User Panel
Posted: 6/7/2008 5:42:15 AM EDT
Seems like my gas mileage is getting shittier over the past few months and several other people have said the same thing to me.
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I just got an all time high in my Civic yesterday.
43mpg from Utah to Colorado Springs. |
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Ethanol hammered me for a 12% reduction... Ford Taurus SEL with Duratec.... Sucks... CPO SWCC US Navy (Retired) |
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Where's that? In the garage? |
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It's a conspiracy! The oil companies turned on their hidden gas mileage reducer devices that have been installed in all our cars.
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+10 Ethanol use will result in a 10% drop in mileage per gallon. Which is ironic because ethanol is mixed into gasoline to help ease the shortage. Yet using it causes a driver to purchase more gasoline because getting less miles per gallon has people hitting the pumps to fill up more often. |
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My Contour with a 2.5L V6 Duratec has taken a hit. I used to get way over the advertised MPG of the car which is pretty low. Now I'm getting a couple MPG less than advertised. This happened over the course of the spring. It was a gradual decline in MPG for me.
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We're so fucked 10% |
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I have a fresh package of tin foil... Need some...? CPO SWCC US Navy (Retired) |
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sure I'll take a roll |
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My POS explorer is still getting 18 in the city.
I drive like a dead grandma though. |
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Last year my mileage got steadily better into the summer, and took a dive in the winter. |
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I think my mileage dropped a little with the switch to ULSD, but it's hard to say because I had been using biodiesel for a while so it's not like I saw a sudden change when the fuel switched. But anyway, I had been getting 42 for the last 6 months, and I slowed down a little and now my last three tanks were 47.25, 47.98, and 45.6 driving around town here.
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i get any where between 21-27 mpg depending on what station. 98 ford Taurus
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That shit is funny! |
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Mine tends to do the exact opposite |
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Conspiracy, no. Gas company sticking in the ass of Americans a little further, yes.
Increase the price and lower the effeciency of gasoline. Even though it's an asshole thing to do, it makes sense to me and I can believe that. -X |
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Maybe they are adding water or some other shit to the gas. At current prices it wouldn't surprise me a bit. Make sure you got your tires inflated right, clean air filter and keep your speed around 60 on the highway to get max mileage.
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Kharn |
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no 10% eth crap in the gas near me but I did fill up a tank of the crap at a cheapo gas station upstate. I didnt notice any difference though. Wasnt enough to matter anyway.
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The amount of ethanol in gas remains pretty much the same all year round, at least among the "TOP TIER" (i.e., Chevron, Conoco, Phillips, Union 76, Shell & Texaco) brands.
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How dare you ruin my theory with your fancy "facts"....I'm going to sue you. |
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Keep tires inflated to maximum mpg pressures
Clean/ new air filter Synthetic lubricants Stay off ther brake pedal Time the traffic signals repeat... |
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After replacing the fuel pump in my wife's old Honda Accord the mileage seems slightly better . It averaged over 30 mpg driving from D.C. to Nashville, and that included a lot of moderately hilly driving and driving about 75 mph (not trying to drive "economically"). Plus the AC was cranked, and we were listening to the music real loud.
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Probably because you are buying gas that contains Ethanol in it, you get less miles from it.
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I have noticed but I chalked it up to running the AC. Its been hot as hell, humid and I do alot of highway driving so I have been running the AC alot.
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Does this mean all "base fuel" has ~10% ethanol? I actually had my commute vehicle's fuel economy reduced from 24 mpg to 19 mpg when I switched to buying Shell gas on the way to work. Then, I saw the "Contains up to 10% ethanol" label on the pump and switched back to Quick Trip. I now get my 24 mpg again. Quick Trip claims to be Top Tier rated in their advertising. |
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I cranked the tire pressure up to 80psi on my '98 Tahoe.
It's getting better gas mileage and coasts like it's on ball bearings. |
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The weather will have a small impact too... Last week when it was cool I was getting 55.6 MPG. This week in the heat and rain it is 49. That's over 10% drop, but the rain was heavy on one trip.
Speed is another factor... Kept it down. |
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Thats were my dodge is, hasn't moved in two months |
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I've gone from a spring average of 31mpg up to 33mpg consistently over the last 3 or 4 tanks of gas in my Civic. Must be it likes the heat.
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My AWD V6 RAV4 went from 21.2mpg city to 23.4mpg. The only change is I lightened my right foot.
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Fuck no! The new stuff is made by international conglomerates controlled by Them, and has been designed to amplify, not shield, the mind-control devices! I want a roll of the old stuff, thanks. |
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Well I've noticed people that drive the speed limit aren't complaining about gas mileage around here (surprise surprise). Even my 91' Dodge Dakota is getting reasonable gas mileage driving around town.
Its the people that haul ass all over the place in their escalades that end up paying $100 a week on gas.. |
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Funny, but I was just noticing that about my Tahoe. The summer blend thing makes sense as many have stated.
Of course when you go from 13 to 12 mpg's, it doesn' really matter much |
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"Time the traffic signals" my ass... You're a proud Texan... Fuck those signals... Nobody here in the metromess lets those pesky signals stop them... Live free!! CPO SWCC US Navy (Retired) |
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It's the Ethanol.
Buy Premium gas, it doesn't have Ethanol, at least around here it doesn't. |
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Our state is considering a class action suit for the blended juice. Why you ask becasue they are not selling what is advertised at the pump and its costing us more.
I will find a link. ETA found it Here It also seems this super fuel ethanol could be destroying your plastic lines etc in older cars because its corrosive. Gota check your owners manual to see if yours was designed for it. Links in a few. One quick read |
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Ok...
The little MPG display on your car... It's a guess.. NOT ACCURATE! It's just like all the other gauges on your dash.. They make you feel good but by no means are they accurate enough to base fuel mileage by. To the people who record the number of miles between fill ups and calculate that way.. Again not accurate. There are far too many variables for you to even come close to 10% accuracy. Just not going to happen! The ONLY accurate measurement I have seen was the CARB lab I used to work in at Edelbrock. A $2 Million room where EVERYTHING is controlled. To the point of a room full of compressed gases to keep the o2 and Co2 at a constant in the test lab. |
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How is that not relatively accurate? Assuming that your tire/wheel size is factory, and you fill up to the same level every time. Are you saying that odometers are less than 90% accurate? I can see how there would be some error, but how would it not even be able to "come close to 10% accuracy"? |
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I get the worst gas mileage during the summer and it is all because of the environmentally correct gas that we have to use during the summer.
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Oh man, that is funny!!!!!! hahahahahah!!!!! vmax84 |
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Mine is pretty damn accurate unless there is a hole in my take. I do the math some times to double check and its always the same as my dash reads. |
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There are just too many variables to account for. Your driving habits play the biggest role. These is no way you can match your style of driving to a point where you can blame a 10% loss on the gasoline you buy. Just because you lost 10, 20% MPG doesn't mean its the gas. How do you know it's the same level every time? Even if you go by the pump the daily changes in specific gravity of the gasoline you a pumping. Is the e-vap system on the car purged? Is it full of fuel because you topped off a little much? I am not saying you can not notice a 10% loss in MPG. I am saying there is no way to blame it on the fuel without very controlled settings. |
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If it's from Chevron, Conoco, Phillips, Union 76, Shell, Texaco or one of the other brands that complies with "Top Tier" specs, it does indeed contain 8 to 10 percent Ethanol. |
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Just an FYI. I buy Premium gas and the pump is marked 10% Ethanol. That's in PA. TT |
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Most places have winter blends. I have never heard of a summer blend. Some places keep the ethanol content high year round. Also, your theory of a 10% drop is not supported. The 10% ethanol blend that a lot of states use in the winter has only shown a 6% decrease in performance when compared to straight gasoline in EPA tests. In the end it all depends on the distributor your gas stations use. Here in Las Vegas all of the big name places Chevron, Texaco, Shell, and Arco all buy the same fuel from the same CA distributor and then add their own additives. Rebel stations and the mom and pop type stations all tend to get their gas from another distributor that has less ethanol and environmental additives to start with. I worked with a mechanics that had pinging problems with his truck with Chevron/Texaco gas but not with Rebel gas. Another coworker had the same problem. |
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