Continually Getting Better Than Advertised Fuel Economy

I don't think it's impossible, if you are really driving all the time to conserve fuel.

The numbers don't lie but liars can work numbers.

Never mind the meaning of that phrase, I just like to repeat it when I can.

You have to realize the numbers. Your four to six extra miles to a gallon are less than a 10% improvement from nominal values. I expect this to be well within statistic deviations of the MPG calculations.

I remember a situation comedy skit from television where a neighbor continued to brag over their great fuel economy their tiny vehicle would get. For weeks one of the neighbors was adding fuel to the tiny car's gas tank at night. Once the tiny car owner got use to the inflated fuel economy numbers the neighbor started to drain fuel from the tiny car. The fuel economy seemed to drastically plummet. The tiny car now spent most of the time in the shop.

Freaking hilarious, redfred; the work of an evil mind. I'm considering using that on someone.

Yes send him on a long trip where he gets stuck in the middle of nowhere!

Evil!

Your not the only one....here's one claiming 68 mpg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2010-CITROEN-C1-1-0i-Splash-68-MPG-/350812423195

It might have something to do with the gas mix you're getting, it does vary....also the driving circumstances....

Anecdotal support evidence:

Here in the US, I get better gas mileage with the summer mix (32-33 mpg) than the winter mix (30-32 mpg). It's a noticeable change typically in April and October. I'm told the winter mix has less alcohol due to the potential for it to precipitate and freeze.

I'm told the winter mix has less alcohol due to the potential for it to precipitate and freeze.

Unless you're in the Alaskan portion of US- and even then very unlikely- that's not the case. This would only be likely in the case of severe water contamination.

What happens is that the refineries adjust or blend their cuts according to demand for other products (fuels are a little bit of a garbage can for excess production of slower moving cuts), as well as for consistent performance in according to the weather. So in winter there is a higher proportion of lighter fractions that are more volatile and help reduce cold start issues; these lighter fractions also have a lower energy density. On the plus side, you get less varnish buildup with them (both of these seem to affect modern cars much less than the old carbureted ones). You have probably noticed the times when they switch the formulas for your area. This applies even more to diesel fuels.

I think other factors are to blame. Adding alcohol reduces fuel economy.

It depends upon the person. Some people drive slower when drunk, improving fuel economy.

GA. Exactly!

Lots of people engage in 'hyper-miling'. Follow closely behind a large truck and use his slipstream to minimize air drag; keep your eyes on traffic lights far ahead and avoid having to come to a complete stop; keep your tires inflated at the max recommended pressure; change the oil frequently.

I remember reading about a prank done a number of years ago. Two guys (call them Tom and Dick) were tired of hearing about the great gas mileage a third buddy (Harry) was getting with his new car. So they started sneaking over to Harry's car at night and adding a gallon or two of gas each night. This went on for a few weeks and they got to smile while hearing Harry rave about his amazing mileage. Then they started siphoning a gallon out of his car at night. Then they smiled even more when Harry started to wonder what happened to his car - even to where Harry took it to the dealer to complain something was wrong with his car.

Seems I read almost the same car/gas story just recently.

Can't remember where it was, exactly, that I saw it......................................

D'oh...! Didn't see that earlier reply!

do you live at the top of a hill?

Yeah, it's true ! let me finish it: ...and someone takes you back there in helicopter ?.

Keep driving carefully. Later generations will beam on hearing your name. It's so nice to hear someone else who drives for lowest cost of ownership (tires, brakes, engine, transmission all last much longer!). My only concession to the reality of impatient jerks is truck reflective tape across the back of the trunk, which really helps with the night-time tailgaters that come screaming up behind. They change lanes MUCH sooner now. Who wants to run into the back of a truck. That tape is really bright!

Thanks for all the responses. I am really wanting an electric car so that is why I always drive as efficiently as possible. The only things I run on the 12v output is a Gopro camera and a rearview camera. I find that I can use the air conditioning to help slow the car down on the approach to junctions. I think if we all drove like this we could greatly reduce emissions.

You're not alone pal, just look at many of the elder who aged along with their antique cars and still have them in pristine condition.

For some reason, owning a car creates emotional ties, as if it was a horse or even a friend.

When someone screws your car, you don't care if he pays up to the last penny, you wish he never did so, and in secrecy desire him a slow painful death; ok, ok, that was too much, but it really pisses you off, doesn't it ?.

My 2013 Prius has an "advertised" MPG of 44, if the weather is nice and hot and I don't put any extra electrical load on the battery, I can get 53-54 MPG average, as indicated by the on board display. Actual as measured by how much gas I put in at the pump for given miles, runs around 46 MPG. NO hypermiling just driving around my usual routes. The lifetime average is running about 45 for the first 7000 miles.

I thought a Prius was meant to be very efficient. Surprising that my car can beat it without being a hybrid. My first car was a Suzuki Wagon R with a 1.3 engine and I got 45mpg out of it. The car was 11 years old when I got it.

Well I can put 4 people and 3 dogs in mine and not be too crowded...can you do that? Mine will also do over 100MPH and beat a lot of cars the same size in a short (1/8 mile) race. I never said it was as efficient as yours, or as small, or as slow...just saying that I also get more than advertised mileage.

Don't forget that a US gallon (~3.79 liters) and an imperial gallon (~4.56 liters) are different volumes of liquids. The mile is the same.

I thought a Prius was meant to be very efficient. Surprising that my car can beat it without being a hybrid.

You are probably confused by the differences between US specs and UK specs.

In the UK, the Prius gets 72.4 mpg combined, in the standard test. A new C1 gets 65 mpg in the same test. The Prius therefore emits 89 grams CO2/ kilometer, while the C1 emits 99. However, to compare the auto trans Prius with manual trans C1 is unfair to the Prius. The auto trans C1 emits about 104g/km, versus the auto trans Prius, 89.

The Prius is a far heavier (800 kg for the C1, 1425kg for the Prius: 78% heavier) far larger, far more luxurious car, but neverthless gets better fuel efficiency in the same test. Priuses have become very popular as taxi cabs in the US because of their low operating costs.

In the US we have very few 1.3 liter cars, but there is the Scion (a Toyota brand) iQ, which is rated at 36 city, 37 highway. Using UK gallons, this would be bout 43.8 mpg combined -- about the same as your old Suzuki.

"In the US we have very few 1.3 liter cars, but there is the Scion (a Toyota brand) iQ, which is rated at 36 city, 37 highway."

That's pretty sad for a little bitty pedal car considering that far larger less aerodynamic cars with carbureted engines near twice that size were getting those numbers back in the 70's and 80's before emissions standards crippled them. The Volkswagen Rabbit diesel could do double that in the late 70's.

Heck to be honest 37 MPG is only a few MPG above what my wifes 4.6 L v8 powerd 94 Mercury Grand Marquis four door sedan gets on average for highway mileage running interstate speed since i stripped and modified the emission systems some years ago.

The last two long distance trips we did had several fuel ups that showed a 31 - 32 MPG average while running 70 - 80 MPH!

If it aint broke - don't fix it!

Are your emissions systems working?

With my Ford vehicles getting rid of and or disabling all that crap tends to yield a good 10% or better average fuel economy increases without changing my aggressive driving habits.

When do you fill up; night or day? If you fill up during the heat of the day, you will be pumping less gas into your tank than when the weather is cold, as at night. This can give you a false MPG reading. When it is hot, the gas in your tank expands, so less gas is pumped.

I always fill up at daytime. I fill it up right to the rim of the filling hole so I know I am filling up to the same point every time. To calculate my overall mpg for that tank of fuel, I divide the number of miles I did by the gallons put in. The figure I end up with is an average for the whole tank.

Well,

It's not that simple.

Product temperature has no relation to surface temperature.

The tank depth, soil composition above it, etc. etc. will dictate the thermal lag between surface and product temperatures.

And to add insult to injury, pumps only compensate for liquid volume when the temperature is cold, to protsct the despinser, not the consumer. No such heat compensation exists for hot climates. We pay by volume regardless of temperature, until it goes below 60° C, I think.

We pay by volume regardless of temperature, until it goes below 60° C, I think.

I guess we're a bit behind here in Canada, we standardize to around 60 F......

Picky, picky, picky.

°F, you're right.

I think Canada's pumps compensate for above 60 and below 60, unlike here in the US.

Here in Ontario they're usually calibrated around 15 C ambient temperature, so you win somewhat in the winter and lose in the summer. The differences between summer and winter gas might even that out though.

P.S. For a moment I thought you might be in Arizona not Arkansas, and actually be serious!!

Not sure calibrated is the correct term here. I believe that it is compensated.

Yes, 60°F=15°C and that's the standard temperature to which fuel delivery systems are compensated.

And I am in Arizona. My avatar is a picture of my place in Arkansas. Coordinates are the location.

Properly compensated systems dispense the same amount of energy, regardless of temperature and liquid volume.

From: Temperature Compensation - Kraus Global

How does ATC work?

It compensates the pulse stream to what it would be if the fuel temperature were 60°F (15°C).

Have you checked the calibration of your speedometer/odometer?

If you have changed your tyres you may have inadvertently purchased tyres that have a smaller circumference than the OEM fitted tyres. This will cause the odometer to clock up quicker giving the appearance of doing more MPG than you actually are.

Conversely it works the other way if you have tyres with a greater circumference the odometer will click over slower, if your tyres are way over sized they will cause you to actually lose MPG.

I have a 2013 Nissan Versa 1.6liter, manual transmission. It's rated 37MPG, but if I drive 55MPH, I can get 47MPG. And I take it easy as well. This car can seat 4 tall adults with leg room to spare. Trunk is big too. OK relatively big. And I think it's over powered, as I can accelerate fast going up a hill in 5th gear.

Not the same as my 1987 Chevy Metro 1L that was rated for 52MPG. But it really was a Suzuki rebranded.

I wish they would import cars like yours. But DOT has regulated many vehicles from being sold here, by excessive crash safety requirements. My opinion.

You will need those excessive crash safety requirements the moment you get hit buy a 5,000+ lbs SUV.

This is the reason why cars are getting heavier and heavier and the fuel mileage has not appreciably increased over the years.

Ever notice how cars in the last decade now have really high rear end trunk lines?

"This is the reason why cars are getting heavier and heavier and the fuel mileage has not appreciably increased over the years."

Heavier that what? Where are the old Lincoln continentals and Cadillac Devilles or the chrysler Imperials and Ford Galaxys or the Pontiac Grand Villas and Oldsmobile 98's that all tipped the scales at 4500 - 5500+ pounds and had 400+ CI V8 engines that got upper teens to mid 20's MPG numbers while all the while having the aerodynamics of a dairy barn?

Heck most of the largest SUV's made to day can't touch these cars weight and raw HP wise or can barely match them on average fuel numbers.

You can't take data points at the extremes of the population and use them as examples of the normal population.

You can do searches like this one (look down about 2/3 of the page) and see that cars are getting porkier and porkier. The same goes for SUVs.

Additionally, small cars did not become popular until after the 1970s and those small cars typically weighed in at just over 1 ton. As the percentage of the total car population began to shift toward smaller vehicles their weights also began to creep up. I contend that the weight gain was mostly due to increasing safety standards to better protect the shifting population of car owners.

As SUVs became more popular (starting in the early 1990s) there was another shift in small car design that adjusted their vertical size to better combat the high bumpers on SUVs and trucks as well as additional crash safety reinforcements.

All of these measures added weight to the population of small cars that are now outnumbered by the population of large SUVs on the road.

SUVs have also been gaining weight as car manufactures are required to improve safety standards of these vehicles. Prior to 1990 SUVs and light trucks only made up less than 18% of total light vehicle sales and these vehicles were not held to the same safety standards as passenger cars.

With the rapid growth of SUV and truck sakes in the last two decades coupled with the trend of putting more miles per year than their small car counterparts, a higher percentage of the driving population has been put at risk due to these lower safety standards.

This was fine for the auto manufactures as they did not need to put the same costs into trucks and SUVs to meet passenger car safety standards and made SUVs and trucks more profitable to build versus the typical passenger car. However, this has been slowly changing and their weight has also been increasing, in part, due to these regulatory safety changes.

Lastly, the USA has always and continues to prefer large cars and that appetite for even larger vehicles seems to continue to expand just like most American waistlines. Until fuel prices put a damper on that we saw the expansion and popularity of the Hummer lines, Ford Excursion, and Chevy Suburbans dramatically increase as did the sizes of compacts over the last 40 years. Having at least one large truck or or SUV in the driveway is a symbol of status.

To see this trend, just compare the various model years of the Ford F-150 truck. The 1980s F-150 looks like the old Ford Ranger compared to the size of latest models of 2000 and up.

"You can't take data points at the extremes of the population and use them as examples of the normal population.

You can do searches like this one (look down about 2/3 of the page) and see that cars are getting porkier and porkier. The same goes for SUVs."

Interesting. So larger vehicles getting smaller doesn't count but small vehicles getting larger does?

As a tall well built American I can assure you that for my entire adult life I have been very aware of just how many makes have been downsizing their mid and full sized models.

I hate getting in a new model and having the lack of head room, leg room, and having my line of site level with the sun visors and tinting at the top of the vehicle be the first things I notice. This observation includes Sedans, SUV's, full sized 3/4 ton pickups, and vans.

As far as the little bitty cheapo economizer cars go I didn't fit back then and I still don't fit now. IF I wanted or needed a car that small and underpowered I would either buy a golf cart or build a gocart!

I remember a briefy run magazine advertisement of Wilt Chamberline trying to fit inside a VW Beetle. The slogan at the bottom of advertisement was "OK, So it doesn't fit everyone." Later somebody got Wilt a a Rabbit. I'm not sure if this was at all modified for this ad but that's show business.

Again, this is called a trend. It does not mean every single car and truck are all growing in size at the same rate.

You have to look at the aggregate of all vehicles and you see a very definite trend where most vehicles are getting bigger and bigger with each new model year.

Example #1

Another article

However, if you feel that your personal observations are more accurate than all of the other data presented (as well as data you can get searching online for yourself) I will not argue with you. :)

I am not sure what trend you are following but a quick search for the most popular vehicle in US showed the Ford F series full size pickups as being it followed by several other full sized vehicles with the much upsized Hondas gaining popularity (mostly just because they made them bigger).

Around here the compact and sub compacts have very poor market following and always have regardless of whether they are bigger now or not.

Making the small cars bigger does not represent the trend of the whole automotive industry. Just the compact lines.

There are as many and more models that have gotten smaller with every new version they come out with which to be honest from the perspectives of people like me is why the full sized vehicles like the Ford F series pickups are selling well. They are the only damned thing left that we 6' 3"+ 250# people find we fit comfortably in now!

My 2001 Ford F150 Supercrew has a curbweight 5,032#.

A 2013 F 150 Supercrew has a curbweight of 5,128#.

Hello AH:

What I've seen lately is that compacts and sedans are getting taller and taller, which is very, very confortable for a 2.15 meters guy at the time of getting in or out (no, not me of course), you don't have to do that kind of contortionism or reverential bowing anymore .

Ist this why?

I agree that size growth is a trend that comes and goes. I remember being so pi$$ed when ford started making the T-bird bigger, and bigger, and BIGGER! The '55, and '56 were beautiful sports cars. Same thing is happening to Toyotas today, the current Hylanders are bigger than the originals, as are the Rav-4s. It must be an American thing...we all seem to get bigger and bigger and BIGGER too!

One owner of a small three cylinder econo box type car noted that he was getting better Mpg as time went on. As he was inspecting the car one day it was apparent that sections of the under body had rusted away. Lighter car = better Mpg.

A friend of mine call it the whiffle ball effect. His vehicles are so rusted out the air goes right through them rather than taking up energy to be pushed around them.

In time years ago he went around a corner too fast and the full sized spare tire and his big tool box went right out the side of the trunk through the rusted out rear panel!

(And that was his good driving around in car!)

We also took one of his other "better Cars" through the car wash once and damn near drowned before it was over. It wasn't a convertible but when everything was done there was enough roof that got peeled off from the sprayers and brushes it could have been! The car wash place picked up the pieces and told him to never come back.

I get horrible miles per gallon from my car when I use my bicycle to go to work. Regardless of how well the fuel evaporator system in my car limits the spoiling of the atmosphere, zero miles divided by tiny but non-zero fuel evaporation is still zero.

Anecdotal hyperbole to the rescue!