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SUV gas mileage - Feel free to participate

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  • marshiedadmarshiedad Member Posts: 3
    Both of my 93 & 99 3/4 ton Suburbans with 454Cubic inch, 4.10 rear axle, I get about 10.5 highway and 8 in city driving. I wish I own a gas station these days in NorCal.
  • joymarjoymar Member Posts: 9
    4 cylinder ..... 1000+ kms (625 miles +) and a couple of fill ups.

    Highway: 12km/li (28+ mpg)
    (avg. of 115kph or 70mph)

    City: 10km/li (23mpg)

    Mixed City and Highway: 8.5+km/li (20 mpg)

    i think i can get better mileage once 1) i have finished my break-in period and 2) if i let off on the accelerator pedal :-))
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    on the tribute.

    -mike
  • joymarjoymar Member Posts: 9
    its a 2WD (or fwd)
  • larrys7larrys7 Member Posts: 35
    Borla muffler w/duals
    K&N Air Filter
    One size larger tire size -26575R16s
  • surfer2ksurfer2k Member Posts: 1
    Larrys7,
    Is your sub. 2wd or 4wd and what size engine? 5.7??
  • littlebluem3littlebluem3 Member Posts: 7
    My 1996 Explorer (2WD) with 81,000 miles and the 302CI (5.0L)engine\automatic trans averages 16.7 mpg in mostly stop and go traffic.
  • ruoregonruoregon Member Posts: 8
    V-10 4X4 Excursion. 11.5 in the city and 14.4 on the highway. Mix of highway and city driving. Have K & N filter and am looking at adding a performance muffler. Will switch to tires other than Firestone within two weeks. Total miles so far is 22K
  • tomf11tomf11 Member Posts: 40
    If your going to post a city mpg, that should only include city driveing,stop light to stop light no quick hops on the freeway . Just as highway mpg is that,just the highway.
  • tonychrystonychrys Member Posts: 1,310
    With only 1k miles on it, easily getting 20mpg with mixed city/hiway driving. Expected to get better and better as the engine breaks in.
  • alotawattsalotawatts Member Posts: 44
    On the Highway .....22 mpg +
    In town 12-14mpg...although my wife puts on most of the milage and she is somewhat of a leadfoot off the line !! I had hoped for better milage in town with this truck.
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    ...for a 4WD, auto trans, temps 30-45F, maybe 60/40 highway/local, avg 65-70 mph on highway, total miles on odo = 3k, regular 87 octane.
  • twnisbetttwnisbett Member Posts: 11
    Ok, after reading some of these posts, I'm getting jealous. I have a '92 Trooper LS, 5-speed, that I run approx. 80% on the highway. I get 16-16.5 mpg. Why so low? What should I check? (BTW, it's a 3.2L V6 DOHC)

    Thanks for the help.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    On my trooper @ anything above 65mph drops to 16ish.

    -mike
  • sonnyboy60sonnyboy60 Member Posts: 2
    Just returned from 360 mile trip. Got 20.4 mpg
  • twnisbetttwnisbett Member Posts: 11
    Mike, I should have posted my speed. Generally, when on the freeway, I run between 70 & 75. Most of my driving is out in the open country, away from traffic, so I have the higher speed limits and little traffic to slow me down. That must be what's doing it.

    -Travis
  • gambiamangambiaman Member Posts: 131
    I have read several posts concerning gas mileage and claims that gas mileage would improve by using 93 octane vs. 89 octane. I traded my 99 FWD RX 300 for an 01 FWD RX 300 in Nov/00 and have kept track of all gas used since it was purchased. Results are: 3455 miles using 89 octane yielded 21.29 mpg; 2750 miles using 93 octane yielded 21.41 mpg. Both sets were mixed city/hwy with one long trip (~1000 mi) for each. No noticeable change in performance using either grade. The slightly improved mileage using 93 vs. 89 does not justify the additional cost and is such a small difference that it may be attributed the additional mileage on vehicle. I created an Excel spread sheet that would calculate tank and overall mpg when I entered data so was easy to determine mpg.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I did a similar test of about 5000 miles on 93 v. 87 octane on my trooper, and it yielded less than 1mpg difference and no performance differences at all. I plan on sticking with the 87.

    -mike
  • jeildjeild Member Posts: 8
    4X2 5-spd consistently gives me 29 mpg starting from the first tank of gas at 16 mi. ODO and now I'm up to 1K+. Been using 92 octane ever since, but now I think I will try the lower 87 after reading that there's not much difference performance-wise. Does anyone know if this affects vehicle longevity?
  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    Last tank 18.7. About the best so far. Usually get about 17.2 - 17.4. Mostly driving mixed city street/interstate. Interstate usually between 60 & 70 mph depending on traffic, with a little lowere getting through congestion. City street has some stop and go, but not really that bad, usually moves okay, probably average 35 mph or so.
    12,000 total miles so far. Not sure if we had to deal with the winter gas this year and if/when the non-winter blend will show up in Memphis, if we have been on the weaker stuff.
  • ocardaughocardaugh Member Posts: 2
    17.2 MPG

    5.2L V-8.
    4-speed AT.
    Quadra-Trac 4WD.
    Stock except for the grill guard.
    Half-city, half-highway.
    63k miles.
  • diabeldiabel Member Posts: 2
    I bought my 96 cherokee on Dec 31st 1999/ with 25,000 miles I average on the highway 24 to 25mpg at 70mph / at 80mph 22mpg can make round trip from Jacksonville to Tampa no problem / Best suv on the market
  • claybusterclaybuster Member Posts: 90
    2001 Montero Ltd MPG
    The full size Montero has a 3.5L 200HP engine (Not bad pickup with light load, but could use a 4.0L with about 240HP).
    I have 1600 miles on it now and averaged 17.9 MPG for the last 884 miles, using premium 92 octane (recommended by the Mitsubishi for this engine). Great truck so far!
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    2001 RAV4, auto trans, 4WD, mixed driving suburbs/highway, regular gas, under 4k on the odo:
    24.5 mpUSg on my last tankful.

    ejp
  • little_pogilittle_pogi Member Posts: 149
    So far I'm getting a disappointing 19.5 mpg on a mixed city/highway driving. I've just cross my 1000 miles ODO reading. Sticker shows 22 city and 27 highway.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    link

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    Hold on, little_pogi. If your Highlander is like my '01 4-cyl RAV, you will find the mileage improve as the 'green' engine ripens.

    ejp
  • joef4570joef4570 Member Posts: 29
    Just did a 300 mile weekend trip after clocking my first 1000 miles. Got 17.1 mpg, all h'way & plenty of hills & lead foot action. I'd been babying it up to now so this was the first test of what it can really do. Man, it cruises as smooth at 85 as it does at 50!.
  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    Well, now that I have about 15,000 miles on the Trooper, the mileage seems to be improving. 18.1 on a tank of combined Hwy and in town stop and go. 18.7 on another tank, all highway @70-75. Then 19.2 on another tank mostly hwy @70+ with a just a little in-town stop and go. (All of these were with the A/C on). Mileage definitly jumped 1+ MPG about 6 weeks ago...must have started getting non-winter gas here in Memphis about that time.
  • claybusterclaybuster Member Posts: 90
    After many requests of the Mitsubishi Service Dept. for the official required octane for the 2001 Montero Ltd.(it says "Premium Fuel Recommended" in the owners manual, why not say min. 87 octane?), they finally looked it up in the Montero 2001 Service Manual and found 87 octane the minimum octane for the Montero (Up to that time it was use 92 octane in the Montero). I have switched to 87 octane and found no difference in performance or MPG. Makes you wonder if the Car companies own a lot of oil company stocks.

    The full size Montero has a 3.5L 200HP engine
    I have 3300 miles on it now and averaged 19.2 MPG for the last 400 mile trip using 87 octane. Great truck so far!
  • raresendraresend Member Posts: 2
    i figure sticker is in the ballpark (14-17) but can a few of you out west let me know what kind of mileage you're getting with your 4x4 in the city and highway with air and at least 4 people in the vehicle? thanks!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I've been tracking mileage for over a year now, and my average is a very efficient 25.1 mpg.

    My best nearly broke 30mpg, while my worst was 20.7mpg during a week I spent driving it on the beach at the Outer Banks.

    Funny thing is despite the AWD and the utility it offers, it's actually more efficient than our Miata and our 626!

    -juice
  • gserep1gserep1 Member Posts: 92
    Hello,
    Here in SUNNY California, I have a 1997 Ford Explorer that was bought new. The engine uses Mobil 1 5W-30 oil, Mobil 1 Transmission Fluid, and the Differential already has SYNTHETIC oil in due to the limited-slip gears.

    Using regular gasoline, in the city averages out to 15 to 16, and highway is 18 to 20 depending on elevation and who is driving. If I drive, I get the 18 on the road. If my wife drives, she gets the 20. She consistently sees 400 miles on a tank of fuel, and i see considerably less.

    I run K&N air filter, and have done one spark plug and wire change, plus I have professionally cleaned the fuel injectors at the 4 year mark.

    Good car!
    Thanks,
    GSEREP1
  • houtexanhoutexan Member Posts: 28
    The city mileage is low but it's OK. I'm more than happy with the freeway mileage for this SUV.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Gas Mileage Hits 20-Year Low

    Hybrids boosted by Bush Energy plan may mean big changes for carmakers


    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • vram67vram67 Member Posts: 1
    Is a certain octane fuel required on the 2002 Envoy?
  • accmdxaccmdx Member Posts: 6
    Just went from Maine to Mass to Maine yesterday. Averaged 25.1 mpg at speeds usually 65-70 mph. So far I have averaged slightly over 21 mpg for the first 2600 miles including four snowstorms since Feb 1st. I'm quite pleased. Getting 21-23 mpg back and forth to work, not quite city nor highway, sort of a winding rural, up, down drive. Great pick-up and passing power on demand.

    No problems, no complaints. Haven't seen the dealer yet and no reason to go there. Love this vehicle!
  • boat10boat10 Member Posts: 59
    use 87 octane. that's what the manual calls for, see no problem.
  • tgraves1tgraves1 Member Posts: 3
    With the price of gas going up I would like to use the cheapest 85 octane here in Denver. The manual for my 2001 Sport for the 4.0L SOHC V6 says to use the regular grade of gas with a rating of 87 or higher. That is for sea level and, from what I have read elsewhere, is the equivalent of 85 octane at high altitude. However, the manual goes on to say "We do not recommend the use of gasolines labeled as 'Regular' that are sold with octane retings of 86 or lower in high altitude areas." Does anyone know why they would say this and if it is still OK to use 85 octane here in Denver? Thanks a lot for any info.
  • bdpotterbdpotter Member Posts: 2
    anyone have the gas mileage on the suburban 2500 with the 8.1L?
  • rollierrollier Member Posts: 8
    With just over 1300 mi, my 4.0L V-6 I am averaging 15.5 city (with both long and short trips) and 21-22 on the expressway. How about other Explorer and/or Mountaineer owners?
  • ariellynariellyn Member Posts: 11
    Just put the 3rd tankful in. Mileage on last tank, mixed city and highway, was 23 MPG. 2.7L V6 engine. Won't know what all highway MPG is until we take it on vacation in July.
  • dardson1dardson1 Member Posts: 696
    I traded an Expedition with the 5.4 V8 for a Sienna last fall.....thinking I really oughta drive something a little more PC....lol....bought a fancy Sienna XLE. Since I do 95% of my driving in town I am only comparing city mpg. I got an average 12.5 mpg in my great big Ford with regular unleaded. I get a bit over 16mpg in my Sienna using premium unleaded (recommended fuel.) As premium unleaded costs about 10% more, logic tells me I need to subtract 10% from the city milage of the Sienna if I'm gonna compare apples and apples....so, we're talking an average 12.5mpg compared to 14.5mpg. Based on 12k miles a year that's 20 bucks or 11 gallons a month difference. I suppose that's better than a sock in the stomach, but 14% better milage is not exactly what I was hoping for when I traded outta my gas guzzler for a PC minivan.
  • suvshopper4suvshopper4 Member Posts: 1,110
    Last tankful 27.6 mpUSg, 50/50 suburbs/hwy.

    ejp
  • rsrogersrsrogers Member Posts: 4
    Just purchased 2001 Montero. 1st tank (actually 3/4 on gauge) 306 miles and 18 gallons = 17 MPG. 40/60 City/Highway @ 70mph
    Hope this improves a little. Plan to switch to Amsoil 5-30W and K&N air filter next month at around 1500 to 2000 miles.

    91 Trooper 2.6 4cyl, 5spd, 132,500 miles, big 10.5x31 tires, 4wd.
    City 15-16 mpg
    Highway 70mph = 18-19 mph
    65 mph = 19-20mph

    Anybody have any experience with roof boxes/luggage carriers and how they affect MPG?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have a Samsonite soft carrier that goes on the roof. They are about $40 at Samsonite outlets.

    It costs me about 2mpg in mileage on my Forester. I usually get 27mpg or better on the highway, but with the carrier (and a full payload) it's about 25-26mpg.

    -juice
  • rs_rogersrs_rogers Member Posts: 16
    Thanks for the information, ateixeira. I am leaning towards a soft type carrier too. Sounds like a 5% to 8% reduction for you. Not too bad, if you really need the space. Surely though, they are not as aerodynamic and fuel effeicent as some of the nicer boxes from makers like Thule.

    I see some cars on the freeway with these large boxes from Sears that are nearly as big as the cars roof. It looks like they are about to fly off the vehicle due to the wind drag. Those boxes must really have a negative effect on gas mileage.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The current issue of Consumer Reports looks at a bunch of carriers. What they said about the soft carriers seemed to match my experience - cheap but not as easy to open, water-resistant but not water proof, good for odd shaped, lighter items.

    -juice
  • lambdaprolambdapro Member Posts: 51
    16 mpg average. No surprise. Less when towing, more if on highway.
  • odie6lodie6l Member Posts: 1,173
    I'll let you all know how my gas mileage is after I get my Escape. I go to a County Fair In Clearfield,Pa very year and I have to go OVER the mountains to get there. So not only will I see how good the mileage is I get to see how good the 200hp V6 can handle the nice steep grade mountains. Ask PF_Flyer about the little mountains you have to go over when going through state college,pa.

    Odie
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