MPG Per Tank/Efficiency Tips

[Silver Ecstasy]

I'm curious if anyone watches how many miles per tank they get on their MS3?

From what I hear, it's good to keep it under 3k rpms and obviously be mindful of the boost.

Just wondering what are some solid tips for having some nice mileage during just simple daily driving. I plan on having fun with the car just like I did my 6-speed GTO. But on days I didn't need to horse around, i'd simply just keep shifts under 2k, and use 6th as much as possible. From what i've read, the MS3 has nice amounts of torque at low end, so i'd imagine you could use 6th gear around town if necessary.

 

[GoFast]

im about a 50/50 driver and i am averaging 304 before the light kicks on. I had also been using the auto climate up until a few tanks ago. i decided to turn it off and see if that added any mileage and the average of the last 3 tanks has been 309 before light kicks on.

 

[GoFast]

oh yeah i also noticed that i get the best mileage at 78mph. about 32.1 i think it was

 

[dparm1984]

Can we please not make this into a "miles per tank" thread? It's a worthless measurement.

MPG is the only important one.

 

[Kosh]

Get a vacuum/boost gauge. It will help keep you off boost when you want to save fuel. You will see that just a tiny modulation in the throttle can be the difference in ~5 in hg with little power difference.

 

[Sacrilicious]

the most important thing to do is to keep your foot light on the throttle and use engine braking when you can. that, moreso than a specific RPM range, is the most important thing to remember, imo. if you get a boost gauge and watch the MAP, you will see what i mean. you can be at 3krpms at -20psi or +15psi depending on how heavy your foot is on the gas, and there's a HUGE difference in gas burn rate even though both would be at 3krpms. the same applies to 2krpms at -20psi vs 0psi...quite a difference in fuel usage rates!

on the other hand, don't be afraid of the higher RPMs, because what the heck did you get this car for? have a little fun when you want to, but the rest of the time, keep your foot light on the throttle and engine brake when you can, and your gas mileage will make you smile...

oh, and PLEASE, for the love of god, don't give "my trip computer tells me" numbers, because the trip computer is a POS. if you want to know what your MPG is, use your odometer to track how far you've gone between fillups and then divide by how many gallons of gas you had to put in!

 

[SwampAss]

keep air in your tires. 34 or so psi.

 

[dparm1984]

Engine braking? I wouldn't be doing that regularly, do you have any idea how expensive a clutch job is? Brakes are cheap and fast, clutches are not.

Drive conservatively and keep the car up to date on maintenance, it's that simple.

 

[SwampAss]

I wouldn't think that would be wearing your clutch at all. It's not slipping. I engine brake all the time. It's not bad at all.

 

[Sacrilicious]

ya, by engine braking, i don't mean downshift for the sole purpose of slowing down: i mean simply taking your foot completely off the gas pedal. clutch wear doesn't happen (as swampass said) unless you're actually slipping it.

 

[Sacrilicious]

keep air in your tires. 34 or so psi.

+1

underinflated tires = higher rolling resistance.

 

[GoFast]

actually if you read the owners manual it tells you to use a lower gear when driving down steep grades instead of the brakes.

 

[Sacrilicious]

actually if you read the owners manual it tells you to use a lower gear when driving down steep grades instead of the brakes.

ya, riding the brakes for like minutes on end comin down mountains = warped rotors and faded brakes...

 

[GoFast]

so whats wrong with warped rotors? its kind of like having a built in foot massager!

 

[Sacrilicious]

so whats wrong with warped rotors? its kind of like having a built in foot massager!

this is TRUE...luxury class ricer anyone? (yes)

 

[SwampAss]

so whats wrong with warped rotors? its kind of like having a built in foot massager!

ABS.

 

[GoFast]

thats just a different massage setting

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

Thanks for all the tips guys!!

I'm definitely planning on getting a boost gauge but i'm still debating on exactly what gauges to get, and where to put it. I'd like to keep the car relatively stock for atleast the first 6 months (except for probably tint and turbo timer).

The ONLY reason I use miles per tank is because that's the number i've used since my very first car. The gas gauge was broken on my 94 Grand Am and I only had the trip odometer as a measuring tool.

On my SS, I get 250 miles to the tank before the light comes on at 20 gallons. When I fill up, it's about $65+. So the MS3 is going to be a huge improvement and enjoyment.

I probably won't ever use the trip computer as I have never cared for those at all, being how unpredictable they are. The only trip computer I loved was my GTO's "Gallons Used". I could drive until I seen 17.9 gallons used. The car had a 18.5 gallon tank. Of course I never did that in winter, but summer time I'd push it as far as I could lol.

I used to downshift to let the car slow down all the time, but i've learned that the brakes are definitely cheaper than clutches too. My dad taught me to just use the brakes to slow down the car until the gear i'm currently in is too low, then go straight to 3rd and use that till the car comes to a stop, then clutch in + neutral. Thats worked the smoothest (and that was during a test drive in the MS3).