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best mileage for full tank of gas?

svtfixer said:
how are you guys reading your mpg? calculating after?
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Miles traveled/gallons used. I validate gallons based on pump receipt statement of gallons used.
I am able to capture "by the tank" mpg this way. On long trips (Portland to San Diego) I average over
the number of tanks as well - provides mpg over 1100+ miles.
 
I tend to drive hard.. best I got was all highway 80mph 320 miles.

Around the city so far I get about 260-275.

Bone stock '98 2.5
 
svtfixer said:
suppose this is regarding the performance of the car and how well it burns fuel. also never seen anyone ask this question like this.

what is the best mileage anyones gotten for a full tank of gas?

suppose year and engine matter as well as a few other factors.
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Do you mean driving straight through the whole tank without stopping (ie, road trip) or do you just mean generally driving around doing everyday things?

My results vary wildly depending on the scenario.
 
zxtuner said:
when you coast in gear you use little to no fuel, whereas when you neutral fuel is required to keep the engine running at idle. So pulsing and gliding really are more effective if you can do it in gear.
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EDIT* this^^^^^ is not always correct coasting down any sort of grade in neutral you will technically be burning more fuel but you will travel longer distances and lose speed slower. I tried this yesterday on my way home where I average around 21-23MPG. Yesterday I pulled in my driveway at 27.9MPG for the trip just by pulsing and gliding on downgrades coasting up hills as much as I could. I just wanted to share my experience. :)
 
zxtuner said:



EDIT* this^^^^^ is not always correct coasting down any sort of grade in neutral you will technically be burning more fuel but you will travel longer distances and lose speed slower. I tried this yesterday on my way home where I average around 21-23MPG. Yesterday I pulled in my driveway at 27.9MPG for the trip just by pulsing and gliding on downgrades coasting up hills as much as I could. I just wanted to share my experience. :)
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Bingo. I can see why many ppl go the other way. But that isn't looking ahead. Pardon the pun. The injectors shut off, yes. But in gear, you're only able to travel very short distances. I guess that will also depend on the gearing ratio of the vehicle. But if you wanna get more mileage from your contour, coast in neutral whenever possible. Especially when there are no obstacles ahead.
Edit- Oh, & if you've got throttle hang issues, this won't help ur gas mileage. You're better off leaving it in gear.
 
ive heard the uphill downhill argument before. interesting.

yeah i guess just overall best number of a tank, probably would be straight thru all highway. it usually is a huge difference from city to highway.
 
Yes, steady throttle driving is always going to deliver best mpg, all things being equal. There are just so many variables coming into play for best mpg.
 
contour_r_us said:
Yes, steady throttle driving is always going to deliver best mpg, all things being equal. There are just so many variables coming into play for best mpg.
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As long as it's on the flat. Steady uphill throttle will kill your tank quickly. :-D
 
contour_r_us said:
Seriously, ALL an uphill gradient? What route?
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Haha not really as far as I know. But remember, when you're climbing mountains, your MPG goes down the tubes so you don't need 380-400 miles of it. If you're only getting 10mpg on a hard grade typical of mountainous regions it only needs to be about 150 miles long and your tank is done.

It's an extreme example but not exactly unrealistic.
 
My typical highway MPG is about 29 but I have gotten as high as 31 MPG. Car is bone stock and has 210K miles. The best mileage for a tank of gas is about 350. I tend to fill it up pretty close after the light comes on.
 
my 96 SE never topped 30mpg and I really tried on that car. Under 30 on the cougar was blasphemy.... I found it very easy to average 35mpg per tank. I don't think the tour has the same tripometer but I'm pretty certain the cougar's coding has max hard limit of displaying 420mile till empty. I've had a number of tanks pull 450 miles.
 
On my old setup...

2.5L, WR headers & y-pipe, Trubendz test pipe, Borla catback, taylor wires, FRAM air hog filter

best 33mpg, averaged 27mpg, worst 23mpg
 
The Reebs thread was already mentioned but here is the link. 526.8 miles on one tank. LINK

I get 350-420 pretty consistently. The motor is almost at 300k.
 
contour_r_us said:
Very nice mpg's being reported. I am stocked about my '95 Zetec w/MTX75 and 178k miles.....34.2mpg. 90/10% hwy/town mix.
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That's awesome. Our mileage numbers make it hard to swallow new car prices and their meager MPG gains. IMHO.
 
dchawk81 - generally I would have to agree w/you. I recently rented a 2012 Dodge Avenger w/18" rims (package, but not STX model) that had approx. 9200 miles on her. 3.6 V6 w/VVT and 6 speed auto transaxle. Put just over 1200 miles in a week's time. Averaged 32.1 - this was a combination of mountain driving (hill climbing in eastern Oregon) to 4 hours of I-84 at a steady 70mph (averaged 36.8 on that leg). What with all the power that I require, flexibility of drivetrain and considering there was 3 adults and full luggage, I actually admired this ride. Handling is unpresidented in this Avenger model (reviews reflect this). Alas, there is still the issue of a $20k window sticker. So, yes, you are most correct - "new car prices and their meager MPG gains". This has ALWAYS been a factor when I think of purchasing a new (to me) ride. Thanks for the reality check!!! Bill
 
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