No way! Your saying that you went from full to empty driving 36 miles. Did it take 10 hours stuck in a traffic jam. I raise the bs flag. Damn I need to steel it for posts like this.

 

nononono...not full to empty (damn man, does $12 full up your tank?) according to my handy calculator here about 5.55 gallons at 2.16 a gallon. And there were no traffic jams...lots of passing in the twisties and constantly on the gas.....

 

I'm at 3,500 miles and have never even achieved ONCE the EPA city MPG of 18 MPG. My best tank ever was 17.3 and my worse was 15.3. I usually see a little over 16.

Okay, now for the "driving habits" question. Yes, I drive my 8 hard just like a stolen car. Every trip I make, it gets floored more times than I can count once it has warmed up.

 

Rotormotion, don't get me wrong...drive as you wish but don't you want your 8 to last more than 45,000 miles? I'm new to the rotary engine and I think it is durable but raceing an engine "all" the time is not a good thing to do. Again, mabye it's just me...but that just sounds very harsh for the engine.

Again, don't get me wrong once mine is broken in I'll push her when I want...but every drive, daily...I just don't see myself doing that for the sake of the engine and fuel economy...

 

One thing to keep in mind if you want to know what your car will do per gallon under 'best' circumstances is that the motor has six jets, three per rotor. Under about 3750 revs only one jet per rotor is operating. Over about 3750 revs all six jets are pouring in fuel.

The more you drive 'like you stole it' the more gas you're pouring down a deep black hole. Don't blame the car. You want to see what the car can do, run a controlled test keeping the tacho below 3750 as much as possible. You might be surprised.

 

From your other post that's 6.48 mpg. I still think that is obnoxiously low. Actually, quite amazing.

 

I hear what you are saying, and this is definitely not the first time I've heard this concern I sincerely appreciate your concern. All I can say is that I love cars and I love performance. Yes, I drive them hard, but I do follow a few rules. On a cold start I always wait 30 seconds--with my foot off the clutch--before I putting the car in gear. Just to make sure the oil pressure is up and circulating before I put a load on the engine or transmission. I never floor the car or go into the upper 50% of the tach until it is warmed up. I never bounce off the rev limiter. I don't do crazy downshifts. I always buy top quality parts and over maintain my car-->3,000 mile oil changes, coolant system flush every 2 years, routine gear oil changes, flush the power steering and brake system, buy top quality brake pads and tires, replace shocks at the first signs of decreased dampening (it’s amazing how many people never replace their shocks), etc.

Following the above prescription, I have 180K on my 92 Nissan Sentra SE-R. It was driven hard, but I followed the above rules. It didn't even start burning oil until 150K. Even now, I don't have to put in oil between oil changes and it still burns less than my 8. I've never had a mechanical problem outside of routine maintenance, normal wear parts, water pump at 140K, and front rotors at 170K. Oh, and a defective 5th gear repaired under warranty. I run the A/C once a week all year long and have never had to charge the system—during the summer it’s over 100 where I work, so if it were weak I would deal with it. I keep the engine clean. I even got 9 years off of my first battery. The first clutch and front brakes lasted 90K. The crappy factory tires made it 50K, but I was doing a lot of freeway driving back then. Many people tell me the car still looks new in some ways. And, I’ve annoyed past girlfriends by always parking the car in a ding-free spot across the parking lot. On an interesting note, a few years ago there was a lively discussion on the SE-R forum regarding whether the 92 had a rev limiter. So, I put the needle into the red for the first time to find out and a couple hundred in it pulled the power. So, actually, I’ve hit the rev limiter once, but never by accident due to driving style.

So, maybe I’ve got to redefine the stolen car thing. Yes, I’m the guy that always floors his car off the stoplight, and pretty much everywhere else, but I don’t break hard going into a red light. I don’t speed in parking lots or around town. But, if I’ve got an open left lane on the freeway, look out. I’ve made it from LA to the San Francisco Bay area—about 360 miles in 4 hours 30 minutes. That’s with one food stop and two gas stops—I discovered the SE-R gets 22 MPG driving near 100 MPH for prolonged periods. Normally it does about 28 on the Freeway. However, if there is an idiot in the left lane, I don’t tailgate or cut him off. I wait for a safe passing opportunity and then it’s C-Ya.

There’s a lot of discussion regarding the longevity of the Renesis. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m going to treat it the same as my piston engines and we’ll see what happens…

 

With a full tank I can go about 250 miles. So I can get about 16 miles to the gallon HIGHWAY! So city I say 13-14 being generous. This sucks.

 

After six visits to the dealorship, who were actually great, this is where I stand.
I am still getting ten miles to a gallon. They replaced a thermostat to no avail. Sent the computer back to Japan and put it back in, no change. They now tell me they no longer have a Mazda rep. I called the Mazda hot line but they only refer me back to the dealer. I am out of options unless I find the right person to write to at Mazda or send a letter to. I can't afford to hire a attorney.

 

My MPG is getting better over time.
I have an 05 with 7600 miles.
I just filled up today and got 19 MPG.
That was 100% highway driving though.
I did not 'kill' the car on this tank, but I was aggressive.
My previous best was 17.3 which was the previous tank but wasn't 100% highway.

I spend $65/week in gas or more.
I would love to get better mpg, but I have to enjoy the car even if it costs me more in gas. My choice.

Howard: 10 mpg is unacceptable and insulting. I would call Mazda every single day until they had a game plan for me... and I do mean every day.
Good luck. Keep us updated.

-B

 

Just got a new 2005 RX-8. First 2 tanks my gas mileage has been around 12 mpg. I was thinking I was driving it too hard, but having owned a 1991, 1983, and 1984 RX-7 I have never seen this type of problems. I have been very conservative in the break in period, nothing above 6000 RPMs. What is the M-Flash and how do I get this done?

 

You are probably up to date on flashes if you just bought the car. I have recieved no benifit gas mileage wise from flashes and I have the latest and still get 10-11 in town. The sevice department has given up and I have been unable to get a response from Mazda. Good luck but you may be stuck.

 

Having been a private pilot for a number of years I can comment on a rich mixture. A rich mixture greatly reduces the Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT). Exhaust gas can be as high as 1700 F. In other words it keeps the exhaust port section of the engine cooler - the extra fuel conducts heat out of the exhaust. This helps in expansion and contraction of the small rotary housing. Long term I could see how this would help the longevity of the engine. Rotary's have the problem of the the casing warping and apex seal failures. Looks like Mazda figured this out and did not want to apply a lot of stress on the engine in it's early life. However once the break-in period is over it should not be problem. I think the problem is that the software is broken, and not leaning out over time.

 

My car has 7000 miles and I am also getting around 11 in town driving, using shell premium gas. I used to get 16 and I was pissed but now this is the last straw. I will be discussing options with my lawyer. This is unacceptable.

 

Please let me know what he says. I am in this situation but have not contacted an attorney yet.

 

After researching the Internet it appears that the Lemon Law is not likely to be won for gas mileage. Mazda refuses to consider the 10-25% of those who are getting horendous mileage. My dealorship admits there is a problem but after five visits is out of ideas. I have actually been unable to talk to a representative from Mazda or contact one. I continue to get 10-11 mpg at 3500 miles in town. I am out of options but if I were someone buying a RX8 I would definetely try to find a way to drive it long enough to test mileage. I love the car but currently I am on a fixed income and I can't afford to drive it so it stays parked.

 

I would appreciate more information on the M and L flash cards. I gather that the seem to adjust the idle from medium to low ( or lear fuel mixutures) can I just go by the dealer and request this changeover. My car is now in the garage getting a new main seal replaced and I wonder if I should have this done before picking it up. Would appreciate any input that I may get....thanks nico

 

hello everyone this my crapy story...i got my car about 4 weeks ago i filled up about 3 times now....first tank gave me 135..(T.T)***didnt mind due to the fact that i was reving and shifting at 5krpm just seeing how car was lol silly me****2nd tank gave me 165 shifting around 3k rpm...getting worried now....3rd tank 154 getting pissed now... total miles 454..i'm get about 9.8-11 mpg....and i have a 05 ....getting stats when i get flashed...***why meeeeee(>.<)***

 

Just a little over 10k miles with my auto. I've averaged 14 mpg.

If I would have known the mileage was going to be THIS far from "estimated" I never would have bought the car; even as much as I like the looks and handling of the 8, the MPG I'm getting is a joke.

As soon as my warranty coverage is over, I'm getting rid of this gas guzzler. ****, I should have bought a used Viper, my mileage would be the same...

 

Filled up yesterday, got 21.56 MPG. Lovin' it!!!!

 

05 with 8600 miles.
My MPG is directly related to how I drive.
I have a long ride to work so I carefully tested my highway MPG on the last 3 tanks.
Same gas station. Pumped my own. Same pump. Same procedures.. etc..
I averaged around 19.5 (19.3-19.7 was the range)
During local driving if I rev the motor a lot, I can almost see the gauge moving.. haha no kidding.
I do not have local numbers to post. I would only be guessing... but it is much much worse.
(12-14 maybe)
-B

 

WOW, i suppose you are shifting out of first gear right? =D

Maybe your PCM, or your MAF is defective. There's probably not much you can do without going to the dealer. Unless someone is stealing your gas!

 

do you have a leak?

 

Isn't the fuel system highly pressurized? if there was a leak, wouldn't it be REALLY obvious? (dunno, just asking)

 

First, you need to determine the gas mileage you are getting by calculating your actual mileage. Gas gauges are notoriously inaccurate and that's what the dealer will tell you if you use the gauge to justify a gas mileage complaint. If your calculations show gas mileage of around 18-20mpg mostly highway travel, that's probably the best you can expect to get and Mazda will not do anything about it.

So, before you take it in to the dealer and complain about the gas mileage, you better run through a half dozen tankfulls at least and document the mileage. You know, miles traveled divided by gallons added to tank? Keep receipts and present all this to the dealer with the calculations or your complaint will not be considered credible.