Fuel Economy Update for October — Record Month - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

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Fuel Economy Update for October — Record Month - 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8 Long-Term Road Test

It was a record month for our 2007 Dodge Charger SRT8; best range, then worst mpg, followed by the best mpg.

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nate001

Who tops off after only driving 54 miles. unless you are going to be doing a MPG test or going on a trip where you need the extra the range to make it through the desert or something.

Could it be that when filling from empty there is foam/froth that dissipates after filling that is keeping you from getting a complete fill. It seems like the short distances have a habit of setting records for low MPG. Maybe need to have a 150 mile minimum for the records or include these small fills with the next fill so they don't have such a huge impact.

ebeaudoin

nate001 said:

Who tops off after only driving 54 miles. unless you are going to be doing a MPG test or going on a trip where you need the extra the range to make it through the desert or something.

Could it be that when filling from empty there is foam/froth that dissipates after filling that is keeping you from getting a complete fill. It seems like the short distances have a habit of setting records for low MPG. Maybe need to have a 150 mile minimum for the records or include these small fills with the next fill so they don't have such a huge impact.

I've filled up my personal vehicles with less than (or close to) 100 miles on the trip computer when leaving for a long drive on more than one occasion. In those trips I've seen some of my highs and lows. Here are just a few examples;

2001 Toyota Camry LE 4cyl Automatic
86.6 miles on 4.125 gal = 20.99 MPG
126.1 miles on 3.471 gal = 36.33 MPG
Lifetime Average over 18,213 miles = 25.3 MPG

2010 Honda Odyssey LX 6cyl
99.8 miles on 5.408 gal = 18.45 MPG
106 miles on 6.522 gal = 16.25 MPG
56 miles on 3.48 gal = 16.09 MPG
Lifetime Average over 21,614 miles = 20.2

In my experience, the first 100 miles of a tank of gas are either incredibly efficient or incredibly thirsty. I'm sure you're on to something referencing foam or air or something in the tank that settles after a bit of driving.

emajor

Agreed with Nate. Don't post results after 55 miles. The potential margin of error on fill up makes the calculated result worthless. Unless you are using some installed fuel metering system for taking precise measurements, you should be reporting on something like at least half a tank.