What's Your Car's Gas Milage? Poll

[Cyrus]

A poll to see what your gas milage is.

I will start:

Car: 98 Accord 4-door
Engine: Straight-4
Gas milage (when it was gasoline): ~25mpg.
Gas milage (now that we have 10% ethanol) ~21mpg.

I lost roughly 4-5 miles for every gallon now that we are using 10% ethanol in our gasoline here.

Don't put guesstimates, I kept the receiptfrom the gas station, it was 13.269 gallons when I had an empty tank with the gas light on. I used the tach to track the milage, it was 280miles. Now the gas light is back on.

Just round to the nearest value. When in doubt, round down.

 

[Astronuc]

At the moment I drive an Odyssey and the mileage varies between 20-23 depending on how much highway driving is done. I could probably push it up on flat roads, but the area where I live has lots of hills.

I was driving a Honda Civic 4-DR sedan that got between 35-40 mpg. I miss that car - but it had worn out with more than 180,000 miles IIRC. It needed an engine overhaul and transmission work, so rather than spend about $3K, I took my wife's car and we got her a newer, more modern Odyssey.

Once that gets paid off, I'd like to find a smaller car, maybe a hybrid, that get 40+ mpg. And I'm trying to use a bike or walk for short trips.

 

[russ_watters]

Your poll numbers need to be much, much wider. Few SUVs get above 18mpg and many mid-size and compact cars get above 30.

I drive a Mazda 6i (2.4L 4cyl, 160hp), advertised at 26/32, but I get more like 24/29.

I'm surprised you were only getting 25mpg out of that Accord.

 

[Cyrus]

You can fix the pole range if you want to Russ, if not, Ill fix it. (Man I am lazy.)

 

[Astronuc]

I drive a Mazda 6i (2.4L 4cyl, 160hp), advertised at 26/32, but I get more like 24/29.

I'm surprised you were only getting 25mpg out of that Accord.

I think Cyrus is right on the reduced performance with the ethanol blends. I have observed the same, and I think Pennsylvania may also be using ethanol blended gasoline.

 

[NateTG]

I currently drive a BMW F650GS motorcycle which nominally gets 70 mpg. I'm probably not getting quite that much.

 

[Pengwuino]

I currently drive a BMW F650GS motorcycle which nominally gets 70 mpg. I'm probably not getting quite that much.

Man... what an excuse to get a motorcycle! :!) :!) :!)

 

[Wishbone]

ya when you save all that money on gas your family can buy you a bigger tombstone after you hit that tiny bump on the highway and get flown 100 yards into a volvo driven by a soccer mom

 

[Pengwuino]

ya when you save all that money on gas your family can buy you a bigger tombstone after you hit that tiny bump on the highway and get flown 100 yards into a volvo driven by a soccer mom

Thats why we should ban soccer moms

 

[Wishbone]

totally agree

 

[Bystander]

(snip)I lost roughly 4-5 miles for every gallon now that we are using 10% ethanol in our gasoline here.
(snip)

Ethanol is "precombusted" --- look at it this way, it's 20% burnt ethane when you buy it. Something of a rip --- does drop operating temps and NO_x and CO emissions.

 

[loseyourname]

Last time I calculated, Swerve's Expedition got about 11 MPG. Not a poll option.

 

[Cyrus]

Last time I calculated, Swerve's Expedition got about 11 MPG. Not a poll option.

Dear god, that's horrible. I honestly thought my poll options were at the upper and lower ends.

 

[loseyourname]

She's been trying to get a new car for two years now. It looks like her parents are finally going to relent and buy her something before the end of the summer.

 

[Gokul43201]

I have a '92 Accord 2-door that dives me about 32 on the highway and about 29 on city roads.

 

[0TheSwerve0]

yep, selected less than 19. The Honda Civic Hybrid I want allegedly gets 50mpg.

 

[wolram]

I get 45/50 mpg out of my P106 about £36 lasts
me six weeks. Diesel of course, your poll is averagist Cryrus.

 

[mattmns]

I ride the bus It costs me $12 a month

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Fuel type...MJ/L...BTU/imp gal...BTU/US gal...Research octane
number (RON)
Diesel...40.9...176,000...147,000.... 251
Gasoline ...32.0...150,000...125,000... 91–98
Gasohol (10% ethanol + 90% gasoline)
.....28.06...145,200...120,900...93/94
LPG ...22.16...114,660...95,475...115
Ethanol ...19.59 ...101,360 ...84,400...129
Methanol ...14.57...75,420...62,800 ...123
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline

Biodiesel........120,000
http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/biodiesel.html

 

[Danger]

Since you said 'no guestimates', I can only give you figures for the Roadrunner. If I kept it to 59 mph (flat road, no wind), it got 25 mpg. At 60, the secondaries on the carb started to open and it dropped to about 23. If I put my foot in it, or got stuck in city rush-hour traffic, forget it. Probably 5 mpg or so. I once had to pass 9 cars stuck behind a motor home doing 50 mph on a 2-lane highway. Downshift to 2nd and balls to the wall. I was doing 145 mph when I went by the motor home, and immediately dropped back to just above the 60 mph speed limit. That little manoeuvre used about 1/8 of a 22 gallon tank of gas. It's hard to say for sure, because acceleration forced the fuel to the back of the tank and let the float drop. All that I know for sure is that the gauge dropped from 1/2 to 1/4, then slowly returned to 3/8.
Keep in mind, though, that I'm using Imperial gallons which are significantly bigger than US ones. Also, the thing required a minumum of 95 octane leaded, so the addatives seriously kicked the cost above what it would have been had I been using normal gas. (The motor, by the bye, is a .030-over 440 at 12.5:1 compression--approx. 650hp. Curb weight is about 2800 lbs.)
The Camino is significantly better, although not nearly as fast. About 27 mpg out of a 455 Olds motor, as long as I stay under about 75 mph. (It's slow, but it'll climb over anything.)

 

[Cyrus]

You have a 650HP roadrunner. I want pics. All hail, the king has arrived.

 

[Danger]

It's been rotting away in my mother's back yard for over 20 years, so please don't cry too much when you see what shape it's in. It will be rebuilt eventually, but it'll cost over $50,000 to do it. Although it is literally the only one of its kind ever built, the collector value is already gone due to engine mods. If I'd thought of it, I would have kept all of the parts, then I just would have needed a stock block (not overbored) to put it back to original condition. As it is, I've designed my own engine to replace the 440. I'm not going to get into details, but leave it suffice to be said that it's 600 ci with over 2,000 hp. (hint: doesn't that space between the hood nostrils just cry out for a 6-71 with a bird-catcher? )
Anyhow, for what it's worth, here it is:


http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6530/danpics0376is.jpg

 

[JasonRox]

I get 90-100 MPG.

 

[JasonRox]

It's been rotting away in my mother's back yard for over 20 years, so please don't cry too much when you see what shape it's in. It will be rebuilt eventually, but it'll cost over $50,000 to do it. Although it is literally the only one of its kind ever built, the collector value is already gone due to engine mods. If I'd thought of it, I would have kept all of the parts, then I just would have needed a stock block (not overbored) to put it back to original condition. As it is, I've designed my own engine to replace the 440. I'm not going to get into details, but leave it suffice to be said that it's 600 ci with over 2,000 hp. (hint: doesn't that space between the hood nostrils just cry out for a 6-71 with a bird-catcher? )
Anyhow, for what it's worth, here it is:

2000HP?

 

[Danger]

Yup....[/color]

 

[JasonRox]

Sorry, but I have to doubt that completely.

Especially with older cars because old cars had their horsepower ratings way off, and always well above the true number.

I don't see how a street legal car can be pushing 2000HP. Sorry.

 

[Danger]

There's no 'legal' limit to horsepower. That's an urban myth, the same as the one about your car having to be able to brake more quickly than it can accelerate.
I'm not getting into full details about the engine, but as a starting point it's 600 cubic inches, with plastic rods and titanium-coated plastic pistons. That brings the potential rpm limit up to over 10,000. Add to that a 671 (or maybe 8:71) Roots blower (or an Eaton for higher efficiency) with direct port injection. The cam is replaced by electronically controlled hydraulic or helinoid actuators regulated by an on-board computer that tracks the rpms. As you might know, the power band of the engine depends upon the duration of the cam as well as the intake and exhaust configuration. The computer will continuously alter the duration to match the rpm's of the engine, while maintaining maximum lift the whole time. (And the plastic rods give minimal rod stretch, so that lift can be more.) Although this isn't close to done yet, I'm also working on variable geometry intake and exhaust manifolds to accomplish the same effect.
And incidentally, Mopar products were pretty much the only ones who under-rated their hp and torque figures. You'd better believe that a 426 street hemi put out more than the listed 425 hp

 

[scorpa]

Danger you have to fix that car up! You have to!

I drive an 01 Olds Alero and get about 38 mpg highway and about 32-4 in the city.

 

[Cyrus]

Dammit danger, fix that car!

I built a nice model car of that once, bright yellow with a black stripe down the hood.

When properly fixed that car is AMAZING. You have a real diamond in the ruff my friend.

FIX IT THATS AN ORDER!

It's going to need one hell of a lot of body work, everything work really.

 

[Cyrus]

For anyone who hasn't seen Dangers car in it's original glory

http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2001/cars4kids/plym7101.JPG

That car use pure badass.

My two cents, replace the black roof liner and ditch the hood for the later model style. Then give her a nice black color. Deep gloss black that will highlight all that chrome trim. She will be spectacular.

 

[brewnog]

I get 45mpg on the motorway, and about 40 on a combined.

 

[turbo]

I voted greater than 28 mpg because my 4-cyl Nissan pickup gets about 25 mpg, but whenever I can travel light, I use my HD Softail. It's fuel-injected and when I put on lower-restriction pipes and a low-restriction air filter (K&N), I also installed a Power Commander - a programmable control module with downloadable performance maps. I'm not only getting much more usable torque than the stock set-up, but better gas mileage too. Close to 50 mpg, if I ride conservatively.

 

[larkspur]

It's been rotting away in my mother's back yard for over 20 years, so please don't cry too much when you see what shape it's in. It will be rebuilt eventually, but it'll cost over $50,000 to do it. Although it is literally the only one of its kind ever built, the collector value is already gone due to engine mods. If I'd thought of it, I would have kept all of the parts, then I just would have needed a stock block (not overbored) to put it back to original condition. As it is, I've designed my own engine to replace the 440. I'm not going to get into details, but leave it suffice to be said that it's 600 ci with over 2,000 hp. (hint: doesn't that space between the hood nostrils just cry out for a 6-71 with a bird-catcher? )

You didn't say anything about the neato horn...does it still work? My cousin used to have one of those cars. Her's was bright yellow. The only reason I remember it was because of the horn!

 

[Danger]

I wish that you were better looking, Cyrus, 'cause I love you for posting that pic!
As you can see, my hood is different and there's no chin spoiler. (That little sticker on the front bumper, incidentally, is from Motor City Rod and Custom who did the first engine mods.)
Larkspur, the horn never did make a proper 'beep-beep'. There's a tuning bolt on it, but it's siezed. It won't be a problem to replace it, though. (I'll keep the original [pink ] one, but wire in an aftermarket unit for the sound.)
As for the one-of-a-kind factor; there's no paperwork to back this up, so you'll just have to take (or not) my word for it. I bought it from the widow of the original owner in '75. He worked at Chrysler in Windsor, so he followed the car down the line and built it himself.
It came out of the factory with the following features which were not officially available:
split bench front seat, made for the Polara station wagon--Roadrunners came with buckets
Hurst air shocks with the air tits drilled into the bottom of the back bumper
10" slotted chrome-reverse mags on the back with L-60x15 Goodyears--he folded the inner fender lips up against the outer wall for tire clearance
emblems in the wrong places
Oh crap! I'm late for work. Will continue this when I get there.

 

[wolram]

For anyone who hasn't seen Dangers car in it's original glory

http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2001/cars4kids/plym7101.JPG

That car use pure badass.

My two cents, replace the black roof liner and ditch the hood for the later model style. Then give her a nice black color. Deep gloss black that will highlight all that chrome trim. She will be spectacular.

It would be best to just keep the engine an put it in a car that can handle
better, may be a 2cv or trabant.

 

[Danger]

Okay, I'm at work now. Pardon the delay... there were things to do when I got here--damned customers .
Anyhow, the major unique thing about it was the engine itself. All that I knew when I bought it was that it went like stink. Going by the VIN, it was the hi-perf 440. (The options were the standard or the Commando.) That indicated the 4-barrel carb, 10:1 compression, and 295 hp. (It's a GTX, by the way, but that package deals with suspension, brakes and cooling.) The factory redline was 5,500 rpm, but it didn't really start making power until 5,000. My rule was that the valves floated at 6,500 so I shifted at 6,400. It's an A-833 4 gear tranny with the long-throw Hurst pistol grip shifter, going into a 3.23:1 Dana 60. If I were going balls to the wall, I shifted to 2nd at 65 mph, third at 85, and 4th at 115--and 4th is a .73:1 overdrive. Top end was 160 mph. The estimated hp by performance (never dynoed it) was about 390.
440's don't particularly like to oil the #4 rod bearing for some reason, and the damned thing spun out on me whilst on vacation. The piston collapsed and took the bore with it. Hence the rebuild. When we took it apart, it surprised the hell out of us to find that it had 6 10:1 pistons and 2 8:1's. Also 6 4-barrel rods and 2 Commando ones. The odd rods were not linked to the off-spec pistons. The only explanation that I can think of is that it was the builder's way of balancing the motor. If so, it worked; the thing ran like a turbine at 6,000+ rpm.
And as for the paint job, Cyrus, it's getting the same one that's on my pool cue. If I can get it to show up properly, I'll post a pic. Starting at the front, it fog-fades from emerald green through teal, deep royal purple, and finally black.

edit: I just saw your post, Woolie; you sneaked it in while I was typing mine. As you've probably foreseen, my response is .

2nd edit: Cyrus, there was something nagging me about that picture, but I didn't realize until now what it was. That's a '73; mine's a '72. You can tell because the side markers are 3-section jobbies and mine are single.

 

[Cyrus]

Yeah, I realized that too. I like the 73' body personally.

As for the 3 color paint job, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I don't know if that would look proper on a muscle car. I'd stick with solid black. Nothing looks sharper than a solid black car.

http://classiccars.kfunk.net/plymouth/72plymouth_roadrunner.jpg

Meep Meep.

 

[Danger]

And nothing's harder to keep clean.

 

[larkspur]

Yeah, I realized that too. I like the 73' body personally.

As for the 3 color paint job, ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I don't know if that would look proper on a muscle car. I'd stick with solid black. Nothing looks sharper than a solid black car.

http://classiccars.kfunk.net/plymouth/72plymouth_roadrunner.jpg

Meep Meep.

That's it!

 

[JasonRox]

There's no 'legal' limit to horsepower.

I never said there was one.

You must have Dyno Sheets to back that claim. And no one throws away 2000HP Dyno Sheets.

 

[Danger]

You misinterpreted the statement, Jason. I haven't built the thing yet. 2,000 is admittedly a rough estimate, but I know for sure that it'll be over 1,800. It's not at all unreasonable when you consider that a lot of street rods are well over 1,000 using more conventional and much smaller engines.

 

[JasonRox]

I can't see it happening though. Not with an old muscle car.

Your best shot would probably be like a Corvette engine rebuilt with a massive turbo strapped on, but even then that would be tough.

 

[Danger]

Your best shot would probably be like a Corvette engine rebuilt with a massive turbo strapped on

 

[wolram]

You misinterpreted the statement, Jason. I haven't built the thing yet. 2,000 is admittedly a rough estimate, but I know for sure that it'll be over 1,800. It's not at all unreasonable when you consider that a lot of street rods are well over 1,000 using more conventional and much smaller engines.

I hope to get the power of 35 horses from my tuned velo, it is going to have special crack cases, a pollished con rod, an 8 to 1 piss ton, a hairy cam, a light head, oh yes and trendy followers.

 

[Cyrus]

Oh baby, check this out Danger.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1971-Plymouth-Road-runner-440-6-pack-V-code-rotisserie_W0QQitemZ4652022135QQihZ002QQcategoryZ43921QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#mainImage

This is your car in its original condition 71', she's a beaut.

 

[Danger]

Jeez, that's sweet! I must have been mistaken about '73s having the split side makers, because this one does. In most other regards, other than colours, it's sure almost identical to mine's original look. Mine, however, didn't have the deck spoiler or H-pipe, it had the air shock tits sticking out about an inch from the bottom of the rear bumper, and there were the mags on the back instead of factory rims. Also, the body trim was different and the emblems weren't in the regular locations.
Thanks millions for the links.

By the bye, one of my friends who watches the auction in Vegas told me that one just like it went for slightly under $100,000 US last fall.

edit: For Jason: My design is based upon the 'kangaroo' motor. If you can find anything about it, you'll know what sort of monstrosity I'm planning.

 

[Skyhunter]

I have an 82 VW Rabbit pick-up. I get 42-44 with diesel fuel, 40-42 with bio-diesel. It had a SVO conversion but it was disconnected so I removed it, found that bio-diesel was more convenient.

 

[Danger]

I have an 82 VW Rabbit pick-up.

Tell me again why I continue to let you live on my planet?

 

[Cyrus]

AhAHAHA, I am watching shaft right now (original). Hes rolling around in his red roadrunner. You damnnnnnnn right!

 

[Danger]

Believe it or not, I've never seen that movie. Guess I'll have to check it out.