So 2 weeks ago i was driving my 94 4x4 3.0 5 speed pickup up north to my cabin in northern MI with my quad in the back doing about 72mph with the cruise set. I filled the tank and checked my gas mileage after the 230 mile drive, i had 19.3 mpg. So last weekend i did the same exact trip again (with the same quad), except the 80 degree heat spell we had was gone. I want to say it was around the low 50's. I was only doing about 68-69 mph with the cruise set again. Both trips were done late at night, so traffic was not an issue. I got 16.4 mpg. I thought i was going to get a little better the second trip because i was a little slower. I know wind can be a factor, but it was about the same both trips. Could this be from the 30 degree difference? I know cooler temps mean more oxygen=more fuel=more power. Does 3 mpg sound about right?

 

I cant answer your question, but I say next time you try it cover the grill with something like cardboard or those store bought covers and see what you get for mpg.

 

You should be getting better MPG in the cooler weather, because it is more dense, and the fuel will burn better. I dunno, maybe going slower hurt your average if you went up a lot of hills.

 

I know there are summer gas formulas and a winter formula. The winter stuff is supposed to reduce emissions at the cost of MPGs during colder operating conditions. I don't know when each starts being used but it is getting to be winter.

 

i know what you mean. once i went on a trip and i got like almost 250 miles to a tank, it was unreal i was smiling all day driving that thing..

next freaking fillup it didnt even hit 200.... maybe 170 before the light came on...

id say its maybe the cruise control. i know sometimes with mine it wines (to higher rpm's) wayyy too much, and it sucks gas like no other...

and other times, its a good ride, hitting 2000 rpms 2500 at peak...

anything else like ect power on or off? overdrive?

 

I would suspect changes in the fuel blend myself. Perhaps the gas had alcohol in it.

 

Awww yeah this is awesome is'nt it?

 

i always fill up at the same station (the one a mile from the house). I doubt that my rpm's going from 3,100 - 2,900 really made that much of a difference in climbing hills? Next time i'll do the exact same speed and see

 

I don't know about Michigan but in Oregon during the winter they have this Crappy Oxygenated Gas they make us use November 1st to February 28th. It has got 10-15% Ethanol in it. My mileage always sucks running this stuff.

 

wow why do they make u use 10-15% ethanol in your gas??

 

Ethanol has a lower energy content than gas, so the mileage sucks when using it.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot, In warmer weather, your tire PSI goes up, and when it gets colder, it decreases. Maybe it's got something to do with your tire pressure. Also, for who said that the winter gas burns cleaner than summer gas, at the cost of MPG, I think it's just the opposite of that. It makes sense that they would want to decrease emmissions in the Summer time when pollution is worse, rather than in the winter when the weather prevents pollution build up. At least it's like that here.

 

I get better gas mileage at 2 weird times...cruising around base at 20-30 mph and when it's scorching hot outside. I am north visiting family & on my trip up, I got 14 mpg vs the 16 I normally get in Alabama. I also get that 16mpg mixing in about 28% ethanol. Been running that way for over a year now with no problems at all. So when my gas mileage went to crap on the first tank along I-65, I tried filling up with straight Shell gasoline in northern Alabama & had the same results.

 

a lot of states in the northeast have banned mtbe, and they pretty much all use 10% ethanol now.

 

Yep 10% Eth here in Va and the mileage reeks , check your tire pressure and a slightly higher rpm can make a significant difference in regards to engine power/fuel usage on the highway

 

would the rpm be a factor??? i am under the belief that there are more efficient rpms, if you are too low then it has to work hard to get up a little hill etc and too high and it's well, just too fast...i usually try to keep mine between 2500 and 3000...does that make sense???

 

Ya that makes sense. I usually try to keep it under 3,000 for fuel economy and even more so in windy conditions.

 

I always get worse mileage in colder weather, but i feel a power increase too.
I lose 2+mpg in the winter months.