Quote:
Originally Posted by Duc_Z09
There's no way in hell you got 34+ mpg out of this car.  |
I bet at 55 mph in 6th gear, downhill, with the wind at your back, and maybe a tune you could get 35+ mpg
I've gotten over 520 miles on one tank before. Filled up over 18 US Gal, which was over 29 mpg for the tank. And that was at 70 mph on cruise control most of the time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Duc_Z09
Look, I drive for an average of maybe 50 miles on a new tank before those dash lights even start gong out. Sometimes the last one lights up when I fill up, sometimes it doesn't. And by the time those lights register that I have half a tank left, I'm always well beyond halfway to the 320 or so miles I usually get before my fuel warning starts kicking in; it's almost comical how quickly that last indicated "half tank" goes away. Those LEDs aren't even close to a linear representation of how much fuel you actually have and basing MPG off of them is a fool's game. 
The bottom line is that there are only 2 times that you can be sure of exactly how much fuel is in your Z; when the pump stops you from overfilling and when you stall out from going too far between fill-ups. Everything in between is just a bad guess that I wouldn't put any confidence in whatsoever. |
I've gotten 112 miles on that first dot before - it's the best one!
No but seriously, the way the dots drop off slow at first and then rapidly as you approach empty is easily explained by the shape of the gas tank. The dot gauge is just a float in the tank estimating how high or low the fuel level is, and it doesn't take into account the shape of the tank. Since the tank is larger at the top than the bottom, the float does not drop at the same rate when the tank is full vs empty. I would never trust that gauge.
I could care less about my mpgs, but I religiously pay attention to the mileage I get per tank. Therefore, I know almost exactly how much fuel I have at any given time just based on the miles I have driven since last filling up. I hit the 50 miles left warning and know that most of the time I have at least 100-120 miles remaining of casual driving. I often fill up more than 18 US Gal. Driving habits alter mileage, of course, so I take that into consideration as well.