Thats a very bad idea. I'm glad your saving on gas. Now how are you going to feel when you're replacing motor parts because you're beating the fuck out of your engine?

 

from what i hear from the D-series people (small displacement, low power) they get better MPG by accelerating with a higher load then "minimal." while with my h22 being bigger and having more power (like Jeff's) i can just barely squeeze the throttle and it will go, absolutely sipping fuel.

so Loren try a little higher load in 1st and 2nd instead of creeping up and see what happens.

 

Oh, I always go fairly quickly through 1st and 2nd. I don't have the patience to drag the lower gears out too much!

 

so im chiming in to wonder if anyone in here is happy with 30-35mpg and luxury... as today marks my week driving and i have manage to get 31.3 average mpg out of this tank its an 08 mustang gt... comfort luxury and power.. why waste 30k on a car that cant pass its self... funny to think that everyone is going and getting hybrids and such that still only get 30-35mpg but have none the luxury of this car.... just wondering does anyone really see the point of wasting the luxury factor for a few extra mpgs... ive notice that mine has mostly came from getting tothe speed limit and staying there it seems as if a constant throttle positiona nd constand rpm has been my best way of getting what i have and no its not hwy its all city stop and goo...

 

I'll never sacrafice my luxury (Buick LeSabre) for fuel economy. In fact, my next car will probably be a GM with the Northstar V8 in it. Maybe a Caddy or something - but you never know, Buick might swoon me over again. Don't really care about speed in my daily driver, but luxury is a must. I'll never be caught dead in an econobox. Still, good fuel economy is good. There are no two ways about it. I absolutely don't approve of the way the OP is going about getting his 'good' fuel economy, though. Saving a few bucks in gas while toasting your motor through misuse and abuse isn't really helping you in the long run.

 

Ive actually noticed this myself. I got One freak of a mpg average of 34.6 my last tank and I can only attribute it to the way I drove. I didnt even realize until I sat down and thought about it but even though I thought I was driving with a heavy foot, I wasnt revving out all the way (4-5k most times) and I wasnt mashing the throttle completely open, but yet I was accelerating quickly through 1st and 2nd, sometimes 3rd.. ususally to about 10mph over the speed limit to get my little adrenaline fix, then coast down to the limit or just below depending on traffic.

What I was in actuallity doing what reaching the engines peak VE and gaining more torque per bit of fuel.. then coasting in DFCO for a good bit. I do admit that I use dfco ALOT though, with my settings at just over 1500 and only using neutral when approaching a light I may inadvertantly be driving efficiently. Which works great for me because I do quite often wind the engine out to my hearts content and still attain 29-31 mpg.

 

This is with a d16y8 in my 91 hatch street tuned by me on a hondata s300. Afrs are 14.7-15.5 usually while cruising and 13.0-13.5 at over 8 inHg. I am not running closed loop at all.

 

I'm not sure what he was referring to, but the Yaris is an econobox. I mean, a GT is no luxury vehicle, its sporty. Kinda comfy, but not really so much. Luxury is luxury. And I'm not sure how anyone would care about a couple hundred bucks a year in gas savings over travelling to any from all of your destinations in complete comfort.

I guess this also depends on how much you drive, though. For example, I drive probably about 500-600 miles a week. I'd set some little punkass econobox on fire if I had to deal with the horrible ride, interior, and seats in it day in and day out. But for the person who drives 5 miles to and from work and really has no use for their car otherwise, I suppose its fine if its your thing.

 

MikieMike,

Your Mustang GT costs twice what my Yaris costs both new and used. (I just looked it up, average retail on a 2008 GT is about $20900, average retail on a 2008 Yaris is $11600) Now, there's nothing wrong with wanting the performance or "luxury" (???) of a Mustang GT. But, you need to accept that you ARE paying for it. And I'm not paying "$30,000" for my econobox.

The 31 mpg that you were able to squeak out of your Mustang (impressive 55% over EPA hwy, btw) does not equate to the 36 mpg that the EPA says my car gets... the EPA on your Stang is 20 Highway. So, apples to apples, babied in the same way, you should expect the 36 mpg econobox to get... not "30-35 mpg", but 55% over the EPA rating of 36 or... 55 mpg!

We're not talking about hybrids in this thread. We're talking about regular internal combustion engines.

Your observation about most of your fuel being used in acceleration is absolutely true. Modern fuel management systems in cruise mode (even in a big rumbling V8 ) will run quite lean and sip fuel as long as you keep your foot out of it.

I'd suggest opening your mind a little bit on the economy cars, though. Not saying you should rush out and buy one or anything, I know they're not for everyone. But, the modern Japanese econobox (Honda Civic/Fit, Toyota Yaris/Corolla, Nissan Versa/Sentra, etc) is nothing like the crapcan econobox of the 80's and 90's. The Japanese car makers know what the US market expects in a car, and they provide it. My Yaris isn't "fast", but it's quick enough to get out of its own way (0-60 in 9-9.5), it's stunningly roomy (seriously, go sit in one!), and it is quite comfortable. "Luxury"? No. But still quite nice.

Go take a closer look at some of these cars that you're bashing. Don't go in expecting them to accelerate like a muscle car, but evaluate them fairly. I think you might be impressed with what you can get for $12-15k. And they can be driven in a NORMAL fashion and return the MPG that you had to struggle for a week to get.

And if you DO go and check them out... remember that your GT is the highest end Mustang available, not the base model V6 with no options. Don't go looking at the bargain-basement base-model economy car. Look at one that is well-equipped with all of the comfort and convenience features that you want. For instance, look at the Yaris S rather than the base model. (nicer seats, more standard features), or the Honda Fit sport model, or the Civic Si, etc.

 

Wow. I've gotta hear your justification for this. An S197 gives a better ride, is probably more comfortable, is sure as hell more appealing to look at and has nicer parts in it, and outperforms the Yaris in every category.

Are you seriously basing your worth of a car SOLELY on fuel economy? I suppose I can understand that if you're hard up for money...well, no, I can't understand that either, because then you wouldn't be paying so much money for your car; you'd have an old econobox like a CRX or something.

Explain yourself, because I can't find a logical train of thought behind your statement.