What kind of mpg are you guys getting?

Isn't 5th on a manual a higher gear than 4th on an auto?

Anyway, don't forget that your tire type and size plays a big roll. There are two things to consider. First, if the overall diameter is larger than stock, your odometer will be reporting fewer miles traveled. Second, if you are running a wider tire there is more friction (good for racing bad for mileage).

If you're really worried about mileage you can pick up a set of 16x5.5" wheels and some 175/55/16 tires. That will make a big difference.
 
i've got stock tires. i think that buying a new set of tires just for this would absolutely negate the cost benefit from gas.
 
there's more than just gas mileage as a reason to replace the stock tires!
the safety factor alone should drive you to getting a new set, they hydroplane after about 50% tread wear in medium rain
 
chuyler1 said:
Isn't 5th on a manual a higher gear than 4th on an auto?

final ratio is pretty similar between the 5-speed and auto. there are many things that affect milage when driving.
 
Cost Benefit of buying skinny tires...

Lets say you travel 15K a year and are averaging 26mpg...
15,000mi/yr / 26mi/g = 577g x $2.15/g = $1240/yr
15,000mi/yr / 32mpg = 468g x $2.15/g = $1007/yr (not really worth it)
A $230 difference, not really worth it.

However, with my driving habits and the current gas price...
25,000mi/yr / 26mpg = 961g x $2.23/g = $2144/yr
25,000mi/yr / 32mpg = 781g x $2.23/g = $1742/yr
A $400 difference. You would break even before the first year is over. (175/55 tires are about $50 a pop and steelies are another $15-30)

Now, 32mpg was just an estimate, You might get 34-36mpg with 175/55/16s. Also, the gas prices seem to be going up more often than going down.
 
chuyler1 said:
Cost Benefit of buying skinny tires:


Now, 32mpg was just an estimate, You might get 34-36mpg with 175/55/16s.

i am really not seeing how 175/55/16's will give you better milage? how did you calculate that? looks like the diameter will be very close to the stock 16's. they will probably weigh less so less power used to turn them.....

thanks....

-R
 
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I didn't calculate it. Take a look at the cars that get good gas milage...none of them have 195+ tires.
 
chuyler1 said:
I didn't calculate it. Take a look at the cars that get good gas milage...none of them have 195+ tires.

thats cool. are the cars 3'rd gen protege's you are looking at?
 
Just in general. I thought this was a known fact...
skinny tires = better gas mileage (and worse handling)

I don't have any hard evidence. If I was really concerned, I'd go out and buy a set of skinnies on steelies and run an experiment. What I was showing in my previous post was how much a few mpg makes a difference.
 
probably around 26-28mpg but I never go till the bottom so maybe a little more or lesss
 
chuyler1 said:
Just in general. I thought this was a known fact...
skinny tires = better gas mileage (and worse handling)

I don't have any hard evidence. If I was really concerned, I'd go out and buy a set of skinnies on steelies and run an experiment. What I was showing in my previous post was how much a few mpg makes a difference.

if you could raise your milage is would save you lots. don't think the protege gets the best milage like other 1.8/2.0l's (honda/nissan).

i have seen people play with tire sizes and try to raise milage and things prety much stayed the same. my father had an impreza which came with 185/60/14's. he changed them to 195/60/14's and actually got better milage after taking the % difference in wheel diameter.

this will always be tough question to deal with and people's milage can very depending on many factors.......
 
To update what I said about me gettign 24mpg in my p5. I have recently recieved 27mpg on two tanks if I keep a light foot. The auto trans always shifted at or inbetween 2.5-3.5k on the tach. Now I did have a fewl flat footed highway merges but that was about it.
 
After our trip to Canada and back last week (approx 450 miles each way) we averaged 27 mpg. This is with two adults, a 65 pound dog, trunk full of stuff, a roof rack with a Thule rooftop box. The car has the summer wheels on (205/45-17). I think without all that load, nothing on the roof, and the stock 195/50-16s we would have seen better fuel economy.
 
after a long trip with two adults and two kids at 75-80 mph average all highway, I got 30mpg. No roofrack and K&N filter, MP3 muffler for what it's worth. 205/40?/17 on 17x7

Not the best I could have gotten, and the tires are a tad smaller than stock so the speedo's off a little. Could have done better with thinner/taller tires and slowing down to under 70mph but I didn't see the point.

Now that I'm paying $4.60/gal I do see the point. ;)
 
Just got home from an Austin to Houston roundtrip (~300mi.) and got 35mpg.
I got a scangauge right before I left so I was able to monitor my driving very closely.

I have a K&N Filter, Yakima roof rack w/ a fairing, and stock tires.

Not bad. I'm aiming for 40mpg next.
 
34 mpg on the last tank. Completely stock, with roof rack, stock tires, etc. Mostly highway driving back and forth to work averaging 65 mph.

Prior to that the last three fill ups were 30, 33 and 28 mpg, with a mix of hwy, city.
 
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stock tires? How many miles do you have? I got 35K out of my stockers but that felt like about 5K too much.
 

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