Subaru Forester MPG-Real World Numbers

xwesx · January 2011

It's tough to get anything other than Blizzaks locally!

I purchased the Goodyear UGI through Sam's Club back in Sept 09. They had to be special ordered, and I am not sure you can do that any longer, but I will recommend those as the best. I have driven cars with Blizzaks and have Continental ExtremeWinterContact on my daily driver, but neither can best the Goodyear (in my opinion) and Blizzaks wear very fast.

I picked up the Continentals from Seekins Ford in Sept 10. Again, those were special orders, but they didn't charge me shipping and I was able to get them at a 4 for 3 deal, so I ended up paying for the cost of four ($90 each) after factoring in the mount/balance, etc. As far as their normal selection of winter tires, they have Blizzaks and Michelin X-Ice. I have heard that the X-Ice is a great tire, but it is the most expensive of the bunch (other than Nokian).

I have had good service from Alyeska Tire (on Peger between Mitchell Expy and Van Horn) in the past. I am not sure of what all they carry; I know they have Hankook (I have no experience with that brand).

If you want to mount them on a separate set of rims, you can save some cost on the tires by getting 16" rims for the winter tires. I would skip the TPMS sensors in the rims unless you find that "feature" useful. 225/60R16 is an exact match for the stock 225/55R17 (off by 0.4%).

You know, if you haven't used winter tires before and want to try them out, you're welcome to take a spin in my Forester. You'll be amazed at the difference - guaranteed!

mrgary · January 2011

I have owned my Forrester since Aug 2008 and below you will see my Numbers.

Subaru Forrester X Premium 09 Automatic.

Lowest MPG 21.9 Dec 2008 and February 2010

Highest August 2009 (Highway trip) 28.3 August 2009.

Number of tanks less than 25 MPG is 66.

Number of Tanks over 25 MPG is 70.

Overall average 24.9 MPG and a cost of $0.10 per mile just in gas.

I drive 8 miles to work and live in the country (2 miles on 2 Lane road the rest is in town).

I like several other here have found that the best MPG is between 45 and 55 MPH.

I think if Subaru would ever put a 5 speed or CVT transmission that it would help the highway MPG.
Here is a link to real MPG.
"https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=mpgData&vehicleID=25364&browser=t- rue&details=on"

rustythepuppy · January 2011

You're totally right - cannot find anything but blizzak's here in fairbanks. I called Kendall, but they only have blizzak's available for shipping. the cheapest blizzaks ive found so far are about $140 at sears. WS70's.

i put on some firestone winterforce on another vehicle a couple of summers ago and then when winter hit, i realized they had handled incredibly well for winter use. i was impressed. i am considering buying some for the forester since they have them in stock at TDS.

its not snow i am concerned about -- we dont get enough to sneeze at, but the ice is usually non-negotiable.

maybe i will check around with other dealers. im not too interested in ordering as i am eager

xwesx · January 2011

That's the way of it, unfortunately. I am not sure why the companies up here are not interested in providing selection, but apparently they know what is best. :sick:

I tend to decide what tire I want first, then figure out how to get it. It is probably not the best approach in terms of frustration, but I have not had buyer's remorse yet.

If I recall correctly, the Winterforce tire is also studdable. I am not a fan of studs in most conditions since they are noisy and tend to lose their effectiveness quickly, but figured I would mention that. Blizzak is a good tire in terms of grip, for sure. The WS-70 is new to the market, but I don't imagine it wears any better than the WS-60. Even so, you can probably get up to three seasons out of it reliably.

rustythepuppy · January 2011

i paid 740 for blizzaks at sears. so far, so good. there's not a lot of snow here, but ice is the name of the game. not much improvement on mileage -- last reading was 16.5 mpg based on 210 miles on 12.9 gals.

xwesx · January 2011

What is the length of your commute? If you have a short one, it will murder your mileage (especially in the winter). I haven't driven ours recently, but the last tank I recorded was about 21 (just before the cold snap this last week).

maybesubie1 · February 2012

I have had my 2011 Forester just over 14 months and so far I'm really liking it. About the only disappointment has been mileage. I'm at an average of right around 21.5 mpg. With my driving habits, I really thought it would be quite a bit better than that. I am very gentle on the gas pedal and ease up even more when it looks like traffic is going to be slowing up ahead. A lot of the miles I put on are suburban freeway, usually speeds of 45-60 mph but there certainly can be rolling slowdowns and once in a while actual stop and go stuff. On the other hand, if I jump on a fairly flat stretch of interstate with little traffic and few slowdowns, I'm really happy with the mileage. I haven't checked lately, but I think it's pretty easy to get 27 mpg or better.
My regular commute is just over 8 miles, one-way, so maybe that explains the mileage? Not getting up to optimal engine temp for most of the trip? If anyone has thoughts on that, let me know. Otherwise, I'm really happy with the Forester!

ateixeira · February 2012

We can break 30 on the highway once it's warmed up.

Short trips kill mileage - before it's warm especially.

maybesubie1 · February 2012

Thanks. I thought that might have something to do with it.

jhawk2tall · April 2012

turn the ignition to the first click and hold either the - or the + on the clock for 5 seconds.

hiohsilver1 · August 2012

I get 32-33 hand calculated highway with my 2004 xs 5 sp manual. I keep it 70 or under. It's great- I went from a 98 corolla and didn't give up much- cant imagine getting less than 30 on the highway...

rustythepuppy · November 2012

i kept a written record of my gas logs re mileage the first year but it hasnt changed - in the winter i average 200 miles on 14.5 gallons (the point at which my light comes on and i pull over and fill up at freddies).

summer is not much better - 300 miles on 14.5. after my memorial day speeding ticket - who pulls over a subaru forester?? i have kept my speed about 60 mph. no change in fuel economy. the only thing i can attribute to my terrible mileage is that i have a bike and ski rack on top. but still.

my commute is 26 miles to and from work. no luck there either.

xwesx · November 2012

Both of those are still very low, for sure. My '10 is now at about 47.5K miles, and it's running average is still about 23.5 overall. Unfortunately, I lost about 1 mpg during the summer months this year when I replaced the stock tires with a set of Goodyear Assurance TripleTred tires. I had a set of those on my '96 Outback and used them year-round. They were the best all-season I've ever used during winter (really quite decent, though not as good as dedicated winters), plus they have astounding treadwear. But, I also lost some fuel economy on that car (or so I felt I did).

These new ones are re-designed, and Goodyear noted that they specifically improved the FE characteristics of the tire. But, apparently not that well, given that they still cause a substantial FE drop (which I know for sure this time because I now keep logs on all my cars). I was bummed, but at the same time that was not my primary requirement when I bought them. During winter, I'm still using the original UGI's, which are now on their fourth winter at 8/32" tread depth.

Winter FE is running 20-22 depending on the temps.

Your commute isn't the problem. Idling might be somewhat of an issue during winter, especially if you're at ~14 mpg in the winter.... really?! Did you buy at Kendall? I ask because I'm wondering if it is fully winterized with good low-flow lubricants. Drivetrain resistance can cause a substantial drop, but then that still doesn't explain summer. Your rack will definitely cause a drop.

Cross bars, all by themselves, will knock off a solid mile-per-gallon. Round cross bars, if you have those, will possibly take more. An odd shaped accessory up there like some bike or ski racks could likely hit you for a couple more. Unless you're using them all the time, I'd try some time without those up there to see what it does. Also, if you actually carry a bike or skis up there, that will hit you more... esp. the bike!

When I carry stuff in my cargo basket on top, or even just the basket alone, I only get probably 22-23 mpg during the summer, vs. 26-27 without that up there. It's really a huge hit.

Subaru Forester MPG-Real World Numbers

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