SUV gas mileage - Feel free to participate

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  • typesixtypesix Member Posts: 321
    2004 Toyota Highlander 2wd 4 cyl meets or exceeds EPA highway of 27 mpg at 65 mph. All city driving with max speed of 35 mph with frequent stops yields 19 to 22 mpg, EPA rating is 22 mpg. Also have a light foot and use engine growl to tell me when fuel use is high.
  • durability05durability05 Member Posts: 142
    This reply is late, I just read it today, anyway I leased a 2001 Escape 4wd till last year. When it was new I was getting 13 mpg, and only marginally improved to 14 mpg after 6K miles. It did get 22 mpg on long trips. I traded it in for a 2004 Honda Pilot EX , which presently gives me 14 city and 22 highway, the same as the escape, but an 8 passenger mid size SUV, that is 1000 pounds heavier and even faster. However the Escape was much more fun to drive.
  • durability05durability05 Member Posts: 142
    2004 Honda Pilot EX has these figures
    Short highway trips 20 mpg
    city driving 14 mpg
    average driving 17 mpg
    1000 roundtrip mile trip from Southern CA. to South Lake Tahoe is 23 mpg, however A/C was not used due to winter weather.
    Bottom line, highway EPA is easy to duplicate, but city driving a 4500 pound SUV, takes its toll
    17 mpg is only possible on the most favorable average drive.
  • durability05durability05 Member Posts: 142
    Also got a jeep, so here it is, jeep is also an 04 with 8K miles, first MPG with orig. tires.
    City driving 15 mpg.
    Highway 20 mpg.
    average driving 18 mpg
    Original tires were 28 inch tall, ugraded to 30 inch tires, now my MPG is about 1 mpg less, I checked all the other factors like gear ratio , tire diameter etc. Bottom line bigger and wider tires do add extra drag and reduce mileage.
  • carzzzcarzzz Member Posts: 282
    "Escape was much more fun to drive"

    ???
    isnt Fast = Fun!
  • gator4gator4 Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone have any gas mileage experience with an 8100 series engine in a Suburban 2500 or even a 2500 pickup?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    A lighter, more nimble car is more fun to drive even if it's slower in a straight line.

    My Miata is a good example. The Pilot's quicker but it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

    -juice
  • new_daddynew_daddy Member Posts: 12
    My 1992 1500 4x4 Suburban got 16.5 to almost 17 mpg when it was new, and 345,000 miles later it still gets around just under 16mpg highway. My not-so secret: the recommended PSI is 45, I keep it at around 53.
  • burbmanburbman Member Posts: 4
    Had an 89 with 454, best vehicle I ever owned. Took the cats off, chipped it and changed the pipes. Was getting 18mpg towing an 8000lb trailer at 75mph. Got about 16 around town. Have a new question. Anyone had any luck with Jeep Cherokee's late 90's model with the 4.0 6cyl. What can be done to boost the awful gas mileage they get.
  • burbmanburbman Member Posts: 4
    Does anyone have any experience with a 97-99 Jeep Cherokee with the 4.0 6cyl, automatic. This is a 2wd and the fuel mileage is awful. Any hints to modify the mileage with chips or removing the cats.
  • mo4mo4 Member Posts: 4
    Have a 2001 Mazda Tribute. Bought one yr ago with 5000 miles. Now has 20,000 miles and selling it as economy is bad. 12-15 in town, 17 highway. Have seen 22 on highway but drove carefully 65 mph. Pitiful economy for "small" SUV. Car is great otherwise, solid, reliable, fast, fun but gotta get rid of it. comments???
  • dadoftaydadoftay Member Posts: 136
    I had a '94 Cherokee Sport with the 4.0L HO. The HO simply had a header style exhaust manifold to breath better. I put an intake kit and Gibson exhaust to no mpg gains, but power was better. There's a company called Rock-It that does a pretty fair amount of upgrades for the 4.0L. Ad should be in a four wheel mag. I don't know if they will help your mpg either but it's a start.
  • dadoftaydadoftay Member Posts: 136
    2004 Nissan Murano SL 2WD
    7500 miles with mid-grade and regular gas
    90% city- in town driving- 17mpg with a heavy foot
    10% hwy driving- 23mpg around 75-80mph

    These numbers are not out of the computer but "old fashion" way of gallons in vs. miles driven. On a good note, the computer in the car is usually pretty close.
  • tmakogontmakogon Member Posts: 74
    With a 3.4L V6 and an all-wheel drive we get 23.5 at 70mph on highway and 18 city. Top gas mileage I have ever seen was 31.4 MPG while cruising at 50mph on a highway.
  • sbrandtsbrandt Member Posts: 1
    on your 89 what was the mpg before and after and what exactly did you do to modify it. I have a 1990 sub. with TBI 350 AND I GET 12 ON THE HIWAY
    IT HAS 160K ON IT BUT I THINK THE MOTOR HAS BEEN REBUILT STOCK. COULD YOU EMAIL ME BACK AT steve.brandt@wesconproducts.com
    thanks
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    COULD YOU EMAIL ME BACK AT ***@****.****

    Please keep the discussion here so everyone benefits. To do otherwise defeats the purpose of a message board which is to share information, views and experiences.

    tidester, host
  • ryan94ryan94 Member Posts: 6
    My 2wd Yukon XL SLT (5.3) has averaged 19.6 mpg on the highway. I have made 2 seperate trips from Houston to central Missouri and back (about 1,000 miles one way). Had a pretty strong head wind one time and got 19.4 mpg. Each trip we were loaded up with kids, a dog and stuff (thank goodness for the DVD player). Get about 16 mpg in the city. More than I was expecting.
  • burbmanburbman Member Posts: 4
    I was getting , I thought good gas mileage, about 16 wherever, and towing or not. I took the cat converters off and ran a larger pipe with free-flow muffler. Changed the computer chip and also changed my radiator. I increased the flow and tank size. The 454 ran real hot and this helped. The mileage after was about 18-19 towing. I once got 20-21 with cruise at about 70mph with no trailer. Sold it in '01 for a GMC 2500 with the duramax and allison setup. great setup but I miss the burb. The best thing GM could do would be that drivertrain in a 2500 suburban.
  • mayberryguymayberryguy Member Posts: 145
    I have an 03 Expedition with about 15000 miles and change. At my first 3,000 mile oil change, I went to Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil & Filter and added a K&N Air Filter. At first I was getting about 16.5mpg(mostly highway miles) but after about 6,000 miles it improved to around 18.5-19 depending on regular or premium gas. My best mpg was on a long trip (450 miles each way) of interstate in the midwest and got 20.2mpg with premium Shell gas. I usually set the cruise on about 68 and just relax and only take the cruise off to pass if needed. Your driving style most heavily contributes to your mpg, or lack thereof. I confess that if I am heavy in the foot, then I can get as low as 12-13.

    I live in a rural area so do not do any serious city driving but do about 25% of my mileage in a fairly congested medium size midwestern town with alot of stop lights.

    My mileage does get a little worse in the winter, especially if the weather dictates leaving it in the AWD setting for an extended period.
  • mayberryguymayberryguy Member Posts: 145
    I forgot to mention that I have a 5.4liter. This is a great engine, I just wish it was the 05 with the 300hp.
  • rhodyvrhodyv Member Posts: 16
    I drive almost exclusively highway. Mileage has varied from 23-28 mpg. Official highway is 27---so not too bad.
  • crimdoccrimdoc Member Posts: 36
    I'm now getting about 23MPG city and 26MPG mixed. I've yet to take it on a pure highway trip since the weather warmed up.

    This is a lot better than in the winter where I was getting about 18 city and barely 21 highway.

    Car now has about 4,600 miles on it.
  • 01jgcflorida01jgcflorida Member Posts: 4
    I have the 4.0L inline 6, 2001 2wd Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I average 12mpg city and 14mpg highway. The city is bumper to bumper traffic most of the time, and i always have the A/C running full blast since i live in florida.
  • 01jgcflorida01jgcflorida Member Posts: 4
    Has anyone tried that tornado thing they sell on TV. It's like a metal piece that snaps in behind the air filter. Supposedly it spins the air coming into your engine creating a vortex which they claim forces more air to get into your engine. I guess like a poor mans turbo. they claim you are supposed to get dramatic jumps in your gas mileage. I have been reluctant to purchase one since they wanted $75.00 for one, but i just purchased my 2001 grand cherokee and as my post above states it gets horrible mileage. Wanted to see if anyone purchased this accessory and what the resulting jump in gas mileage was if any.
  • jwchevyjwchevy Member Posts: 4
    My wife has and 02 Expedition. She averages around 16 with a mix of city/highway mileage. Mostly city. On the highway we can get up to 18 mpg.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Snake oil.... until DC starts installing them stock to help them meet the CAFE requirements, that's my humble opinion about them.

    Gas Saving Gizmos & Gadgets

    Steve, Host
  • crookstercrookster Member Posts: 40
    My JGC gets 10 mpg (city) 15 hwy. I have V8. SCARY! Is there anything I can do to improve this.
  • fitguyfitguy Member Posts: 220
    Buy a K&N filter for 50 bucks; it boosted my Expy mileage by about 1.5 mpg. Any major auto parts retailer will have them.
  • svofan2svofan2 Member Posts: 442
    ...Just checked the mileage at up to 745 miles (yes I know it is too soon) and I noticed combined city/highway of 12.1 mpg with regular gas...then I tried one tanlfull of premium and I am getting so far 13.2 mpg....could it be possible?....if truly so, i will have to figure out if it is worth the extra money per gallon...just a thought..
  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    so far, 5000 miles...average highway 24 to 26 mpg and city 19 to 21
  • ronmronm Member Posts: 6
    I get 14.5 city and 18.5 highway with the 6 cylinder engine.
  • rhouser2rhouser2 Member Posts: 114
    do you have FWD or AWD?
  • nortsr1nortsr1 Member Posts: 1,060
    V6 FWD
  • doctordondoctordon Member Posts: 1
    Hey,
    Just saw your observation about your mileage jump when switching from regular to premium. Before you get all excited and switch to premium, let me relate this to you and other readers. In college we did an experiment with premium grade and regular grade unleaded gasoline to determine if there was any more energy in premium. The experiment used a calorimeter, a device to measure the calories contained in different materials. Calories are then converted to BTUs, or British Thermal Units for comparison. I can give you the long story, but the short story is, there is no energy difference in regular or premium or even mid-grade fuel. :cry:

    The difference is in the mix of the additives in the gasoline which inhibit knocking and maybe some detergents. That's about it.

    So a gallon of regular and a gallon of premium both contain the same amount of energy when burned resulting in the same gas mileage. Unless your car manufacturer requires you to run premium, or you have a knocking problem that is fuel related, don't bother trying to burn premium for the increased mileage: It just ain't in there.

    I went to Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos where I received my Bachelor of Science in Technology. I also studied electronics for two years at Texas State Technical College in Waco.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    But...with higher octane some engines can advance the timing and get a little more power out of the engine, and I don't think it would be using more fuel, just making better use of the existing fuel supply.

    That's for engines designed for premium octane, with modern knock sensors and ECUs capable of advancing the timing.

    -juice
  • jeffbondjeffbond Member Posts: 16
    I beg to differ with you, if i use premium fuel vs. the mid grade i do get about 20 miles more per tank full, 24 gallons x 20 cents additional, but at 2.85 a gallon the difference is not worth the additional cost. BTW, I get 15.8 combined MPG city/hwy with the 5.3L 4x4
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    I concur - some engines can perform better with premium. I had a 2002 Honda Odyssey with the 3.5 engine. It got 210 HP on regular and 240 HP with premium. MPG with premium was about 1.5 - 2 MPG better than with regular unleaded, but the gas cost was high enough that it didn't offset the better mileage. So I used unleaded around town and premium for my road trips, when the van was loaded with more weight.
  • kizhekizhe Member Posts: 242
    I have Honda CR-V EX 03 with 43K on the odometer. I maintain about 34 psi on tires, I always stay in legal speed limits and never do "jack rabbit" starts.
    I get about 310-320 miles of the full tank before gas warning light came on (which corresponds to about 27-28m/gal - mostly on a highway).
    Last week I went on business trip to upstate CT (from PA), spent there a week
    driving each day about 10 miles to work and back to my hotel. On Friday I drove back home. I noticed that my odometer shows 354( !) miles,
    then gas light came on and I stopped for refuel (in NJ). Clerk pumped me 11 gallons, and I had 359 on my trip odometer (he actually pumped more after auto shut off).
    Anyway, conservative estimate: 359:11=32.6 miles/gallon . Wow!
    Not bad for SUV !
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    I bet you are running about 60 MPH or less average speed? I have gotten over 30 before, but not at 75-80 MPH.

    What were your highway speeds?
  • ugltrkugltrk Member Posts: 16
    I6 with 40K miles, 17.5/18.5 puttering around town...20/20.5 trip @ 65+MPH
  • paulpropaulpro Member Posts: 56
    I was always of the opinion that the tin can vortex generators being hawked on the web and ebay were snake oil.

    But recently, I had opportunity to view the injection manifold of a Corvette Cross-fire fuel injection system. Guess what - vortex generators built right in by GM.

    So the million dollar question. Is there any value in them? GM apparently felt so since they included it in their vehicle design.

    Any ideas or comments

    Paul P
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Averaging about 13mpg in the city, 19mpg on the highway at 75-85mph Too early to tell if it'll hold up. I'll report after my next trip.

    -mike
  • highenderhighender Member Posts: 1,358
    how did you see this part built into the engine ? was it at the auto show ?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If it were so simple the auto manufacturers would already be using them. BMW and Porsche pay huge CAFE fines, they'd kill for a few free MPGs.

    It's funny, though, that some products claim to generate a vortex while others claim to calm down turbulence yet both are supposedly of benefit.

    -juice
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 20,823
    inexpert opinion. how long did 'cross fire injection' last? i think it was 1 year.
    i think the vortex effect is built into engines in a different way these days.
    it's also referred to as 'tumble', which mixes the air and fuel in a better way.
    2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • paulpropaulpro Member Posts: 56
    when you take the manifold apart on the crossfire injection system, the vortex generators are built into the upper manifold cover, just under the porting. It is not visible from outside the engine.

    Paul P
  • highenderhighender Member Posts: 1,358
    thanks....

    it is interesting....
    how it may be helpful and maybe a waste at the same time...
  • gmtechgmtech Member Posts: 1
    I have a 99 4X4 1500 Suburban with 3.73:1 gears and knocking down a solid 17mpg on freeway and about 15 in town. When I bought it I was averaging 14freeway/10city. I have been with GM for about 10 years as a mechanic/technician and have seen much in the way of the good and bad.

    Will compile list of what was done to improve mileage and post tomorrow .
  • highenderhighender Member Posts: 1,358
    HI

    I have a 99 suburban 1500 with 4x4 ...and a whipple supercharger and all its associated stuff....
    what can you suggest in terms of increasing gas mileage to 17 mpg...

    I am getting about 16 mpg...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think you're doing well all things considered. A supercharge is a leach on the engine even at low revs, unlike a turbo off-boost.

    I don't think you could do any better, in fact I'm surprised you're not reporting 12mpg!

    -juice
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