MPG chat

[crash93ssei]

So, of course MPG is discussed SOOOOO often around here it isn't even funny. I see numbers all over the place claiming in the 30 MPG range, but that is on longer trips and usually not much discussion of actual real world MPG during the daily commute and how your driving style can change it.

As you all know, I own both a 2003 SSEi as well as a 2002 SLE. When I first got the SLE not long ago I had to see what it is like compared to the SSEi and it is flat out miserable in the power department, just no "oomph" you could say. No spinning tires, no torque steer, no getting thrown back in the seat, just stab and go... slowly I am used to my Cutlass and the SSEi in which either car if you stab the throttle you are roasting tires or going sideways, especially around a corner (no one tire fires in the SSEi around corners, Cutlass is posi so no worries)

With those cars being so fun to drive fast and floor it to feel the speed, the SLE on the other hand I have found it much different to drive and have "fun" with. The first few tanks I ran through it I drove the car normal, but rarely went WOT, usually just took it easy and I was getting around 24-25 MPG. The last tank and this one now I decided to try to "hyper mile" a little and see just what sort of mileage I can squeeze out of it by changing my driving style. The average on the DIC is about 1 MPG off what I have calculated so far every time so I can use that as a good measurement. I filled up a couple days ago and with only doing this with about half of that tank averaged 27.7 MPG / 28.6 MPG on the DIC. I filled up in town and drove around there a bit that day then off to work and back a few times and so far the DIC is reading 31.2 MPG so roughly 30 MPG actual average! My old Saturn wouldn't really do much better then that!

My daily drive to work and back is three miles down my road @60 MPH then a stop sign, left turn and about 12 miles @60 MPH then slowing down in town to 30 MPH for just under a mile then work is right there. All in all pretty straight shot. I accelerate extremely slow and then start to very slowly decelerate two miles or so before I have to slow down, turn, or stop. During that long slow down period I can easily hit 40 - 45 instant MPG then when I get closer I completely let off the gas and just coast, getting 70 instant MPG.

I am confident that I can hit 32+ with this car, there is zero weight reduction right now, and actually I have two car seats in the back as well as my trunk is full of my detailing supplies. Soft sticky winter tires are still on the car, so normal all season tires that will go on the car soon should also have a small impact with less rolling resistance.

I am actually having a fun time driving slow in this car to see just how good of mileage I can get out of it. I never thought I would say the words "fun" and "slow" in the same sentence when it comes to a car, but I just did Of course though, Heather took the '02 SLE to work today and left me with the '03 SSEi.... I can't drive slow in that car, it needs to be floored all the time

[SSEiMan01]

Around town, to school and work, I normally see 18/19 IF I'm nice , usually about 17.5 ish, on a highway run to see wake or Carl, maybe an hour drive, I see 28ish. I have gotten 32.3 but that was driving the entire length of WI from Dakota, MN south...

Edit: Yesterday, Heath and I got about 24/5 mpg in his 02, similar mods to mine, with me driving from his place to my Uncles for +/- 4 hours. Buuut, we were going for a low eta, no mileage concerns, why I drove.

[BlackHawk99]

I consistently get 27 MPG out of my 00 SE. I don't drive like a nut...just do a lot of driving.

My Saturn would get 36 MPG so it is a downgrade in that department. But for a full size car, 27 MPG with mixed driving ain't too shabby!

[repinS]

The N* could probably squeak 27-28mpg on your commute, Ryan. Doing interstate trips at 65-75mph gets 24mpg no matter what I do.

[crash93ssei]

I know it could do even better if I could get the TCC to lock up sooner. As it is right now I drive for three miles down my road before it locks up and I start getting actual good mileage. Also I am sure the computer is dumping fuel until it gets up to a certain temp too....

[nos4blood70]

No spinning tires, no torque steer, no getting thrown back in the seat, just stab and go... slowly

You must have a dog of an SLE then.

Anywho! I used to get about 18.7 doing ALL city while hauling 5 people and their things around.

[00Beast]

Most SLE's I've been in have a good bit of scoot, not L67 by any means, but not like a 4-banger Camry or something like that either.

What have you done for maintenance on the SLE? Give it a tune up if you haven't, both mileage and power will increase, I guarantee it.

As for my Ei, my sig says it all. Most of my driving is 2 lane highway, 65 in a 55 MPH limit, random stop signs and towns along the way. With my job this summer it might change, as it's more town than before, we'll see.

[crash93ssei]

It isn't missing any power, it just has no where near the power the SSEi has, which is exactly what I would expect.

[nos4blood70]

It isn't missing any power, it just has no where near the power the SSEi has, which is exactly what I would expect.

Makes sense. There's no comparison between Penny and Will's car. But she will still happily squeel the tires and torque steer once in a while. Plus, flooring it at like 30 MPH puts you in your seat pretty good. The L36 is a lot more peaky with it's power, and you can definitely feel it driving the two back to back. In an L67, it's like surfing a wave of torque. Lol

[yonkerss]

Over the last few months of owning my '05 SLE I would say my average on a tank of gas is around 27 MPG. This is I would say 70% highway driving (70 mph) and 30% city driving. If I spend more time in the city on a tank it obviously drops a bit. This is with me driving just standard, not hard on the throttle, no WOT pulls. Not hard for me to drive like this....my last car was a '98 escort 4 banger LOL.

Highway driving (70 MPH) I have no problem getting 30-32+ MPG assuming it is not the mountains, completely stock with 79k on the odometer it got 32 MPG on the way home from wisconsin where we bought it.

Now with the minor mods and tune up we have done I have seen a slight increase in MPG, noticeable increase in power but this then leads to a decrease in MPG if I want to experience that

I have noticed if my wife uses the car the average mileage drops a couple MPG. She is not your typical female driver but is use to driving a V8 SUV and not gentle on the gas petal.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Back when I had my Buick it would average right about 30 mpg in all my driving during the summers. That was doing longer drives at 45-55 mph and not using the A/C much. My right foot was also well-trained to be gentle on the gas, and sparing on the brakes.

A few things I did were getting a ScanGauge II, watching it like a hawk, and trying not to go faster than 60 mph. I also tried to keep the transmission locked up around town. That meant getting to about 29-30 mph quickly, and keeping it as close to 30 mph as possible. Around town I also coasted as much as possible when maintaining 30 mph wasn't doable. Whatever, the lights are just as red if coasting up or sitting at them.

[Jrs3800]

The 3.05 Bonneville will hit 3rd gear TCC lock at 28 Mph when the engine is at operating temp... It will hit overdrive at 45 Mph with TCC lock when up to temp... Then they have some maximum mean torque tables, among other timing tables...

Ryan I bet with a PLOG, and a Downpipe you could squeek even more out of the car...

And to top off the fun factor, Those 3800 NA PCM's are nuts with Tq Management... I did a burn out with my 03 and *dang* if it didn't throw the switch on me and chop 3 injectors... Abuse Mode... Sadly I have left that car alone...

My bet is get it flowing a tad better, dial up the timing a couple of degrees and I bet you could squeek 34-35 out of the car... I had an average of 35.9 on the DIC once on a drive that was 45-60 Mph most of the way... Dropped like a rock running around the heart of Orlando tho...lol

[wader2k]

Just put 1100 miles on an 02 SLE during a little trip to Missouri and back.

I average 26.5 mpg on my daily commute(50/50 hwy/city) and was hoping for 30 mpg on this trip.

Averaged 28.2 on the way there and 28.8 on the way back. I was cruising pretty much between 70-80 mph with AC on and Missouri is fairly hilly through the Ozarks. If I kept it down to 60 mph it would prob get 30 easily. I concur the DIC reports about 1 mpg higher than actual. The above numbers are all DIC.

All in all, it was a great trip and the Bonny made a nice ride!

[theax40]

My DIC also reads 1 mpg than actual. Also, my SLE scoots pretty good, and that N/A 3800 really roars once it gets over 4000 rpm

[ga93sle]

My driving is about 90% city, about 10% hwy, and my DIC hangs out around 15mpg lol. I have a very heavy foot. Trip to GA and back last week, I averaged about 70 mph, and 27 mpg, with the a/c on, and I absolutely was not driving for fuel mileage, so I think I did ok.

[nos4blood70]

that N/A 3800 really roars once it gets over 4000 rpm

Especially with a FWI!

[WhiteArrow3800]

The best I've gotten on my school/work commute was 26 mpg in the '01. Overall best was 27 on the way back from Michigan one year. Driving normally she'll get 22-25, if my foot goes into happy-heavy mode 18-20mpgs.

The '93 my brother claims he can't get over 22mpg when he's "trying". I can easily get 25/26 mpg out of it simply by not flooring it everywhere and leaving it idling in the driveway like he seems to do so often. He just inherited my grandparent's '98 Chevy Prizim (Not sure why...but w/e) and got 32mpg "without trying" and was bragging about it. I told him the '93 would do that so now he and I have a bet going I can't get it to 30+ mpgs. With the neutral safety switch broke it's harder to hypermile but I'm still confident it'll break that mark. It got 34mpg on the way back from the Michigan meet last year.

[Grimm]

My commute is about 75/25 highway/city driving. My DIC is also about 1 mpg too high as it calculates about .75 gallons too shy on how much it used. In warm weather I average 26-27mpg. My best was like 32mpg on a trip down to Indiana (probably 100 miles one way). That was following my dad doing around 60mph most of the way and included a little city driving. When I check the instant on the highway, it's about 31mpg at 75mph and like 33mpg at 70mph. My typical commute I have the cruise set at 75. I consider myself an average driver when it comes to acceleration/stopping.

[myfirstbonnie]

I give up on trying to watch my MPG's. I like the happy pedal too much.

[yonkerse]

Since my Florida trip in my car which averaged about 32 MPG most of the trip with various driving styles and the air on when not traveling through the mountains.

This past week I took a 3 hour trip to where I will be working. The trip is about 180 miles which is about 80 miles of relatively flat two lane roads with speeds averaging around 60 MPH and the final 100 miles is highway with speeds around 75. Both driving conditions were without cruise and with air on but on the low setting.

I filled up leaving Saginaw and headed out. After the 80 miles of two lane road driving, the DIC showed 38.8 MPG which is generally 1 MPG high as well. I then got on the highway to finish my drive home. Once I pulled in the driveway, I checked my DIC and it was at 35.3 MPG. The trip was at 182 miles and the gas gauge was still a tick mark above 3/4 tank. I have been very pleased with the MPG of my car as road trips are comfortable with plenty of room.