yes, it's a mileage thread

Don't forget changes due to winter/summer fuel blends and increased
amounts of "environmentally friendly" additives that reduce the mileage.

On 1/21/2010 6:40 PM, Auto wrote:
> This is a PRHT and was with the top down for the most part through the
> first 2500 miles, and with the top up since then due to the cooler
> weather. It will be interesting to see what happens when the weather
> warms up and the top is down more and the engine temperature may be a
> little higher, or at least the incoming air will be warmer.
>
> TRCSr
>
> "pws" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Auto wrote:
>>> I live in a very rural area and my average is right around 30mpg. If
>>> I am doing a lot of town driving it will drop to 29.7 or 29.8 and
>>> then go back up to over 30 as I drive back home on rural highways.
>>> When I first got the MX5 I was getting 34+ from about 2000 miles to
>>> 2800. I now have almost 4000 on it and it has been steady at the
>>> 30+/- for the past 1000 or so.
>>>
>>> TRCSr
>>
>> Is this with the PRHT or a soft top? Also, is the highway MPG with the
>> top up or down?
>>
>> I see a pretty large city/highway MPG difference, something like 29 or
>> 30 on the highway and maybe 23 or so in town, even lower if I put my
>> foot into it.
>> This is with a boosted 1991 model with a 1.8 liter, but my 1996 Miata
>> that was fairly stock also had at least a 5 MPG gap between city and
>> highway driving, and more than that if I left the top up.
>>
>> The NC has been growing on me and I am doing some research on them. It
>> seems to take each new Miata model about 4 years to get me. :-)
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Pat
>

Yes, I am aware of the winter/summer gasoline blends, but I am not sure that
applies here since we are in a very rural area of SE NC. As I recall the
blends were changed in urban areas in northern communities were emissions
were a problem and where the engines run colder until warmed up. Are the
blends now used everywhere?

TRCSr

"Chuck" > wrote in message
...
> Don't forget changes due to winter/summer fuel blends and increased
> amounts of "environmentally friendly" additives that reduce the mileage.
>
> On 1/21/2010 6:40 PM, Auto wrote:
>> This is a PRHT and was with the top down for the most part through the
>> first 2500 miles, and with the top up since then due to the cooler
>> weather. It will be interesting to see what happens when the weather
>> warms up and the top is down more and the engine temperature may be a
>> little higher, or at least the incoming air will be warmer.
>>
>> TRCSr
>>
>> "pws" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Auto wrote:
>>>> I live in a very rural area and my average is right around 30mpg. If
>>>> I am doing a lot of town driving it will drop to 29.7 or 29.8 and
>>>> then go back up to over 30 as I drive back home on rural highways.
>>>> When I first got the MX5 I was getting 34+ from about 2000 miles to
>>>> 2800. I now have almost 4000 on it and it has been steady at the
>>>> 30+/- for the past 1000 or so.
>>>>
>>>> TRCSr
>>>
>>> Is this with the PRHT or a soft top? Also, is the highway MPG with the
>>> top up or down?
>>>
>>> I see a pretty large city/highway MPG difference, something like 29 or
>>> 30 on the highway and maybe 23 or so in town, even lower if I put my
>>> foot into it.
>>> This is with a boosted 1991 model with a 1.8 liter, but my 1996 Miata
>>> that was fairly stock also had at least a 5 MPG gap between city and
>>> highway driving, and more than that if I left the top up.
>>>
>>> The NC has been growing on me and I am doing some research on them. It
>>> seems to take each new Miata model about 4 years to get me. :-)
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Pat
>>
>

In article >, "TRCSr" >
wrote:

> Yes, I am aware of the winter/summer gasoline blends, but I am not sure that
> applies here since we are in a very rural area of SE NC. As I recall the
> blends were changed in urban areas in northern communities were emissions
> were a problem and where the engines run colder until warmed up. Are the
> blends now used everywhere?

Dunno, but the entire state of Missouri now "enjoys" 10% ethanol
year-round. It reduces both power and mileage by about 10%.

--
Lanny Chambers
St. Louis, MO
'94C

Chuck > wrote:

> Don't forget changes due to winter/summer fuel blends and
> increased amounts of "environmentally friendly" additives that
> reduce the mileage.

It has no effect if mileage is measured as I prefer to do it, I keep a
log of gas purchases with date, number of gallons, odometer reading and
amount paid.

After a year I can calculate mileage and have a *real* figure. Less
than a year isn't accurate because of changes in wind, weather, how
full you get the tank, different types of driving and, as you say,
changes in fuel. People who figure mileage after one fill up have to
realize that that is very likely an unreal number valid only for that
one tankful.

Note that by keeping score of the price I can also calculate cost/mile
but I stopped doing that when it got really scary...

There's another way to figure gas mileage, I learned it from a VW
mechanic and it works very nicely! I asked how some got 30+ mpg when I
couldn't, he said, "They lie about it!"
Nothing will improve your mileage as much as lying about it will! ;-)


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

On 2010-01-23 4:42 PM, XS11E wrote:
> > wrote:
>
>> Don't forget changes due to winter/summer fuel blends and
>> increased amounts of "environmentally friendly" additives that
>> reduce the mileage.
>
> It has no effect if mileage is measured as I prefer to do it, I keep a
> log of gas purchases with date, number of gallons, odometer reading and
> amount paid.
>
> After a year I can calculate mileage and have a *real* figure. Less
> than a year isn't accurate because of changes in wind, weather, how
> full you get the tank, different types of driving and, as you say,
> changes in fuel. People who figure mileage after one fill up have to
> realize that that is very likely an unreal number valid only for that
> one tankful.
>
> Note that by keeping score of the price I can also calculate cost/mile
> but I stopped doing that when it got really scary...
>
> There's another way to figure gas mileage, I learned it from a VW
> mechanic and it works very nicely! I asked how some got 30+ mpg when I
> couldn't, he said, "They lie about it!"
> Nothing will improve your mileage as much as lying about it will! ;-)
>
>

Very wise! I use two small free apps for my Bberry, "Mileage Meter" and
"Smart Converter". They work well for overall fuel economy. The former
I have set in litres, since that is how oue fuel is dispensed, and
kilometres, since that is how my odometer reads. Enter the figures at
each fillup, and then take the overall statistical result, and plug it
(litres per 100 Kms) into the second app and convert it to whatever you
want: MPG US, MPG Imperial (for us Canucks) or Kms/100 litres etc.

The only thing is to remember to enter the data every time you fill up,
otherwise you get terrific economy!

Stuart H.
'91 Eunos Roadster (hibernating for winter)
Alberta, Canada

XS11E wrote:

> It has no effect if mileage is measured as I prefer to do it, I keep a
> log of gas purchases with date, number of gallons, odometer reading and
> amount paid.
>
> After a year I can calculate mileage and have a *real* figure. Less
> than a year isn't accurate because of changes in wind, weather, how
> full you get the tank, different types of driving and, as you say,
> changes in fuel. People who figure mileage after one fill up have to
> realize that that is very likely an unreal number valid only for that
> one tankful.
>
> Note that by keeping score of the price I can also calculate cost/mile
> but I stopped doing that when it got really scary...
>
> There's another way to figure gas mileage, I learned it from a VW
> mechanic and it works very nicely! I asked how some got 30+ mpg when I
> couldn't, he said, "They lie about it!"
> Nothing will improve your mileage as much as lying about it will! ;-)

Are they talking about highway MPG or their average? I don't think I
have ever met anyone who claimed to average 30+ MPG in their Miata.

The best I have ever gotten in any Miata is 33 MPG on the highway under
mostly-ideal conditions, with a lot less in town.

The way you are measuring is great for a year-round average, but it does
not show the difference between city and highway driving. I never drive
off an entire tankful without highway driving, so I have only been able
to measure it at all in town by filling it up, driving down a gallon or
two and then re-filling and doing the math.

Not completely accurate, I agree, but it is certainly more accurate for
a city/highway difference than trying to figure out how many of the
miles are city and how many are highway over a period of a year.

I don't really want to admit how low my in-town mileage can get in my
current turbo Miata. ;-)

On the highway I have driven about 330 miles, then refilled it with
around 10 gallons of gas.
The math told me that I was getting 33MPG, and I trust it within a
gallon or two. This was in my 1996 Miata, since I haven't measured my
MPG in over 5 years.

I would be very surprised if your 1992 Miata is not capable of getting
over 30MPG on the highway.

Pat

pws > wrote:

> I would be very surprised if your 1992 Miata is not capable of
> getting over 30MPG on the highway.

You're very surprised, unfortunately. I've never got to 30mpg, ever.

Problem with an NA is it's straining to stay with traffic, 80+ mph is
too fast for good economy in that car but below 80 mph is instant rear
end accident.

NOTE: What IS reasonable highway speed? I've followed a guy in a 18
wheeler running 90mph between Indio and Blythe on I-10, a guy in a
Surburban at around 108 mph (I was almost 7 years younger and much more
reckless then.)

That was on the bike, of course, I don't know if the Miata will go 105
nor can I afford the cost if the CHP decides that's too fast!


--
XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
The Usenet Improvement Project:
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

On 2010-01-20 09:13:10 -0600, pws > said:

> I was wondering what people are seeing as far as real-world MPG for the
> NC Miata (2006-2010), with a 5-speed.
>
> I am just curious about what is the best it is capable of on the
> highway with the top up as well as top down, and what it gets when
> driven with a heavy foot around town.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pat

I have a 2006, with a 6 speed, and consistenly get around 27-28 mpg.
That is about 60% highway and 40% city driving.

As far as measuring mileage, heretofor I have kept a record of every fill up
and noted whether it was highway or city driving, or towing a trailer, or in
the mountains. That way I could get an idea of the effect of different
conditions. Not perfect, but the main reason for this is/was to see if the
mileage starts to go down under similar conditions I can find out why and
correct it before it gets too serious. I still do that with my Ford F-150
and Ford E-350 Class B motorhome. I don't do it for my wife's Toyota as it
has a mileage meter built in as does my Miata. Both can be reset at anytime
and I do this if I am changing the type of driving; I.e. going on a trip
that will involve mostly highway driving.

What good does lying about your mileage do? Is this just some form of macho
****ing contest?

For the most part I don't use the mileage readings as absolute, but mostly
for comparative reasons, as I mentioned before. It gives me a ball park idea
of how I compare with others and that is all. As an example, I had a Chevy
Tracker that got 27 to 28 mpg for most of the time. It was always driven
under the same mixed conditions of city and highway driving. The mileage
started dropping and when it got down to the 24 mpg range I started doing
some investigating and found the EGR valve was malfunctioning and the block
passages were blocked. Cleaning everything then probably saved me much more
extensive and expensive repairs later on.

TRCSr

"XS11E" > wrote in message
...
> pws > wrote:
>
>> I would be very surprised if your 1992 Miata is not capable of
>> getting over 30MPG on the highway.
>
> You're very surprised, unfortunately. I've never got to 30mpg, ever.
>
> Problem with an NA is it's straining to stay with traffic, 80+ mph is
> too fast for good economy in that car but below 80 mph is instant rear
> end accident.
>
> NOTE: What IS reasonable highway speed? I've followed a guy in a 18
> wheeler running 90mph between Indio and Blythe on I-10, a guy in a
> Surburban at around 108 mph (I was almost 7 years younger and much more
> reckless then.)
>
> That was on the bike, of course, I don't know if the Miata will go 105
> nor can I afford the cost if the CHP decides that's too fast!
>
>
> --
> XS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups
> The Usenet Improvement Project:
> http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

In article >, pws
> wrote:

> XS11E wrote:
>
> > It has no effect if mileage is measured as I prefer to do it, I keep a
> > log of gas purchases with date, number of gallons, odometer reading and
> > amount paid.

<snip>

> Are they talking about highway MPG or their average? I don't think I
> have ever met anyone who claimed to average 30+ MPG in their Miata.
>
> The best I have ever gotten in any Miata is 33 MPG on the highway under
> mostly-ideal conditions, with a lot less in town.

> I would be very surprised if your 1992 Miata is not capable of getting
> over 30MPG on the highway.
>
> Pat

The '93 averaged 30-31 mpg while I drove it.
That was a mixed driving environment In its early days: Daily commute
was about 44 mi. one way - 2 mi. local small town - 24 mi. non-divided
hwy (traffic lights - avg 50 mpg) - 14 mi. interstate (70-75 mpg) - 4
mi. in city (Philly). Even stop and go because of traffic and accidents
did not change it much. Biggest difference was winter when it would
drop to 29-29 mpg.
My son claims to still get about 30 mpg now with mixed small town and
hwy driving.

With the '06 I get 26-29 mpg mixed, And have gotten 35-36 on longer
trips that were nearly all interstate (70-80 mph - top up).
The mileage with the '06 seems to vary much more, but I haven't figured
out anything I can attribute it to. I tend to drive the same style on
most of the roads I travel, and always use the same brand and grade of
gas. As with the '93 it is a little worse in the winter, but varies
much more tank to tank

--
-------
Stephen Toth
white '93 220k mi. with the kids
'06 Galaxy Grey GT 6AT