winter MPG
01-11-2010, 02:57 PM
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winter MPG hey all, just wondering if its just me and my car or if winter gas mileage in my 06 gxp straight sucks? can using remote start ALOT suck gas and just plain winter driving conditions suck gas also, i normally get about 280 miles on a full tank, lately ive been getting 180ish,,,, im on a quater tank right now and have 125 miles on this tank. i use premium everytime. Is this normal?
thanks, Levi
thanks, Levi
01-11-2010, 03:12 PM
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I run premium as well and i get about 27 mpg with dod, 25 without it. I get around 250 per tank regardless. Im running a pretty aggressive tune all year round which i was alittle hesitant to run in winter but all seems fine so far.
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01-11-2010, 04:46 PM
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Remote start is only part of the story. Until your engine warms up, DOD and DFCO (Decel Fuel Cut Off) aren't enabled and it takes longer to warm up in the winter (obviously). Also, your torque converter won't lock until the transmission warms up, and in the winter it's usually the engine coolant that warms the transmission fluid up so there is a decent lag there too (you can watch your trans temp increase faster after the thermostat opens). Combine all three not kicking on until you've driven for a bit, throw in higher viscousity fluids, and you lose a lot of mileage unless you are travelling long distances. Also, I slip the tires a lot more in the winter and so I can't accelerate as hard. You want a decent load on the engine when accelerating to get good efficiency, so you lose mileage there too. Firm acceleration (not WOT, lol) without overshooting your target speed followed by a steady light foot gives the best mileage for most cars. Finally, pusing through slush and snow requires more torque than rolling along dry pavement, hurting mileage more when the roads aren't plowed.
The other part of the equation is winter gas. Winter gas is reformulated with additives (a google search of winter gas in your state should kick them up if you are interested) that help the gas vaporize and increase octane rating. But, with higher octane and lower density fuel you have less energy per gallon and so you get worse mileage.
FWIW, I got 19+ in the winter and 22+ in the summer before I started modding, but I also run winter tires which have a higher rolling resistance too. I was at 22+ after my MAF tune until the snow hit, now it's slowly creeping down.
Final Tip: make sure you put some more air in your tires because colder air is more dense and your tire pressure drops when it is cold (pV = nRT).
The other part of the equation is winter gas. Winter gas is reformulated with additives (a google search of winter gas in your state should kick them up if you are interested) that help the gas vaporize and increase octane rating. But, with higher octane and lower density fuel you have less energy per gallon and so you get worse mileage.
FWIW, I got 19+ in the winter and 22+ in the summer before I started modding, but I also run winter tires which have a higher rolling resistance too. I was at 22+ after my MAF tune until the snow hit, now it's slowly creeping down.
Final Tip: make sure you put some more air in your tires because colder air is more dense and your tire pressure drops when it is cold (pV = nRT).
01-12-2010, 10:14 AM
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i dont even think there is any of those in my town, mostly shell, citgo, speedway, meijer , and marathon. those are all of the gas stations in my town, i google mapped it and thought about it, there is a sunoco about 15 miles from my town tho, would it be worth it to go there?
Last edited by 94ss06gxp; 01-12-2010 at 10:22 AM.
01-12-2010, 10:37 AM
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i dont even think there is any of those in my town, mostly shell, citgo, speedway, meijer , and marathon. those are all of the gas stations in my town, i google mapped it and thought about it, there is a sunoco about 15 miles from my town tho, would it be worth it to go there?
