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Better MPG?

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Old 03-29-2010, 05:36 PM
  #51  
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okay im going to fill up when my tank gets low..under the low fuel light.
ill tell yous exactly how much i put it and ill tell yous how many miles the tank lasted me.

then after i figure it out im going to go from there.

my car had 2 recalls done...im not really sure if they were ALL done.
Old 03-29-2010, 05:58 PM
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at 1/2 tank left i hit 200 miles. Thats if I do a lot of highway driving (approx 250 a tank)

sucks!
Old 03-29-2010, 06:03 PM
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Originally Posted by heyarnold69
at 1/2 tank left i hit 200 miles. Thats if I do a lot of highway driving (approx 250 a tank)

sucks!
i live in Philadelphia so im all city miles.
Old 03-29-2010, 06:12 PM
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also...when i turn my car off i here like a ticking noise...like when i turn my key all the way back to pull it out.

is this normal?
i already had my spark plugs changed..it was replaced with the engine by Mazda way before i bought it.
Old 03-29-2010, 06:16 PM
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Originally Posted by MarcMiller
also...when i turn my car off i here like a ticking noise...like when i turn my key all the way back to pull it out.
Couple possibilities:
1) You're hearing the heated metal cooling/contracting.
2) If its a short click, it could be the SSV cycling open and closed.
It does that once you shut the car off, but usually not heard unless it was really quiet around you.
Old 03-29-2010, 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by heyarnold69
at 1/2 tank left i hit 200 miles. Thats if I do a lot of highway driving (approx 250 a tank)

sucks!
You get 25mpg highway? God damn.
Old 03-29-2010, 07:36 PM
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Best Mod is to sell it, since you can not afford a sports car. PERIOD!
Old 03-29-2010, 09:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Razz1
Best Mod is to sell it, since you can not afford a sports car. PERIOD!
dont post dumb ****...im obviously not going to sell the car.
use your head alittle.

if anything ill deal with it.



i still haven't noticed people on this forums helping anyone out at all..

every thread i read all anyone says is "search...search"

you cant search for everything.
forums are all going down hill...especially with people posting dumb *** pointless remarks that no one cares about.
Old 03-29-2010, 09:23 PM
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Then changing plugs every 20k works.

Clean the MAF.

A hotter spark help with After market coils but I'm not going to claim better MPG beacuse each car is different.

Only thing that works is:


ACCESS PORT from MM

PERIOD!
Old 03-29-2010, 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by MarcMiller
i still haven't noticed people on this forums helping anyone out at all..
Really... nobody is helping
I'll say this, if anyone needs help with their car, they should be posting in the 'Tech & Performance' threads, not the 'General Topics' threads.
Some people (like myself) tend to stay in the Tech & Performance section to help people out the best we can because the Discussion and Lounge threads tend to attract people who like to gossip.
So try and ask for help in the appropriate section, at least attempt to search because most of the questions have already been answered, then you'll have less people "flaming" others.
Old 03-29-2010, 09:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Razz1
Then changing plugs every 20k works.

Clean the MAF.

A hotter spark help with After market coils but I'm not going to claim better MPG beacuse each car is different.

Only thing that works is:


ACCESS PORT from MM

PERIOD!
i was looking into that tune...didnt really see much about gas milage difference.
would i notice the difference?

Im actually going to call mazda and double check all my recalls are up to date..then go from there.

if anything i just need to stop driving as much.


EDIT: im not trying to sound like a dick either..im just trying to figure out the best ways to get the best for gas.

Last edited by MarcMiller; 03-29-2010 at 09:28 PM.
Old 03-29-2010, 09:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon316G
Really... nobody is helping
I'll say this, if anyone needs help with their car, they should be posting in the 'Tech & Performance' threads, not the 'General Topics' threads.
Some people (like myself) tend to stay in the Tech & Performance section to help people out the best we can because the Discussion and Lounge threads tend to attract people who like to gossip.
So try and ask for help in the appropriate section, at least attempt to search because most of the questions have already been answered, then you'll have less people "flaming" others.

Good point...if i knew that i would of posted it there.
Will take that into consideration.


and with the search...again.
i told you searching doesn't help...especially when i search and find a thread that goes for 100 pages or so..
i don't know about you but i don't have time to read through a thread to find MY answer.

i'm going to just straight up ask it...i did alittle search...all i find are people saying "the search function is the best mod to get better gas milage." or "shouldn't of bought the car if your going to ask about mpg"

none of them help me out...just people thinking their funny.

but thanks ill go post in the other section next time.
Old 03-29-2010, 09:38 PM
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MarcMiller- My apologies for not being more clear, I wasn't directing it at you saying you posted in the wrong section, I was pointing out the comment you made that you read other threads where people "flame" others.
A lot of other people either post in the wrong sections, or ask questions that can be answered with a search.
Yes... the search isn't perfect, this is why I recommend people get use to using only the 'Advanced Search' feature or use Google to search within the site.
I do pretty well using the advanced search to find what I'm looking for by limiting the search results to a particular section.
Once you master how to search, it won't be that big of a deal to find what you're looking for.

Last edited by Jon316G; 03-29-2010 at 09:40 PM.
Old 03-29-2010, 09:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Jon316G
MarcMiller- My apologies for not being more clear, I wasn't directing it at you saying you posted in the wrong section, I was pointing out the comment you made that you read other threads where people "flame" others.
A lot of other people either post in the wrong sections, or ask questions that can be answered with a search.
Yes... the search isn't perfect, this is why I recommend people get use to using only the 'Advanced Search' feature or use Google to search within the site.
I do pretty well using the advanced search to find what I'm looking for by limiting the search results to a particular section.
Once you master how to search, it won't be that big of a deal to find what you're looking for.

ohhhh okay okay i get it..took it the wrong way.

i appreciate your help.
Old 03-29-2010, 10:45 PM
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Yes several of us have it. Post a new thread and ask AP users to post there results.

It would be a good thread to have. I have better MPG but I don't drive much.

I'd like to see the outcome.
Old 03-29-2010, 11:31 PM
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I just realized tonight.. that the last two days i got a serious increase in my highway mileage.

I drive from NYC to upstate NY at least once a week. Its a 65 mile trip. Round trip usually takes almost half a tank. I cruise around 65mph so i dont get pulled over by troopers who line the parkway. But the last trip i did i followed someone doing 75-80 mph the whole way up. I noticed my gas gauge barely moved. One way trip is usually 1/4 of a tank. It used about 1/8 this time... Maybe slightly less. Today i did the same trip again at around 75mph... Same results.

Now i just have to see which will save me more. Better MPG or no speeding tickets.
Old 03-30-2010, 02:20 AM
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Marc, you claim there has been little help for you here, yet I have noticed several helpful suggestions for reducing your fuel consumption. Shall I recap some of them?
  • Replace coils, wires, plugs as a set (if they haven't been done recently)
  • Replace the air filter (if it hasn't been done recently)
  • Clean the MAF
  • Ensure you are running the correct tire size with at least the proper air pressure (more pressure will help fuel mileage)
  • Have the catalytic converter checked / replaced (if all else fails to remediate significant consumption issues)
  • Adjust your driving techniques
  • Refrain from using A/C
If you are truly seeing only 150 miles per tank, something is wrong with your car.
Old 03-30-2010, 10:19 AM
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Originally Posted by CrazyJek
I just realized tonight.. that the last two days i got a serious increase in my highway mileage.

I drive from NYC to upstate NY at least once a week. Its a 65 mile trip. Round trip usually takes almost half a tank. I cruise around 65mph so i dont get pulled over by troopers who line the parkway. But the last trip i did i followed someone doing 75-80 mph the whole way up. I noticed my gas gauge barely moved. One way trip is usually 1/4 of a tank. It used about 1/8 this time... Maybe slightly less. Today i did the same trip again at around 75mph... Same results.

Now i just have to see which will save me more. Better MPG or no speeding tickets.
Since you were following someone you were probably getting a MPG increase due to drafting. What were you following and how close behind them were you?
Old 03-30-2010, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by CrazyJek
I just realized tonight.. that the last two days i got a serious increase in my highway mileage.

I drive from NYC to upstate NY at least once a week. Its a 65 mile trip. Round trip usually takes almost half a tank. I cruise around 65mph so i dont get pulled over by troopers who line the parkway. But the last trip i did i followed someone doing 75-80 mph the whole way up. I noticed my gas gauge barely moved. One way trip is usually 1/4 of a tank. It used about 1/8 this time... Maybe slightly less. Today i did the same trip again at around 75mph... Same results.

Now i just have to see which will save me more. Better MPG or no speeding tickets.
I've been thinking about this a bit...in a rotary, the higher revs give you higher horsepower which means that the engine is moving you farther for every cycle, right? The fuel map is probably running leaner too (or maybe, running on more oil, less gas?)

Try driving @65 in 5th next time and let us know if you see a difference.
Maybe even try @65 in 4th (counter-intuitive, I know, but the extra hp / leaner fuel theory might bear out...)

Aerodynamics are also different at higher speeds. I'm wondering if it's the higher revs or the higher speed that accounts for the better fuel economy.
Old 03-30-2010, 01:58 PM
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I only filled up completly twice...and i didnt really think about the gas i was still overwhelmed by the car.

Im filling up soon and im going to figure out my mpg...than im going to go from there.

Thanks for alot of the help.
Old 03-30-2010, 02:19 PM
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Once you get your REAL mileage, say averaged over 4 or more fillups (notice I did NOT say tankfulls) and calced as posted earlier, you'll have something realistic to discuss. If it's 17-19mpg you're spot on to everyone else except for steady state longhaul where you can perhaps get more. I'm not sure about the auto mileage exactly, but it should be close to that as I have a manual.

If you're way off that mileage, it's either your driving style or the car. If you can consistantly change your driving style for a while, say another four tankfulls, check the result and then that's one less variable. If it's really the car tune, follow the helpful suggestion of others here to resolve and get back to 'normal' range.

If that's not good enough, well it's up to you what to do next as no amount of mods will change the base mileage the car was designed with significantly.
Old 03-30-2010, 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by mmGilbert
You get 25mpg highway? God damn.
I've gotten that on long trips sticking between 70 and 75 mph (right around the 3700 rpm area that another poster said sucked)

Ken
Old 03-30-2010, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Mr.ThunderMakeR
Since you were following someone you were probably getting a MPG increase due to drafting. What were you following and how close behind them were you?
I was thinking drafting too... since i was behind an SUV..
But i was like a good 10 car lengths behind him.
Old 03-30-2010, 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by CrazyJek
I was thinking drafting too... since i was behind an SUV..
Drafting is only good for the NFL.
Old 03-30-2010, 09:52 PM
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okay i called Mazda today and had them check all my recalls...they said im all up to date. He also told me to check out my coils and plugs like yous all said.

My spark plugs were replaced along with my engine replacement...so that was about 35000 miles ago.
I'm not 100% sure but i don't think my coils were ever replaced. Im going to see how the gas mileage test goes then im going to go from there.
Im going to guess like yous all stated that its my plugs/coils.

I was told i can get all the plugs and coils for under 300$...thats just for the parts.
Is that a good deal? If i eventually have to go about changing these myself..is it a hard change?
Especially for a new rx8 owner?
I will eventually search when it comes down to it i just want to get a rough idea.


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