Why in the hell does this car get such bad gas mileage? 15mpg??? That is what i average regualary and with a 1.3 liter i just dont understand it. I have always been putting premium in but recently switched to regular 87 because i just dont care anymore. I was expecting a bad ride but it rides the same. I suppose i will do premium every 5th fill up or so because I just cant afford premium anymore with this crap mileage.

Also how much does running the A/C on the first notch really hurt your gas mileage? I have always heard that it uses gas to run this, never understood why, but nevertheless am wondering if it would really make a differnce if i cut back.

Lastly has anyone in here with Navigation somehow made it so they can play Dvd's through their screen? I was told you needed some chip or somthing that was like 400 bucks but at the time it wasnt worth it to me. Thanks

 

To answer your first question, you happen to have a 'rotary' engine.

And 15mpg is pretty bad, are you still breaking in? Do you travel a lot in bumper to bumper traffic?

 

Raptor2k, couldnt you go as far as to ask what rpm he shifts in as well to get that bad gas mileage? I would imagine if you redline or shift at the higher rpms, or just your driving style is "agressive", you can get some pretty bad numbers as well. many factors are involved...

 

Yeah....well I'm assuming he usually shifts around 3500 rpms. Bad assumption?

 

i understand that i have a rotary engine. thanks.

The car is an 04 with 47k miles. I traveled back from dallas to houston today and the mileage may have been maybe 2-3 better on the highway, maybe, but i really dont want to calculate it because then i think about how much it is per mile and it sucks knowing that you are driving at like 25 cents a mile. lol

 

3500 is a good assumption. i dont think i have ever gotten it over 8k RPM. I am beginning to think that maybe its something mechnical because there just doesnt seem to be any reason for it. Sometime when i go out there and start it i smell gas somewhat strong so i dont know if that means anything.

 

not a bad assumption at all, i shift under 4k most of the time, usually around 3500rpms.

I get about 20-22mpg (a mix between highway and city) shifting under 4k and staying usually under 65 - 70mph on the freeway... 6th gear is my best friend (only sometimes though..)

hows your driving style like nam? are you agressive on the road? or do you drive conservatively?

 

those Navi cannot play any DVD except DVD rom for the Navi,you have to buy the AV switcher which has been discussed in interior thread

 

lol, I go over 9k daily and get 18-19 mpg.

I dunno.

And I don't think the A/C on first notch makes much of an impact on gas mileage.

 

hahaha, you crazy guy you.... ill stretch the 8's legs weekly hitting close to 10k.. im a savage like that.

Do you drive with windows open on the freeways? If you have a sunroof, do you keep that open while driving at higher speeds (over 40)? If you do, a/c is the way to go... but i never had that bad of gas mileage for having the ac on the first notch...

can reflashing do the trick?

 

reflashing? never heard of that? could i take it to the dealership and tell them about my problem and see if that can do that under warranty? I dont know but this sucks.

Also i dont think im an aggressive driver. I drove at about 80 today or 4000 rpm or something like that. I know about the 3750 rpm thing where you get better mileage if you shift before that or some **** but that sucks. I tryed that but you shift so damn much its not worth the very minimal gas savings. lol

 

buy a vowel vana!!!!

beers

 

wtf?

 

I'm surprised the search police haven't zapped you yet...

There are a few things in life that I'm really good at...
One of them was getting the worst mpg on this forum (off track)...
At it's worst, it got 8 mpg (04 AT GT). I would have been exuberant
if I got your 15 mpg...
Like others here have said, there are many factors that can give us good
or bad mileage. Some of it is our fault, some of it is Mazda's fault.
The only thing for sure is that there isn't much you can do to dramatically
improve your 15 mpg.
Example:
I changed my plugs, had the most recent flash, used a pre-mix,
reached the beep everyday, my MAF was squeaky clean, my tire pressure
was 40 PSI, I used 91 octaine... Everything I could do was done. After this my
MPG improved to a whopping 13 mpg.
The ironic thing is I traded for a MT and my MPG (off the lot), with the
same driving habits is now 19 to 21..! Go figure.

My advise is "don't sweat the small stuff". Rotaries are unique. Each RX has
it's own personality... kind of like people, some eat more then others...
The upside that we are "paying for" is the knowledge that we belong to an
exclusive club. There is no other car that looks like or acts like our 8.

Finally, comparing the price we pay at the pump annually, be it 15 MPG or 20 MPG isn't
worth all the aggravation we low MPG 8 owners put ourselves through. Enjoy
the car because it's worth all it's little quirks.

EBF

 

Well said.. put a tear to my eyes... bravo!!!! Awesomely put.

Well, go to the dealership and ask for the newest flash but wait! Did you get any reacall notice yet? If you didnt and you dont know about it, theres a thread in the media section of the forum and pretty much all over the forum, you can find it. the recall code is " 4206F ". go to the dealership and ask them to get the recall work done, they will do a compression test, they will reflash your PCM to the latest flash so you dont have to ask for that, they will change spark plugs and inspect the engine and catalytic converter. after you get all this done, you're car either would be better or the same. don't be too hard on your 8, she might start pms'ing on you.

 

haha pms'ing....**** i have a silver one too...heard about the silver curse..eh. Thanks for all the help guys

 

no problem bro, just treat this lady right and you'll be fine. hahaha, good luck with everything!

 

I buzz mine to redline at least once a day. A couple of 4 & 7000 shifts per day. I estimate I get around 17-18mpg. I think if you baby the 8 you're doing more harm. Heck I even eat lunch in my car with the ac/engine running.


Dont know if this helps but I always use lucas fuel treatment w/top end lube.