What am I doing wrong? mpg's

[jetfuel]

...where in NY are you?
...I now it's only 4K on the odo...but ...take a look at your air filter for some kind of restriction...leafs..salt..sand..or whatever you guys use up there for ice/road control.
..That white looking crap all over your car does get to the filter too

my 1c..

jetfuel

[h20m0f0]

We don't really have winters in Vegas unless you call temps in the mid 40's winter,but I'm getting right at 40mpg's, 319 miles on my las tank of gas....

[unicycle]

I'm in NY, but most of my driving is hway. As you noted, you were getting decent milage but then saw a drop-off; that's very likely a combination of the different 'winter' fuel (from what I understand) as well as a small amount due to things like the air filters being more clogged these days, as already noted. All the other comments about gear-shifting were helpful, too; try to keep the car in a higher gear than it 'wants' to, and you'll save on gas while chugging up little hills (so if there's no one behind you, go for it).

I think my milage has dropped off nearly 10% since the really cold weather started. I was getting 46+ mpg, and now I'm getting no more than about 42 (on average). Put another way, I was getting nearly 400 miles per tank, and now I'm getting only about 360 at best.

Apparently there's something to be said for having one of those engine warmer devices (I've heard that it goes into the oil and warms it and the whole engine). I'd like to get one if it's safe in our type of car.

[The Rigger]

Originally Posted by gstreetcomic

I agree that the cold seems to be a factor, espceailly if you let your car idle to get the motor warmed up to get the heat going. I am guilty of that mylself and noticed a little differenence in the MPG.

Cold air is more dense than warm air, consequently the engine management computer's air sensor tells the fuel system to pump a shade more fuel into the injectors to maintain optimum mixture than during warmer times. You may find your car has a little better performance this time of year to go along with the worse fuel economy.

[MIPOD]

hey, i am in NY, Long Island, mixed driving, never had less than 38 mpg, always stays around 42 mpg in with full loads and manual. I think you should check your gas or change stations. LOTS of gas station rip offs here.........

[dbwill]

FWIW

I have had my smart for 10 months now. Most of my driving has been around our metro area. I normally do not "goose" it but accelerate conservatively. If most of the driving is on city streets, my mileage varies between 31 and 33 mpg. If my driving is in the 30/70% freeway/city street driving my mileage averages between 33 and 36.

I have taken two "road trips" in the car. One when the car had less than 500 miles on it, 38MPG, and one the other day, 41MPG. Both trips were made in conditions of strong winds at about 65 MPH.

I am slightly disappointed in the over all results, but overall most satidfied with the car.

[gothlicroni]

Hi everyone, and thank you for all your replies!! Some I understood, others not so much. I have no idea where the air filter is, I usually go to Shell gas station and I don't have a tachometer. Most of my driving is local, stop and go type stuff, but I do some highway driving also during the week. I drive this car ALOT during the day. From one place to another to another and back again. I got it at the end of Nov and like I said, I'm about 4100 miles now. But it just seems like from Nov to the beginning of Jan, I was getting better mileage and now all of a sudden, it's worse. I suppose the weather can be a factor. It's been crazy on Long Island lately. From 40 down to 17 then to 24, it's been pretty strange. Other than that, I guess I'll just wait to see if it picks up again. I just wonder about those that get 45 mpg and how the heck they do it!! I guess I can't really complain, it only costs 15bucks to fill up.

[jetfuel]

Originally Posted by gothlicroni

I have no idea where the air filter is,

....I'm out...

jetfuel

[SuperGeek]

In that case, stop and go driving in town at 40mpg is hard to beat. Even 35 is a challenge and takes practice. Remember, the EPA rates this car 33 in the city, so if you're getting more than that, you're driving more conservatively than the average person is expected to. I get about 35 average in town (average per tank, if I'm not gunning it), but if I hit every red light, a single trip can get me 25 simply from stop and go driving.

Don't worry if you get 30, 35, or 40... it's all better than the alternative... what you had before or what you would have bought if the Smart didn't exist. Drive it, be happy and don't obsess over MPGs too much. If you keep a journal of MPGs, driving styles, temperatures, moon phase, etc at every fillup we'll just think you're a wacko. If you had a malfunction, a warning light should light up - the emissions system is pretty sensitive to anything out of whack.

[lkern]

I was at 43+ all summer. When winter came it dropped to under 40, and one stretch was 30. Why? I left it running for 1/2 hour when it was -10 or lower outside for weeks on end. BRUTAL. But come spring I'll be ready for the 10K checkup so I am anticipating a return to the mid 40's. Gas here is 1.60 a gallon, so it isn't as bad as it would have been when it was 4.50 I guess.