Matt - Just when I was going to post my daily numbers I had the lowest day in months (Murphy's Law strikes again). I only drove 81 miles today which is half my daily average. Ick. Anyway, these are the trip totals at each stop rather than resetting the odometer for each trip.

5.5 mi @ 40.0 mpg (5.5 mi in 29 min)
11.5 mi @ 47.4 mpg (6.0 mi in 17 min)
19.0 mi @ 50.0 mpg (7.5 mi in 23 min)
24.0 mi @ 51.5 mpg (5.0 mi in 18 min)
48.9 mi @ 49.2 mpg (24.9 mi in 36 min)
81.2 mi @ 48.9 mpg (32.3 mi in 48 min)

81.2 miles today at 48.9 mpg average for the day (heavy rain and defroster for at least half the day). My wife is taking the car to Indianapolis this weekend (720 miles round-trip) so that will hurt my mileage database a tad though I should jump a few spots on the Database list of total miles - woo-hoo!

 

from your numbers, it appears much easier to get higher fe over longer trips than shorter ones. maybe that's why my numbers are so much lower--too many short trips with long periods of cooldown btwn runs.

 

today:
8/42
4/42
4/36
14/51
6/54
=46.0mpg.

 

It is a mix of trips long enough to get the car warm, enough up and down slopes to get an average, less starts from a stop, etc. Some of those trips I take are 5 miles but all downhill so 75 mpg but then a 30 mile trip heading up the Interstate will be 42 mpg. Your car WILL break in with better FE numbers as it gets older. Mine took until about 4,000 miles for the first notice and then until the first oil change (7,950 miles) to make the next noticeable increase. Around 4,000 miles the FE started to head downhill but after 8,000 it went up at the same rate. I was also getting better at driving so you learn along with the car. It is ALL a game anymore to keep improving your own numbers.

Do a test and make it a point to drive on a 50-mile round trip this weekend and see if you can attain an average over 50.0 mpg. You should be able to. Draft (safely) behind trucks on an Interstate, get the car into EV mode on EVERY downhill possible (being safe to stay near the speed limit and not 50% of it), and just concentrate. I always attempt to get the car into EV mode on every downhill no matter if it is 5 miles long or 50 feet long. Post your results after making a trip longer than 25 miles and show us how much you've learned. I'm anxious to see your post.

 

good to know about the improvement after break in. its true, driving this car is like playing an arcade/video game. its addictive, too.
ok, i'll do the 50mi test and as usual, i'll keep you "posted".

 

And no need to quote an ENTIRE post by someone especially if it is posted immediately before your reply. This adds a tremendous length to the post and I imagine your daily updates are going to make it long enough as it is. Just a note from a non-Admin who ran into similar issues on a previous car email list. Rock on!

 

ya, its really not needed on this site. i used to own a 350z and was a member of a huge z site where multiple people responded to the same post simultaneously, and it became confusing trying to keep track of who was responding to what. too bad we don't have that same problem here.

 

Quoting is fine but usually you quote about what you are referring so you should quote just a sentence or two then comment on it, then quote another small section, then comment, etc. If you quote the entire post then it doesn't make sense what your comments pertain to -- and I was on a list with 300+ emails a day that were straight emails and not a webpage post so you had to make sure you related to the pertinent post. No biggie. Just reply with your weekend drive and improved numbers. <grin>

 

Was it the Base model or the turbo version? My previous car was a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 (Twin Turbo, All-Wheel Drive, V-6, yadda, yadda, yadda). I went from 320 hp stock to 110 hp, 245/40/18 tires to 195/55/15 tires, 3,900# curb weight to 2,900# weight, and finally 20 mpg to 50 mpg. I don't miss it at all.

 

supercharged yada. i modded the hell out of it. talk about a money pit. 350hp, 15mpg. i don't miss mine, either.