What's your long term fuel economy

[Hybrid Anubis]

I am in South Florida and am averaging 42.3. They reset my computer and it takes two or three fill ups before I get from 38 back to 42. Get about 700 to the tank full

[Hat Eater]

Last I saw this morning was 41.3 Long Term. It bounced around a bit from a high of 41.6 last summer and a low of 36.9 during a trip to Canada over Christmas but over the last three or four tankfuls it has not been below 41. 26K total miles.

 

Joe

[acdii]

right at 40.0. Since the weather warmed up the MPG has shot up. My tip to work is all upgrade, and home downgrade. I get 39 on the way in and 43 on the way home. So much freaking better than I could ever do in a TCH.

[IIKings 9:20]

New here. I will be getting a '13 fusion or MKZ. The hybrid premium cost does not make sense for me if i go with a 1.6 ecoboost Fusion but compared to the less efficient 2.0 it would make some sense.

 

If the 1.6 were available rated at 26/37 with start/stop, would you get the hybrid given this option.

 

As i do the arithmetic it would take 5 years in fuel savings to recover the extra cost of the hybrid.

[lolder]

We don't know the costs yet of the 2013's. The hybrid is much more interesting. Your city/highway mix is important. City you're comparing 26 with 47. Highway 37 with 44.

[rfruth]

The hybrid is fun, its nothing to spend 30+K on a Mustang or Lincoln so why not a hybrid ? If money is a big deal get a slightly used one, you'll be thousands ahead from the word go !

[lolder]

There are numerous posts throughout this forum on the temperature effect on mileage. Using the heater and heavy air conditioning are major players. Data also shows an effect without the heating and cooling. It's about + 0.2 mpg per degree F. between about 30 and 90 d.F. There are at least two reasons for this; one is colder air is denser air and it takes more energy to move the car though it; another is the increased rolling frictions of everything that moves in the car from the tires to the drive belt in cold weather. There is a third possibility that I would appreciate some help on. In cold temperatures, it takes more fuel to raise the mixture to combustion temperature. This would be negated by the ability to exhaust to a lower temperature but I think that since the energy in the exhaust is not recovered by a power recovery turbine which lowers the final exhaust temperature to closer to ambient, the net effect is more fuel flow.

Edited April 11, 2012 by lolder

[dennisw]

There are numerous posts throughout this forum on the temperature effect on mileage. Using the heater and heavy air conditioning are major players. Data also shows an effect without the heating and cooling. It's about + 0.2 mpg per degree F. between about 30 and 90 d.F. There are at least two reasons for this; one is colder air is denser air and it takes more energy to move the car though it; another is the increased rolling frictions of everything that moves in the car from the tires to the drive belt in cold weather. There is a third possibility that I would appreciate some help on. In cold temperatures, it takes more fuel to raise the mixture to combustion temperature. This would be negated by the ability to exhaust to a lower temperature but I think that since the energy in the exhaust is not recovered by a power recovery turbine which lowers the final exhaust temperature to closer to ambient, the net effect is more fuel flow.

 

That's all well and good, and not at all a proven fact that you will loose x amount for every degree lower in temp. Listen to whoever you like the Fact is my mpg does not go down with the temperature. I know there are affects but they are so minimal that they can be overcome by a few small conservation efforts.

 

The fact in my situation is my mpg are not affected by a temperature drop, I have gone through two winters and have increased my average both times.

 

Who do you want to listen to someone that is dead set that the lower temps will always lower your mpg or someone that can tell you ways that do not lower your mpg numbers.

 

The facts are cooler air density encreases performance it does not lower performance.

[savngas]

Cooler air indeed helps ICE performance but also increases aerodynamic drag.

Only way to overcome drag is to slow down or improve aerodynamics.

Third winter season in my FFH...150 miles per day, all weather, my MPG always drops when it get colder.

Check this thread http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f22/cold-air-density-vs-mpg-16832/

[lolder]

Cold air increases the power performance of an ICE but not necessarily the Brake Specific Fuel consumption ( BSFC ) that is a measure of the energy produced per unit of fuel. You can't burn as much fuel with warmer intake air but it needs less fuel to raise it to the optimum combustion temperatures. Ideally, you compress the air with free energy from an exhaust driven turbo supercharger and then ( inter ) cool it so you can add more fuel.

[dennisw]

Fact is I get the same mileage in zero temps as I do at 70 degrees. The higher resistance caused by dense air is not measurable in the real world driving invironment. I don't care how many posts have said the temp decreases their mileage, I am saying this does not have to be a factor and I have data to prove it. The recommendations are out there for anyone wise enough to utilize the information, the rest can go on with whatever they believe. Fact is cold temps are not the cause of fuel mileage decline. I have much data of years of driving many different cars in winter months and it is all consistent habits bring down the mpg not the temp and yes for those that say gas will bring it down this is true to a small degree but not enough to argue about. I have never seen gas affect mileage even near 10% more like 3-5% which is not even worth talking about, one long romp on the accelerator will loose you that much. The same goes for hot temps it's not the temp bringing down the average it's the A/C usage turn off the air and your mileage will go up, I'll keep cool and live with a small 3-5% decline in my average I'll get that back fast when winter arrives and my mileage increases.

[savngas]

Dennis,

I think the main difference in this analysis is you drive 2 miles to work and I drive 150 miles a day at interstate speeds.

Unless you live on the interstate ramp i'd say your average speed is a bit lower than most and aerodynamic drag may not be a factor for you.

I don't have to measure aerodynamic and mechanical drag to know it works against me in cold weather.

You are going to need a lot of data to convince this group otherwise.

Good Luck

[dennisw]

I'm not going to try to convince any group, I know what I know. I have been into gas savings for years, and yes I now live close to my work and this I have always stated. I have had yearly mileage averages of over 100,000 miles in years psst and I have never been affected just by lower temps in any car I have ever owned and I have had to many to list. The lower temps are not lowering the mileage numbers there are many other factors and I have heard many on this forum, from using remote starters to idling until heater warms, and then in the same threads the complaints of lower temps bringing down their averages. The fact is this does not have to be the case. Even on my long commutes at highway speeds in cold temps with this very same car in fog, and rain my mileage does not go down in winter. I'm not saying my highway mileage is the same as in town mileage I'm saying my highway mpg do not lower in cold temps. I can make my numbers go down in cold temps by using bad habits but I can also do this in any weather. I have talked to many of my fuel saving associates on many, many conversations and they have the same experience as I do. Again don't think outside the box and continue to waste fuel, it's yours to burn.