorado where I got 27.43 mpg on the first tank. Speed for this tank were 65-68. Later, on the return to New Mexico via the Interstate where speed was 75-80, average was 24.07. A/C was used about 50% of the time for all travel. Lowest mileage experienced, during a day of mostly highway but some city driving in Colorado Springs, was 23.65.

I just returned from a several day trip through Northcentral New Mexico and Westcentral Colorado where I got 27.43 mpg on the first tank.
Gentlepeople, I think we have a winnnah.

hmm better check with brillo he got 27. xx but i dotn remember the xx and i think elara got a 27.x tank as well

but its damn impressive:D:

Damn, I barely broke 25. I guess I need to slow down to 65-68 to get those extra few mpg. ;)

This is the first trip I've taken since getting the scan guage and it showed some interesting data points. First, there was no magical rpm or speed where the mpg took a sudden nose dive. Even as the rpm passed thru 4k (steady state driving, not accelerating) the mpg only continued it's slow drop. Drop to 23.xx mpg at 80mph. This proved to be the case even at higher rpm in lower gears, e.g. 80mph in fifth gear. Second, to a point, a slower speed did not always translate into higher mpg. I didn't have a chance to really study the lower speed mpg, other than to say that 6th gear use at speeds of 40+ gave the best overall city mileage. Third...intake temp did not seem to impact mpg. At an IA temp of 70 the mpg was the same as an IA temp of 100+ at the same speed/rpm.

The most interesting behavior noted was, with all things being the same, road, speed, rpm and A/C operation, mpg would drop considerably once it started to rain hard. I encountered this behavior several times while drive on the interstate. Where I would see a dry 23+mpg once I enter a rainy area mpg would drop to 18 or so. Once out of the rain it would return to 23+.

The most interesting behavior noted was, with all things being the same, road, speed, rpm and A/C operation, mpg would drop considerably once it started to rain hard. I encountered this behavior several times while drive on the interstate. Where I would see a dry 23+mpg once I enter a rainy area mpg would drop to 18 or so. Once out of the rain it would return to 23+.
I noted this behavior on another thread, from a long road trip I did a couple of months ago... Mileage that I'd expect from other hwy tanks on the same day, 24-25mpg, dropped 10-20% in hard rain.

One would think that with the cooler, denser air that rain provides you would see engine performance actually improve, and given nothing else changed the mpg would improve also. Did (does) anyone have any idea why we are seeing lower mpg instead?

-shrug-

I get 210 a tank. Thats if im lucky!

Dammit, these "XXX miles per tank" isn't helping here, people. We don't all fill up at exactly the same point. Keep your receipts and write down your mileage. Takes just a few seconds.

FWIW, on my last fillup I did 14mpg more or less on the nose. That is ALL "around town" stuff, never turning a wheel on a road with a speed limit over 45mph (though maybe did a little more than 45mph on occasion, har har har). 183mi, 13.1gals. Filled up a li'l early 'cuz I was going on a highway trip.

But there's my point about miles per tank. I can say "hey, I only got 180 miles on my last tank! Jeez!", but that doesn't tell anyone whether I tanked up with 13gals or 15 gals. That makes a big difference in terms of the actual MPG... I actually did 14 (poor), where at 15gals it'd be 12.2 (really poor), or at 15.5gals it'd be 11.8 (really, REALLY poor).

The difference between around-town and steady highway speed is quite remarkable. On the highway I'm getting 70% better mileage than in-town, which is a greater spread than I would've imagined. I can get the EPA number on the highway, but not even close in town.

I totally agree. This "miles per tank" is a worthless measurement. IMHO, only an average over AT LEAST three tanks would be acceptable. And that is a bare minimum. There are SO many variables that can factor into this calculation! For those claiming 300+ miles on a tank, what is the worst you have recorded? And, how many tanks were at the 300+miles vs. the ones that were 200 mi/tank?

After 1 yr+ of recording every tank of gas, I would say I have averaged about 18.5mpg. Range is from 17.2 to 22.2mpg.

I guess I would put those who claim a 350 mi tank in the same category as those on the other end that complain about 12MPG mileage. If either one is true, there is definitely something wrong with their ride!!! :wiggle: :eek: :scared: :mdrmed: :nono: :Peace:

One would think that with the cooler, denser air that rain provides you would see engine performance actually improve, and given nothing else changed the mpg would improve also. Did (does) anyone have any idea why we are seeing lower mpg instead?
I'll guess it's because of the added drag of driving through the water on the road surface.

A couple of months ago, I was tearing along in a driving rainstorm at highway speed, and when I went under an overpass where there wasn't any standing water, the car suddenly accelerated (a little) with a constant throttle opening. A second later, when I hit the standing water on the other end of the overpass, I felt the car decelerate. It wasn't anything super-dramatic, but it did lend credence to my theory.

-shrug-
Well, if you're doing that well on average, you must have a lot of highway or reasonably steady-state medium-speed running in there. In the stop-and-go grind (traffic, traffic lights, stop signs, etc.) I can't come close to averaging 20mpg. I mean, c'mon, not even ONE tank below 15mpg? It looks like you haven't even had one below 17 for that matter, whereas probably half of mine are 17 or below when I don't have any highway or steady-state running in there (and I don't pound on the car by any stretch, except intermittently). It's the acceleration away from all the stop signs and such that seems to kill the mileage.

I have found that the mileage just sitting (still) at idle is terrible. Okay for die hards...the gas consumed while sitting at idle is high. Much higher than an average piston engine. I agree mileage while waiting for a light - for example - with the engine at idle is zero. So while stop and go hurts mileage for sure the rotary at idle uses lots of gas...

Point? Don't spend any more time at zero speed with the engine at idle then you absolutely must.

Well, if you're doing that well on average, you must have a lot of highway or reasonably steady-state medium-speed running in there. In the stop-and-go grind (traffic, traffic lights, stop signs, etc.) I can't come close to averaging 20mpg. I mean, c'mon, not even ONE tank below 15mpg? It looks like you haven't even had one below 17 for that matter, whereas probably half of mine are 17 or below when I don't have any highway or steady-state running in there (and I don't pound on the car by any stretch, except intermittently). It's the acceleration away from all the stop signs and such that seems to kill the mileage.

my daily commute is about 1/3 city, 1/3 highway, and 1/3 mountain roads

I have found that the mileage just sitting (still) at idle is terrible. Okay for die hards...the gas consumed while sitting at idle is high. Much higher than an average piston engine. I agree mileage while waiting for a light - for example - with the engine at idle is zero. So while stop and go hurts mileage for sure the rotary at idle uses lots of gas...

Point? Don't spend any more time at zero speed with the engine at idle then you absolutely must.

read somewhere that the 8 uses at much gas at idle as it does at 65 MPH !

IYou want a benchmark to compare mileage, try a highway run with little or no traffic, cruise control, at the speed limit, without significant wind or elevation changes. Anything else introduces too many variables and subjective interpretation, unless you've got a dyno set up with the EPA test routines.

And what about fueling at different stations, using a different pump at the normal station, turned facing the opposite way at the normal pump, variations in levelness, etc., etc., etc... Just a thought.

And what about fueling at different stations, using a different pump at the normal station, turned facing the opposite way at the normal pump, variations in levelness, etc., etc., etc... Just a thought.

What about it? Try it and see for yourself.

Different station/different pump, and facing the other way can certainly impact the amount of fuel you can get in the tank and hence your mpg figures. On my recent trip I was running a scan guage II on the car the whole trip and it provided realtime figures that supported the 27+ mpg I got. Shown here with the engine off...

I too have noticed that the car gets much worse mpg when you spend any significant time idling. I used to get about 15 mpg in the early days when I used to let the car warm up until the temp gage gets moving (yes, I fell into that trap!). Stopped that and my mileage went up to around 17 mpg on average around town driving.

I recently started adding pre-mix (8 oz per tank) on a trip to FLA a few weeks ago and noticed a considerable increase in mpg. I consistantly got 290-310 MPT on 14.3-14.5 gallon fillups (87 octane always) for an average of about 21.5 mpg for the trip - my car had at best barely broken 20 mpg with all highway driving before that trip (probably 80 mph avg). Now I'm not a 55-65 mph kind of guy so I'm not expecting 24-27 mpg, and this trip was with AC running 100% of the time and speeds averaging 80-100 mph. i.e. this trip was run faster and harder than previous highway runs. One stint I was following my brother in his Cayenne where we averaged about 100 for an hour or so . . . hit a max speed of 115 for the trip on that leg!

Not trying to get this tread sidetracked, but the pre-mix definitely made a difference . . . $0.50 of pre-mix per tank is definitely worth a couple mpg (which basically equals a couple free gallons of gas per tank - you do the math!). I didn't post right away because I wanted to run it a little bit longer to see how it does around town.

And before anyone complains MPT doesn't mean squat, yada, yada, yada - I do save receipts and have logged just about every tank of gas I've ever put into the car (range, gallons filled, octane, gas station, etc . . . 32500 miles now) and have tracked mpg per tank, three tanks, and six tanks.

no that is driver to driver not car to car

that is very true. i used to get 16 mpg for 100% highway, but i just got 23 mpg yesterday for the first time ever with my 8 for 95% highway driving. now i have an incentive to drive slowly.

hmm better check with brillo he got 27. xx but i dotn remember the xx and i think elara got a 27.x tank as well

but its damn impressive:D:

My best so far has been 25.61 with mixed driving, which includes downtown traffic, stopping at every block to every other block, and wonderful I-84 traffic at early rush hour where you spend about 20 minutes sitting and/or moving at about 10-15 mph. By the tiem you finish this you have gone maybe 2 miles. Then you hit I-5, and if you are lucky you get to move. This sucks because I only need I-5 for maybe 500 feet before I exit and my lane is for exit only at the very next exit after getting on I-5. I haven't had a chance to do a long highway trip anywhere. I drove up to Seattle in April but I'd already used up about 75 miles before I started out, doing mostly city/suburbs driving. Then after getting to Seattle had to deal with their lovely rush hour and city driving (stopping at every block for long periods of time) as well as idling for about 35 minutes trying to leave a parking garage. :eek: I got 23.21 out of that tank. I'd like to take a long highway drive on a full tank to see what I can get.

My second best mileage was 24.18, which I just got this past week.

Edit: My average is 23, which means high 22s to mid 23s consistently. My worst tank was my first that was 19.47, I beleive (19 something). That is when I kept repeatedly stalling it, letting it warm up excessively long, et cetera.

My personal best so far has been 275 miles on 13.3 gallons. That was last winter when the sun and moon and stars happened to be aligned correctly for this to happen. On a regular daily commute I drive 55 miles highway and 7 miles street. That 55 miles is 50% (Los Angeles) stop n go. I only get gas when the warning light comes on. 13.3 gallons is the average volume I fill to get the pump to click off automatically. 245 to 255 per tank has been normal for my car. 210 was the worst, which was my first tank from the dealership.

I still prefer to use 3rd grade math and calculate the miles per gallon not per tankful.

The pre-mix comment is interesting to me.

I used pre-mix at the track a few weeks ago. I also got the latest flash and broke 10,000 miles within a few days of all of that, so I have no idea what is really going on, but I'm getting much better MPG now. I assumed it was the 10,000 mile breakin thing, but I wonder if the pre-mix is still helping? I'm only two tanks of gas in from the pre-mix, and I filled at half tank both times, so some of it is still in there.

Humm. I'll have to test this over the next few months...

One relevant factor in the MPT dialogue is if you use ethanol or not...I think ethanol is not as dense as "normal" gas. I wonder if the 87 vs 93 octane difference is somehow related to the additives and the gas density. RotaryGod?

E85 ethahnol has about 15% less energy in it than normal gas. A 15% mix of ethanol in gasoline will reduce the MPG by a few percent, but not the 50% variation we are seeing.

The difference if you get 200 miles per tank is only 5 miles.

Riddle me this. I am in an '04 6spd, and I am getting nowhere near 310 miles to a tank. Possibly because of traffic while going to work, but I try to avoid it at all cost and keep it in 6th most of the time. I am using synthetic oil and 93 octane. Any ideas on why I am getting 230-240 miles to the tank? Fill me in PLEASE!!!

Same is here: 04 6spd RX-8, low gas comes on when I do about 220-230 miles.
Averaging about 18,XX MPG with mostly highway miles.
On the weekends when I drive in the city it uses about 12-15 mpg!
That is sucks!!!

Same is here: 04 6spd RX-8, low gas comes on when I do about 220-230 miles.
Averaging about 18,XX MPG with mostly highway miles.
On the weekends when I drive in the city it uses about 12-15 mpg!
That is sucks!!!
Don't know what to tell ya. I've had very few tanks that were "mostly highway" or all-highway that returned any MPG value that didn't begin with a "2". It's just a matter of how far past 20 it was (22-25 is typical). My "city" mileage is very similar to yours, though, if you jack up your range by about 2mpg on the low and high end.

As for the incredibly accurate "low fuel" light, the best I've yet done is a smidge over 300mi before it came on. In my personal experience, the light comes on about 20-25mi or so before the needle actually bottoms out on "E". Then I go to the next gas station and fill up with 13.6-14gals, so in MY car, the light means "you've got about three gallons left" and the needle at the "E"-peg means "you've got about two gallons left".

I just got back from Maryland. Got 360 even on one tank. I was trying to make it back on one fill-up and I succeeded, though the needle was well below the E. I ended up averaging around 26 mpg. I was happy :-)

I have found that the mileage just sitting (still) at idle is terrible. Okay for die hards...the gas consumed while sitting at idle is high. Much higher than an average piston engine. I agree mileage while waiting for a light - for example - with the engine at idle is zero. So while stop and go hurts mileage for sure the rotary at idle uses lots of gas...

Point? Don't spend any more time at zero speed with the engine at idle then you absolutely must.

I typically refuel around the 7.5 to 8.5 gallons down from full, as I refuel at either of a pair of filling stations that are near my work but about 50 miles from my home (there's about a $0.75 to $1.00 a gallon price difference between where I work and live). My commuting, which is almost entirely highway, typically nets out to 18.6 to 22.6 MPG. I did also see a situation where I was stuck in a traffic jam for roughly a half hour over a distance of 1/4 to 1/2 mile. Because of the heat and the amount of cars packed into this tight area, I did have the AC running the whole time. In this case, I used as much fuel (according to the admittedly questionable fuel level gauge) in this half hour of being stuck in the jam as I had in the 49 highway miles I'd covered earlier in the same trip (so it wasn't merely a case that the engine wasn't warmed up). going zero to almost zero miles per hour while running the engine is a a big kiss to the government (who get more than half the cost of the fuel we buy) and to the oil company that made the fuel. :banghead:

I did find it fascinating to hear of the observation that rain degrades fuel economy. I'm wondering if the cooling effect of the humidity might be fooling the MAF sensor to think the car is inhaling more air than it is, and it's dumping fuel to try to balance it out (though I'd think the O2 sensor would tell the PCM that wasn't true). I am planning to get a Scangauge II so I can try to make more informed decisions about my route, speed, and gear selection, and these observations seem to support that having that feedback is just too useful in a 500 mile a week commute to go without it.

i recently averaged 24.5 mpg on my last trip from chicago to carbondale. i was very happy with my 8!!!

most I gotten was 321 driving like a grandma

i just got 337 on my way home from ocean city MD ;)