gas mileage fix?

[OnTheAxis]

A few thoughts.

What is cold. What do people consider "cold"? I live in Massachusetts. Lately it's been in the 30's and 40's. My new 2008 3.5 SE warms up very fast compared to any other car I've ever driven. It warms up to normal in less than 2 miles.

Everytime you brake your MPG goes down. So tailgateing and racing and braking to a red lights will cost you.

I don't know whether it's wise -from a MPG standpoint- to allow the engine to warm up before you start driving. I would guess that the warm up time is a function of the total RPM's regardless of whether the vehicle is moving. You get zero MPG motionless. On the other hand, a cold engine requires more energy to move...

I haven't watched my MPG too closely yet - the car's too new. So I can't add anything yet.

[goflne1]

I agree w/JD, most of the #'s people throw out are on the high side. Just try light-foot instead of lead foot for an entire tank full....you'll see how much impact it has on your mileage. Mine ranges from 20-26mpg in the city.

[ajpleblanc]

Originally Posted by goflne1

I agree w/JD, most of the #'s people throw out are on the high side. Just try light-foot instead of lead foot for an entire tank full....you'll see how much impact it has on your mileage. Mine ranges from 20-26mpg in the city.

It's funny you should mention that...
A friend of mine has a honda civic. Bought it brand new...
All he ever does is complain about the crappy mileage it gets
~"I drive all city miles, but 22mpg!? it's a civic!!"

So one day I happened to be in the car with him.
and noted his driving technique seemed to border on somewhere in between a new york city cab driver, and a top fuel dragster driver

I mentioned to him that he should try to drive with a lighter foot for a tank of gas.

The result.

~36mpg

[Spoony Love]

my personal best mpg was 27 wheni first got my 2.5s (cvt) when it was stock...

i now get around 23-24 with my 18 inch wheels, they do weigh alittle more then the stock wheel/tire combo...

i think my culprit is my K&N drop in air filter...what im thinking of doing is buying a dry filter on my next fill up then driving that tank out, then cleaning and putting the K&N back in for the next tank and see if it changes.

[KnoX]

You must have heard the term " Everything Constant".
Dealers wont do anything special to improve your milage. The following are the things you need to keep consistent:
1- Clean air filter
2- Timely oil change
3- Normal acceleration
4- proper tire pressure
5- Drive within the speed limit
6- No extra weight in the car
Then you'll get the best mileage. When I am on equal level highway using cruise control, doing 75mph or less I get up to 34.3 mpg. Currently because of cold weather, more idling, stop and go, city driving I average 25mpg or 24.5 or less sometimes. So you are probably doing just fine. Does this give you any idea now?
I tell you what....manual says 32 psi for tires. If you have a facility within a mile for Air...take the car there first thing is the morning when all tires are still cold. Raise the tire PSIs equally to 34 or 34.5 for all tires. Do not do this if you have snow in your area. Now this will give you minor noisy ride, but you'll get better mileage.

[tatanka]

Driving habits make all the difference.

I've had my '07 2.5S just long enough to run through one tank of gas. Looks like it'll do 24-25 pretty easy, and maybe 27 if I drive real conservatively (where's the fun in that?). That's in the city; I'm betting 32-35 on the highway with cruise control on.

In other words, about the same as the '91 Stanza it replaced. But this is soooo much more fun.

[canuck01]

Just for reference, I just sold a diesel Jetta that I had for 11 years. Those things are mileage kings. I got the rated 40 mpg city\50 mpg hwy, (that's CDN gal.), quite easily in the summer, but even it went way down, with either, short trips in the city, (I live about 2kms from work), or in the cold weather. And that is down about 10 mpg's. So to get good mileage you have to be driving longer trips, in the warmer weather. Another thing, I really noticed the mileage drop over about 60 mph. Going 80-85 mph in Arizona I only got about 45 mpg. Probably because the car was pretty boxy and not very aerodynamic.

[cegledi]

I spend time on the GMC Acadia forum as well (next vehicle to replace my Expedition) and they talk a lot about getting the vehicle "reflashed" which has something to do with setting the transmission again. We have a CVT so not sure how much resetting can be done.

Bottom line, there could be something wrong with your vehicle but probably not. I'm averaging 23.93 mpg in mostly city driving with less than 2100 miles on it and in the winter so I'm happy. Wishing you the best.

[P.M.]

Originally Posted by roblux575

I have read more than a few threads on Altima gas mileage, and several people are doing way better than I mileage-wise. Typically, someone will say in one of those threads something like "If you aren't getting X miles per gallon, you should take your car to the dealer - there's something wrong." But no one ever says what the dealer will in fact attempt to do. Is this suggestion just idle chatter (pun intended), or is there something we could actually expect the dealer to be able to do to improve mileage? Is there something in particular they should be looking for? I am a reformed fast-accelerator who has made an honest and significant effort to change driving habits in order to improve mpg. I am still getting 23/24 in mixed driving, while others report high 20's and low 30's. Mine is the 2.5SL. I want to know if taking the car to the dealer is even a realistic option. Can I really complain, given my reported mileage? I bought the car genuinely hoping to post significant improvements over my '98 Subaru Outback, but so far, the difference is only moderate.

Hi Roblux,Fuel economy threads are my favorite. For real. I'll try to answer your questions. It sounds like you're getting pretty decent fuel economy. However, if you were getting dismal FE, the dealer could check for several things: proper tire pressure, unobstructed air flow to engine, including a clean air filter, proper wheel alignment, fuel injectors working properly, etc. But it's highly unlikely one of these items is drastically wrong, if you're able to get FE in the mid-20s.The thing is, nobody knows your driving route and style but you. You mention "mixed driving", but that varies wildly from person to person. Whenever I hear someone not happy with Fuel Economy, I recommend they perform a simple test:One Saturday, fuel up your car at your favorite station. Stop fueling at the first click. Re-set your trip meter to zero, and then hit the highway. Keep your speed somewhere around 60-65 mph (gotta be disciplined), and drive an uninterrupted round-trip of at least 120 miles, which on a 2.5 Altima is enough to burn at least 3 gallons of fuel. Then return to the same station, same pump if possible, and refill again to full. Again, don't top off. Divide your miles driven by gallons just pumped, and there's your fuel economy. All told should only eat 2.5 hours of your Saturday.I would guess that many/most 2.5 Altima owners would be amazed at their fuel economy after a test like this. Easily 32 mpg, probably more like 35 or even 37. Keep it at 60mph and you might even crack 40 mpg. If so, then nothing's wrong with the car. It's probably just be the human element that's hurting fuel economy. Ease up when accelerating from a stop, try to coast as much as possible when approaching a stop/slow down, keep your speed down on the highway, and keep the car is tip-top mechanical shape.Good luck.--P.M.Nissan design engineer

[specboy]

Wow! reading this thread I am Ecstatic about the economy I'm getting. I have the 3.5SE and am averaging [over the last 8,000mi] over 25mpg total (see my sig for latest info.) and that's with the majority of the "break-in" period being in the winter. I'm expecting to average 28 or 29 in country driving. My last tank gave me over 26mpg and it's still around 32degrees here in Vermont. We spent a number of months never getting out of the teens and twentys and I probably averaged around 23mpg during those times with 10minutes of warm-up/day 4-5days/wk. I can't wait until spring with 55-60 degree weather.

Anyone interested, I can post the data from 2K mi on.

~SB

[Manual Lover]

Last weekend drove from Pittsburgh to Cleveland ( 150 miles). Never went above 65mph. Most of the time kept it between 55mph and 60mph.
Lmao I bet I pissed off a couple of other drivers but anyway. Oh and everybody was speeding lol its so obvious when you observe the speed limit.

Haha ok back to mpg. Fuel economy was 39 mpg (miles/ gallons pumped, btw trip computer always shows higher for me and it showed 41mpg that time ) and I think that is about as high as it gets. This is with a 2007 Altima 6spd 2.5S (16000 miles) .

[cosmotravis]

ML, do you tell alot of fishing stories too? 39mpg?

[P.M.]

Originally Posted by cosmotravis

ML, do you tell alot of fishing stories too? 39mpg?

I'd bet Manual Lover's testament is no big whopper. As I said in my first post (apologize for no spaces--not sure what went wrong there), if you keep your speed down, as well as consistent, on the highway, you can be amazed at Fuel Economy of your Altima. The car's aerodynamics are very good, which is critical for excellent highway fuel economy.

Let this be a challenge to all '07/'08 Altima owners out there, whether 2.5 I4 or 3.5 V6: just for fun do a 100 mile highway trip at 60-65 mph, and sit back and be amazed at your fuel economy. Then keep that number in mind as a goal for every tank you burn.

Thanks for the real-world backup, ML. I'll bet there's others out there too with stories of amazing fuel economy.

--P.M.
Nissan design engineer

[specboy]

Right now, the Computer says 29.1 in the SE and it's been just about 30 degrees since fill-up. last tank was around 26mpg and I'm expecting this one to be 27+. As spring comes around, I'm thinking 29 or 30 might be in the cards. (computer is always 1.5-2mpg high.)

39 does seem to be a bit high but with a good tail wind, it shouldn't be impossible. I'd be more interested to see what the whole tank ends up being.

~SB

[KnoX]

70 mph in cruise, no ac, just fan on, windows up, 65 degrees temp..from Falls Church, VA to Frederick MD..I hit 35.5 mpg. Went all the way to Monroeville PA. Did some on and off cruise..did some 80-85mph, but no AC. At the end it was avaerge 29.5mpg. I think it was pretty good.
I think this 2.5s give significantly lower mileage in winter, even if it's on the highway. I have been noticing this for months now.

So I think it is possible to go beyonf 35.5mpg doing granny style, but that's not me. I also hope they didn't mix 10% ethanol in every gas station. Why use ethanol when it is not cheap and when it lowers our mileage.

Anyhow! thought I'll share.