I have taken quite a few math classes ... and actually passed them.
You can do a lot of things with math; some of them are useful.
What the <bleep> does miles per tank have to do with anything useful?

 

20.695807314897423024085637823372 miles per gallon.
BTW, the car didn't consume any miles per gallon since miles per gallon is a rate and not a quantity. The car travelled 20.69+ miles per gallon; it consumed 11.31 gallons.
C'mon people, this is grade school math. It isn't exactly rocket science.
Sorry, I guess I'm just in a pissy mood tonight.

 

You're absolutely correct...total miles driven divided into total gallons of gas consumed equals miles per gallon. A variable can be how much oil was conumed per gallon. Guess this question won't be on next years college SAT math exam, LOL. On a seroious note....because i don't drive agressivly (automatic trans) I'm thinking of switching to 87. Are there any long term carbon buildup issues associated with a lower octane and a rotary?

 

bobclevenger I am in agreement with you, this was not directed at you.... The point was to show that the mpg is based on the total miles driven vs. the fuel consumed not the size of the fuel tank. Congrats' you passed, but hey most of us already knew you would because we agree with you.

Sorry, I guess I should have left off the 15.9 gallon statement in the story problem, but I put it in there so that if someone really thought about the factors of the equation that you need to use to figure out the miles per gallon in the solution you would realize that the total size of the tank it doesn't have anything to do with it....

 

lower octane = easier to ignite. so the fuel combustion should be more complete which should lead to less carbon build up.

 

All the more authoritative things I have read indicate that rotarys need the faster burning characteristic of lower octane fuels. I've always found that to be a welcomed side benefit that somewhat offsets lower MPG from running rotary experimentals on the road.

 

WTF! my lowest was 15.23 and my highest was 25.99 so how can my average be less than that? The average between these two numbers is 20.61mpg.

And The most gallons I have used on a fill up was 13.1 and the least was 8.376 so the average there is 10.738 gallons. So where do you get your 12.97?

206.3461 divided by 10.738 gallons is 19.88mpg.

 

20.69 mpg

 

Rounded down of course!

 

Well now is as good a time as ever so I will no longer posting updates to this thread since I no longer own the RX-8. I hope you all continue to get improved economy as time goes by.

My current vehicle, a 2005 Ford Escape XLT Sport AWD with a 203 hp 3.0 litre V6 is now getting better gas milage at 750 miles/1 month than my "8" did at 9600 miles/10 months. It continues to improve with every tank. It now stands at 17.56 mpg after only 3hree tanks of gas. Why couldn't our RX-8's get better over time like this we shall never know.

 

um your last updated mileage i quoted above seems to be higher than your average in the truck, contrary to what you wrote in your last post.

 

Although the average is lower the actual tank milage is a bit better This because I have not had the truck very long and have done no apreciable highway driving to get a higher measurement for long trips.

My average in the truck is 15.02 but my last tank was 17.52. My last per tank mpg was 17.07 with an average of 19.39mpg.

 

 

How often have you been at redline or applied full throttle with your new ride?
This is one of the best cases of apples and oranges ever; no offense.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that even the improved rotary is still deplorable in the fuel economy department.

 

I have floored a few times but it is still breaking in.

I'll try to explain it a bit better

RX-8

• MPG on last tank only: 17.02 mpg
• Average MPG: 19.32 mpg

Ford Escape

• MPG for this tank only: 17.32 mpg
• Average MPG: 15.02 mpg

 

i wouldnt say deplorable when compared against previous rotaries though. at least on the highway when driving down to 7stock there were a few 8s and a bunch of 7s plus 1 pickup. the range for those 7s was according to them about 220-260 depending on which gen and mods. but in reality we stopped for gas between 150-200 miles miles for them while i was getting over 300 miles and 1 was @316 miles with 2 gallons of gas left in the tank. now i know people are going to say "you cant measure by the "tank". i got 23.99 mpg on the first 2 tanks on the way down and they were getting 20 mpg or less the bunch of them. later results were about 22 mpg on the way down. once we picked up more people we "played" alot more

 

That pretty much reflects what I got on a trip from So. Cal. to Portland, OR and back: 23 to 24 mpg over 2000 miles plus. Just driving locally it drops to about 17 mpg.

 

hey bob nice meeting you at 7stock. sorry we didnt get a chance to talk more. RG was in too much of a hurry to hear your exhaust

 

Just passed the 3000 miles mark...the automatic 8 was built June 2004...took delivery August 1st. Just drove Florida to NYC....used Shell 93 and Mobil 93...mostly driving at 3k rpm for about 3/4 of the trip. Average mpg was 23.8 Heading back to FL tomorrow...will post results when home.

 

When I said deplorable it was comparing it to all of it's direct competition, a lot of which have more 'real' horsepower than our favorite car. I think driving under certain conditions it produces the precise mileage numbers claimed, unfortunately those just aren't phenomenal. If it didn't have a 4.4 gear it would do a little better but it must use this gear to overcome the portly 3000 pounds (that some refer to as lightweight) during acceleration. Lots of rotary cars can do mid 20s on the highway.

 

I'll try to explain it a bit better....

RX-8
* Makes me smile every time I look at it and drive it.
* Love this car.
* Average smiles per day : 25 spd

Ford Escape
* Makes me smile everytime I look at it's blurry form as I quickly pass it.
* Average smiles per day : 1.5 spd

 

After 1st fillup. 19.7 mpg. Just went on a 200 roundtrip and I am estimating over 20. Still breaking it in, varying the rpms, keeping it under 4K etc. I don't expect to keep my foot in it when I feel its broke in and I definitely see know sign of those horrendous 13-14 mpgs...

 

LOL!

 

Likewise Zoom44. The heat was kinda getting to me and I just wanted to get into the shade!!!

 

Looks like I have solved the gas mileage issues for good, trading the car in seems to have done the trick. I loved the car, but I hated the engine.