Wooow....have I gone mad?

Topic: Wooow....have I gone mad? (Read 2678 times) previous topic - next topic

Wooow....have I gone mad?

April 22, 2007, 09:12:38 PM

Ok, so anyone who has looked at my sig over the last month has probably noticed my mpg notation "(23mpg)" . I've been letting my trip odometer keep track of how many miles I drive in between my fill ups, then calculating my gas mileage. 23mpg was my best up until last week when I got 24; I was just too lazy to update the sig. I've been doing this because I thought my initial calculation of 22mpg when I first tanked up was a fluke, but now it's obvious that it wasn't. Even the guy at the local engine shop says it's not unusual for a weak engine to get less mileage than a stronger one.

Anyways, I went to tank up tonight and, as usual, took note of my trip odometer and amount of gas put in. 10.875 gallons and 306.7 miles. I didn't think too much of it until I drove home and calculated it...

28.2mpg!!!?????[/i]

My dad and I are both shocked at this. Even I'm skeptical and I've driven the car all week and I know the numbers I am reporting are 100% accurate. Btw, I have not been granny driving. I still like to occasionaly open it up...I haven't changed my driving much.

So what do you think?

A) I'm crazy
B) I really do drive like a grandma
C) My car hax
D) All of the above

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #1 – April 22, 2007, 10:04:24 PM

thats insane man. i wish i had your problems! have u done anything different? different gas staion? different octane? anything like that? even still, i wouldnt think different gas would get you 5 mpg better. i dont know man

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #2 – April 22, 2007, 10:11:37 PM

After my HO swap my fuel computer says I'm getting 16.9 mpg. That's better than the old engine which got about 13-14 mpg. I think it's because the engine is more powerful and I don't have to lean on it as much to get the response I want.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #3 – April 22, 2007, 10:30:07 PM

Layla got 33MPG on my trip to Reno on Christmas of 05 with the T3. The SC50R gets even better mileage. If you drive a powerful motor like a normal person, it will give you better mileage. John routinely gets 25-28MPG in the GTO.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #4 – April 22, 2007, 10:35:10 PM

My 16.9 is a mix of city and highway driving. On the highway it'll get about 23 or so at a steady 65 mph according to the fuel computer.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #5 – April 22, 2007, 10:52:05 PM

Wow, even with my SO I got a consistant 19-20mpg. 13-14 seems low.

Also keep in mind I drive on a steady mix of highway and stop-n-go roads. And no, I haven't changed anything as far as gas...or anything really. In fact, dad told me to go to Chevron today instead because supposedly the big-brand gas chains get higher grade gas than the local places and you can get better mileage, so we're going to test that out and see if there's any truth behind it. Maybe I can crack 30mpg?

BTW: I do have some other awesome news to share with you all soon, so stay posted. It will be accompanied by something even better than pics :D . Hopefully by next weekend. Hint: It has nothing to do with my Tbird; it has something to do with a *cough* 383.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #6 – April 22, 2007, 11:26:44 PM

well you pretty much gave it away right there. c'mon you dont think we forgot about the other beast do you now!?

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #7 – April 22, 2007, 11:31:54 PM

Muahahaha...I'll be posting all the juicy details later this week.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #8 – April 22, 2007, 11:40:26 PM

I once got 28mpg in my old black '86, on a 4-hour trip. Car had the SO 5.0, stock open 2.73 rear end, and about 135K on the ticker.

I didn't think that was too bad.

Then I got 32mpg on the return trip home.

It can happen, it does happen, and it's always the clincher in arguing whether or not the V6 gets better fuel economy than the V8. I've never owned a V6 that got above 21mpg. A few people reported to me that they routinely get 22-25mpg highway with the 3.8, and I think that's pretty cool and all. But I've had even more reports of 26mpg+ from the 5.0.

The keys seem to be a) keeping your foot out of the throttle, b) a long, steady drive with few slowdowns, c) the open 2.73 rear end, and d) good weather (60+ degrees F). Hell, I just got 22mpg with my Mountaineer, which is well above the EPA estimated 18mpg highway rating listed for the HO 5.0, 3.73 locking, AWD beast. And it needs a tune-up! So that's why I think weather has a huge part in the overall average returned. Something not too humid, not too hot seems to be perfect.

Anyway, congrats on the numbers. Whatever you're doing, don't stop!

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #9 – April 22, 2007, 11:41:27 PM

I get 15 MPG.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #10 – April 22, 2007, 11:45:57 PM

Yeah I've always gotten solid mileage in the car. 19-20 with the SO, and until now I have been getting 21-23mpg consistantly with the HO. And I think she needs a new MAP sensor too; she has trouble idling and launching sometimes. Other than that, smooth sailing.

The only difference I have is that my rear is the posi 2.73, but I dont think that would make a big difference. And the weather has been gorgeous this past week, so that could possibly be a factor. I would love to crack 30mpg :D . Maybe if I NEVER get on the throttle this week....hmmm....

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #11 – April 23, 2007, 12:13:18 AM

last I checked (a year ago) I was getting 23 with my 88.
Pretty sure that hasent changed as I use less than a ank a week, Always fill it on pay day, drive anywhere and as often as I please all week, Always have gas left on the next payday, generaly about 1/4 of a tank... just as it was a year ago.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #12 – April 23, 2007, 08:22:15 AM

On my old setup I would get 27-28 on the highway, about 17-18 around town. I get about 24-25 highway and 15-16 in town now....

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #13 – April 23, 2007, 09:10:08 AM

Best I ever got was 23-24 heading out to Cat Jam in '04. That was with a car full of 4 full grown adults and a trunk full of cleaning supplies and tools.

Other than that, I'm typically between 15 and 18 and that was cruising in Drive instead of OD.

Wooow....have I gone mad?

Reply #14 – April 23, 2007, 09:44:51 AM

Best I'd ever done, according to the tripminder, was 33.8 MPG over a 40 mile trip. This was a stock SO, 2.73 open rear, custom duals with no cats, but the A/C was running. It was achieved when I was actually trying to get the best MPG (I had only just installed the tripminder and wanted to see just how good the car could do) - it was a back road, the speed limit was 50 MPH, and I made it a point to only exceed that speed limit when I was coasting down hills in order to gain momentum. When going up hills I'd only just barely give the car enough gas to keep moving - the speed would actually slow down to 40 or so. I was also traveling from an area that's a couple hundred feet above sea level to an area that is right at sea level, so on the whole trip the average was downhill.

And it was the most boring trip of my life :D

I routinely got 27-28 MPG out of the car on highway trips driving at normal speeds (~75MPH), but I imagine that will change with the 3.55 gears...