Real world gas milage

[ricko1966]

I have festivals x3 1988 1989 1991 1 factory carbed 1 weber swapped 2 x 4 speed 1 x 5 speed . These are used as transportation for economy purposes,I live in the country Linn County KS. No city no town going out for a hamburger that is 50 miles round trip taking my son to his moms 90 round trip.Milage is the goal what do your cars get,real world?What mods?Suggestions for my milage build?My basic plan is pick the best body, gut the interior use my whole injected 5 speed drive train and per 13's on metro wheels.

[Team Lightning]

I did this a couple of weeks ago.

Yesterday I ran a gas mileage test on my 90L with a B6D.
Specs are as follows:
1990 Festiva L, 363,473 miles, E series Transmission, B6D with Approx 117,000 miles with the Capri wiring and ECU.
165-55-14 Federal Formosa FD1 tires, Miata Semi hollow spoke wheels (12 pounds)
Aspire swap with Rio KYB struts, and mounts on the front, Festiva KYB'on the rear with
full coilovers, lowered 3 or so inches. Also has an Aspire manual steering rack
Factory Rear spoiler.
Left Lavonia on highay 17 north.
Followed Highway 17 through Toccoa Bypass to highway 441 North
Followed 441 North to Cherokee NC.
US highway 19/74 from Cherokee,NC thru Bryson City,NC to Murphy,NC.
Highway 60 from Murphy,NC to Blue Ridge,GA
Highway 515 from Blue Ridge GA to Elijay,GA
HIghway 52 From Elijay,GA to Dahlonega,GA.
Highway 115 from the 52/115 Split to Highway 105 just outside of Clarksville,GA
Highway 105 to Racetrack fuel station.
Total miles driven 286.5, fuel used 6.48 gallons.
44.2 miles per gallon.
Test drive has speeds ranging from 25mph in town to 4 lanes at 65mph.
Both mountains and flat driving, both open road and heavy traffic.
I stayed within 5 mph of posted speed limit with the exception of going down long hills where it gained speed as a result of gravity.
At no time did I coast in neutral or with the clutch held in, drivers window was up for approx 1/2 of the drive. All other windows were fully closed.
No hyper miling or anything special to increase mileage other than no jackrabbit starts.
Temp was 64 degrees whenI left Lavonia,GA. In the 80's, i'm sure when I filled up at the Racetrack station.

[bhearts]

I have festivals x3 1988 1989 1991 1 factory carbed 1 weber swapped 2 x 4 speed 1 x 5 speed . These are used as transportation for economy purposes,I live in the country Linn County KS. No city no town going out for a hamburger that is 50 miles round trip taking my son to his moms 90 round trip.Milage is the goal what do your cars get,real world?What mods?Suggestions for my milage build?My basic plan is pick the best body, gut the interior use my whole injected 5 speed drive train and per 13's on metro wheels.

Not for sure where Linn county is, but I'm in Wichita. If you ever have your engine apart for a head gasket, it'd be a great mod to have the head shaved for better compression. Even 25 thou would make a noticeable change

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[jawja jim]

My stock 92 L with a 155k junkyard 1.3 engine and 13" wheels( I now have 1.6) would regularly get 47-49 @ 55 mph if I drove it like the old man that I am. No quick starts, no winding gears tight, no gear braking, with road permitting, being in 5th at 40-45, etc. Your right foot is the most important element in an economy run. And in order to get true mpg figures, you need to do comparisons between your odo and a GPS or some other source and determine your odo error. On one of mine I have a 1 1/2% error low, on another a 2% error low, and the third has a 1% high so that odo mileage has to be multiplied by 1.015, 1.02 and .99 to get accurate miles traveled.

[TominMO]

At 55mph you should be able to see over 55 mpg. I got 58.0 mpg when I tested it at 55mph. At 60 I got 52.5 mpg. Stock B3, 155/80-13s, 5 speed.

My built SOHC B6 is making 46.5 mpg @ 60.

[NaturalSelection]

Mine will get about 30 mpg. Not sure what is wrong, but it's good enough for now.

[TominMO]

Mine will get about 30 mpg. Not sure what is wrong, but it's good enough for now.

Check rear brakes dragging. Parking brake pivot gets rusty and won't release on one side or both.

[harpon]

I've gotten over 42 in an Aspire almost fully loaded on the highway at 60-65 mph. The old '88 only had 4 speeds and I never really got a definitive mpg figure on the road, if that helps.

[ryanprins13]

You asked about mods-
Narrow tires.
Remove rear seat if you dont need it.
Coast in neutral down hills and to stoplights.
Only fill your gas tank to half full.
Buy hamburger fixings and cook em at home instead of driving 50miles, lol. But seriously, combine trips and drive less.
Buy one of those ebay chips for higher fuel economy
Buy a wideband o2 sensor and stuff so you can lean out your air/feul ratio. I think advancing your timing also does this?
Stick a block under your gas pedal.
Synthetic trans and engine oil should give you 0.1mpg more.
Block the front grille area and under the engine from airflow except bare minimum for cooling.
Go on a diet. Your son too.
Turn off radio, headlights, blower motor, close windows.





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[bhearts]

If you're really interested, this http://www.frozenboost.com/air_water...ler-p-219.html pre throttle body could in theory eliminate your need for a radiator all together, and it would warm your intake air like crazy.

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[bhearts]

*If you pumped your engine coolant through it instead.

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[bhearts]

That might be one for Charlie. Could you ever draw enough air through an intercooler like that while cruising to be able to eliminate your radiator all together?

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[Advancedynamix]

My b6d is providing the same numbers that Jerry posted at 55-60mph, driving normal, which means enjoying myself and not hypermiling.
What really impresses me though, is this engine seems to get better mileage than the b3 cars I've convoyed with, when driven at real world interstate speeds (75-90 mph), and especially better mileage when hills are involved. This makes sense because I don't have to downshift to 4th, and the engine requires much less throttle to maintain high speeds.
If someone commutes long distances on the interstate highways, I strongly recommend a b6d swap.

[ryanprins13]

My b6d is providing the same numbers that Jerry posted at 55-60mph, driving normal, which means enjoying myself and not hypermiling.
What really impresses me though, is this engine seems to get better mileage than the b3 cars I've convoyed with, when driven at real world interstate speeds (75-90 mph), and especially better mileage when hills are involved. This makes sense because I don't have to downshift to 4th, and the engine requires much less throttle to maintain high speeds.
If someone commutes long distances on the interstate highways, I strongly recommend a b6d swap.

Who is Jerry?
Would the better milage be due to having larger diameter wheels and being able to rev lower at higher speeds than a stock B3 or are your tires an equivalent size to the 165/70's? I usually never hold a speed over 70mph as it revs too high in my opinion.
What team lightning posted- i used to average slightly better than that with my stock b3 driving normally, mostly highway at 62mph. Since then i have seized the trans twice by running it out of oil, changed jobs and drive half city and half highway-at 70mph. I drive it pretty hard in the city now too and the traffic is bad on the freeway. Get what he is getting now or just a hair under. What he posted is 53.1mpg in Canadian gallons. I used to get 55-58, now i average 52. Never tested my odometer though. Best i ever got was 62.7 (52.2US) hypermiling through the mountains. Worst was 38 (31.6US)mpg with my o2 sensor not working, -30 celcius bombing around on a lake for hours with no catalytic converter. That was loud and cold. :p


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[Team Lightning]

Who is Jerry? See post number 2.