Ethanol in Gas

[Sunnybono]

I own a M3 GT Sport Automatic. Last couple of fill ups have been horrible. 300km\'s on 45L of gas. I know that my Michelin Pilot Alpine snow tires had something to do with this, but not this bad!!!!! I ususally fill up at Sunoco (CAA Member), but I\'m wandering if the Ethanol that they advertize in their gas has something to do with the poor mileage???

Any thoughts out there????

sk

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by Sunnybono


I own a M3 GT Sport Automatic. Last couple of fill ups have been horrible. 300km\'s on 45L of gas. I know that my Michelin Pilot Alpine snow tires had something to do with this, but not this bad!!!!! I ususally fill up at Sunoco (CAA Member), but I\'m wandering if the Ethanol that they advertize in their gas has something to do with the poor mileage???

Any thoughts out there????

sk

it is the ethanol that is contributing to your poor fuel economy.

while having a higher octane number than gas, ethanol also has a lower energy content which causes more fuel to be burned.

[wtom]

It isn\'t just the fuel.

I\'ve filled up on Sunoco 87 a few times this winter and have been getting 500km at least on the full tank (about 400 at approx. 3/4 gauge).

It could be the car. It might also be how you drive the car. There are A LOT of factors. What pressure in each of your tires? What setting is your HVAC on? When you accelerate off the line, do you feel slightly or greatly pushed back into your seat? and so on ...

EDIT: 500km and not 500km/h as MBN pointed out :p

[MajesticBlueNTO]

Originally posted by wtom


It isn\'t just the fuel.

I\'ve filled up on Sunoco 87 a few times this winter and have been getting 500km/h at least on the full tank (about 400 at approx. 3/4 gauge).

wtf man, you flying a small plane? i knew Sunoco had the \"highest octane on the street\" but damn :p

[SABIO]

I get crap mileage... and it ain\'t the gas.
Some of these cars get crap fuel economy...


..you guys were wondering how long it would take me to pipe up....

[TheProfessor]

Originally posted by SABIO

..you guys were wondering how long it would take me to pipe up....

I know I was :p

[Sunnybono]

Well I just recently started going to Petro Canada and the gas mileage has now increased between 450 to 500kms on a 45L fill up.

I knew it wasn\'t the driving and the car itself is well maintained!!!!

sk

[MAZDA Kitten]

I only use SHELL In my car and have since 1 and i get \'amazing\' mileage (~650-700km)

[SABIO]

Maybe i should stop using Sunoco. I use Shell the odd time. 95% Sunoco. Hmmmmm..

[MAZDA Kitten]

Try it..
I took a pic tonight; this is what I get for approx 200km

[wtom]

^^^^ that\'s quite a bit better than me. You must be very gentle with the car? Below is my pic from last night.
EDIT: 9 times outta 10 I fill-up with Shell 87 octane.

[SABIO]

I waited a couple days... to get closer to 200km... Might run out of gas If I did that

Heres Mine... YIPPEE!!!!

[Sunnybono]

WOW where did you fill up last or do you drive the car hard or really really hard in this case????

sk

[wtom]

Alright everyone take a pic and post it of their fuel gauge, from FULL, after 200kms of driving.


Sunnybono, that\'s SABIO\'s normal mileage ... relatively speaking though we don\'t know how each other drive. By assumption and the photos, Mazda Kitten drives like a granny, I drive comfortably, SABIO is a maniac.

[SABIO]

Sad thing is... If I drive like a little old lady...slow on the gas, shift early... Or Drive like I am practicing for Shannonville.... It dosen\'t make a difference.

[wtom]

Must be a thirsty monkey in each of your cylinders...

Size smaller than this?

[MAZDA Kitten]

Originally posted by wtom


^^^^ that\'s quite a bit better than me. You must be very gentle with the car? Below is my pic from last night.
EDIT: 9 times outta 10 I fill-up with Shell 87 octane.

Thats the thing I dont get... to work I\'m in stop and go driving conditions; on the way home I\'m doing 120-140ish. City driving I mainly tend to shift before 3000 (usually around 2500-2800). But I can honestly tell you this car is NOT granny driven. Maybe it had something to do with her break in period? (I didnt follow the owners manual)

This is where I am at half tank:

[MAZDA Kitten]

Originally posted by SABIO


I waited a couple days... to get closer to 200km... Might run out of gas If I did that

Heres Mine... YIPPEE!!!!

Do you forget to shift gears? You cant drive it in 1st all the time

But on a serious note; that is crazy!!

[SABIO]

What would be kinda neat here is, all these lovely, great guys that work at Mazda dealerships
Would look at this and say *Holy, thats crap... why don\'t you bring your car in and I will set you up to have someone to do some tests.......*

[majic]

Originally posted by SABIO


I waited a couple days... to get closer to 200km... Might run out of gas If I did that

Heres Mine... YIPPEE!!!!

are you sure you\'re not driving a USDM car? arc damn that is pretty crappy mileage..

[DrunknFoo]

Sabio, your consumption looks very similar to mine and I usually fill up with sunoco 87. Heavy foot + no more snow = WOT. Much like a bull, I go crazy when I see red break lights (especially from those who needlessly break) bah, roadrage WOT to pass the traffic. It feels good!

Anyhow, when I do drive conservatively I am able to manage roughly 510-530km/tank.
I do recall 1 time when I filled up with Petro Canada 87, I was able to get roughly 550km++/tank..

I think I\'ll try filling up my tank with Petro to see if there is a real difference.

But omg!! 650-700km from mazdakitten!!! that\'s just simply amazing!

[TheProfessor]

As has been mentioned too many times before (and once more now), it all depends on many, many factors. Probably the biggest IMO is how one drives......if you\'re booting it around all the time, you\'re not gonna get the best mileage. However, this thread is confirming a belief of mine that gas also plays a pretty big part. I filled Sunoco in my 3 only once and had pretty poor mileage. Every other time I have used Petro Canada and have been getting respectable fuel economy. Same deal in my wife\'s 3.

[DJB]

I gotta post a pic of mine... I\'m lucky to get more than 150k at the half way mark.

Mind you, I\'m in stop and go traffic to and from work (which is only about 8k from home).

Regardless, have talked to Mazda service reps from Dufferin Mazda and they have told me that there has been problems with the milage of the 3\'s reported. They have told me to manually track the milage for 1-2 months and show the results (with gas recepts) so they have a case to work on.

Estimated, I get (from fill up to gas light) about 320k. The worst to date is 283k on a tank.

And no, I don\'t drive like a madman. lol.

DJ\'B

[majic]

according to my little experiment, it does NOT matter what gas station you fill up at..

---------------- Shell ---- Sunoco - Esso
L/100km ------ 9.04 ----- 9.08 ---- 9.05
gas (L) -------- 1287.84 - 629.93 -- 1902.49
mileage (km) - 14241 --- 6937 ---- 21030

* this is based on 80+ fillups.. 45000km and 1.5yrs of owning the car.. in the end it all averages out - summer and winter, highway/city, grannying it.. WOTing it..

[wtom]

It\'s the way you drive.

I gave my car the \"Mazda Kitten\" treatment and kept it easy on the gas, shifting between 2500 to 2800RPMs ... at least I tried. At mid-point I reached 270km. This is from 90% local roads and 10% highway. A few occassions I got shiet bored with the driving style and drove it hard. A few of those hard drives included WOT and redline shifts.

If I had drove it consistently the \"soft\" and \"easy\" and shifting before 3K RPM, I\'m sure I would attain similar results as Mazda Kitten.

In the end, for most of us, the choice is;

1. Have fun with the car

OR

2. Be gentle and get the most mileage out of your car


Note: MK, I\'m not saying you are not having fun with your car!