MPG observations

I just took a 1650 mile trip (Delaware to Ohio, several runabout locations once there, and back). I averaged 27.5mpg (calcuated from tripometer, not using the in-car MPG display), which I'd say is pretty damnned good since a large portion of the trip was spent with the AC on at 75 mph, with some bursts up to 130 and plenty of hilly driving and stop-and-go due to traffic. I did, for the most part, baby it around town though.

My in-car display (CONSUM AVG) was consistently 1-3 mpg higher than what I caculated, which is a lot less off than I thought it would be.
 
...I think that gauge is bout 2mpg optimistic from my calculations after fillups....
Yeah... mine averages 2 mpg optomistic as well.

I'm not quite sure what you're doing to only get 22mpg on the highway. You've obviously got a heavy foot.
Maybe he forgot there's a sixth gear. :D

I'll be taking a 2,500 mile round trip here very soon, so I'll be curious to see how it goes. Especially with the prices right now.

As I don't have a boost gauge yet... what RPM range does boost really start kicking in? I figure it's at 3k, so maybe I stay around 2500 - 2800 RPM in 6th.
 
I'm not quite sure what you're doing to only get 22mpg on the highway. You've obviously got a heavy foot.

I was exagerating a wee bit. My computer typically reads 28mpg, so I'm estimating that it really means 25-26mpg (for US highways). I sometimes keep the receipts and use the calculator, but even when I tried the discipline route with cruise control, etc., I never bettered 28.4mpg. So essentially I gave up trying to hit 30mpg.

BTW, I got 18mpg one time on a drive from K-towne to Nuremburg, but I was averaging close to 115mph. A6 is an awesome drive on Sundays when the truckers aren't out in force and the autobahn construction is at a halt. Redbull is your friend on a drive like that. Concentration is relentless.
 
just finished a tank doing completely 100% city, grocery getting driving aka maybe hit 50mph for a total of 2 miles? everything else was <40mph. shifting at 3100k, got 18.93 mpg (hand calculated).
 
Why would anyone drive TO Harrisburg?
I'm constantly looking for reasons to drive away from that town!

So far on my journey from Harrisburg to Miami, to Key West and then to Sarasota, the trip computer says 28.4.
I've been trying to keep the revs under 3K. I notice that the mileage suffers once the boost increases the demand for fuel.
Stayed in Harrisburg.....went to Hershey. My wife's vacation planning!(second)
 
Here's my observations from my "One Lap of Florida" road trip.
Started in Harrisburg, PA and drove to Miami, Key West and Sarasota.

My numbers are from the trip computer. Sorry, I don't do math... especially on vacation.

- 2875 total miles
- 29.1 MPG
- 68 MPH
- $400 for fuel

The fuel cost is really a rough estimate. Actual fuel receipts added up to $432.58.
I left Harrisburg with half a tank and had to refuel about 45 miles before I got home, so I'm guestimating on the fuel cost.
 
Here's my observations from my "One Lap of Florida" road trip.
Started in Harrisburg, PA and drove to Miami, Key West and Sarasota.

My numbers are from the trip computer. Sorry, I don't do math... especially on vacation.

- 2875 total miles
- 29.1 MPG
- 68 MPH
- $400 for fuel

The fuel cost is really a rough estimate. Actual fuel receipts added up to $432.58.
I left Harrisburg with half a tank and had to refuel about 45 miles before I got home, so I'm guestimating on the fuel cost.

It's getting sad when you can buy two tickets on Southwest Airlines from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale and back for less than what it costs to drive down there and back. $298 w/tax and fees vs. $432.58. You get down there in 2 hours instead of 18 and you've even got near $135 left over to rent a car for a few days once you're down there. It's $114 for an economy or compact car rental through SWA that'll probably get 35mpg, so you'd have to add $15-20 for gas. I wonder why the airlines are in the shitter. (uhm)
 
Half the fun lies in the trip. No excitement or scenery at thirty thousand feet, unless something goes wrong.
 
Half the fun lies in the trip. No excitement or scenery at thirty thousand feet, unless something goes wrong.

LOL!
I fly for work about 30 times a year, and drive crappy rental cars on half of those assignments, so I was in the mood for a good old-fashioned road trip in my own car. I grew up seeing most of this country from the back seat of my parents' car, so that's what I like.

FLY?
PHL is about a 2hr drive from my house in Harrisburg and a bad airport.
On top of the plane tickets, you also need to factor in parking at the airport, and gas to and from.
Then there's getting to the airport 1hr before the flight to make it through security, a limit on what I can bring with me or getting whacked with baggage fees. I'm always a two bagger or overweight when traveling for work.
Add in the cost of a rental car for 9 days and the fuel to drive it from Miami to Key West and then to Sarasota.
Factor in the extra cost of a point-to-point rental.
Factor in the extra cost of Flying home from SRQ... or drive up to TPA.
Arrive at PHL and still have a 2hr drive home.
Did I mention my trip was over the holiday weekend? Factor in that cost.

DRIVE?
Bring as much stuff as I can fit in the car for an 11 day trip. Bring home everything the wife buys while on the trip... at no extra charge.
No fat guy using half of my seat.
No lines. No security telling me I can't bring a bottle of water or a can of Rockstar with me.
See stuff.
Leave my house after dinner on July 3rd, drive through the night and drinking a mojito with my friends on the Intercoastal by 2pm on the 4th. Much better than wasting a whole day getting to the airport and waiting in lines, then waiting for my bags and picking up a rental car.
Enjoy the drive to Key West in my own car.
Chase a Murcielago through the glades on Alligator Alley.
Stop at JR Cigar in NC and buy a whole buncha stogies.
More cost effective than flying based on my multi-stop intinerary.




I've been around and around this topic with my clients over and over.
Either you have road trip mentality or you don't. It's not for everyone.
And I'm glad it's not! I'm also glad about the rising price of gas. I've never seen 95 so light on traffic, and it seemed like there was a lot fewer SUV's on the road than there was last year.
 

New Threads and Articles

Back