Just got 20 MPG Avg. for the 2nd time in 11 fill ups, only time I can break 20 (21.0/20.68) is if I shift by 4000 RPM and go in 6th gear when I hit 55 MPH . More fun to rev it a bit and get 18 MPG in my opinion.

 

Sorry to crosspost this. I just realized that my comments are probably more appropriate in this thread.

I just put 10 gallons in the tank on the way home, took a look at the trip computer since last fillup and....... 92 MILES!!!!!

This has to be a record. That was 100% NYC driving. My last tank got 12MPG and I wasn't too thrilled with that but this seems ridiculous. My car only has 900 miles on it, should I take it to the dealer? Are there any simple things that someone with no garage and no tools can check that may be causing a problem? I check my oil every 3rd time I add gas and have only needed to add oil to the car once.

9.2MPG is HALF of EPA estimated city mileage

 

heh. even after being on the dyno for hours, when I go to fill up, I end up with 12-14 mpg. That's a lot of WOT runs under boost, larger fuel injectors, and a lot of idling, then a few miles drive home.

 

dont drive in the city!!!

beers

 

lol i think its funny to see all these people complain about gas mileage... im lucky to get 125 per tank and i drive easy

 

When my car was brand new I was getting 12MPG and I was taking it easy to break it in. I think I may have dipped below 10MPG at one point in the beginning of my ownership. The service manager at the dealership said I should see an increase over time and once I hit about 10k that's where I should start paying attention. I just hit 10k this month and I didn't quite believe him at first, but I get 16.5MPG on my daily commute and that hasn't changed for the last few thousand miles. I got 17MPG last week with mostly highway driving. All of my driving is "spirited".

I think your mileage will get better in a few k. If it doesn't, there's a problem. This car isn't good on gas but it's not THAT bad- that's Gallardo bad.

Whoever said they're getting 125 miles on a tank- I can't imagine that. Even if you're putting the "standard" 13 gallons in during a fill-up, that means you're getting 9.6MPG. You must be running the tach to red in every gear all the time in the city or something is very wrong.

 

43k miles. Short trips [1-2 miles]. Go to redline all the time. 10.5 mpg. New plugs in last 2k miles.

I drove 2 hours at a DE today. I went 56 miles on 8.5 gallons before I left the track to fill up after my 2nd run. You do the math.

I'll refer to my first post in this thread, and say, again, I'm not complaining. If anyone bought this car and expected decent gas mileage, they didn't do their research.

 

That all makes sense then. If you're racing the car, taking short trips and going to redline constantly I would expect awful gas mileage. I know you're not complaining, but I figured there was more to the story than your previous post would suggest. Jdoo seems to be getting 9-10MPG on average driving conditions, that doesn't sound right. If he were racing or driving a few miles per trip and redlining, that would certainly explain it.

 

I'm going to drive like my grandmother on this tank of gas and see what happens.

Although I couldnt resist redlining it in 1st and 2nd on the way home from the grocery store today.

 

I've found that running in every gear under 2500rpm will still kill fuel mileage... when i first bought the car i was running around at 40mph in 6th gear at 2000rpm thinking i was driving it lightly turns out i was bogging the hell out of the car and only getting 200 miles to a tank ifff that, now i run at 2500rpm or higher and am seeing about 217 ish... which i've been pm'd by a few people saying i should get the latest flash from the dealer and that might up my mileage a bit.

 

yes, you should defenitely get the newest ecu update.
You should be getting anywhere between 240-260 miles per tank.
I just filled up with 13.2 gallons of gas, my gauge read 250 before the fill up, and that was with semi aggressive driving.

 

I went on a drive today with several rotor heads from here and rx7club. This is the first time I have driven a lot of highway miles and it makes a big difference. I drove 217 miles today and have more than a 1/4 tank of gas left. So for those that drive a lot on the highway, I can see getting 270-290 miles to a tank.


What letter is the latest flash from Mazda?

 

people,

it depends on where you live.. if you live in the city and just drive in stop and go traffic, well your gas mileage is going to suck..

it is that simple. if you live in a warm flat place with good gas. and dont drive in the city, then ~ 21mpg is the norm.

beers

 

I'll drink to that.

 

Exactly.

City driving I basically get 200 miles to the tank. Go on a long drive today with lots of highway miles and the MPG significantly increases. More so than any other car I have owned.

 

There has to be something wrong. I average 180-220/tank all city driving, and I redline and go WOT a lot.

 

Gasoline killers on RX-8:


1. Idle and Idling too long

This is an RX-8 catch 22. Increase the idle speed, burn more gas. Decrease idle speed, RX-8 trembles and idles like sh*t.

2. Short distance trips and traffic

This may also be related to no.3 below and no.1 above.

3. Not warming up your car enough

Crazy people get in, turn the key, and drive away. Then wonder what the f*ck happened to their engine later.

4. Running with low oil

Not sure why. But, I get better mileage and performance when my RX-8 oil level is at the higher end of the spectrum.

5. Carbon build up. Which is why I think adding a gas additive for the carbon and redlining is good.

6. Low coolant levels and too much anti-freeze to water in hot weather. It's the water that is doing the cooling and not the anti-freeze (that's for cold weather starts and anti-rust protection).

 

What's enough?...if you sit there waiting for it to be fully warmed up then you're just wasting gas

 

I give it about 15-30sec OR long enough for the idle to drop to about 1200-1500rpm if it starts out at 1500-2000. I then spend the next 10-15mins shifting before 3500rpm and not using more than say 30% throttle. ie: very light load driving but give it enough time to get fluids circulating before you drive off.

 

yea that's what I do. Except when I have to brush the snow off my car first. Then I leave it warming up for however long it takes me to clear the car of the snow.

 

if im in a hurry, i let the revs drop to 1500 before i move. (1 minute) if im not in a hurry i let the revs drop to 1250 (2-3 minutes) before i leave.

 

10-15minutes seems like a lot, I just wait till the temp gauge reaches the medium.

 

~180-190 when "feed me" light illuminates.
90% city.
Redline every time. How can you not?

 

I have a 04 auto. I average about 260. Thats a full tank to right at the last mark on the gauge. I drive 42miles highway and 2miles city everyday. About 40% of the miles are in traffic. When I went on a long trip, I got 290miles max. I push it ever now and then(about once every 3-4 days).

 

i put REGULAR GAS in mine. i save more money~ HAHAHAHAHAHAH