Best MPG ever?

[dwasson]

I normally get 18 MPG around town and 21-22 MPG on the road. But, this trip I got 24.35 MPG on one tank. I had the cruise set on 82 MPH through Indiana and southern Illinois.

What's the best mileage you ever got from your Marauder and did you you have to do anything special?

[Bluerauder]

I normally get 18 MPG around town and 21-22 MPG on the road. But, this trip I got 24.35 MPG on one tank. I had the cruise set on 82 MPH through Indiana and southern Illinois.

What's the best mileage you ever got from your Marauder and did you you have to do anything special?
I got 22.2 mpg on a trip last month .... but I haven't used the cruise control on my MM yet.

[MERCMAN]

I got 27mpg this weekend,, surprised the heck out of me. This is the first trip with the shortys and flowmasters. The weather was cool, no AC needed. About half the trip was interstate, the rest 2 lane highway. Same road on the way home with hotter temps and the AC on, I got 23mpg. :up:

[gohogs]

Once going cross country, out in the high county of Wyoming and Montana I got a little over 26 mpg. Less air density and leaner mixture?? I often get 24+ mpg on trips, and terrain doesn't seem to matter. Bone stock 2003 300a.

[Dr Caleb]

I took a little 'break in' trip last year to Jasper National Park. The speed limit in the Park is 90 KM/h (55 mph).

Results:

500km @ 120 KM/h (~78mph) gave me 9.4 l/100km or 23 MPG

250km @ 90 KM/h (55 mph) gave 6.2 L/100 km or 31MPG.

Fuel mileage on any vehicle is always optimal at 90 KM/h.

[TripleTransAm]

I got 27.something MPG (US gallons) early last summer on a highway trip to an out-of-town car show... all flat highway except for a short stretch heading into the small town and back out again. A/C use all the way, wife and child in the car.

Haven't managed to reproduce this since then, but if I recall correctly I did manage between 24 and 25 all the way down to Hershey and back last Fall (some of it with a malfunctioning cruise control, thanks to the faulty brake light switch y'all probably have heard me b*tch about by now).

[duhtroll]

I got 24.6 MPG last summer before the gear swap. Haven't cracked 20+ since then. The gears obviously made a difference.

DO I care? Nuh-uh. :D

-A

[TripleTransAm]

Fuel mileage on any vehicle is always optimal at 90 KM/h.


Are you sure about this? I think it depends on a combination of aerodynamics and engine characteristics.

On my '85 Civic 4 door, it was between 85 and 90 kph, and my '98 Civic 4 door preferred a little higher (somewhere between 95 and 100 kph) probably attributable to a combination of smoother lines and the fact I'm at 2600 RPM at 100 kph (as opposed to 3000 RPM on my '85).

I did countless highway trips with my GTA during my car show years, and many of them were in the direction of (and including) Toronto. I used to try all sorts of speed ranges... 90, 95, 100, cruise on, cruise off... best I ever managed was a 25 mpg (US). One trip in 2001, I brought it up to 109-112 (useful when you have a digital speedometer) and got a 27.something average in both directions... this speed based on some findings with my WS6.

...speaking of which, my best of 33 mpg (US) in the WS6 came about on my drive to and from Chattanooga TN in May of 2001, where I cruise-controlled it at 110-115 kph with A/C on and radio blaring. Seems that for aerodynamic F-bodies, the sweet spot is around 110 kph.

My Marauder begins drinking furiously at speeds above 110 kph, so I try to maintain a 105-ish on the highway.

[Smokie]

Best ever 23 mpg, Florida, summer, no cruise control. 3 people in car. This was before Dennis reprogrammed PCM.

Never done better than 22 mpg since.....however before reflash never did better than 16.5 mpg in the city, now I average 18.5 mpg city. I know it makes no sense but it's just how it is.

[Dr Caleb]

Are you sure about this?

Yup. I remember a mathmatical proof from first year Honours Physics. (It's about all I remember from that course ;-)

I can't recall the calculation, but it was quite simple. a=1/2mv², m=f*a, and another basic formula for energy momentum. Differentiate and find out where all 3 curves meet. Solve for velocity, and it was 90 km/h.

I just did a quick search of Wolfram Research and couldn't turn up the formulas. I'll have a look in my old physics texts later.

[TripleTransAm]

I don't get where in those equations it could take into account the motor's RPM-dependent fuel consumption. I can see how those equations *might* work out to prove that energy consumption is optimized at 90 kph, but it can't foretell how much fuel the motor will require to produce that energy at that RPM... maybe the motor can produce a little more energy at a slightly higher RPM, but do so with better efficiency? (ie. make more power, but with not as much more fuel)

Also, one thing I can't see there is the aerodynamic drag energy loss... = 1/2 Cd V^2 if I remember correctly. That's also influenced by a speed-dragCoefficient relation.

[Smokie]

I don't get where in those equations it could take into account the motor's RPM-dependent fuel consumption. I can see how those equations *might* work out to prove that energy consumption is optimized at 90 kph, but it can't foretell how much fuel the motor will require to produce that energy at that RPM... maybe the motor can produce a little more energy at a slightly higher RPM, but do so with better efficiency? (ie. make more power, but with not as much more fuel)

Also, one thing I can't see there is the aerodynamic drag energy loss... = 1/2 Cd V^2 if I remember correctly. That's also influenced by a speed-dragCoefficient relation.
Obviously you fellas are not taking in to consideration in your formulas how many love bugs hit the windshield and front end therefore reducing aerodynamic efficiency and most important the amount of bugs per cubic feet of air at a given speed so you can determine air density increase and friction coefficient....come now if you are going to get scientific, lets do it right.;)

[TripleTransAm]

You are right... with all the times I have been in the Tampa region (specifically Lakeland and Polk) on business since 1998, I somehow always managed to miss love bug season. I heard it's quite impressive.

[Smokie]

Steve, May and September, very, very, very bad. :uzi:

[Dr Caleb]

Also, one thing I can't see there is the aerodynamic drag energy loss... = 1/2 Cd V^2 if I remember correctly. That's also influenced by a speed-dragCoefficient relation.

True, that won't compensate for aerodynamic losses, but the more aerodynamic a vehicle is the flatter the curve (energy usage vs velocity ) will be.

I do remember in the course that his was a basically 'brick on wheels' (Or Chrylser 300c) type of calculation, and was the reason behind a speed limit of 90 km/h placed on large transport vehicles. Remembered that during lunch ;). Like I said, it's been 15 or so years since I took physics . . .

I can demonstrate this in my CV though - it has an average and instant fuel economy mode on the trip computer. I can get 6.2 l/100km at 90 km/h, and it only increases from there... It's actually kind of cool to reset the average economy, drive at 90 for a half hour, then watch the 'distance to empty' slowly increase from 535km to 699km and keep increasing. On the highway, I can regularlly get ~850km from a tankful in the CV, if I keep it under 100.

[Bluerauder]

Yup. I remember a mathmatical proof from first year Honours Physics. (It's about all I remember from that course ;-)

I can't recall the calculation, but it was quite simple. a=1/2mv², m=f*a, and another basic formula for energy momentum.

Resnick & Halliday, Physics, Part I:

Kinetic Energy (KE) = 1/2mv²
Force (F) = m * a
And, yes you have to work in the coefficients of friction and rolling resistance --- and the allowance for "Love Bug" effects.

[SilverStreak]

Hi, I picked up the car on Friday, did about 85 miles city
driving then 100 miles of interstate and rural 2 lanes at 65mph....Hey it's still new and i'm an old man. So I see a place with 92 octane and fill it up until it stops. 185 miles and 6.9 gallons. I don't know what to think about this.
I doubt a new car, especially these would get better mileage
then the EPA sticker shows. So where'd I screw up? Do the
gas tanks in these cars shut down the feed earlier than other cars meaning I still could have gotten more in? My gauge was showing between 1/2 and 3/4 when I stopped for gas and full when I put the 6.9 gallons in.
:D
Either way the car is great.:baaa:

[rookie1]

your equations are basicly sound but you are neglecting to include the change in pinion angle on various control arms.

[Dr Caleb]

Resnick & Halliday, Physics, Part I:


That's it! that's it! Thank you Jeebus, I'm not insane!

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/tips/SPEED.gif

This is the only graph I could find on fuel economy. You'll see a peak at 55mph, after that, it's all uphill :)

You wantta talk Junebug factor? In June, these prehistoric bugs come out in the North - Tarsand Beetles. They will just fit in a coffee cup, and sound like a helicopter. Heavy black shiny armor, built like a Hind.

I hit one with a 1 wood/driver (cause it was standing on my tee!). Bounced it off a golf cart, and it flew away. Heaven help you if you drive a motorcycle, cause they'll take you right off it ;)

[Petrograde]

I was getting around 23 mpg for a while. I dumped a can of Berryman's B-12 fuel system cleaner into a full tank of gas and got 26.4 mpg!

[jcooper]

My Best is 14 MPG in town & 23.75 on trip. Have K&N filters & Flowmasters. Going to Tuner for 3.55 Gears, colder thermo, colder plugs, to check out, then to 4.10 gears.




I normally get 18 MPG around town and 21-22 MPG on the road. But, this trip I got 24.35 MPG on one tank. I had the cruise set on 82 MPH through Indiana and southern Illinois.

What's the best mileage you ever got from your Marauder and did you you have to do anything special?

[Bluerauder]

That's it! that's it! Thank you Jeebus, I'm not insane!

I hit one with a 1 wood/driver (cause it was standing on my tee!). Bounced it off a golf cart, and it flew away. ;)
I think the proper club for Hind Beetles is a #2 Wood. :lol:

Your MPG chart looks like it used a '67 VW Beetle as the baseline.

[dwasson]

In June, these prehistoric bugs come out in the North - Tarsand Beetles. They will just fit in a coffee cup, and sound like a helicopter. Heavy black shiny armor, built like a Hind.

I hit one with a 1 wood/driver (cause it was standing on my tee!). Bounced it off a golf cart, and it flew away. Heaven help you if you drive a motorcycle, cause they'll take you right off it ;)

I hit a bug in Arkansas that scared me. It hit right at eye level and I jumped when the impact came. When it first hit I thought it was a robin.

[jgc61sr2002]

I averaged 24MPG on a 2,400 mile trip. 75 MPH, A/C and Cruise Control on. :)

[MENINBLK]

Fuel mileage on any vehicle is always optimal at 90 KM/h.

Just because the vehicle manufacturer and your State DMV says it is, doesn't always mean it is...

My 1998 Contour SE Sport Duratec V6 ATX would get 35MPG on 91 Octane gasoline during my run
from Yonkers, NY to Buffalo, NY, cruising at 75MPH with Cruise ON, and AC ON, Diablo Sport Chip,
and the vehicle fully loaded with gear and documentation.

I could make the entire trip, one way, on ONE tank of gas.
The Low Fuel light would come on about 15 minutes from exit 51W.

I would NEVER see that MPG at 55 MPH, NEVER...

[ultravorx]

On my recent trip to VA, i got about 22mpg all highway, crusing from 75-85mph. This was with 4 "big" people in the car and a trunk loaded with "crap".
I have the 4.30 rear end, tuner, undies, and a heavy foot. So i was REALLY happy with my miliage.
City driving is another story, i usually get around 16-19. But i dont care, i didnt buy this car to worry about gas, i bought it to have fun!!!!
Frank

[David Morton]

You are right... with all the times I have been in the Tampa region (specifically Lakeland and Polk) on business since 1998, I somehow always managed to miss love bug season. I heard it's quite impressive. You should have been here in 1972 when the "Love Bugs" first arrived. Scuttlebutt was a scientist let some escape and the native birds wouldn't eat them cause they tasted bad. I remember walking outside in the back of my dads grocery store to "do the empties" (we had to arrange all of the deposit bottles so the softdrink drivers would pick them up) and those things would be so thick you had to watch your breathing. There'd be ten pairs per cubic foot they were so thick. :eek: People couldn't drive their cars much over 15 or 20 mph cause if you were smashing them on your windshield, you'd run out of washer fluid before five miles.

I am not exaggerating.

[Jeff]

I normally get 18 MPG around town and 21-22 MPG on the road. But, this trip I got 24.35 MPG on one tank. I had the cruise set on 82 MPH through Indiana and southern Illinois.

What's the best mileage you ever got from your Marauder and did you you have to do anything special?


22.1 MPG - I guess I was holding my mouth right?! :lol:

[dbrown4bbl]

OK, so, being a bit anal, I have a data base in my Palm Pilot of every fillup on my MM since day one (Febraury 7, 2003) - date, elapsed mileage, total mileage and fuel consumed. If anyone is interested, you need to get a life, or if you don't have one, ask and I'll email it to you or post it here.
DAB

[dwasson]

OK, so, being a bit anal, I have a data base in my Palm Pilot of every fillup on my MM since day one (Febraury 7, 2003) - date, elapsed mileage, total mileage and fuel consumed. If anyone is interested, you need to get a life, or if you don't have one, ask and I'll email it to you or post it here.
DAB

You win! I check the mileage every tank but you have me beat by a mile.

[marauder307]

I got 25.9 mpg on a return road trip from Junction City, KS to STL last October...only time I've ever seen it, and the only time that I ever topped the tank with Shell 91 octane, because they won't sell 93 in KS. Beautiful clear day, got a little cloudy by the time I hit Wentzville (western STL), temps in the mid-70s. I had maybe a half tank of 92/93 mix from when I filled up in Leavenworth on the trip over. Cruise set at about 72 or so for the whole way, except for one stop somewhere about Boonville to clear the windshield, stretch, and drain the lizard.

[LordVader]

:coolman: Got 26mpg with the cruise set at 75mph on a trip from Texarkana, Tx. up to Hot Springs, Ark. Mostly flat land, temperature low 60's, no A/C. Have to admit I was truly surprised!

[423REED]

I normally get 18 MPG around town and 21-22 MPG on the road. But, this trip I got 24.35 MPG on one tank. I had the cruise set on 82 MPH through Indiana and southern Illinois.

What's the best mileage you ever got from your Marauder and did you you have to do anything special?
My Marauder averages about 16 MPG in the city-suburban driving, which I mostly do. The best highway has been 22 MPG. This is with no modifications whatsoever. But I doooo like to lite it up once or twice a week. That probably has a slightly negative effect on my MPG.
_____________________________
2004 MARAUDER 300A - DTR
* BORN: 04/19/04
1994 TAURUS SHO - DK GREEN

[mcb26]

get 20 mpg around town. Got 24 on the way to Tunica and 26 on the way back. A lot fewer belongings :twocents:

[Jolly Roger]

True, that won't compensate for aerodynamic losses, but the more aerodynamic a vehicle is the flatter the curve (energy usage vs velocity ) will be.

I do remember in the course that his was a basically 'brick on wheels' (Or Chrylser 300c) type of calculation, and was the reason behind a speed limit of 90 km/h placed on large transport vehicles. Remembered that during lunch ;). Like I said, it's been 15 or so years since I took physics . . .

I can demonstrate this in my CV though - it has an average and instant fuel economy mode on the trip computer. I can get 6.2 l/100km at 90 km/h, and it only increases from there... It's actually kind of cool to reset the average economy, drive at 90 for a half hour, then watch the 'distance to empty' slowly increase from 535km to 699km and keep increasing. On the highway, I can regularlly get ~850km from a tankful in the CV, if I keep it under 100.27 Mpg @ 70mph. Highway.
15.01 City Driving like i've got some sense.:help: