Moderator note:
First posted edited to remove inaccurate information. I recommend moving to at least the 3rd page.

So... I've been doing alotta research on this, and this is what I came down with.
Feel free to disagree and leave comments.

rx8 tends to get better mpg with age (mileage)
driving in mid rpm (3000~5000) gets better mpg than low rpm (1000~3000)


Again, feel free to comment.

 

After great consideration, I figured out the best way to save gas with the 8 is to stop driving it to work and use this instead.


Worrying about Gas mileage on the 8 is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

 

it's the same as any other car.

Don't idle
no quick stops or accelerations
don't put unnecessary weight in the car
etc...

 

On the RX8? Simple, engine swap.

LSx FTW

 

Are you sure about that...

 

Yea, I'm sure. Although it may be a very slight increase, scientifically it is proven to help with mpg and performance.

 

If you drive an 8 in such a way as to get the best gas mileage possible, you'll save a small amount on gas and you'll lose the benefits of driving a performance car and possibly kill the engine in the process. Doesn't sound like a good trade-off to me.

Acetone in the gas tank? It may give a boost, but I don't think I want to experiment and see what that does to an 8 over time, but if you go for it let us know.

Owning an 8 means buying a lot of gas, that's how the car is. If gas consumption is really a burden, the best solutions are to either cut out unnecessary driving or get a cheap old eco-box for the daily commute. The rotary needs to spin up and burn a lot of gas, that's life with a rotary engine.

 

Well you're wrong. Sorry.

 

How to get best MPG? Easy. Trade the 8 in for a Honda Civic.

 

Push the damn CAR ..................

 

i don't understand the how pushing more rpms will increase mpg.

best mpg is best speed to rpm ratio.

go as fast as you can, as close to 800 rpms (idle)

 

Quoted for posterity!

 

Install pedals.

 

1. 04 models tend to get low mpg. How did you arrive at that conclusion? Same engine.
2. rx8 tends to get better mpg with age (mileage).. Yep my 8 runs better and gets better fuel economy with 66k mi. on the odometer.

3. adding acetone to fuel gives better performance and mpg.
(not that I've ever done it b4). Can't comment. Not me though.
4. I know for a fact that cold air intake and K&N air filter gives better performance mpg. Agree. For a number of reasons.

 

I was simply trying to put a reason to the difference between people who get
15-16mpg and 18~23mpg
It just seemed like such a huge difference. You don't get this big gap in any other car. I guess it's the complexities of rotary engine.
I was reading numerous posts, and all the people who were complaining 15-16mpg had two similar things.
They owned a 04, and they had low mileage.
I would love corrections on my assumptions, please comment.

PS
And no, I would not trade rx8 for anything else. I love the rotary.

 

I think he means turn turn off the engine, put it in neutral, get out and push the car.

Keeping the RPMs as low as possible with a rotary engine is a really, really bad idea IMHO, plus you'll be the slowest thing on the road. If you're that desperate to save on gas, you need a different car.

 

People who get 18-23 do extensive highway driving and/or have a cobb access port with MM's fuel economy map.

People who track their cars get 8-10

 

I suspect that the main reason the gas mileage can vary so much is the wide RPM range that the car can be driven at. If you rev more, you burn more gas.

I think it's more about driving style than differences in the actual cars. I know that the mileage I get with my car can vary a lot depending on how I drive it, and there's a very big difference between city and highway mileage, which points to driving style as a major factor.

 

I have not gotten a better tank then 15mpg with the occasional 16-17mpg. This is throughout a period of 10,000 miles of ownership in New York City.

 

^^^
That's about what I get with city driving, often it will be around 13mpg.

 

Best way to get Smileage;
Drive it like it was meant to be driven.
Redline it once a day
Hit the canyons on a regular basis

this makes you smile more often, therefore smiles per gallon are increased

 

I simply leave it in park.

 

I get 18 city 23 highway, just as advertised. I've gotten as high as 25 highway. And I redline at least once a day.

I think a lot of these difference have to do with things like plugs and coils, as well as gas quality. I'd be willing to bet that those getting less than 12 in a non-racing application have old or weakening plugs/coils.

 

aaaaahahahhahahahahaha

 

"I drive my car like an answering machine....shift at the beep" (someone said it before but not exactly sure) I fill up when i'm down to a quarter tank and just drive it and not worry about it some tanks get better some get worse because I drive it harder....you only live once have fun while u can