MR Gas Mileage
FWIW my last 3 gas fill ups (93 octane, professionally tuned, spirited driving, on a EVO VIII 5-speed) yielded the following...
Miles Price/
Driven Gal Gallons MPG Cost
242 $4.28 13.09 18.49 $56.00
239 $4.28 12.20 19.59 $52.20
236 $4.30 12.20 19.34 $52.45
Miles Price/
Driven Gal Gallons MPG Cost
242 $4.28 13.09 18.49 $56.00
239 $4.28 12.20 19.59 $52.20
236 $4.30 12.20 19.34 $52.45
Last edited by my-red-rs; Jun 17, 2008 at 05:39 PM.
Maybe I have my terms all mixed up but does spirited driving for you guys mean you go to 3500 rpm or something? When I drive spirited (or what I consider it as spirited atleast) I'm getting higher than that. And my average consumption would be about 15mpg translated in US measurements. (Yes I drive fast often, doing 130 mph on the freeway is included, here and there)
The biggest mileage difference I can see is when you're accelerating, either you're going slow accelerating, low rpm shifting & a bit of boost and 4-4.5k shifting - that's pretty much the same, while on the other hand wot(or close to wot) shifting at 6-7k is going to kill the mileage (and I literally mean kill).
So what is your definition of "Spirited driving"? And what kind of driving is 20mpg city driving?
Evolved Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,080
Likes: 27
From: Southern California
This discussion again... I love it.
FJF is right on all accounts regarding this topic. It's not something to debate.
Anyway, I don't have an MR (I've had a IX and a IX SE), but the general idea is that the MR gets slightly lower mpg than its 5-speed counterpart, though supposedly due to its gearing it will get better mileage at speeds above 75 mph or so compared to a 5-speed Evo at that same speed.
My current Evo's average mpg to date over 16 months of ownership is 22.58 mpg, with the best to date being 26.73 mpg (which was odd, seeing how during that tank of gas I wasn't really trying to get the best possible mpg since the A/C was on for over 200 miles of the 293.4 miles on that tank before I decided to fill up, plus I went through about 15-20 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic in L.A.). Recently, I had been typically getting 20.5 mpg on my daily drive to work and back, which is a 12-mile round trip completely through city streets, passing through two high schools and all of the accompanying traffic.
FJF is right on all accounts regarding this topic. It's not something to debate.
Anyway, I don't have an MR (I've had a IX and a IX SE), but the general idea is that the MR gets slightly lower mpg than its 5-speed counterpart, though supposedly due to its gearing it will get better mileage at speeds above 75 mph or so compared to a 5-speed Evo at that same speed.
My current Evo's average mpg to date over 16 months of ownership is 22.58 mpg, with the best to date being 26.73 mpg (which was odd, seeing how during that tank of gas I wasn't really trying to get the best possible mpg since the A/C was on for over 200 miles of the 293.4 miles on that tank before I decided to fill up, plus I went through about 15-20 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic in L.A.). Recently, I had been typically getting 20.5 mpg on my daily drive to work and back, which is a 12-mile round trip completely through city streets, passing through two high schools and all of the accompanying traffic.
<grin> A MPG discussion on an Evo forum is always fun for more than one reason.
I guess I should contribute, as well. ~23MPG was my all-time best in a RS during break-in (75%/25% city/highwy). I usually see 17-15MPG (all-city) in the SE. I like to shift high and hit WOT as often as possible. My all-time (street) low hit 12MPG. Hell, I just ran a couple dozen miles and blew ~1/4 for the sheer fun of going fast.
Gentlemen, to internal combustion and all the joy that it brings!
My current Evo's average mpg to date over 16 months of ownership is 22.58 mpg, with the best to date being 26.73 mpg (which was odd, seeing how during that tank of gas I wasn't really trying to get the best possible mpg since the A/C was on for over 200 miles of the 293.4 miles on that tank before I decided to fill up, plus I went through about 15-20 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic in L.A.). Recently, I had been typically getting 20.5 mpg on my daily drive to work and back, which is a 12-mile round trip completely through city streets, passing through two high schools and all of the accompanying traffic.
Gentlemen, to internal combustion and all the joy that it brings!
Do you drive city at 55 mph and spirited at 60?
Maybe I have my terms all mixed up but does spirited driving for you guys mean you go to 3500 rpm or something? When I drive spirited (or what I consider it as spirited atleast) I'm getting higher than that. And my average consumption would be about 15mpg translated in US measurements. (Yes I drive fast often, doing 130 mph on the freeway is included, here and there)
The biggest mileage difference I can see is when you're accelerating, either you're going slow accelerating, low rpm shifting & a bit of boost and 4-4.5k shifting - that's pretty much the same, while on the other hand wot(or close to wot) shifting at 6-7k is going to kill the mileage (and I literally mean kill).
So what is your definition of "Spirited driving"? And what kind of driving is 20mpg city driving?
Maybe I have my terms all mixed up but does spirited driving for you guys mean you go to 3500 rpm or something? When I drive spirited (or what I consider it as spirited atleast) I'm getting higher than that. And my average consumption would be about 15mpg translated in US measurements. (Yes I drive fast often, doing 130 mph on the freeway is included, here and there)
The biggest mileage difference I can see is when you're accelerating, either you're going slow accelerating, low rpm shifting & a bit of boost and 4-4.5k shifting - that's pretty much the same, while on the other hand wot(or close to wot) shifting at 6-7k is going to kill the mileage (and I literally mean kill).
So what is your definition of "Spirited driving"? And what kind of driving is 20mpg city driving?
It is also done on an engine dyno and often differs from actual fact..I get over 300 to a tank on the highway all the time..
This comment is usually based on the EPA estimated mileage found on the sticker. It is lower for the MR. But, you have to understand that the EPA testing is done in a specific manner and includes accelerating from and to certain speeds and in a certain way that is supposed to mimic actual driving.
The MR's 6-speed has shorter gearing, so 1st through 5th will likely burn more fuel as you'll be at a higher RPM than the 5-speed. While cruising in 6th you'll see better mileage than the 5-speed as long as you aren't in a hilly area that causes you to hit boost often.
The MR's 6-speed has shorter gearing, so 1st through 5th will likely burn more fuel as you'll be at a higher RPM than the 5-speed. While cruising in 6th you'll see better mileage than the 5-speed as long as you aren't in a hilly area that causes you to hit boost often.
keep an eye on your boost gauge if it measures vacuum. At idle, i have 20 inches. I find if I drive really really slow and keep it at 10 inches, I can squeeze more miles of of the tank.
I have begun messing with my closed loop fuel ratio and I have seen very noticeable gains. I just recently took a trip to the Chicago area and round trip I averaged a little over 29mpg (pretty much all highway, 70-75 mph mostly, stuck in bumper to bumper for 30min). My mpg before closed loop tuning would average right around 26 mpg. My city driving varies, but I would say I stay around 22-23 mpg most of the time. That being said, the evo is by no means a car you buy to get good fuel economy. Of course once you've got it you can always work towards improving it. Would I still like and drive my car as much if it got the EPA estimates, of course. Is it fun to work on cars and see the fruits of you labor, you bet. Being able to tell people your car is not only faster but gets better fuel economy than theirs, priceless.
Evolved Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,080
Likes: 27
From: Southern California
Absolutely, but even with today's gas prices, a car like ours maxing out at 25-26 mpg (without tuning) is more than a decent compromise.