My ES-GT Fuel Economy Doesn't Seem Right..
 

Ok so this is my first post here and would like to say hello to everyone. :D

I just switched up my car from a 2002 Silver LX 5spd to a 2003 Blue ES-GT 4spd (Manumatic)

Sources report that I would be able to get the same mileage as I did with the Silver one. 25city/31highway. (I didn't beleive this as I know you won't get the same economy as stick).

So I had my car for about 3 months now and I notice that I'm only getting about 300km per tank or even lower than that. In my Silver LX I got high 300's.

Is it supposed to be that low? Is it right that i'm getting robbed nearly 100km per tank on gas? (BTW I use the same company gas as I did with the Silver LX) What could be wrong? I think something is wrong here...

I have about 2500km on it right now.

300 km/tank? That seems really low...what kind of driving are you doing? City? Highway? Either way, unless you're idling for hours, that's low, IMHO.

are you using more AC? defrost?

Err, well, check your manual, see what kind of octane it says to use? And which are you using?

300 k per tank ,that 1/2 of what I am getting ,I usually get between 600 and 650 k per tank I do have a 5 speed but that shouldn't make that much of a differance in fuel economy .

Ya I noticed the same thing before when I got my ES; after a few experiments and hours of internal tuning, I concluded that the,

A) The Spacing for the Auto Tranny could be more effecient when (Final Drive especially) I mean Reving 3000RPM at like 105 - 110 Kph lol my god damn Auto Tranny Honda only does 2500 at those speeds.

B) If you keep your speed under 105 kph you will notice your range per tank of gas increase by 60km, also utilizing the cruise control will yeild another 40km that you can recover.

C) Utilize the Gear number 2 as much as you can during stop and go traffic, I utilize it all the time and it has helped me recover even more gas, and I use it in my regular driving. I personally dislike the first gear on my Auto Tranny, at low speeds it shifts funny and based on what I can see uses up alot of gas. (too much)

Currently my Mazda is getting as much KM distance as my Civic but it took a long time of figuring it out so in some ways its a pain in the ass.
So the gas consumption is correct, but it just seems that the mazda Protege is not efficent during stop and go stop and go in gear one.

Pure city driving. Heat and Defrost is only used initially but then turned off.



So just start in 2nd? I did that a couple times, I don't like the loss of acceleration but i'll try it. Still man my ES shouldn't have to be driven like that...it should be automatic and should be getting near the stick version of the car.

What model Pro do you have? Do you drive on the highway? That's higher than Echo's economy already

I use regular unleaded gasoline.

u can actually start the car off in second gear? the trans seems weakly designed from the factory, i feel for u guys, i love the way my max 5 speed shifts, and i get anywhere from 20-24MPG city and 27-31MPG high way, my bro's auto max gets 22-23MPG city and 28-32MPG highway.

You drive stick and you didn't know you can start in 2nd gear? lol

bizump....

If you are brave and trust your your Mechanic, you should install a Intake System and an Exhaust System, then as you add 10 - 15 HP to your car, you can also play with the Air/Gas Ratio's and reduce the fuel input, if you do it correct and do not rob the engine of to much gas, you will see a 10 - 15 % in gas economy and only 5% performance hit, this is been Dynotested so I can vouch for it.

And did it for a while in my car.

Give it a shot, but i warn you, do not do ratio mods unless you actually boost your HP, Doing this on a stock car can actually damage your engine hardcore.

After a top to bottom look at the Intake / Powertrain-engine / Exhaust, I find that a big performance bottle neck is the Intake, the car breaths so much better even with just a simple K&N Air Filter for pete sake...

anyways... let me know what you think.

Well I did the n00bie thing and I inflated my tires and they were REALLY deflated, so ill see how that runs first. I was always thinkin of putting a K&N Filter before..how much would they run for an ESGT in Canadian?

Air Filter should run you 70 - 80, don't quote me, it might be a little cheaper, and its reusable, all you do is take it out, oil it clean it and install again. Saves you money in the long run, instead of the stock one..

I might invest, im assuming it will add 5hp or so? How much better percentage of fuel economy will i save?