Am I missing something? Is my 8 defective? I've got almost 3,500mi on my odometer, and I'm barely getting 15-16mg if I'm lucky, and yes, I drive it like gramma to/from work... Is there a switch I haven't flipped somewhere??

 

I know this car gets acceptable mileage on the highway. I've known that for years. The city mileage on the other hand has always been the issue. That's why I was surprised when you said 22MPG in city driving.

That being said, let me ask you something. Why the hell would you entitle this thread "Yes you CAN get 22MPG city driving in the RX8..." when you just stated that your little experiment wasn't only city driving?

It doesn't take a rocket science to figure out that you're going to get better mileage driving on the highway.

Now I feel dumber for having read all of this.

When you actually try driving 100% city and manage to get 22 mpg, get back to me.

 

I should be more specific about highway driving...

It is NOT interstate driving in the second leg, it is just a four lane road with less lights (going through park area etc).

However, as zoom44 pointed out, getting into 5 or 6 quick made a difference for me. Driving downtown last night with getting into 5 or 6 got me 21.56 MPG. No highway (or country) driving at all.

Perhaps though I should have posted 22 MPG in suburban driving.

I always try to avoid traffic jams and I know in that situation, it eats gas.

BTW, Here is my rough route

All in Maryland

Driving Directions

 

The route given is only a rough route. I still have to get out my neighborhood and also go through an industrial park at the other end...

 

Yeah, they should, but in Spain our gob is about to increase them

 

6 USD (about 4.5€ in my case)

 

Update: I filled up yesterday with 14.22 gallons at 280-something miles getting me 20.5 mpg in that tank. I drove granny style the whole time with the exception of about 10 miles near the last of the tank.

My theory: I don't think that your style of driving has a great deal (although it contributes some) to your gas mileage; however, whether you drive city vs. highway that has the greater influence. With that last tank, I drove 1/3 city and 2/3 highway. I normally drive 3/4 city and 1/4 highway, averaging 17-18 mpg.

Since I can't change my average mpg, even just a little bit, what am I going to do now? Drive normal again - like a bat out of hell, creating a sparkling red blur throughout North TX, hitting redline whenever I can. :D

 

Well I will need to be more scientific about this.

Or just get an MX5 or Mazda 3 for my daily commute.

 

Hey, I got 18 mpg doing similarly the same thing without AC in city driving during my first year but this summer I have been getting 14.x mpg every week with AC. I would test it without but it is too hot! I know though that last summer I was getting an average of 16mpg. It dropped after my last dealer visit which covered a flash check and 4 new plugs and another ac compressor.

Really though the car is made for fun and a driver's car. The mileage is NORMAL within the range people talk about on this site. The decision is more relative to what you want to drive and just chalk that up to the cost of fun.

 

The same dude... i don't know how these people get that kind of milage.

 

This just in:

I have created a magic elixir that you can add to each tank of gas. It will get you 50mpg!!!

Paypal accepted :D

 

I agree, just trade your 8 in for an Echo or some little "pee pee" car if you want good milage. Without really driving your 8, what is the point of having it?

Dennis

 

Well some more observations and tests...

I drove in yesterday and today to work (bummer, had to work on labor day)

Filled up today and got the result of.....


20.5 MPG


I decided to NOT drive like grandma but use Zoom44's trick of getting into high gears as quickly as possible (5th at 30+ MPH and 6th at 40+ MPH).

So the difference now is only 1 to 3 miles per gallon (at least from this initial test).

I have also kept a log of every fill up since I first got the car on the 4th of July... Here are the averages I have gotten in the past month (a total of 16 fill ups ... usually fill up when I reach 1/4 tank) for a total of 5027 miles...

MPG Rates at each fill up
16.5
17.0
19.2 (first road trip)
17.5
18.5
16.9 (first service)
22.5 (trip to Hershey PA)
19.5
19.6
21.0 (trip to Ocean City MD)
16.9 (trip to DC and around DC)
19.1 (second service)
19.5
19.5
21.0 (started to try my technique)
22.0 (labor day weekend cruising around town and downtown)
20.5

My low was when I first got the car 16.5 and only dipped that low again when I sat in traffic in DC for half a day. Overall gas rate (approx 250 gallons over 5027 miles = 20.108 MPG.

Observations:

1. Gas mileage has improved since my first service check.
2. Gas mileage seems to suck when stuck in traffic (only dipped below 17 when in traffic jams in DC)
3. Technique, though may improve mileage, does not seem to have as big of an impact in gas rate (1 to 3 MPG difference) as traffic conditions (regardless of city/highway... my traffic jams in DC were all on the beltway).

Bottom line, enjoy your car and whenever possible AVOID traffic. Your mileage will lilkely improve greatly if don't have to stop and go as often. Shifting into high gears quick will also work. Maybe getting XM or Sirus to avoid traffic jams is the real cure to bad gas mileage for RX-8.

For those that keep insisting on getting another vehicle, I pose the question... Why can't you have it all....???? Yes performance is diametrically opposed to gas efficiency but then explain why a Mustang with better straighline acceleration got better gas mileage than the RX-8... (I am being rhetorical so don't try to answer this question despite all your impulses to flame... I already know the answer)

Yes the Mustang's road handling performance doesn't compare to the RX-8. But I would prefer to have the RX8 and live with the crappy gas mileage... I am addicted to zoom zoom

For those that are consistently getting below 17 no matter what, perhaps a service visit is in order, dunno if that will help or not but I do know Mazda does tweek with the computer algorithms that mix up gas/air ratios.

BTW, Red She Devil, how much for your elixer...???

 

First one's free ... then i get ya hooked and charge up the wazooo!! :D

 

Your elixer might void the warranty...

 

LOL... I haven't seen "pee pee" used in a sentence like this before...

 

No, it has a secret cloaking device built-in. You just can't post about anything because big brother MNAO reads this forum liek a 12-yr old boy devours a discarded Playboy.

but i digress ...

 

I thought cloaking was against Federation rules, however, this new "elixir" intrigues me. Ensen, set a course for wherever this "elixir" may be located, maximum warp.............................ENGAGE!!

 

DIvI' chut tIbuSQo'. tlhIngan yIDa! {{;-)

Qanqor
05 SInqa' 6MT

 

I went to an autocross with a full tank (don't ask, long story). The tank had less than 20 miles on it by the time I made the first of 7 runs. Left there with right around half a tank. This is on a car that usually averages 13-15 MPG.

 

i filled up last night and had gotten 21.3mpg, this was about 25 miles of highway and 225 miles of city, the 25 miles of highway is broken down to 5 miles a day (work) at 80mph (cruise control). So for the most part the car is being driven around in the 4k-6k range, cruising at about 2500rpm. I also redline the car in the first 3 gears (1, 2, 3) evey time I drive it. Thats usualy 2 times per day (to/from work) on weekdays and 1 or 2 trips on the weekend.

This is not odd for me, I get 20-22mpg consitently.

 

How many miles is a run... (I know dumb question...???)

I am an idiot - Ban Red She Devil :D

(Just kidding RSD)

 

Read this post...

 

 

I think its Icelandanic or Borg, perhaps Kleggs homeworld language...

Klegg, care to comment...