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Gas mileage

F

fixerupper

Well-known Member
Just came home from an eight day trip to Yellowstone and the Black Hills with my wife's 08 Toyota Seinna van. This was our first trip with it so I kept close records of the gas mileage, cost, etc. We were pretty much fully loaded with three granddaughters, my wife, me, and a 6'X32" roof top luggage carrier filled to the hilt. We drove 2517 miles.

What surprised me was the van got the same mileage no matter how we drove or where we drove, 22.5 MPG, give or take a few tenths. Every time we filled up, that's what the mileage was. It didn't matter whether we were cruising across the plains of Nebraska or the hairpin turns and steep grades of the Rockies.

Seems to me the mileage would be bad in the mountains and better on the flat, but that wasn't what we saw. Anyone else have a similar story, or least an explanation? I always used the middle grade of gas, but the gas companies were never the same. Jim
 
That is kinda strange.... I can't answer it but I'm sure someone will. AND, I bet for each post that attempts to answer your question, there'll be at least 3 clowns chastising you for buying an import and screwing our Country up..... Wish I'd have been on that trip with you.


Dave
 
Well, many moons ago, I owned a '73 Olds 98 that got 13.5 mpg, no matter how you drove it. Around town, open road, A/C on or off, didn't make any difference. 13.5 mpg.
 
I would think that your milage suffered about the same at low speed in the hills as it did pushing wind resistance with that topper on the open road cruising.
 
I've made 3 trips through Montana with my 02 Dodge with a Cummins pulling a trailer and each time the further west I went the mileage went way up. Coming back home it was the opposite, the further east I came the worse it got. The best was from Bozeman west. I kept track with actual gallons used, not a computer reading so I know what I was actually getting.
 
Dave: Well, I know of three vehicles, travelled from Ottawa Canada to Toronto Canada. A Buick LeSabre and two imports half the room of the Buick. They travelled together, and at Toronto it took less gas to fill the Buick than either of the others.

I had a English immigrant friend, came to Canada, liked big American cars, but decided not to go all the way, thus bought a Chevelle Malibue 1973. In 74 I purchased a new Delta 88 with 455, 4 barrel. Man did he ever poke fun at my big American car, until one day he got a chance to check my gas milage. Highway driving he discovered my Olds was giving 22.9 miles per Imperial gallon. At this point he revealed to me his Chevelle was only doing 18.5 on same type driving.
 
I'll bet that luggage carrier knocked enough off your cruise economy that it didn't make much difference how you were driving.
 
No real answers...on board computers has a lot to do with it. Rear end ratios, bla, bla, bla (always wanted to do that). On the road you should average about the same if you are a consistant in how you drive. I am looking a adding a water to gas converter to pick up my MPG on a Cobalt (32MPG now). If it works I will move it to the 06 Ford Super cab 150 and build two more for the Impala and Cobalt. Google "Water to Gas".
 
Seems kinda odd. I believe it to be a running average, kept in segments that are constantly updated as long as the engine is running. I see it change in my chevy after a few minutes. In the winter, after warming up the car before a trip - 10 minutes or so, I see the average drops 2 0r 3 mpg. If I accelerate, quickly it drops also. My HHR is averaging 30.5 to 31.1.
 
22.5 MPG seems about right for a mid-size van. He!! my wifes Jeep Liberty got 23MPG on long trips. That has the 3.7 V6.
 
Oh Yeah, maybe I'd better explain farther, The mileage figures came from the actual pump readings and odometer readings, not the computer. When I took the carrier off the roof there was a big streak of bugs on the bottom side of the carrier and also on the top of the van roof, so the air was obviously being trapped under the carrier. Someday we might get the chance to take a trip with the van fairly empty and no luggage carrier so I'll know what it gets for mileage without that thing up there. I do know the van wasn't nearly as lively during the trip as it is when it's empty. Jim
 
I've got a 1998 Dodge AWD Grand Caravan with the biggest V6 (3.8 or 3.9). We drive it loaded up through the steep Adirondack Mountains and get 21.5 to 22 MPG. Also just took it on a 2000 mile trip through Canada and northern Michigan (mostly flat driving) and still got 21.5 - 22 MPG although we were driving 75 MPH most of the time.
That seems OK to me since it's AWD. I do know that a 2WD Chevy Venture minivan with the 3.4 engine will consistently get 27 MPG on the same trips. The Ventures get the best fuel mileage of any minivan I know of.

I will say I'm impressed with the new 2009 Ford Escape with the 2.5 four cylinder and 6 speed automatic. My wife's parents just bought one. We took it on a long trip in northern Michigan with four adults, one kid, and a dog crammed in. We drove 1000 miles and got 29 MPG. That's pretty good for a four-door, AWD SUV. Has plenty of power too, at least on those mild Michigan hills.
 
(quoted from post at 16:01:00 08/09/09) Interesting,,, I have a 1971 Dodge D300 1 Ton with a 318 V8 and I get 13.5 MPG full or empty, doing 40 mph or 60 mph, wonder why that is with the older ones,,,,, Interesting,,,,
Click to expand...

Perhaps it has something to do with the torque convertor and transmissions? Not sure, but my old 74 Dodge Dart with a mild 318 gets a solid 10-12mph on the highway. :lol:
 
We just went to Reno with our 1950 Dodge and 1956 Plymouth. Got 21MPG going up from Calif and 22MPG coming back. Both cars have flathead six engines, one with Fluid Drive and the other a PowerFlite.

Modern cars are so much easier on the wallet at the gas pumps....Ha Ha! The old timer say most cars got around 20MPG back in the day. I guess all the smog stuff ruins them. Less pollution from the cars at the expense of more oil and more refinery pollution.

Josh
 
My grandson and I went on a fishin trip to the black hills last week in my 97 2500 truck and overhead camper and got 10.5 mpg. Same mileage in the hills as on I 90. One of the few times I have seen the badlands green. This truck only has 65k on it so i am keeping it.
 
I got a ford ranger that gets almost 40 mpg and it has never seen the freeway.And no it is not a ford engine in it.
 
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