hey guys, need the experts to chime in! single digit mileage!!

[Mike2000z28]

I bought a 2008 cx9 gt back in july. It has 122,000 kms on it so around 75,000 miles or so. It runs good, no noticeable problems. I was getting around 12-13mpg in the city, short trips in the summer. Fast forward to winter, and tank clocked in at 8.8mpg!! I got 248kms on 66 liters of gas. 155 miles on around 17.6 gallons. Keep in mind this a short commute as in like 3 miles each way to work, so the. car is just warming up. I mean come on, this is nuts! Even with pure highway driving in summer heat i only got 17-18 mpg. Granted this city is the worst for gas mileage, but i need it to get better. I laugh when i see people complain about getting 14mpg like i could only hope to get that!

 

[sts7049]

winter blend fuel?

have you checked basics like the air filter, tire pressure, etc? how are your driving habits (honestly)?

 

[Mike2000z28]

winter blend fuel?

have you checked basics like the air filter, tire pressure, etc? how are your driving habits (honestly)?

Yeah it has 10% ethanol, but the gas here is pretty crappy compared to the gas i get when i visit my family back in Philly. Im going to change the filter, last change was around 20,000 miles ago. Tire pressure is good all around. It just seems for such a drastic fuel consumption, it would point to something more obvious than anything little. Even i changed everything out, it wouldn't change the mileage that much maintenance wise.

 

[sts7049]

probably not, but always good to start with the basics. i don't have to deal with winter blend fuel but from what i understand it really can make a noticeable impact. but your mileage seems on the low end anyway.

out of curiosity, how are you calculating the mileage? by hand or using the onboard thing?

does the exhaust smell rich? does the car pull to the right or left when you're moving down the road? maybe if a caliper was sticking or something i could be causing a lot of drag.

 

[jlanger]

Short trips aren't letting the car get warm and more efficient either. AWD? Might be time for new plugs too. IMO the 100k plugs in most cars seldom are really good for that long. Parking brake sticking, though that should be noticeable.

 

[ceric]

Weather is a factor, of course.
In CA, short trips still yield 12-14 mpg. I have ScanGaugeII to measure this.
'08 AWD GT here.

One thing to know about Mazda AWD is that the drive shaft is always spinning when vehicle is moving.
This is different from other AWD systems such as Honda's. The design enables quicker response time to engage rear wheels, but consumes fuel.
Therefore, a FWD is much more fuel efficient than an AWD than EPA numbers indicate.

I would check:
1. air filter (for engine)
2. spark plug
3. air intake sensor (causing rich mixture)
4. tire, alignment, etc.

 

[Mike2000z28]

Hey guys, well went through another tank and almost the same mileage, 248kms on 67 liters, so 27liters/100 kms. Dead on at 8.7mpg, last tank was 8.8mpg. Even if i did the plugs/filter, i might and i say MIGHT get maybe 10-20% better mileage which would maybe put me at alittle above 10mpg. No rich smell, car was aligned, doesn't really pull. However when its pretty cold like -10 fahrenheit i get groaning when making left turns and a bit of groaning making right turns. I can't tell if it is because its cold or something is off. Groaning in the front suspension. Getting an oil change soon, however a big piece of sheet metal with holes fell off the car, right above one of the rear mufflers(maybe a heat shield of some kind?). Its a square, maybe 18x16.

 

[kornholio]

Those are your tie rod ends. I had the same problem when i had my windstar. Just get a needle that attaches to a grease gun and give it a couple of squirts to both and see what happens. You would insert the needle on top of the boot of the tie rod.

 

[Mike2000z28]

Just want to let you guys know it looks like the mileage is getting worse. I think i will be in the 7s this tank if thats possible. I feel like mazda should call me and tell me how its truck can get 7mpg driving like an old lady. I don't smell a rich condition and obviously it can't be good for the engine.

 

[sts7049]

have you checked the air filter and cleaned the MAF?