winter gas mileage?
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: dirty jerz
yeah i get bout 200 miles to a full tank. and the other problem ive been havin in this cold is that when i am gradually boost it starts o flutter and i gotta let off. and sometimes if i get on it its like the boost jus cuts out in 4-6 gear. i duno wtf
After going through this thread, there is one huge factor that some people may have overlooked in terms of fuel economy.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
Last edited by ktk; Jan 25, 2009 at 10:13 PM.
An EVO doing mostly city driving with an occasional highway drive thrown in there will do about 200 miles until the light comes on. Thats average driving, not driving like a grandma.
On the highway making no stops and averaging between 65-80mph you can get 300-310 miles out of a full tank of gas. Again, thats average driving. Once the light come on you can go another 20-30 miles depending on how aggressive you drive.
Most I've every gotten out of my EVO was 328 miles on one tank, all highway driving from PA to MA, and when I filled up I put 14.2x gallons in.
I've got 98k miles on my EVO, so I think I have a pretty good handle on fuel consumption.
Wow... I've never gone more than 250 before having to fill up... and that was all highway driving around 85! Usually I fill up when the guage hits a quarter tank, and that's at 160 miles (+or- 10 miles)
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: nwi
my milage defentally does suck ive noticed it the past few years and eveyone always thinks im crazy when i say something but i swaer im driving a v-8 in the winter..... she just eats gas if the heats on......
I have been averaging about 200 miles and I fill up when the light comes on. I usually let it warm up for 3-5 min before I leave in the morning and another 3-5 min before I leave work in the evening.
I get about 220-240 now... it was lower before I checked my tire pressure... That bumped me up about 20-30 miles a tank... **edited to itterate I am only running 15 psi as DD boost... 26 psi for fun!**
Last edited by Fast_Freddie; Jan 27, 2009 at 02:32 PM.
i'll check the tire pressure, i'm not so much complaining about the mileage neccessarily just kinda wondering if anyone else was getting as bad as i do, i let my car warm up for 7-10 minutes because being a machinist you gain a whole new respect for your motor, if you see some of the horror stories we've seen you wouldnt really want to even drive your car until its fully warm, especially when the high here was -10, even colder in the evening, it sucks *** when you get in the car and your seats feel like a rock lol, i do hit boost in the summer alot, and hell even winter when the weather is like 20* outside, just way in the negatives it just kinda makes me cringe because the cold is so hard on cars, i knew i wasnt going to get civic gas mileage with this car, i did expect at least 18 but hey, i dont even know if my car was put back to stock or anything, i'd kinda like to just datalog it and see how it looks
Don't see why using a heater would cause worst gas mileage. It's using coolant that's already warmed up. Only thing that will happen is the stat will open up less often. It's more to do with colder (denser) air needing more fuel in order to stay at the same A/F ratio. I could also argue that the oil (engine/transmission) being thicker in the cold (until it warms up) makes the car work harder. Although I don't know if that's true but seems like it would be.
Defroster use the A/C so that will hurt a little but hardly anything. You should be using defrosters at least once/week for 5 minutes to make sure the a/c gets used.
Either way... winter sucks. Garage is nice but I am so sick of waking up and it being in single digits or lower. Already decided in 5 years I'm moving to someplace warm. ~30 years of it will be enough.
Defroster use the A/C so that will hurt a little but hardly anything. You should be using defrosters at least once/week for 5 minutes to make sure the a/c gets used.
Either way... winter sucks. Garage is nice but I am so sick of waking up and it being in single digits or lower. Already decided in 5 years I'm moving to someplace warm. ~30 years of it will be enough.
After going through this thread, there is one huge factor that some people may have overlooked in terms of fuel economy.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
On the coldest days in winter 2 things happen that will negatively impact fuel economy.
Firstly lower air temps will strip more heat from your motor. The rate of heat loss through the block/coolant/exhaust is directly proportional to the temperature of the ambient air. This is a factor, but its overall impact is relatively small.
The biggest and often most overlooked factor in winter fuel economy losses is: TIRE PRESSURE. A tire filled to 32psi inside a 70 degree shop or on a nice day, will not have 32psi of pressure in it when its been sitting outside at -10 all day. THE BIGGEST GAS SAVER is also the cheapest fix: Make sure your tires are pressurized correctly for COLD temps. You may not realize but a 10psi drop in tire pressure, while barely visible from a visual inspection of the sidewall (especially on low profile tires) can cost you 10-20% or more in fuel economy!
So what do you need to do? Go outside in the morning and check what your tires are holding when they are as cold as they get. Carry a small 12V compressor around in your car and do periodic checks when its cold out and either pump them up (back up to 32PSI cold when its cold out), or bleed them down (to 32psi when its warm out). (Note: 32psi for factory stock wheel tire setup check you setup specs for correct pressure)
Maintaining proper tire pressure will have a far bigger impact on your fuel economy than most people realize. It's the first thing I would check before moving on to the engine/tuning/performance related issues.
Evolving Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 229
Likes: 14
From: Winter Haven Fl
I did not realize before I read this that they use different gas in the winter. I am glad I did not top my boat off while prices were low. I thought about it, since I was towing it back from the dealer anyway.
On topic I get better gas millage in the winter. I am a school teacher, so that might be because I do a lower ratio of pleasure driving, and more commuting, but all of my driving is suburban and city. I average 17-18 summer, and 19-20 winter.
I know since I teach chemistry and physics that the air is denser when it is colder, so the car makes more power. I can definitely feel the difference between a 20 degree day and a 90 degree day. Maybe some of you just can't resist the urge to experience the power gains of that dense air every time you leave an intersection. I know I can't, which leaves my ECU tuning, as the only explanation of my improved performance. I hope I'm not running lean.
On topic I get better gas millage in the winter. I am a school teacher, so that might be because I do a lower ratio of pleasure driving, and more commuting, but all of my driving is suburban and city. I average 17-18 summer, and 19-20 winter.
I know since I teach chemistry and physics that the air is denser when it is colder, so the car makes more power. I can definitely feel the difference between a 20 degree day and a 90 degree day. Maybe some of you just can't resist the urge to experience the power gains of that dense air every time you leave an intersection. I know I can't, which leaves my ECU tuning, as the only explanation of my improved performance. I hope I'm not running lean.