600+ Miles Per Tank Club?

[2qk4um8]

I read couple of articles about AC vs Windows down question, there is no definite answer because it depends on what type of car is driven and what kind of drag and turbulence it creates. Most articles say 45-50mph for most sedans.

link to the article that appeared couple days ago on yahoo front page.
Does it really save gas to roll down your car windows instead of flipping on the AC? - By Brendan I. Koerner - Slate Magazine

[DougFreeze]

I finally found my pictures and decided to put this on my web site.
800 miles on one tank of gas IS possible:
Altima MPG Potential

Although I'm not going to be the one who sits there for 14 hours to test it.
5 hours of driving was way too much for me but it's done and lightly documented.

[2qk4um8]

Originally Posted by DougFreeze

I finally found my pictures and decided to put this on my web site.
800 miles on one tank of gas IS possible:
Altima MPG Potential

Although I'm not going to be the one who sits there for 14 hours to test it.
5 hours of driving was way too much for me but it's done and lightly documented.

very awesome write up. but might be a bit dangerous as you alluded too driving at 55mph in 65/70mph zones. CVT FTW

[DougFreeze]

I agree. But the minimum speed was 55 but that wouldn't stop them from citing me for disrupting the regular flow of traffic.
Lucky me.

[ssjones]

Sorry Doug, but I don't think this is proof an 800 mile tank is possible. I routinely get 350 - 375 miles at half a tank, with the MPG reading at 38 or so. MTE plus my actual miles on the tank yield around 650. BUT, with the 2nd half-tank, as many have pointed out, the results drop dramatically and my best yield is 33-34 mpg and miles around 540 or so. I have every tank logged in an Excel spreadsheet, going from memory here - but I fill up about 2-3 times per week. I say actually getting 800 or even 700 on one tank is impossible but would concede if shown proof in a manner that you documented your half tank.
I do think around a 55 mph average is the magic number for high mpg results. Any more and it drops. Less also seems to hurt the results. Guess my problem is I can not discipline myself to drive 55 mph. Works paying for the gas so I don't really have a major incentive....

Originally Posted by DougFreeze

I finally found my pictures and decided to put this on my web site.
800 miles on one tank of gas IS possible:
Altima MPG Potential

Although I'm not going to be the one who sits there for 14 hours to test it.
5 hours of driving was way too much for me but it's done and lightly documented.

[Glazeworld]

In my last trip back from Gatlinburg, TN to Cincinnati, OH I got 300 miles on half a tank. Here's my configurationL

3.5L with 6sp MT
Half of the trip was through the mountains
Car was loaded with 2 people, a full trunk, and a full back seat (luggage and other crap)
87 Octane (3.5 recommends 91 octane)

Sure enough, at around 420 miles, my low fuel light came on. I put in about 15.5 gallons at that point and the needle was below 1/4 tank.

At 300 miles, I was sure that I was going to get some rediculous mileage, but when it came time to fill the tank, I believe my average was in the area of 27.7mpg.

[Teach]

I filled up this morning for the first time in 2 weeks. The gas warning came on when I cranked the car this morning to leave for work saying I had 58 miles left on the tank. I filled up at a station across the street from work and the warning was saying I had 48 miles left after actually driving 18 miles. I filled the tank as full as I could get it and put in exactly 17 gallons for a calculated 27.99mpg - 60% highway/40% city running 65mph on the highway mostly.
I noticed mention of the pros and cons of using AC vs windows down. Let me tell you, in this Texas heat the AC is worth every bit of any extra gas it may use. I'm all for using as little gas as possible but also like to be comfortable too.

[DougFreeze]

Heck, It's fun to imagine anyway.
I don't think the magic number is 55MPH, I bet it would be about 40 to 45 MPH.
I'm going to watch my gauge a little harder to see what I get before 1/2 tank and then after.

[SSQATCH]

I seem to get my best mileage doing around 40mph in 5th gear. I have actually changed the route I take back and forth to work to take advantage of this speed and lack of traffic. It is paying off - literally!!

TOM B

[Teach]

My route to work is 18 miles of highway with a speed limit of 70 mph. You can drive comfortable at 65 mph in the right lane but if you decide to get in the left lane, watch out. You better be prepared to move or get moved. For the heck of it, this morning I decided to brave the left lane for a couple of miles just to see what it would take to "go with the flow". I was not surprised that my Altima drives just as smooth at 90 mph as it does as 65 mph. Yes, that's how the traffic was flowing and that's why I stay in the right lane at 65. Luckily I didn't stay at that speed long enough to terrible affect my mpg.

[velanzia]

i love this man. 2 weeks ago i drove on freeway for myabe 6-8 times. mostly did 100 kmh (with one singe 160kmh). since i usually drive on stop-n-go, my trop computer thing was reporting 10 L/100KM.

Man after those trips, it quickly changed to 9.9 - 9.8 .... then 9 L/100KM. Loved it. At that time I was using my last quarter of tank.

[noz34me]

Originally Posted by Teach

My route to work is 18 miles of highway with a speed limit of 70 mph. You can drive comfortable at 65 mph in the right lane but if you decide to get in the left lane, watch out. You better be prepared to move or get moved. For the heck of it, this morning I decided to brave the left lane for a couple of miles just to see what it would take to "go with the flow". I was not surprised that my Altima drives just as smooth at 90 mph as it does as 65 mph. Yes, that's how the traffic was flowing and that's why I stay in the right lane at 65. Luckily I didn't stay at that speed long enough to terrible affect my mpg.

Kudos to you for at least staying in the right lane if you're not flying.

People around here consider the left lane either their own personal lane, they feel it's their job to limit the speed of everyone else in the left lane, or my favorite, the left lane is a 5 mile left turn lane.

My own sister told me she gets in the left lane asap because she's turning left off this road, and "I don't have to think about it anymore". Brilliant.

End of rant.

[ssjones]

Close to a 600 mile tank yesterday, but no cigar. In the past two days, I took two trips that I thought might yield close to a 600 mile tank.
Monday afternoon, from NJ via the Jersey Turnpike>PA Turnpike>I-81 to MD and a full tank of Jersey gas I went 250 miles with one stop. Cruise on, at 72 mph. I encountered heavy rain the last 40 minutes. Arriving at home, my average MPG was 32.4 and 60.5 avg mph.
Tuesday AM, I drove to Ohio and back. I used I-70>PA Turnpike with one stop before a refill was needed. I got 534 miles on the tank, need to fill up in Somerset PA. The information display showed 33.4 mpg and 61.7 avg mph. It took 17.0 gallons to refill, yielding 31.4 mpg. I've hit quite a few 33 mpg tanks before, so that was on the low side for that kind of non-stop trip. I guess 3 more gallons in the tank at around 30 mpg would have taken me over 600 miles. But, I can't push it that close with exits spaced pretty far apart and not real familiar with facilities at some of those exits.
That might be as good as it gets for me. I definitely have a hard time driving less than 70 mph on those turnpike systems.

[reynardmc22]

You get a better average if you go longer is what i'm guessing they are basing it on. Since someone could go just 50 mph behind a semi and probably get 40+ mpg and then claim they could get 1000 mi per tank. Now if you actually did the whole 1000 miles behind a semi you could claim it but that's not normal driving conditions.

I find it extremely hard to go a whole tank much less a 1/4 a tank without trying to race someone or speed up really aggressively, i have a 3.5 SE MT Sedan and with speeding up fast and staying under 75mph i can average 29 mpg a tank and max miles per tank are 560 with 19 gallons added which i'm more than happy with. Current tank i'm trying to make it into the club looks like i'm going to hit it easy so we'll see, but that last half always goes faster.

[D-Roll]

If i did all hwy driving I'd be in the 600 mpg club. On a road trip I did get 316miles out of a 1/2 tank. In the city, I've gotten a lil over 500mpg at one point.