Fuel Economy

[Electra-fire]

haha ya I\'m in the 2.0..
BUT for those who own the 2.0 I\'m going to start recording if you want to do a comparison
I usually drive with AC off, and 120 to 140 for speed on the highway...
But I also want to see if AC really does effect my gas that much with it on.

[Optimzer]

Originally posted by majic

Originally posted by Titanium_M3GT


A/C off and windows down most of the time. If I use the A/C I will get approx 500KM/tank. I dont understand the difference in fuel economy, my car is a Dec. 04 production date. What production date is everyone elses? I think Electra_fire gets better gas mileage than I do...I would be curious to know the production date on that car as well.

well AC should be better on the highway due to the drag caused by open windows. and when you\'re stuck in traffic the AC uses up a lot more juice.. also.. electra fire has a 2.0L model so the comparison isn\'t valid.. and finally the sedan weighs about 30kg less than the sport as well as has a lower coefficient of drag (0.332 vs 0.346 - 17\" wheel models)

something I find I do in the name of economy is turn of the a/c when accelerating (say from a stop light) and turn it back on when I\'m coasting. I avoid traffic so it\'s not too much but I wonder if it hurts the car?

[Flagrum_3]

Originally posted by Optimzer

Originally posted by majic

Originally posted by Titanium_M3GT


A/C off and windows down most of the time. If I use the A/C I will get approx 500KM/tank. I dont understand the difference in fuel economy, my car is a Dec. 04 production date. What production date is everyone elses? I think Electra_fire gets better gas mileage than I do...I would be curious to know the production date on that car as well.

well AC should be better on the highway due to the drag caused by open windows. and when you\'re stuck in traffic the AC uses up a lot more juice.. also.. electra fire has a 2.0L model so the comparison isn\'t valid.. and finally the sedan weighs about 30kg less than the sport as well as has a lower coefficient of drag (0.332 vs 0.346 - 17\" wheel models)

something I find I do in the name of economy is turn of the a/c when accelerating (say from a stop light) and turn it back on when I\'m coasting. I avoid traffic so it\'s not too much but I wonder if it hurts the car?

Just a friendly warning....keep doing that and you\'ll be looking at getting new parts soon.


_3


.

[Optimzer]

won\'t be doing that anymore! thanks for the heads-up

it was pretty hot today so the a/c was on the whole time.

[SABIO]

I am almost done a full tank of gas. I am @ 367km on the trip!!! How is that for CR*P fuel economy!!!!!!!!!

but... Do you think it has something to do with the AEM C.A.I installed 2 weeks ago? She really roars sweet at 100km/hr in Third Even at 140km/hr in fourth if ya give some gas she screams in extasy... Yum....

OK.. I guess it is my bad driving habits that give me the garbage fuel economy...

p.s Third gear only takes ya up to 140km/hr... baby has some pep I tell ya

[PiCASSO]

Okay, boys and girls. I tend to be a little anal about documenting my fuel economy in my Mazda3.



As shown in the chart above, I am averaging the following:

10.377 L/100km
22.953 MPG (US)
27.565 MPG (UK)
536.697 km (theoretical range till every single 55-litre is used)

The last entry, June 9th has been my 3rd worst hit. I have to mention that the previous 3-fill ups where at Shell gas stations, and the last one at Sunoco. Maybe the amount of fuel dispensed isn\'t calibrated so Sunoco is off by a few litres, thus giving me the sh*tty 11.826 L/100km (19.889 MPG)figure? I dunno, all I know is that I am a little disappointed in my overall average, which I expecting to drop below 10.0 L/100km.

Oh yes, in the past 7-months or so, I\'ve also spent $1,054.19 CDN in fuel for this Mazda. Mind you, I haven\'t driven it that many km\'s to begin with. I believe my odometer is at 14,000 km.

Cheers,

PiCASSO

[Optimzer]

wow that\'s detailed - being an engineer...I like!!

just a thought - I\'m not sure how you do your average b/c I don\'t have your spreadsheet file...but I\'m assuming that you\'re taking the average of each of your economy readings. However, as majic posted earlier, to get a more accurate posting, that doesn\'t give you the most accurate figure (you\'re taking an average of averages).

Try calculating the average by summing up all the litres of fuel you\'ve used and dividing by the total number of kilometers driven. This will, if anything, give you a more accurate average...

ie - (1000L / 14000km) * 100 = 7.14L / 100km

nice work though.

[Optimzer]

just to add to that...your economy does seem pretty crappy. you have quite a few high figures too - do you think those are outliers that aren\'t accurate or something happened? I haven\'t driven enough to speak about mine so I\'m waiting to see how it will turn out...

but what\'s your driving style? shiftpoints? a/c use? etc...

[nerdy_grrl_t]

Alright... I\'ve read through most of this thread and I still can\'t tell whether my car gets good/bad mileage... most people seem to be talking about the GT?

On my 2004 Sport GS the gas light comes on around 400 kms, so I\'d assume I get about 500km per tank? I do about 70% city, 30% highway and nearly the exact same mileage every week... seems to me I should be getting more out of one tank? (The car has 12400 kms on it).

Also someone suggested changing brands of gas... could that really help?


Nerdy_Grrl

[majic]

Originally posted by Optimzer


wow that\'s detailed - being an engineer...I like!!

then you\'ll like this too



green - anything below 8.5L/100
pink (red was too bright :p ) - anything over 10L/100
at the top in blue overall averages

for the penny pinchers and tree huggers :p after 13898km I spent $958.69 - so 1L/100km difference will save you 100bux over ~14000km (compared to PiCASSO\'s numbers)

also, i\'ve been keeping my eye on when the light comes on and then how much i can fill and i\'ve averaged 11.53L of \'reserve fuel\'

just to rehash:

if ( mood == pissed off || ricer_revving == true || onramp_ahead == true){
shift(5000, 6750);
}else{
shift(2000, 3000);
}

if (temp == unbearable && (speed > 60 || rain == true)){
AC = ON;
windows = UP;
}else{
AC = OFF;
windows = DOWN;
}

Originally posted by nerdy_grrl_t


Alright... I\'ve read through most of this thread and I still can\'t tell whether my car gets good/bad mileage... most people seem to be talking about the GT?

On my 2004 Sport GS the gas light comes on around 400 kms, so I\'d assume I get about 500km per tank? I do about 70% city, 30% highway and nearly the exact same mileage every week... seems to me I should be getting more out of one tank? (The car has 12400 kms on it).

Also someone suggested changing brands of gas... could that really help?


Nerdy_Grrl

with a GS you should be in the 8s.. or at least most of the ppl on TM3 are getting those numbers.. looks like the 2.0L engine is closer to its advertised ratings.

[Optimzer]

Originally posted by majic

if ( mood == pissed off || ricer_revving == true || onramp_ahead == true){
shift(5000, 6750);
}else{
shift(2000, 3000);
}

if (temp == unbearable && (speed > 60 || rain == true)){
AC = ON;
windows = UP;
}else{
AC = OFF;
windows = DOWN;
}

hahahahaa - oh man that gave me a good laugh!

[maldini]

Originally posted by PiCASSO


Okay, boys and girls. I tend to be a little anal about documenting my fuel economy in my Mazda3.

As shown in the chart above, I am averaging the following:

10.377 L/100km
22.953 MPG (US)
27.565 MPG (UK)
536.697 km (theoretical range till every single 55-litre is used)

The last entry, June 9th has been my 3rd worst hit. I have to mention that the previous 3-fill ups where at Shell gas stations, and the last one at Sunoco. Maybe the amount of fuel dispensed isn\'t calibrated so Sunoco is off by a few litres, thus giving me the sh*tty 11.826 L/100km (19.889 MPG)figure? I dunno, all I know is that I am a little disappointed in my overall average, which I expecting to drop below 10.0 L/100km.

Oh yes, in the past 7-months or so, I\'ve also spent $1,054.19 CDN in fuel for this Mazda. Mind you, I haven\'t driven it that many km\'s to begin with. I believe my odometer is at 14,000 km.

Cheers,

PiCASSO

Can you make this spreadsheet available for us? I find it very useful.

[PiCASSO]

Originally posted by Optimzer


wow that\'s detailed - being an engineer...I like!!

just a thought - I\'m not sure how you do your average b/c I don\'t have your spreadsheet file...but I\'m assuming that you\'re taking the average of each of your economy readings. However, as majic posted earlier, to get a more accurate posting, that doesn\'t give you the most accurate figure (you\'re taking an average of averages).

Try calculating the average by summing up all the litres of fuel you\'ve used and dividing by the total number of kilometers driven. This will, if anything, give you a more accurate average...

ie - (1000L / 14000km) * 100 = 7.14L / 100km

nice work though.

just to add to that...your economy does seem pretty crappy. you have quite a few high figures too - do you think those are outliers that aren\'t accurate or something happened? I haven\'t driven enough to speak about mine so I\'m waiting to see how it will turn out...

but what\'s your driving style? shiftpoints? a/c use? etc...

To clarify your questions, Optimzer:

1. It\'s a very simple spreadsheet, which I\'d be happy to upload to you if you like.
2. For each trip, I reset the \"A\" counter to zero.
3. Drive for a few days.
4. I take down the number of kilometers I\'ve travelled using the \"A\" trip reader.
5. I take down the amount of fuel filled up, to the top. I\'ve stopped trying to round off the cost fo the fuel to the nearest 50-cents or whole dollar, because I end up adding screwing around with the volume of fuel.
6. I use these two figures to calculate my fuel economy in Litres per 100 kilometers.
7. I also convert some of the metric units to their respective Imperial units. This is where I calculate both the US and UK gallons and their respective miles to the gallon.
8. I subtract the 55-litre theoretical full tank from the number of liters I\'ve used. With this amount I determine the amount of distance I can travel on the trip\'s particular fuel economy until the tank is empty. Then I add the original km\'s travelled to the theoretical km\'s and get the theoretical range of driving the Mazda till it\'s empty.
9. The only average that I have is calculated at the bottom, using Excel\'s AVERAGE(x,y) function. Nothing special, but it gives you an overall feel of how I\'m doing.
10. Driving habits vary. I will admit that I got a suprising 8.709 L/100km when driving from Toronto to Niagara Falls at 130-150 km/h. I expected nothing less than 10 L/100km with that high spirited driving.
11. So I think the real variable in these calculations is the GAS stations. I\'m sure that if I decided to check just how much fuel they really pump out, there will be some significant discrepancies. Mind you, that the amount of fuel pumped in the summer will be different in the winter, because of temperature difference. So the flow rates will change. I think it comes down to monthly calibration at each station to ensure that all consumers are infact paying the exact amount of money as claimed by the station. But to enforce that for the consumer level will probably rise the prices of fuel by a few cents, thus pissing off the consumers in the end.
12. My foot is usually heavy, with shift points around 3.5 to 4.5k revs.
13. Just imagine driving the base Mazda 6 with the 2.3L engine. It weighs plenty more, and I wouldn\'t be surprised if the figures are WORSE than the 3.0L V6.

Hope that answers your questions,

PiCASSO

[PiCASSO]

Originally posted by majic

Originally posted by Optimzer


wow that\'s detailed - being an engineer...I like!!

just to rehash:

if ( mood == pissed off || ricer_revving == true || onramp_ahead == true){
shift(5000, 6750);
}else{
shift(2000, 3000);
}

if (temp == unbearable && (speed > 60 || rain == true)){
AC = ON;
windows = UP;
}else{
AC = OFF;
windows = DOWN;
}

My geek friend, Majic... when are you going to learn that PASCAL is the way of the programming future? Forget about your C++ (?) language. Or even try COBALT!

Man, I can\'t remember the last time I programmed anything. But I do remember learning BASIC, C, C++, and PASCAL back in high school and university. Now, I simply let people like you do my dirty work. Hahaha...

Originally posted by majic

for the penny pinchers and tree huggers :p after 13898km I spent $958.69 - so 1L/100km difference will save you 100bux over ~14000km (compared to PiCASSO\'s numbers)

also, i\'ve been keeping my eye on when the light comes on and then how much i can fill and i\'ve averaged 11.53L of \'reserve fuel\'

I\'ve actually driven 14,990, as of Monday, June 13th. I did some number crunching and I\'m actually 1,000 behind my lease. So I\'m happy because I was worried that my trips to Windsor and back would accumulate too many kilometers for me to catch up. But I will also admit that giving the car to my sister for various weekends has proved that she hasn\'t kept track of my fuel economy matrix, which would explain why I can\'t account for some 1,500 km (that\'s a lot of driving on my sister\'s part, isn\'t it?). Anyways, almost 8 months I\'ve had this car and spent $1,054 (of my money) to fill her up to drive 13,571 km. With this trend, I will end up spending nearly $1,600 per year in fuel alone (some 2,111 Litres of fuel at $0.760 per litre). Compare that to the figures Government of Canada is advertising in the 2005 MY most fuel efficient cars (vehicles.gc.ca) I\'m trailing the Honda Odyssey EX-L, a good full-size 3.5L 255-HP van, by a good 91 Litres per year (it will consume 2,020 Litres of fuel per year).

Bottom line:

You want fuel economy: Drive slow.
You want fuel economy and drive quick: Buy a Honda.

[PiCASSO]

Originally posted by maldini

Originally posted by PiCASSO


Okay, boys and girls. I tend to be a little anal about documenting my fuel economy in my Mazda3.

As shown in the chart above, I am averaging the following:

10.377 L/100km
22.953 MPG (US)
27.565 MPG (UK)
536.697 km (theoretical range till every single 55-litre is used)

The last entry, June 9th has been my 3rd worst hit. I have to mention that the previous 3-fill ups where at Shell gas stations, and the last one at Sunoco. Maybe the amount of fuel dispensed isn\'t calibrated so Sunoco is off by a few litres, thus giving me the sh*tty 11.826 L/100km (19.889 MPG)figure? I dunno, all I know is that I am a little disappointed in my overall average, which I expecting to drop below 10.0 L/100km.

Oh yes, in the past 7-months or so, I\'ve also spent $1,054.19 CDN in fuel for this Mazda. Mind you, I haven\'t driven it that many km\'s to begin with. I believe my odometer is at 14,000 km.

Cheers,

PiCASSO

Can you make this spreadsheet available for us? I find it very useful.

Just send me your e-mail address via Private Message (see that bottom right button that says \"Message\") and I\'ll forward you the Excel file. That goes for anyone, I\'d be more than happy pass it around. But in all honesty, it\'s nothing difficult for anyone with basic math skills to put together. After you get the spreadsheet, take a look at the formula\'s used to determine how everything works.

Cheers,

PiCASSO

[PiCASSO]

Originally posted by majic

Originally posted by nerdy_grrl_t


Alright... I\'ve read through most of this thread and I still can\'t tell whether my car gets good/bad mileage... most people seem to be talking about the GT?

On my 2004 Sport GS the gas light comes on around 400 kms, so I\'d assume I get about 500km per tank? I do about 70% city, 30% highway and nearly the exact same mileage every week... seems to me I should be getting more out of one tank? (The car has 12400 kms on it).

Also someone suggested changing brands of gas... could that really help?


Nerdy_Grrl

with a GS you should be in the 8s.. or at least most of the ppl on TM3 are getting those numbers.. looks like the 2.0L engine is closer to its advertised ratings.

I have a friend at work with a 5-speed manual 2.0L GS. He\'s pulling anything from 6.5 to 7.5 L/100km. I try not to talk to this friend, as I\'m always in tears when I hear these figures. Then again, he drives on the highway at some 105 km/h. So it\'s funny to see grandma\'s in their Tercel\'s passing him on the right lane.

[nerdy_grrl_t]

ROFL Picasso... you guys are too funny... :p

[cstraw]

Hey I get those 6.6L/100km - 7.5L/100km in my 2.3L 5 speed, but I imagine your friend driving at 105 khr would even pass me. As mentioned above, if you want your car to return decent fuel economy slow down! otherwise quit complaining! I find it amusing every April when fuel prices jump and folks who drive without fuel economy in mind or drive unneccary vehicles complain about fuel when they have a way to solve their problem by using their right foot a little differently.

Chris

btw... here is my most recent log:
Date $ L km miles L/100km mpg

17-May 36.65 44.21 620.3 384.6 7.13 33.00
23-May 33.81 41.30 587.0 363.9 7.04 33.43
29-May 37.00 43.58 624.0 386.9 6.98 33.68
30-May 8.73 11.56 132.0 81.8 8.76 26.86
6-Jun 38.00 43.73 671.4 416.3 6.51 36.11 WOW!

tot/avg 1129.7 1417.7 18507.3 7.66 30.70

[elevin]

Bottom line:

You want fuel economy: Drive slow.
You want fuel economy and drive quick: Buy a Honda.

Hahahha.. I have a civic, and it doesn\'t drive quick. ever. and it\'s not as pretty.

just calculated my first figures..

12.42L/100km... 100% city.

2.3 GT AT.

This is worse than my parent\'s V6 camry... ack.

[SwooshICE]

I get the same numbers as you elevin
ya the numbers are worst than my dad\'s maxima -_-

[Illmatic]

Originally posted by SwooshICE


I get the same numbers as you elevin
ya the numbers are worst than my dad\'s maxima -_-

Wow! I have a \'89 Maxima and man did/does that thing get BAD gas mileage!

[Optimzer]

I just worked out my long term average (about 1800km) and it works out to 8.8L/100km

[ken]

another fill up

2.0L auto, 95% city

462.5km, 36.708L => 7.94L/100km

[SourcE]

Women drivers.....!

My wife drives the car during the week and averages around 500-520

She was in the US for 2 weeks, so i had the car and averaged 430 :p

[TheProfessor]

Wow, you guys are a little nuts about the fuel economy, eh? You guys should just do what I do, fill \'er up, and have fun driving. There\'s nothing you can do about the mileage you\'re getting, unless you want to drive like a granny, and considering you all own a 3 then I can assume you don\'t.