I wish you lived in Southern Cali. I'd definitely take you up on it. And I'd be ROOTING for you to get 17 city. If I knew you could get 17 city (driving reasonably ie at the speed limit, not being restricted to two trips a day) with my car, the 15 city I get wouldn't bother me at all knowing that I could learn to drive it "correctly" even if I continued to get 15. Yeah it's weird but just knowing that it's possible for my car would make my day. When I bought the car I was hoping to get around 20mpg mixed driving. 16mpg mixed driving isn't so hot. Either way though it'd be nice to know. If you could get 17mpg on my car, then it's great knowing my car is ok. If you can't, then it's ok too since I won't have to sit around wondering if I'm just driving it entirely wrong or something.

I totally get what you mean by cost of driving though. I don't mind the gas costs as much any more (though obviously the better it is the happier I'll be). Now it's the "comparison" factor that bothers me. Friends with SUVs and other sporty cars get 19-20mpg mixed. People on this board get 20mpg mixed. I don't... Is it the car? Is it me? Who knows?

 

I love people who complain that they aren't getting 3 more mile to the gallon from their RX8. Cmon people. If you're THAT hard pressed to get mileage by the numbers, then you have some serious problems.

 

I have 0 complaints about my 8's milage, the other vehicle I drive has a cruise range of about ( 265 mi), is a little on the heay side at (65 tons),but can get from 0-20mph in 7 sec.- Can you guess what it is?

 

Gotta be an M1-A1 Abrams tank, or some sort of water craft.

 

It's a M1A2

 

I don't really mind the mileage, I just wish the gas tank was bigger. Having to fill up the tank every 200 to 250 miles is a bit annoying. I wish the average tank was more like 300 miles. Let's see, that would mean a tank that is 5 gallons bigger than what we've got. Sure would be nice....

~ Matt

 

I've got 309.5 miles showing on my trip odometer right now. It was reset to zero when I filled up. That's all home -> work driving, which is 50/50 highway (turnpike @ 75 mph) and city. Yup, the low fuel light is on, and the gauge is at the very bottom.

I wanted to see how much I possibly could get, MPG-wise. So, I kept my foot out of it, and kept the RPM's below 3700 for the whole tank. Fun? Not even. In fact, it was so not fun that I'll never do it again. Moral of the story? My '8 can get 20 MPG (or more) IF I drive in a manner to maximize gas mileage. And keeping my foot light is about the last thing that I want to do on any given day. So in essence, I don't really give a crap about gas mileage. I want to have fun, and if I have to buy more gas to have fun, I will. Simple.

Best,
Bill

 

Dude, I'm sorry but I've been driving like a freakin Grandma and I'm getting 14-15 MPG. I'm at about 1500 miles, so I'm still breaking it in until 2000.

I luv the car, but this is crap if I start getting 12 MPG or less once I'm over 2000 miles and ready to drive it like it was meant to be driven.

I'm sorry, but if I have to shift at 3700 RPMs just to get 15 MPG, that is sh*tty.

For all of you that are beating people up for focusing on the mileage, you should understand that this is the single worst part of this car. It's one of the main reasons the resale value is so much worse than expected. Supply/demand of '04s on the lots is often cited as the reason for the poor resale values, but that's bogus. Demand for BOTH new and used cars is down b/c of the stories of 12 MPG.

Premium is now about $2.60 in Los Angeles and going up. We should see $3 per gallon by summer time... if you want a legit model, use $3 gas b/c that's where we're headed for the life of our cars.

Again I luv the car, but 15 MPG w/grandma driving is not cool.

If I got 20+ MPG, I'd be ecstatic. But I now believe that those of you claiming those figures are either full of sh*t or there's something wrong with my car.

 

And you know this how, again? Do you have a source for this, any source? I mean, a source other than your own opinion?

Yup, that's right. How can anyone possibly have an experience that's different from yours? They must be lying about it. Yup. That's all that can possibly make any sense. Most people just sit around making up stories and lying about stuff for no reason. Yup.

Give me a break.
Bill

 

This is how I feel.


The dealership test drove my car for a hundred miles and got 12mpg in town so why do you think you can do better.

I agree with those who think getting low mileage is worth it for the enjoyment of the car. The issue is that Mazda has made some cars that get 18 mpg in town and others that get 10mpg in town. They have a obligation to correct this and have not been able. Hopefully they are still trying. The RX8 is a wonderful automobile but if Mazda cant't solve this problem eventually they will end up loosing sales and possibly being sued. People aren't just complaining to be complaining but are looking for solutions to what they see as a problem. For those of you who get mileage but complain about those who don't and talk about it. Well, I won't use the name that makes you.

I still disagree that making a thread that starts out "Put an end to the mileage Yap Yap" is irresponsible. The poll that actually gives an unbiased view of this issue from the members themselves would be more responsible. Then new members would vote and express their views on this issue. Over time the actual issue would become clearer as the numbers grew and the poll results were more wide spread. The poll already exists so you could make that a sticky instead of this flaming thread.

 

Bill, don't get your panties in a bunch brother. I was trying to make a point about my frustration with claims of 20+ MPG. It's not that I think everyone of these people is lying. I think some aren't making an accurate assessment, others are truly full of it and others are right. If people are really getting 20+ MPG, even with hard driving then I'm upset b/c my car should get close to that also and it's not. That's all man. If you read me post closely you'll see that I stated that EITHER people are lying OR my personal car is bunk compared to theirs since I'm lucky to get 15 MPG with 3700 RPM shifting and easy throttle.

The car is awesome, but if it could consistently get over 20 MPG, I would marry it.

 

Stew:
I agree with you 100% on all that buddy. Except for maybe the 12mpg cars (if they are calculating their mpg correctly, that is). I would bet someone with some rotary expertise might be able to determine why they are getting such poor mileage. And you never know how much time these people are spending in stop-and-go traffic, if their tire pressures are right, etc.

 

Sorry people took offense to my thread and felt the need to turn it into a flamefest.

The point I'm continually trying to make is that the mpg number matters not at all, at least in my book. It's the cost of driving the car that matters. And significant swings in MPG make very minor swings to total cost ownership.

I'm sorry that anyone felt I was belittling their plight with poor mileage. Sucks to be you. I guess it's great to be me at 17 mpg and not a care in the world.

Abbid: Thanks pal. It was fun while it lasted. At least you got the point.

 

Gas mileage is like men talking about how big their member is. They always say it's better than it really is. Most of those SUVs are probably barely getting 18mpg. Take a look at this month's Car & Driver SUV comparo. Granted they were pushing the cars a lot harder than normal, but still.

 

Bill, how many gallons did you fill up with at the first "click" of the pump? You never quoted your gas mileage for that tank. You are crazy to be driving below 3,700 rpm for 309 miles... boooring...

 

There's something wrong with your car.

 

I do agree that this probably shouldn't have been a sticky thread.

 

my rx8 sucks on gas

I hate it for it, its the only reason i hate it seriously !
my fd and turbo II which had a bad fuel dampner(dropping fuel when parked)
was better on gas while boostin.
im getting upset thinking about it and howard said it best
we are not complaining just to complain we want a fix that all i want
mazda wake up

 

Exxxxxxxxactly!!!

The only haters are the ones who bash us b/c they apparently aren't living with the reality of 12-15 MPG. I haven't heard one person bash the car itself while complaining about poor fuel consumption.

All we're saying is that if some cars are getting 20+ MPG, then there is something wrong with our cars b/c we're no where close to that and we're looking for a rational explanation for the variance.

I know it is not b/c of aggressive driving. I've babied my dam* car and I only broke 15 MPG once (16.5 MPG) with mostly highway driving.

And for the last time, don't tell me to get another car. I luv the 8, I just want the same mileage you are getting if there is something I can do about it other than selling it.

 

I haven't put gas in it yet. I'll have to on the way home, or I'll likely be walking. I've never run it this low on gas, so I'm not sure what it'll take to fill it up. I'll post back tomorrow with how much it drank, and what I ended up with for MPG on this tank.

And you are quite correct on the boring part of driving below 3700 RPM. Totally snooze inducing. :D I only did it to see what I could wring out of the car for mileage...not something I'll do more than once, but I just had to try it to find out.

Best,
Bill

PS: Abbid, sorry for the flaming. I'm guilty. I'll refrain in the future.

 

I am doing the same thing myself. Keeping my rpm's under 4k while shifting and 3700 rpms at cruise.. Makes a big difference in mileage. So is there something wrong with this car?

NO!!!!


There is something wrong with you if you think driving above 6k rpms should warrant good gas mileage... I am quite sick of hearing this myself...

KUDOS STEW!!

 

Hagar,

I think you misunderstood me. I'm not expecting great gas mileage while shifting at 6K rpms. I have been consistently shifting at low rpms (3-4K) b/c I'm still breaking her in and still can't seem to break 15 MPG.

If I could get 20 MPG driving this way and 15 MPG while driving her harder then I could accept that. But I fear that since I'm getting 14-15 MPG now, I will be getting 10-12 later when she's broken in and I'm driving her harder (6K+ rpms). I'm sorry but 10 MPG sux no matter how I try to rationalize it.

 

Maybe you should check up on your flash. Because those numbers defeniately are not right at all. Make sure that there is 5w-20 oil in there also...


I had a dealer put the wrong weight oil in my maxima and my mileage dropped from 28 mpg to 23 mpg.

But the numbers you are getting aren't right.

 

I called my dealer a couple of days ago and they told me they had done the N flash on my car before I bought it.

I just don't get it. I'm babying her all kinds and still am getting just under 15 MPG or so consistently (70% city/ 30% hwy). And no, I'm not measuring per 15.9 gallon tank, but rather the amount I actually fill up.

Something doesn't add up. I hope I didn't buy a lemon.

 

I get 15mpg in city even shifting < 4k RPM.
I get 14 if I shift at 5-6k RPM

And it's strange to see other people get 20mpg.