I'm getting 12-14 miles per gallon (14 being lucky) this is my daily routine: I drive to school in the morning which is 3 miles away, then after school back home get ready for work and my work is also 3 miles away, lets say sometimes I deliver and we have a 2 mile radius for delivery and I deliver about 2 times on average a day. So that's 8 miles on delivery. About 90 percent of my driving is in the city with a lot of stop lights and I have to shut off my car off and on all the time because it is such short distances to travel. My question is.. is getting 12-14 miles per gallon normal? Or should I be getting a higher reading? I usually fill up 12 gallons and it usually lasts me 160 miles a tank. I put in the highest octane. I redline once or twice a day also. If I got 15 mpg it would make all the difference for me i'm really trying to get to that goal.

 

For that driving, yes, it's normal.

 

RIWWP lol always there for everyone, thanks

 

what year is your 8? also have you kept up with the maintenance, (plugs, coil, oil, air filter, ect) from what you said this might be normal for you situation stop and go commute is a killer for mpg for any car specialy for the 8 worh its already low mpg

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Roughly, it seems like you spend a huge portion of your time with the engine cold, which means the ECU is dumping in LOTS of extra fuel until it's warm. On top of that, it seems that you are spending nearly all your time in lower gears. Doesn't shock me at all that your mileage is that low. It's going to get worse as the temp gets colder and it takes longer to warm up.

 

its an 07! I've done a transmission fluid change, oil change, all of the fluids and i'm going to do a tune up really soon.

 

And I keep my car garaged so in the morning it takes like 3 minutes to warm up and by the time im out of school it's warmer by 20 degrees and the rest of the day its warm and hot starts only.

 

^^ very well put, there really isnt much you can do in your case (other than push the car around lol) gas is going over 3 bucks here so I feel your pain!!!

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I'm just glad that it's normal. I was mainly worried about that

 

I'll be going on snowboarding trips soon, I'll record my mpg then

 

i live 50 miles from my school. I put in $20 per day (100 miles) (93 octane) ( i use about $18-19 of that $20 per day)
30 minutes is country driving @ 35-50mph with.. 2 stop signs, 4 lights
30 minutes of highway driving @ 70mph cruise control on.

The weight of the oil also effects mpg correct? im using 10w30

 

What RIWWP said.

If you want to see what is going on, get an UntraGauge, you will see what the mileage look like.

My commute is 40 miles each way, a little neighborhood, country roads, highway, city. I get 21 to 22 on that route. The best is along the country roads.

 

This is why warm up idling is a total waste of time and gas, like riwwp said, u wasted most gas just sitting for cold startup, what i do is i just hop in, start the car and wait maybe 10-15 seconds the most then i start driving it off slowly, by the time im at the highway enterance, its usually almost fully warmed up, and thats just less than 2 - 3 miles

 

Hate to say this , but nycgps is 100% correct. Idling an engine beyond letting it stablize does it no good, and the best way to warm up is gentle driving. That also warms up the gearbox and rear end.

My commute is 18 miles, is on a mix of suburban arterials and Interstate, and takes about 35 minutes. I get a consistent 17 mpg. 12-14 for short trip city driving sounds right.

Ken

 

That long ? I don't even bother waiting . Start car , back out of the driveway then gently accelerate through the gears with hardly any throttle .

But the point is , all you idiots that start the car and wait till it's warm before taking off .................................................. .................................... are idiots !

 

hater

which "rear end" are we talking about here ...

 

dude ... drivers are mostly BLIND in NYC ... if u don't wait, u probably gonna get t-bone/rear ended/run into someone

 

Time of year and location can make a difference. In Wisconsin and with winter coming I will lose mileage until it warms up again. It's not just the Mazda but any of my cars when driven this time of year.

 

I usually drive short distances and local only...and i get probably less than 14mpg...

 

this

and this

 

Pff, up here in the Vancouver region you are looking at 1.40 a litre for normal, around 1.60 for premium. I live close to the border to the USA so I fill up there. If only our 8s ran on water.

 

If you really want to see what she can do (mpg-wise), here is what I suggest ...

get her nice and warmed up.

get your rabbit starts and redlines out of the way so you aren't tempted later.

go fill up with some non-ethanol gas (premium is to prevent detonation, the reason why you should use it, not because of POWA! or MPG), ethanol in your fuel lowers your mpg. RESET one of your trip odometers.


Now, prior to leaving, have a nice, peaceful trip planned out. Preferably empty, smooth roads on a moderate day (60F), with minimal wind, no rain ... and make sure the speed limits are around 45-55.

Now, practice a smooth, slow start, shifting early. Some people call it driving like a grandma/pa.

Get in 6th and just take an easy drive down this road for about half the time you have to spend on cruising; turn around, and drive just as calmly back ... all the way to the gas station, fill up, and do the quick math.

This will be your best mpg for ideal situations. Having the gas station on the road is best. The road shouldn't have any stop signs or lights, and limited speed changes.


The more you practice easy driving, the better results you'll see. There is a time for speed, and a time to drive sensible.



As far as the mpg you are seeing, as others say, it is normal.

Temperature, weather (rain/snow), road conditions (rough roads), idling, cold starts, stop and go, short trips, hills, heavy accelerations, high speeds (60+), headwinds, heavy braking, etc all can ruin your mpg.


Even how you approach stopping has a big effect on your mpg. If you learn to anticipate stops and start coasting early and use the technique called 'DWB' (drive without brakes) ... it has a huge effect on your mpg. Brakes turn your kinetic energy into heat to stop you through friction. The more brakes, the more fuel wasted.

This comes from years of hybrid driving with instant feedback and many years on fuel efficiency related forums for all types of cars.


Your situation is in the worst case scenario types ... and doing what you can will get you some improvements, but it is hard to fight that combo much. I can see you getting up to 15 mpg with some effort, but don't forget you want to have (safe) fun in your car too!

If you do try the mpg run, please post your results ... in fact, I'd encourage you to do it once a week just for relaxation and practice ... pay attention to temps/conditions and so you can compare. You'd be surprised how much you can improve in a short amount of time if you can keep your foot out of it.

Don't forget to give yourself some 'spirited' runs as well!!! (just not during your mpg test tank!) :D

 

I drive my RX-8 to where I need to go. When it needs gasoline, I fill it up.

I stopped fretting over the MPG years ago, and I've been happy ever since.

Getting yourself wrapped around the axle about RX-8 MPG won't change anything. Drive it and enjoy it. It's a great sports car - not an economy car.

 

LOL, I guess I'm an idiot then...

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I already knew I was an idiot. But then, my RX-8 lives in a nice, warm garage. I start it up and leave... but I am gentle on the throttle until it warms up. BTW, idiocy is relative. You should meet my friends.