ridiculous (and awesome) gas mileage?

[Potatoswatter]

Yep. Stiff tires, always oil changes.

Driving slow isn't as important as keeping RPMs low... while I was figuring out the manual I just kept it between 1500 and 2000 all the time and the mileage was awesome. Actually the accel under those conditions isn't horrible, there's a lot of torque. But still I rarely go over 2500-3000.

Anyone have good data on how much better premium is than regular? Since the prices don't seem to go up proportionally, I wonder if there's any point at all in 87.

93-87=6% octane diff = 7% boost
$3.71/gal for 87 + 7% = $3.97
so 93 for $3.91 (current local data) is a steal?

Oh yeah, and put the clutch in all the time. I just accelerate to 5 over the limit/desired speed and put it in neutral, or just floor the clutch if it's not as far. If I actually slow to normal speed before needing to stop, clutch out & drive as usual. Almost the whole reason I bought the MP3 was for a gas-saving manual, just so I could do that . But you can coast really far and I think the tight suspension helps go through turns without losing momentum.

 

[jmac2215]

i heard it was bad to hold the clutch to the floor or "ride the clutch"?? is that true or not.


and could the reason for my bad mpgs be because of a leak or something? and due to bad spark plugs?

leak>yesterday my cars CE light came on... and long story short something in the headgasket is wrong and there is a oil leak or something somewhere.. so maybe that was slowy leaking for a while??

 

[CulRidr]

bad plugs will make a noticeable difference, so if you're due, change them (they should be less then 10$...)

 

[43975]

Damn I wish I had that kinda MPG, 16mpg here!!! I'm sure the 5500 rpm shifts don't help either. At least gas prices went down to $4.50 here.

 

[VIPMSP]

At least gas prices went down to $4.50 here.

DOWN?! OUCH! they were $4.21 for premium at most around me. its now roughly $3.99

 

[Potatoswatter]

Far as I know riding the clutch only refers to having it partly engaged. Unless your pedal is maladjusted it should be completely disengaged when floored. Although either way actually returning to neutral isn't a big deal.

The most common way to ride the clutch is to just touch your foot to the pedal while driving. While you don't lose power and can't feel it, this causes the non-spinning pedal side to engage the spinning power side, wearing out the bearings that connect them.

Prices are plummeting here in central IL... I saw $3.76/reg today.

 

[zoomin MP3]

Just recorded 31 mpg on my last tank. Filled up at 4.03/gal for 91 (our premium here in CO). I need an oil change too.

There are a couple lights in town that I've been shutting my car down while I wait for them to change. I truely think it's making a difference. Only a few tenths per gallon, but I can see it.

 

[01ProtegeMP3]

really?? ive heard that starting your car up uses the most gas... compared to idle...

 

[CulRidr]

^It's usually accepted that if your car is idling for a minute or more, you can shut it off (even though it's not recommended in traffic). It's more wear and tear on the engine though.

 

[justanothermp5]

i get 30mpg easy
just dont go over 3000rpms when ur accelling and coast on all the hills you can lol

 

[VIPMSP]

i get 30mpg easy
just dont go over 3000rpms when ur accelling and coast on all the hills you can lol

oh yeah i forgot about that. i love coasting. one time did it for 3 miles straight on a back road in PA. it was awesome.

 

[01ProtegeMP3]

haha ya dont go over 3k haha like that would happen... its to much fun to drive this car i drive hard and i get 28mpg... not that bad really...

 

[CulRidr]

engine braking will also use less gas then using your brakes

 

[MikeLikesMazda]

lately ive been doing alot of engine braking. only time i actually go into neutral is if im sitting at a stop. it seems to be working though. plus it saves my wheels from brake dust

 

[jmac2215]

are all of you guys using premium? or reg unleaded?...

i've been using reg unl. which is i think 89 or 91 octane... idk what that means but is that why i'm getting low 20's for mpgs?

 

[Tzar177]

regular gas is usually 87 octane. premium is 91 or higher

 

[CulRidr]

I've always found I get better mileage with premium

 

[zoomin MP3]

engine braking will also use less gas then using your brakes

I'd like some more explaination on this theory. Are you assuming that you keep the car in gear while braking? I find it hard to believe that you would use more gas with you car idling than running a higher rpm under engine braking.

 

[prozeke07]

well obviously if your boosted your WILL get worse gas mileage but if you dont change your driving habits between summer and winter the difference you see is the different blends of fuel for the seasons, yes they change. also iv personally noticed 3-4 mpg drop when using 10-15% ethonol fuel versus straight gas. iv also noticed and extreme difference in MPG when using 87 vs 93. on 93 i get 30-33mpg last i remembered 87 23-26MPG. im always checking my MPG every fill just to check for craziness. my car 01 mp3 not turboed yet full exhaust header 2.5 no cat, short ram intake, light weight flywheel. also should mention i noticed a bit of a drop with the flywheel install as there was less stored energy maintaining speed. just a little food for thought.
z

 

[prozeke07]

I'd like some more explaination on this theory. Are you assuming that you keep the car in gear while braking? I find it hard to believe that you would use more gas with you car idling than running a higher rpm under engine braking.

some ecu's will cut injectors at high rpm with zero throttle input untill rpm comes down to a cetain point like 1500-1200rpm enough time to catch your idle. not sure if the oem mazda ecu does this or not. not to mention engine braking promotes brake life as well.
z