Mpg

[tjf67]

I have notice since around July that the MPG on my 4runner has dropped from 21.9 to 19.9. I can figure out why. Everything is operating properley.

Do you think it the amount of ethanol they are mixing in the gas has made the differance.

has any one else noticed a decline is MPG on there vehicle?

 

[ctenidae]

Mine's gone from 25-26 to 18-19, mostly becasue my wife drives it to work now. 2 miles, in town.
Yes, I know.

 

[koreshot]

Winter gas maybe?

 

[nelsapbm]

Did you put snow tires on?

Also, me being a typical clueless female when it comes to cars, can the colder air temperature have anything to do with engine performance?

 

[drjeff]

Are any of you letting the cars warm up for a few minutes prior to driving???

Most likely though its the higher ethanol blend

 

[koreshot]

Are any of you letting the cars warm up for a few minutes prior to driving???

Most likely though its the higher ethanol blend

Would warming the car up affect fuel economy much?

 

[bigbog]

....3rd-party air intake & exhaust!

Hey you NELSAP Bummette!,
exchange your factory-air-strangling air filter for a 3rd party Intake and exhaust...you'll love the increased output for what your spark plugs are giving you...& you won't have to step on the gas peddle nearly as hard.
For snows: ProComp AT (Severe Weather)....a great SUV snowtire!, just cut your dummy plastic mudguards back a bit to make way for a slightly larger(Lt Truck, but more aggressive!) tire....you'll love the floatation + grip. When I say "aggressive" I mean thinner rubber blocks...but they're edged = better traction AND paved road glide.

$.01

 

[drjeff]

Would warming the car up affect fuel economy much?

Depends on your warm up time. If you're keeping the car on for 20 minutes each day of the work week, that will add up over the course of a tank of gas

 

[RISkier]

Gas mileage usually goes down a bit in colder weather and the gas blend may be a somewhat different during winter months as well. And warming up a vehicle will definately effect gas mileage.

 

[ckofer]

is the emergency brake on?

 

[andyzee]

Winter gas

 

[tjf67]

the only thing that I changed from last winter is I went from an allseason tire to an AT tire.

I would not think it would affect it that much.

I think I am going to look into the air intake and see about swapping it out. may be that will help. good call

none of You have noticed a decrease since the summer?

 

[tjf67]

is the emergency brake on?

wouldn't that be funny. I dont think so but I am going to check today when I take off. If that is it I will be a true GAPER.

 

[MichaelJ]

Softer tread on the new tire? Less air pressure?
I lost 3mpg when I did my last tire upgrade; it took several months to regain that.

 

[bvibert]

I've noticed a loss, but I also put a cargo box on top for the skis and have been driving a bit more 'aggressively' lately, so I've been attributing it to that...

 

[Terry]

An AT tire has a higher rolling resistance than an all season tire. It will definately drop your mileage some.

 

[skijay]

Winter fuel has not affected the Scion Xa, but the Saturn VUE it does. This is my first season with Blizzak snow tires on the VUE. I do notice that my mpg is only down by 2 as opposed to 4 like the previous winters with the other snow tires.

 

[ckofer]

http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/environmentalimpact/a/winterfuelecon.htm

http://www.metrompg.com/posts/winter-mpg.htm

I think the answer is all of the above. Vehicles are doing more work with crappier gas and trashing the net efficiency. Now, it's about time for our resident 25 year old engineer to chime in.

As far as expansion issues, this seems to favor us in the cold weather. It's an issue of how many gasoline molecules you get per gallon purchased.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3468

 

[dmc]

Don't park by the Empire State building... Or you wont be able to start your car...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/27/2008-01-27_empire_state_building_car_zap_mystery.html

 

[bvibert]

Don't park by the Empire State building... Or you wont be able to start your car...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2008/01/27/2008-01-27_empire_state_building_car_zap_mystery.html

That's pretty bizarre. :blink: