bad mpg?

[pathfinder9035]

i have been getting really bad gas mileage lately....any idea what it may be...today on my way to pennstate i was getting like 80 miles to a quater...about 16 mpg on the highway going 70..no check engine light...is it my bad tires being out of balance? just wondering and its bothering me alittle... i usually get 19-21 on the highway doing 70-80 mph.

[Qxxx4]

the cold plays a big role in your mileage, now with freezing temperatures you dont get the same combustion as you do in summer

[pathfinder9035]

i hope its just the cold... my pathy doesnt drive that smooth on the highway anymore...but then again my it has horrible tires and is out of balance..

[mattv2099]

The additives in winter fuel erode fuel effiiency.

[JHC828]

Well, your better off than me... I avg. about 15 year round. Sadly, that's mostly highway miles, too.

[pathfinder9035]

Well, your better off than me... I avg. about 15 year round. Sadly, that's mostly highway miles, too.

oh wow...u must drive fast on the highway man..i average about 16 to 17 year round with mix driving and got about 19 going 90 down to maryland on i83...the manual transmission really helps with mpg. but recently i have been noticing 14 15 average...i think my o2 sensors are starting to go..it just wont throw a code yet...

[screwinitupagain]

Before the 32's I was only getting like 16-17 mpg so yeah it's pretty well spot on. You can try a couple of little things here & there & really baby it but the orginal sticker that came with my Pathy said 15-18 mpg so it kind of is, what it is...

[JHC828]

I have a few things against me, mainly 4x4. It's auto and I just hit 50k and I've never changed the plugs. I do have an exhaust leak... Idk if it'd make that much of a difference tho. Stock sized street tires with good tread. I do have some extra weight with a brush guard and speaker box, but I don't think any of these things are enough to kill mpg's. I usually set the cruise at 75 on the interstate.

[timmack]

i agree with the comments about the cold weather, ive noticed that on mine too. as soon as it warms back up mine jumps from 230-250 miles per tank to more like 280-300. you might clean the MAF sensor just for something to try.

[pathfinder9035]

ugh!!! i just got back from pennstate again and i only got 16 mpg ....i was only going 80...damn this is really frustarting me...does bad tires have anything to do with it...how about a bad ball joint?

[timmack]

that actually sounds about right for doing 80, cant speak for anyone else but on a long highway run i lose about 1-2 mpg for every 5 mph over 60 mph. and yea bad/unbalanced/impropertly inflated tires can affect mpg alot, especially in the winter when tires have a greater tendency to lose air.

[pathfinder9035]

yeah....but i usually get 18 -19 mpg going 80...seriously...i remember getting almost 300 miles to 3/4 of a tank going down to north carolina speedinat at 75 80...im telling u ..maybe its just in my head but i am gettting horrible gas mileage. its so frustrating!

[timmack]

could be time for a new set of plugs, also clean the MAF sensor and make sure the air filter is clean. you said you have horrible, out of balance tires....get that taken care of and see how much it helps.

[SixGuns]

Yeah, but you have to look at the situation you're facing....with the 4 speed automatic, we're pulling in about 26-2700 RPM at 75...that's almost half-way to redline! So you're already sucking on that one, 'cause as soon as you creep over 2k RPM, you're fuel economy will start to decrease...Add to that the engine is working to push the dead rotating weight of the front drivetrain, crappy aerodynamics (OK, maybe just me...got the spare up top and off road lights across the top front...and I'm sure my dual whip set up doesn't really do much, but it doesn't help, either...) and the weight of these cars...man, there's no winning....if it's becoming a problem, though...do what you can - manual hubs, lose **** from the top of the rig, make it as aerodynamic as possible, do an HHO conversion (thinking of doing that myself....40+mpg sounds pretty good....and I've seen it in action and know it works, but....that baking soda/water combo freezes...maybe next summer in NC) and run some taller gears, so get your final drive ratio closer to 2k RPM...that's about all you can do....oh, and make sure your tires are properly inflated....make your contact patch as small as possible, without overinflation and tire damage/uneven wear. Run with the windows up and A/C on, if it's hot...even better if you don't...but you'd be surprised how much drag it creates to have your windows down...like a bigass parachute. Change out your plugs, run synthetic oil, go for a 30 weight...you rarely need more than that, unless you're towing and the thicker oil just makes more work for the engine...

[joestrummer77]

I understand that you can get an indicator of your mileage from the deflection o nyour gas gauge, but you can't. You MUST go fill up, drive at least 1/4 tank, mark mileage, refill, and calculate based on math not a visual. Trust me: I've been fooled before...

My advice is to try this first to assess your mileage. If you have a problem this will tell you.

When I do the above I try to go to the same pump at same station and stop fill at first "click/snap" on lever.

FYI: Driving Omaha to KC into a South wins in May 2008: 17.3 MPG at approx average 70MPH

Driving back next afternoon, with STRONG South wind I got 21.0 MPG at 70 mph - best ever!

Same trip to KC in April 2007 I got 18.6. Route in Omaha including some Interstate and street driving - 17.8 MPG.

If you haven't installed a K/N filter already I suggest you do it ASAP. I received a solid 0.6 MPG + after install, measured 4 x on same Omaha mix of driving.

Hope this helps, and Merry Christmas.

[pathfinder9035]

yeah man i do that after ever refill...i am still getting 15 16 lately...the best i ever got was 19 mpg going 80 mph down to maryland. The manual transmission actually really helps with gas mileage...less moving parts...though at 80 it is at 3100 rpm so just alittle engine noise. i went to pennstate thsi morning and when i stoped at the gas station i filled it up which was about 6.4 gallons divided by the miles i got...etc and got 15.8 mpg...thats horrible! thats the worst yet...i was averaging 75. thanks for the replies...i kinda of dont care at the moment since gas is 189 for premium but i am gonna try to figure it out.

[JHC828]

I get 13s consistently when I drive in the city. These things really are gas hogs! It is a LOT better now that gas has gone back down, but it still sux... I love driving it tho.

[pathfinder9035]

oh yeah man definitiely...the vqs are thirsty engines but u get power in return so i dont care...but stilll atleast 18 mpg would be great on the highway and i am not getting that like i use too... its thirstier than my last vehicle, the toyota 4runner. oh well. i love driving it. Wont give it up for nothing. !

[Adnan]

i average 14 here..best i ever got must be around 18-19but really...if im gonna continue driving this thing i gotta stop thinking about mileage LOL

[SnowSurfLax]

Since I bought my wife the M35 and we use that for weekend driving, mine only sees city driving and I'm averaging a whopping 12 - 13 mpg per tank.

However, I have noticed that the 5500 lbs M35 with the VQ35DE gets a consistent 19.6mpg (when I'm not driving it and romping on it). So our VG's and VQ35's for the pathies are thirsty bastards!

[Adnan]

lol they seriously weight that much?must be the center portion of the dash...i always tought it looked like an ATM machine but i guess it weights as much one too