Post Your Van Gas Mileage Here

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  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    Just returned from a 4000 mile trip from AZ to Ia thru NM, panhandles of OK & TX, across KS, MO to Des Moines then a lot of rural state and county roads in Iowa. Back thru NB, KS, CO, NM, and AZ. Used two tanks of gasohol (10% ethanol ) which didn't as well. A bit of head winds a couple of days, but mostly calm. Loaded light with 5-600 lbs. of people and stuff. One thing I did which I think helped make this my best mileage for this van is that I put 37 PPSI in the tires. I tend to drive conservatively and go with the flow of traffic. AC was on around 80% of the time. The wife says her few hours of driving was the difference. ;) . Van has 53K miles and original tires. I use brand name gasoline.
  • dennisctcdennisctc Member Posts: 1,168
    6000 mile DGC SXT with Tow package pulling large Popup RV, very loaded Minivan....got 18.4 mpg. Can get 25mpg without RV in tow doing 70mph.
  • tracy3tracy3 Member Posts: 10
    I hate to post this for fear of opening myself up to lectures on driving habits and breakin-in periods, but I've got the same mini. My first two tanks were 18 mpg. Later got up to 20 mpg. My second to last tank was 15.5 mpg. The 15.5 disturbed me so much that I determined to be extra tenderfooted on the last tank. My effort paid off with 16.6 mpg! Vehicle has 8250 miles on it. I'm not sure if it's "breaking in" or just breaking.
  • mclarenrmclarenr Member Posts: 9
    15 to 16 mpg for city driving (with confident foot). Hot southern climate. A/C on all the time with quite a bit of sitting around with the engine idling.
    Mixed driving (50% to 80% highway) gets 17 to 21mpg.
    Long distance highway at 60 to 70mph is rewarded with 22 to 25mpg.
  • lennie2lennie2 Member Posts: 8
    Looks like my average is 23 mpg with the best being 26 mpg on a 400 mile trip.
    But the main facture is lower octane, I've only used the 87 the cheapest gas sold.
    If I move to mid- grade 89 octane, has "anyone" had better MPG on the higher octane. The manual said 89 octane or higher.
  • lennie2lennie2 Member Posts: 8
    I'm the person who wrote the next topic, thinking I would respond to your topic.
    As you can read I'm low milage on my EX also and was asking wether the high octane will reward me on mpg.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Overall since purchase a year ago is 22.6 MPG. Long round trip mileage is 28.2 MPG and 26.6 MPG. Best mileage was 34.6 MPG on a 300 mile one way ;) but the return on same 300 miles was 23.0 MPG. (Going downhill with wind gives much better mileage than going uphill against the wind). Lowest ever was 14.1 MPG :cry: when I drove it less than 1 mile many times and not more than 2 miles at a time over a 2 week time period.
    Gas mileage can vary greatly and the only true indicator of any vehicle actual highway mileage is to fill before the trip, during the trip, and refill at the end of the trip with almost no stop and go city driving. :shades:
  • big_guybig_guy Member Posts: 372
    I recently finished a trip from SLC to St. George and got 25.6 mpg for the trip down (this included a side trip to Cedar Breaks). This was with the vehicle loaded up with me, my three children, luggage for all of us, an 8 man tent, an ice chest, and two bicycles hooked to the back of the van.

    We took the scenic route back from St. George going through Zion National Park, clipping through Bryce Canyon, stopping at Calf Creek outside Escalante to camp for the night, then continuing on up through to Richfield and on up through Nephi to SLC. The return trip was on a winding two-lane highway with a lot of ups and downs. Managed to get 23.4 MPG for the winding trip back home. Pretty pleased with the mileage numbers. Total miles covered was just shy of 850 :shades:
  • mike_mike_ Member Posts: 3
    Metro driving (mostly freeway): between 16.1 and 18.5 mpg
    Purely freeway at about 75 mph: never above 23 mpg
    Total mileage: 2500
  • aspesisteveaspesisteve Member Posts: 833
    I get 22-23 mpg hwy
    but just got a recall for the EGR valve which is being replaced - that should help my gas milege.

    with gas approching $3.00 in Calif. I'm leaning towards another Oddy over the move to an AWD Pilot.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    I have a DGC SE 3.3 2005 with 12500 miles on it and here are the following numbers for my mileage in Arizona with temps above 105. All of the numbers are with a/c on all the time for obvious reasons.

    First Tank=16.21 70% highway/30% city

    Second Tank=17.51 Same highway city mix

    Third Tank= 18.24 With same highway city mix

    Fourth Tank=23.9 This trip was 75 miles of freeway at 75-80 and over a pass. Also a 20 miles of city driving and also the rest driving on winding moutain roads that never exceeded 45 mph and went from 2500 feet to 7500 feet and back down. Had my wife and I and 4 year old and newborn so lightly loaded. I filled up right as we hit the freeway and filled up as we got off so the number has no city.
  • kjokjo Member Posts: 24
    Just took a quick, one day trip up to Jacobs Field and back to Columbus. Total miles driven: 329.5 , averaged speed 75 to 80mph, total gas used, 13.207gallons. Gas milage for the trip = 24.95mpg on 87 octane. :)
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    I just purchased a 05 Grand Caravan used with 12000 on the odometer so the engine should be broken in. I just filled up my first tank which was 70% highway and 30% city with 100+ temps outside and the air on all the time and I had my wife and an infant and 4 year old in the van as well. I live in Arizona and noticed that in the summer time regardless of the A/C being on or not the extreme heat lowers mileage in every car I own by 3-4mpg. This first tank I got 16.21 with putting in 18.5 gallons. Anyone else experience mileage like this in the Grand Caravan. Anybody in extreme heat or cold experience this low. I would think with 70% highway at speeds of 70mph with cruise set I would get at least 20 or so. I can assume if this first tank was during our winter here with temps in the low 70's, that the 16.21 would have been more like 20.21 or higher. Any thoughts on my experience would be great. Also at 12k the engine should be fully broken in right?


    I have a 2005 Dodge GC with a 3.8 V6. I also live in hot Arizona and have noticed the same thing you have. When I first bought my Dodge in Dec. after the first cople of tank fulls, I was getting 18-19 mpg in mixed city/hway driving. Got as high as 25.8 on one trip to Prescot AZ. But when it got hotter and I have had to use the A/C continually, mileage really dropped. I am lucky to get 20mpg on mostly freeway driving. It's more like 17-18 mpg.I am sure the heat has a lot to do with it, along with the additive they put in our gas in the summer to cut polution. I can hardly wait till it gets cooler and mileage goes back up, especially with todays gas prices.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    Marine2 every car I have ever owned in Arizona has consistently gotten 3-5 mpg worse in the summer then any other part of the year. I do believe though that theh govenor last summer got it passed that we don't have the additive anymore. I believe it is officially out of the gas. I can say one thing. If you use Chevron you should over five tanks notice a gradual climb in mileage to total 2-3mpg. That is what I noticed on all my cars. I moved down here from a cold state and had a car with no a/c and a stick shift. This car routinely got 30-31 mpg in mixed driving in temps that were not hot and not really cold. As soon as I moved to AZ in the summer my mileage dropped instantly to 26 mpg. I had no a/c in the car. It is partly the additive but mostly the hot air. So far with the 3.3 I can get like I posted 24 mpg in mixed freeway and highway with a/c on. Now take away the heat and you are now up to 26-27 and that is not all freeway. This drive I will tell you I got gas at 101 and 51st ave in north valley where I live at Chevron. Got onto the 101 and then took the I-17 to Sedona and then 89A up through Cottonwood and Jerome and then through prescott and down through wickenburg and back to Surprise where I live. If you know AZ you will know that the 89A is very steep and winding and very slow. Takes a lot of gas. I still averaged 23.9 not to bad.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    Most of my driving now is by freeway. About 85 % freeway and since it got hot, I haven't gotten 20mpg. yet. I live on the East side of the Valley, mostly driving on the 101,60 and 202. I had no complaints of the mileage I was getting before June. At least since I am retired, I have control of how much I can drive, or not drive. That helps.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 53,615
    just did a weekend trip, phila. to upper NY. About 600 miles, averaged 24.75 MPG. This is with 4 people, assorted junk, AC on all the way.

    Trip included anassortment of open highway (70-80 MPH mostly), some local in town, back highways (lots of lights and traffic jam) and way too much time stuck in traffic on the NY Thruway.

    So, almost 25 with a considerable amount of time not cruising along, and when the road was open, not putting along. More than acceptable IMHO.

    I still have not doubt I could get close to the 28 highway number if I went south (to the flatlands), at an off time to miss traffic, and set the CC at 69 and just get going.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • garandmangarandman Member Posts: 524
    If you're getting dramatically lower mpg in hot cnditions, try using your AC in recirculate mode. Pulling in 100 degree plus air, cooling it, and pusjing it out the back of the vehicle isn't conducive to good mileage.

    We have a 05 Nissan Quest and on the MAX AC setting it cools the vehicle down surprisingly fast. Several of the folks complaining about AC capacity in the Quest forum didn't seem to know about the MAX setting, or recirculate mode.

    The best tank we've gotten so far, 26.5, was with the AC running.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    On the DGC 05 the tires say on the sidewall that the max tire pressure is 44 psi but the doorjamb states that the cold pressure should be at 36 psi. I was wondering for mileage would inflating the tires to 40-42psi each cause any problems? Is the max 44psi mean when cold as well? Any thoughts on this. If I can inflate them to 40-42 I should be able to get significantly better gas mileage over the 36 psi recommended by the factory.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    Even with recirculation mode you still have to pull in air from the outside. Are you saying that less is pulled in with Recirc instead of normal settings. I would think it would be the same but I would like some more details on the Recirc thing because it cools better but I try not to use it as it blows out so hard and thought it would cost more power from the engine
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    I always have my van in recirulating mode in Arizona in the summer. From what I understand, in the recirulating mode you cut out all or most outside air coming in and it recirculates the cold air back through your van and out again so it keeps getting colder. With it off, air mixes with outside air and comes through the vents a little warmer.

    I maybe wrong, but I don't think it makes any difference if the recirulating mode is off or on in saving gas mileage. Or if the fan is on high or low. Once you turn on the A/C, the belt turns the compressor at the same speed, it's the blower that is blowing it out high or low. I would think as long as the a/c compressor is turning, it is what uses more fuel, not the fan speed or recirulating switch.

    Not sure about the tire pressure, except I heard that when setting the pressure, use the one that's on the door, not the tire. But I don't know if that's a hard fast rule. It could be because the tire is also used on different makes and models with different weight requirements. The pressure on the door is for that weight of vehicle.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    One should always use the pressure that is on the door jam, not the pressure on the sidewall of the tire. Your Van (car) has been engineered to the specs on the sticker on the door jam. Your car will handle the best with those specs. You might get a little better gas mileage the higher the air pressure, but the slight safety risk would not be worth it to me. I don't think there will be a risk of tire failure if you use a pressure of 42psi, but the car will handle it's best at 36psi.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Actually as long as you stay under the number on the tire the car will be just as safe if not safer. The higher pressure means less flex which means the tire handles more crisply and does not run as hot. Also look at cars ment to drive fast - they always reccomend higher tire pressure for high speed driving. Usually around 44 psi. The only real downside to high pressure (within the tire reccomendation) is a harsher ride.

    Blindly following the number on the door jamb is not always the best (though it generally won't steer you too far wrong). Remember the Ford explorer and its exploding tires - all because of too low inflation.
  • lennie2lennie2 Member Posts: 8
    Tire pressure is a factor of about .01% of your MPG, Has anyone acheived greater MPG from that gas saver box (magnetic) you purchase from Harbor Freight?
    And Does higher octane recover more MPG's?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    i don't believe your assertion.

    i trust tire inflation does impact mpg / fuel economy. inflation affects tire radius does it not? how about rolling resistance?

    from these two factors alone I assert that your factor of .01% (that would be a multiple of .0001 by the way) is completely off.

    if i were to make a WAG, i'd say somewhere in the 3-5% range (ie a factor of .03-.05).
  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    I put 37PPSI in tires before going on a 4000 mile trip and got the best mileage ever for that vehicle, an '04 ODY with 54K miles. I think it helps, and yes the ride is a little harsher.
  • miagarfuncklemiagarfunckle Member Posts: 51
    I checked my tires pressure yesterday and all tires were at about 34-35psi a piece so inflated them to 42 or so as wanted to be below the tire max a little. The higher the pressure the less tire contacting the road and less heat which is great for Arizona definitely. I also felt from 34 to 40-42 on all tires that the van rolled along much easier and a lot less resistance and I noticed hardly any compromise in ride at all and my wife would know if there was a difference believe you me. I will post back and see if the mileage has improved. Thanks for the imput.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    One factor you left out is the actual tire patch that touches the road. As the tire pressure increases you will have less tire patch on the rd. It may be a very slight difference, but there will be less tire on the rd.

    Your Ford Explorer example is legit, but is a VERY RARE instance when a manufacturer's recommendations were off the mark.

    I trust the engineers that help build cars to know what the correct tire pressure to make sure a vehicle drives well.
  • mich_chowmich_chow Member Posts: 58
    Not bad, I think.
  • dilbertzzzdilbertzzz Member Posts: 190
    If you inflated your tires to 42 psi cold (well, as cold as it gets in an Arizona summer time! ;) ) aren't they going to quickly exceed the maximum pressure of 44 psi as you drive? It seems to me that you are actually pushing beyond the pressure limit recommended, not just closer to it. A couple bucks in fuel savings (IF it ever amounted to even that much) that increases the safety risk of yourself, your passengers, and anyone on the road near you doesn't seem like a wise trade off to me... YMMV
  • navyairnavyair Member Posts: 202
    You nailed it. Over-inflation can be nearly as bad as under-inflation. Varying from the door sill sticker pressure can cause premature failure of the tires.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    All tires are rated for cold pressure. That is the only way to be consistant. Higher temperatures from driving are taken into account - so no need to worry about that.

    Keep in mind that tiny little bicycle tires inflate to over 100 psi. It is not like these tires are going to expode from the pressure.

    Heat is what kills tires and underinflation creates more heat.

    Never inflate over what it says on the tire, but as long as you are under that number you are perfectly safe. Consult the owners manual of a performance car and you will see that they reccomend higher pressure for high speed driving. They would not do that if it was not safer.

    To stay on topic. I just made a cross country trip in a first generation Ody/Oasis. Averaged just under 27 mpg driving with A/C on all the time, 5 people and lots of luggage. I generally go about 5 mph over the speed limit and during the slower portions of the trip (65 mph speed limit vs 75) got as high as 30 mpg. The low was about 22.5 going 80 mph into a slight headwind.

    With gas prices how they are I wish Honda (or anybody) still made a nice sized 4-cyl minivan. With current technology it would do quite a bit better than the first gen Ody. Funny how everybody sells half a dozen or more SUV's but only Mazda sells 2 minivans (the new five is quite small though - signifacanly smaller than the first gen Ody).
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    yes, in Atlanta, I see plenty of those early model units (Ody and Oasis). they remain very popular. there must be a market for a smaller / more fuel efficient unit. my wife and i liked the MPV very much, just didn't like the way it shifted (felt the engine and transmission gearing weren't matched well).
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    You always want to remember before adding air, check your tires before you drive. Driving more than a mile or more will give you a false reading of how much air is really in your tires as air will expand as it gets warmer.
  • dilbertzzzdilbertzzz Member Posts: 190
    Keep in mind that tiny little bicycle tires inflate to over 100 psi. It is not like these tires are going to expode [sic] from the pressure.

    I'll bet they'd explode if someone the mass of a minivan sat on that bike! ;)

    You may well be correct in your assertions, but the bicycle metaphor (or was that a simile, I can't keep them straight?!?) isn't the reason.

    I'm not a physicist (nor have I ever played one on TV!), but I remember enough from those grueling college classes to know that you cannot reliably extrapolate from a small thing (like a bicycle and its tires) to a large thing (like a minivan and its tires).

    This principle is why we will never be afflicted with insects the size of a human (much less any bigger). Their structure, amazingly functional at their small size range, would be insufficiently strong at human size. They would need so much more exoskeleton that not enough room would be left for guts, muscles, etc. (not too mention the incredible muscle mass they'd require to move that exoskeleton!).

    And, I can tell you from observing the tire debris along the highways from those high-pressure (and also much more heavily built) truck tires that these tires do, in fact, blow up now and again! :sick:
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    Chrysler does make a 4Cyl minivan. I have never driven one, but I could only imagine that it would be VERY underpowered.
  • lennie2lennie2 Member Posts: 8
    User 777
    I'll give it to you because your right, the factor is closer to 5 % which is in fact on a 05 ody ususally 1.3 MPG. Right?
    I wish it was more, and with all this talk its apparent that there must be a way to increse MPG on auto's.But we can shoot a rocket through the O-zone in to space but to make a engine run on small amounts of combustable liquids is tricky.
    Ideas range from solid tires, compress your gas tank, buy a new Hybrid.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    ALL stop and go, wait at stop light, air conditioner on all the time, no trip over 1.4 miles and gas mileage plummeted to 14.1 MPG. :cry:
    However, the overall gas mileage is 22.6 MPG. ;)
  • boxwrenchboxwrench Member Posts: 55
    Marine2,

    I hate to disagree with your theory, but blower speed and any other electrical load of any size will sap some power from your engine. As you increase electrical loads on the engine, the Alternator has to work harder to keep up with the demand. Think of it this way-- if you drag a stick while riding a bike, the more pressure you put on the stick, the harder you have to pump to keep the same speed. Alternators work kinda' like that. With no load, they do not require much HP from your engine. But the more electrical demands you turn on, the harder it is to turn the alternator, and therefore requiring more engine HP.
    Granted, it may not be enormous amount of HP required, but every little bit adds up. I can attest to this because on my boat I use the Alternator on my diesel engine to recharge my 4 batteries on board. Everytime I start the engine with one battery, then switch the engine/Alternator output to the remaining 3, the RPM goes down by at least 100/200. It is the load on the alternator causing the decrease in RPM to bring the batteries back to full charge. This is a large demand on the Alternator, but the theory is the same on any engine.

    IMHO Boxwrench
  • 04odyexres04odyexres Member Posts: 2
    My total mileage so far (1 year and 2 weeks) is 21.6. I have 16877 miles / 780.905 gallons. My 3 best mileages when putting in gas were 29.1, 28.4 and 27.1. My 3 worst were 15.8 (March), 17.6 (Dec) and 18.1 (September). I drive about 60% to 70% highway.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    Boxwrench, I may have to agree with you. Everyone might like to read this.

    http://www.fsec.ucf.edu/echronicle/archives/2005/Q3/gas-prices.htm
  • philbertophilberto Member Posts: 46
    Does anyone know where I can get some lab test results on the different gas companies. What brand gas is the best? Any solid test data out there?

    I had one experience with my 95 Caravan (3.0) where I got a tank full of HESS 87 in Saddle River, NJ and drove that well into South Carolina!!! Even though it was smooth driving the rest of the trip into South Florida, I was never able to duplicate that again. Why is that?

    For now I plan on using Chevron to keep my new Sedona clean, but I would love some links to some solid info on this if someone knows any. There must be some reason why one brand does better then another.

    Phil ~
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    I think the best beef is at Amaco. Try to find a newer station,which would have newer and cleaner fuel storage tanks, on non delivery days. Just a theory I have heard. I have never heard of getting better mpg on one brand of gas over another.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    AND my 2002 T&C LX gets much better gas mileage even though I use "lesser" brands like Flying J...but NOT any "No name" gasoline.
    What I do not understand is how Shell brand can be 40 or 50 cents a gallon more than Flying J in Barstow, California when the 2 stations are just across the intersection from each other. (Chevron is much less expensive in Barstow than Shell but still more expensive than Flying J).
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    Well, unless you check into it...Flying J's may be using Shell produced gasoline. I would think Shell wouldn't shell...err sell...very much gas if the Flying J's is 50 cent less.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • philbertophilberto Member Posts: 46
    marine2,

    Thanks for that. It explains why I have been searching for something that does not exist. The man knows his stuff and it sounds like he has it down. I will follow his suggestion.

    Thanks again!

    Phil ~
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    link title

    Try the above link for the best gas....
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,299
    A detergent is an additive is it not. All gasoline has additives which leave behind deposits on engine. That link seems a bit fishy...fish.

    From the first link it seems that all base gasoline produced is the same until the time additives or detergents(same thing) are put in them.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • dennisctcdennisctc Member Posts: 1,168
    2005 Dodge GC SXT with tow package. Just back from trip to Canada camping - Van loaded with 4 adults and 2 dogs, tons of luggage, towing my Coleman Popup RV...... worst was 17 mpg snaking thru small towns etc. best 22 mpg on highway. 18 overall for weekend. Just wish I had 25 gallon tank instead of 20 :(

    Have about 7200 miles on engine, so not really broken in yet.
  • fish8fish8 Member Posts: 2,282
    What's fishy about it? Motor Trend (maybe Car and Driver) recently had an article on Top tier gas and made reference to this program? They concluded that one shouldn't skimp on the gas they put in their car.

    I don't blame you for being skeptical though.
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