Thanks for reading my post. I'm really not satisfied with my Nissan Altima's MPG. It's 23.9 now (on dashboard) and when I calculate it mathematically, it's even lower.
I've been reading a lot of posts here and everyone's saying their average is 26+. To answer any questions: My oil changes are full synthetic at Jiffy Lube every 6000 miles I believe, gas is middle grade, tire pressure is okay, drive on highway occasionally (at least once a week). Note: When I used to put premium grades, it did go up to 26.5 once, then I switched to middle grade and the MPG's been low ever since.
I have '10 SR Sedan. My average is 22.6. The ratio highway:city is 50:50 in my case. The car underwent some changes so I cannot say it is bone stock. Now, based on your location you may experience lower MPG in the winter because of various and obvious reasons. Also, when you pump lower grade gas there is less octane so the car will need to burn more gas for the same mileage. I recently had to retune the ECU (using 93 always) because I put some more stuff in the car, but did not have a chance to improve MPG because weather has been cold, snow, ice,traffic etc... Anyway, if it does not break the bank use premium gas. Additionally, every Spring and Fall I clean the throttle body and MAF; and every 6 months I use one of these Robot Check You may want to consider doing these little things to keep your car intact. One more thing I noticed when pumping gas... I noticed that if I refill the tank before I let it drop below half of its capacity, I increase my mileage with 20-30 miles per half a tank. Approximately, with half a tank I can drive about 200 miles. But if I let it go way below the 1/2 mark then the mileage decreases significantly.
I have '10 SR Sedan. My average is 22.6. The ratio highway:city is 50:50 in my case. The car underwent some changes so I cannot say it is bone stock. Now, based on your location you may experience lower MPG in the winter because of various and obvious reasons. Also, when you pump lower grade gas there is less octane so the car will need to burn more gas for the same mileage. I recently had to retune the ECU (using 93 always) because I put some more stuff in the car, but did not have a chance to improve MPG because weather has been cold, snow, ice,traffic etc... Anyway, if it does not break the bank use premium gas. Additionally, every Spring and Fall I clean the throttle body and MAF; and every 6 months I use one of these Robot Check You may want to consider doing these little things to keep your car intact. One more thing I noticed when pumping gas... I noticed that if I refill the tank before I let it drop below half of its capacity, I increase my mileage with 20-30 miles per half a tank. Approximately, with half a tank I can drive about 200 miles. But if I let it go way below the 1/2 mark then the mileage decreases significantly.
Will using a higher octane fuel than required improve fuel economy or performance?
It depends. For most vehicles, higher octane fuel may improve performance and gas mileage and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by a few percent during severe duty operation, such as towing a trailer or carrying heavy loads, especially in hot weather. However, under normal driving conditions, you may get little to no benefit. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/octane.shtml
If your car does not require premium gas, there are no added benefits to your car’s performance or longevity. Simply put, you’re paying good money for something you don’t need. Premium costs 15-30 cents more a gallon than regular. In a consumer notice, the Federal Trade Commission, notes: “In most cases, using a higher-octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.” Five Facts of Using Premium vs. Regular Gas - TrueCar Blog
My '12 Altima 2.5s has been getting 26.5 ave mpg for 50:50 city/highway driving. Yesterday I reset the calculator before getting on the highway for a 10 mile trip downtown, and the mpg was 38 after parking. Using regular gas
You know I had to google a lota stuff with your last two replies until I found Scotty Kilmer's channel on YouTube. He makes every car necessity seem so easy. Thanks for all the advice! Time to start learning to fix my own car!
I know Scotty Kilmer's channel lmao this guy is a freak but he really does tell you some good useful things. You may wanna check Chris Fix too. He is also informative.
Wish I had a garage to work on the car. A lot of the things one can do by himself with the right tools and space. Do you live in a house?
When I see him coming out of a trunk or some shit like this can't help myself but to start cracking up. Only down side is that educational videos like this a short and edited. Often one cannot see if the mechanic runs into a problem or other complications along the way. But they are good to get a general idea of the process.