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Hyundai Santa Fe Significant Drop in MPG
I recently had my oil changed at a local place and not the dealership. Before the oilchange I was averaging around 20-21 mpg between city/hwy driving per tank.
I have filled the tank twice with gas since then and have averaged only about 17 mpg. It may not seem signifcant to some, but the second tank was a 230 mile round trip highway drive....
Any thoughts as to what the issue might be?
I have filled the tank twice with gas since then and have averaged only about 17 mpg. It may not seem signifcant to some, but the second tank was a 230 mile round trip highway drive....
Any thoughts as to what the issue might be?
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Comments
You did not specify what year and trim level Santa Fe you have. I have a 2008 Limited and Hyundai specifies 5w-20 oil for it which is somewhat thinner than the "standard" 5w-30 oil. What weight oil did the oil change place put in yours? If it was 5w-30 or (worse) 10w-30, that could account for your drop in mileage.
Also, I noticed here in Ohio that when the temperature really dropped (went to around zero in the morning) that I lost 2-3 mpg just from the cold. My SF has the mpg indicator and I reset it every tank. In the warmer weather, I was getting 21-22, in this cold it dropped to around 19. Also, I have found that driving in wind makes a big difference in mpg as well. The 2007-2008 SFs are larger than the earlier models and seem to have more metal to catch the wind.
1. Such Low temps are causing the automatic choke to stay on longer or causing it to stick
2. The blend of winter gas is causing lower mpg
3. Someone re-set the trip computer mpg and it hasn't adjusted for mixed driving yet
4. Slower town speeds or more idling/warm up will significantly reduce mpg.
It all depends on what "significant drop" means - realistically in such cold weather you would be getting anywhere from 15-18 mpg in town driving - NOT what the trip computer says the mog is, as this is an average figure. I presume you are actually measuring the amount of gas you're putting in versus the actual trip mileage in between tanks?
Maybe your parking brakes are dragging or are not completing releasing.
cold weather might be freezing lines
I had the oild changed at a local place recently and I'm reading in other places on the forum about the uniqueness of the oil filter for the Santa Fe. I'm wondering if that place put the wrong filter in. Guess that means a trip to the dealer to find out.
Mike