So what RPMs and gears get you best MPG?

[sfalexi]

I don't have the trip computer. But, if someone would be so kind, when I go on a long trip on a highway (like when I have to drive a few states or even just across one), would someone mind sharing with me what MPH seems to maximize their fuel efficiency? I'll leave earlier if I have to go slower. But is 60 better than 65 in sixth? Is 55 better? What should I aim for?

Alexi

 

[SwampAss]

slower is better. stuck behind a bus @ 45mph in 6th scores like 35-40mpg Gets worse the faster you go. For real. Setting the cruise for 60 scores me a solid 30 plus MPG

 

[Hirudin]

I got 27+ actual miles per gallon doing 5 over the limit (the limits for that trip were 70, 75, and 80 for the most part). Not the best mpg ever by any means but I'd say 27 is respectable. I'd be lucky to get 24 around town BTW.

 

[Mspeed3]

If you can put into 5th going 35ish city fuel economy can be good. Ive notice city driving isnt great but I get very good mileage on the highway

 

[Sacrilicious]

If you can put into 5th going 35ish city fuel economy can be good. Ive notice city driving isnt great but I get very good mileage on the highway

you can do ok in the city if you're very careful about using engine braking as often as you can. the more you keep your foot off the gas and just let the car coast by itself, the better it will be on your gas mileage.

 

[SwampAss]

another note, lighter wheels boosted my mileage by about 1-2mpg highway

 

[clos561]

i have the speed3 which is 6 speed and i shift at 2k or less

 

[Derek88]

Im in 6th by 40mph when driving normally. I would like to shift at or below 2k, but with these gears being so short, I cant help but to take it above 2.5k in some cases. I sometimes skip gears, like 2nd to 4th shifts or more commonly, 4th to 6th.

 

[clos561]

Im in 6th by 40mph when driving normally. I would like to shift at or below 2k, but with these gears being so short, I cant help but to take it above 2.5k in some cases. I sometimes skip gears, like 2nd to 4th shifts or more commonly, 4th to 6th.

+1

 

[Falconx84]

another note, lighter wheels boosted my mileage by about 1-2mpg highway

Haven't done it, but I've heard taking out the back seats boosts mpg about the same

Intake helps, dashhawk helps you monitor your throttle position, engine load, and boost which all have a factor in mpg. On the other hand, if you spend money on these you'll probably negate the saving's you'd have but at least you end up with some new toys!

 

[aciurczak]

I was surprised at how much of a difference there is between a constant 65 mph and a constant 75 mph (both using cruise control and in 6th gear). Staying at 65 was good for an extra 3-4 mpg, repeatedly. One strange thing with MS3's at least is that the factory trip computer overstates mileage by about 3 mpg (but you can calibrate a Scangauge or Dashhawk to give very mileage numbers).

 

[3.slow]

keep the car out of boost and your gas mileage will be excellent. On another note, who really bought this car for gas mileage???

 

[Sacrilicious]

Intake helps, dashhawk helps you monitor your throttle position, engine load, and boost which all have a factor in mpg. On the other hand, if you spend money on these you'll probably negate the saving's you'd have but at least you end up with some new toys!

i find that a nice side effect of an intact (cobb sri in my case) is that because you can hear the turbo, you know if you're boosting or not, so stay out of boost for best mpg!

 

[dan1101]

One strange thing with MS3's at least is that the factory trip computer overstates mileage by about 3 mpg (but you can calibrate a Scangauge or Dashhawk to give very mileage numbers).

I didn't know a Dashhawk could do that. Did that have something to do with telling it the frontal area and weight of your car, stuff like that?

 

[Falconx84]

whats this about calibrating a dashhawk??

 

[oskinosmee]

i get 25 thats with punching a few times a day

 

[aciurczak]

I didn't know a Dashhawk could do that. Did that have something to do with telling it the frontal area and weight of your car, stuff like that?

I have a Scangauge, not the Dashhawk, but I thought they did the same thing there. When you fill up the car, you hit "fillup" on the Scangauge, and it tells you how many gallons of gas (to the tenth of a gallon) the ecu has recorded that it used since the last fillup. Reading off of the gas pump, you have an amount of gas that you've actually used since the last fillup, and you then adjust up or down a percent at a time until they match. So what it is really calibrating to is the gas station pump, rather to some scientific constant, but that is the same way that you'd calculate your mileage without a trip computer anyway. Once it is calibrated, if I am looking at instantaneous mileage on the scangauge and the car's built-in trip computer, the trip computer is always high (erroneously) by 3 or so.

 

[Falconx84]

i'll have to pay more attention... I normally setup mine to a 4 gauge display with Boost, AFR, Intake temp, and DI fuel pressure

Never paid too much attention to the fuel PIDs, but I do know the fuel gauge on the dashhawk is more accurate than the factory gauge