What fuel economy should I be getting?

[Cheapo]

I took a 200 mile trip a few weeks ago. Traffic was lite. Most of the miles were on the highway at 60mph. Went I got home I filled up, calculated my average and got 37.1 mpg. I was expecting more like 45mpg.

[Bert]

These little 'box cars' don't cut the wind very well at high speeds. And having a heavy foot (ie accelerating often) doesn't help. Plus if you're driving an auto transmission 37mpg is pretty darn good. Low 40s seem to be pretty commonplace highway figures for 5 speeds. Try making a consistent run at 50 mph sometime and always accelerate using the highest gear you can. Forum members have also been discovering that ethanol-based fuel is not as energetic (ie worse mileage) as pure gas.

[Cheapo]

These little 'box cars' don't cut the wind very well at high speeds. And having a heavy foot (ie accelerating often) doesn't help. Plus if you're driving an auto transmission 37mpg is pretty darn good. Low 40s seem to be pretty commonplace highway figures for 5 speeds. Try making a consistent run at 50 mph sometime and always accelerate using the highest gear you can. Forum members have also been discovering that ethanol-based fuel is not as energetic (ie worse mileage) as pure gas.

My car is a 1990 L plus with the 5 speed. Was driving with a lite foot. Not sure if the car being box shaped have that big of an effect at just 60 mph, however you got me wondering if the big gap next to the radiator might be causing the engine compartment to act as a parachute

[Team Lightning]

Depending on how I drive my 90L 5spd, I get from 36 to 42. I get 36-38 running 70+ on the interstate going to work. Going to my moms on 2 lane roads at about 55 mph, i get around 40 -42. This is on a car showing 318K miles. Aspire swap and 185-60-14 tires. The mileage I state is uncorrected for tires being oversize. I keep a track of my fill-ups. and have most of the figures since the car was new. ( I lost one of my notebooks, but had most of the figures in an excell file).

[denguy]

I have 91 and 92 5spds. One has 170k , the other 260k miles. I regularly average 42mpg with both, including flat highway up to 60 mph, on Shell ethanol regular. I can feel the difference going into a 20mph headwind in OD, not much tork in these puppies. Funny, I get 55mpg with my 1200cc Harley that is 500 pounds.

[Chobobulous]

I have a 90 5 speed. I fulley says I get 37mpg and I def drive with a lead foot

[Bert]

My car is a 1990 L plus with the 5 speed. Was driving with a lite foot. Not sure if the car being box shaped have that big of an effect at just 60 mph, however you got me wondering if the big gap next to the radiator might be causing the engine compartment to act as a parachute

Check to see that your wheels spin freely; sometimes a lightly rubbing shoe, pad or over-tightened bearing is dragging the numbers down. If you're not sure what age your O2 sensor is (gizmo with one wire that is threaded into the exhaust manifold) often times installation of a new one will boost your mileage numbers simply because the ECU gets a clearer/more accurate signal. A plugged Cat can also be a contributor to reduced fuel economy.
And if you're like me at this time of year and running noisy snow tires in cold situations, that really affects the numbers.

[WmWatt]

Florida doesn't have any hills! On a trip from Ottawa to Florida once you get down out of the mountains onto the coastal plain fuel economy increases a lot. Fuel ecoconmy is also seasonal and Florida doesn't have them.

[Festevil3]

I drive with a led foot, stock b3, 5spd, avg 38mpg

[bhazard]

Re: What fuel economy should I be getting?

I averaged 47 MPG with my b3/5sp. Best was 53 drafting a semi at around 60 MPH. Never got worse than 42-43.

[B3Festiva]

Re: What fuel economy should I be getting?

lol idk what you guys are doin but i was getting around 53 city and 58 highway on regular until my exhaust fell off

170k+ B3 Festiva L slo-kart.

[B3Festiva]

Re: What fuel economy should I be getting?

but then again my rear interior is gone.

170k+ B3 Festiva L slo-kart.

[Bert]

lol idk what you guys are doin but i was getting around 53 city and 58 highway on regular until my exhaust fell off

170k+ B3 Festiva L slo-kart.

"around 53 city and 58 highway.. but then again my interior is gone". Even if these figures were mpg in Imperial gallons (1.2 times more than a US gallon) you'd still qualify as a wizard. I suspect that you're good at telling 'big fish' stories too!

[B3Festiva]

Re: What fuel economy should I be getting?

im dead serious i usually drive like an old lady and try to suck just as much mpg as i can. It also helps that i treat my car better than myself.

170k+ B3 Festiva L slo-kart.

[B3Festiva]

Re: What fuel economy should I be getting?

lately ive been getting around 44-48ish with some mildly spirited driving.

170k+ B3 Festiva L slo-kart.