Poor Mpg With The 3?
 

HAS ANYBODY EXPERIENCE POOR FUAL ,ILEAGE WITH THEIR 3 5 DOORS? I'VE ONLY HAD MINE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND I AM ONLY GETTING ABOUT 20-22 MPG ON IT. YES I DO TEND TO MASH THE THROTTLE AT TIMES BUT STILL? DOES MAZDA HAVE A NEW FUEL MAPPING CODE UPDATE LIKE ON THE RX8. MY BUDDIE'S RX8 HAD TERRIBLE FUEL MILEAGE AND HE FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A CODE OUT THERE SO HE WENT INTO THE DEALER AND GOT IT UPDATED. HE ALSO GOT AROUND 10 MORE PONIES OUT OF THE DEAL AND WAY BETTER MILEAGE . JUST CHECKING OR I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO TONE IT DOWN A BIT :red:

First question. Is it a manual or an auto. With my manual 3 if I keep the rpms from going over 3,000 I get beyond awsome gas millage. Now of course it's a 3 so I don't always keep it at that :). Whenever I go accelerating a lot I find that I get very poor gas millage. That car can suck gas if you speed. You never have to go over 3,500 max for normal driving and if gas millage is your problem that should fix it. As far as I know there is no new mapping code as far as I know. One would be nice.

Under 3000? It Is A Maual And What Fun Would It Be To Stay Under 3000. Well That Would Explain The Poor Gas Mileage. Thanks For The Reply.guess I'll Use The Cruise On The Freeway.

Ive had my 3s for about 2 months now and have put about 3000 miles on it so far. Its a manual by the way. If i keep my foot out of it i get about 26 around town and about 31-32 on the highway. But the second you break your light foot habits expect your gas gauge to plumet. If i drive more aggressivly, shift at higher points, accelerate faster, etc(im not talking about racing either) i get maybe 22 around town and probably only about 27 on the highway. This car is VERY sensative to driving style, and ive come to find, air pressure in your tires. Keep your foot light and your numbers will improve dramaticaly!

Thanks Jeffro. I'll Try To Be "lighter" With The Gas. It Is Just So Damn Fun Though. I Used To Drive A 83 944 And Which Was A Blast To Drive And It Seemed No Matter How I Drove It It Always Got The Same Milage. But I Tell You One Thing That This Car Kicks It's Ass All Over The Place Except The Handling Which Feels Different Because The 3 Is Front Wheel While The 944 Is Rear Wheel But They Corner About The Same. Awesome Car My 3 Is. Love It!

21 to 22 would be right for agressive city driving. If that is mixed driving it should be better.

I get 28-38 with my 3i 5 spd manual 2.0L with easy driving.

I haven't hit 30mpg in my 3s Sedan so far, but I'm a lead foot. I drive mostly city, although once in a while some freeway. I've hit 26 - 28mpg when freeway is heavy in the mix.

3,000 on the tach gives me a nice 70mph, but the engine just loves 3K - 4K. I'm doing 100 when it hits 4K, and the responsiveness of the acceleration from 3.5 - 4K rpm is just plain fun!

I get 26-28 mpg in my 3s sedan. (2.3 liter, automatic transmission) I drive a fair mix of city and two lane highway. I drive fairly agressive but not terrible. I'm experimemting right now with very easy driving to see what kind of mileage I can get so I can decide whether it's worth driving boring :rolleyes:

Thanks all. still having to much fun to be easy. the 2.3 just loves the 4 to 5 grand range. just put 10 gallons in her to day and I drove 220 miles. 20mpg.I'm getting worse .taking a 300 mile road trip this weekend to the beach and back.I'll see what it gets me.only problem is that my friends with a RX8 a 2gen RX 7 and a vw VR6golf are all going to.got a very very scenic route with a ton of curves and switchbacks plotted out for the trip there and i'll think we'll take it mellow and take the highway back. let you all know what it does Monday.

Remember that it takes a while for the engine to break in. After 10,000 miles or so you should see improvement in gas mileage and horsepower. That said, I also get poor mpg when I drive my 3s in sport mode and shift at high rpm's. When I commute on the freeway and leave it in automatic drive mode, I've got 29-30 mpg. Right now I'm getting 26mpg overall because I can't resist shifting myself and revving that lil engine. Just wait until I can buy and install a headers exhaust set up on the engine! :) I can't wait to build a BMW 325 beater!!!

I've had as low as 26.67 and as high as 29.73. (I keep a close look at my mileage) I really want to break 30.
One of my highest priorities in buying a new car was gas mileage cause I have a 62 mile round trip commute and a under 20G budget.
The Civic was to civil, the toyota corolla was to....not cool and both were anemic in their performance.( I thought).

The 3 was the only one that looked sweet inside and out, had some pep, 160 Hp worth, under 20G and claimed to get 32 mpg on the highway which 80% of my driving is.
I think if I baby the accelerator and cruise at 65 or so instead of 80 I met get it. I just cant seem to do that for a whole tank of gas!!!! You all know what I mean... zoom zoom

I am floating between 29 - 31. Doesn't matter how happy my right foot gets.

Than it aint gettin that happy!! :tit:

I totally disagree. With the intake and exhaust, it's hard not to have a heavy foot and hear your engine roar.

But to say your getting 29-31 with a heavy foot is just ludicrous...99% of the people on this board are lucky if they see those numbers...even with conservative driving habits.

HEY ALL. JUST HIT 24.96 MPG. WOO HOO. I STILL HAVEN'T HIT THE MAGIC #'S YET. I GUESS I'LL JUST TRY TO KEEP THE MOTOR MELLOW.
WELL MY LITTLE BEACH TRIP WAS GREAT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO BUT SINCE MY BUDDIES AND I ALL LIKE TO "DRIVE :shift: " I GOT REALLY POOR MILAGE. SOMETHING LIKE 19.8 DOWN THERE (104 MILES) AND WE GOT BETTER THEY WAY BACK (22 MPG @ 90 MILES). DAMN MY BUDDIES RX8 IS FAST! HE WOULD TOY WITH US ON THE STRAIGHTS BUT WE ALL COULD KEEP HIM IN CHECK IN THE TWISTYS. HAD A BLAST AND I'LL TRY TO GET A LINK OF SOME OF THE VIDEO ( FRIEND WITH THE RX7 HAS A CAGE MOUNTED CAMERA) WHEN HE SETS IT UP.

Are you calling me a liar? Insulted really since I am sharing my experience. ;pantdrop;

mind you, i had my car for a whole year already. So I probably have more milage then you, that also means my engine is broken in more then yours.

BUT, if you still refuse to believe, then you have live in denial that something not happening to you is obviosuly not true.

Cheers

Fobby

Not calling you a liar, i just think your not driving it nearly as hard as you state...not while getting 30 MPG!

OK...I have been lurking around here for some time and have enjoyed the many posts concerning the 3. After reading this topic and the infamous seat belt warning buzzer topic I would like to make just one comment. It always amazes me how people with no intention of making others mad can make others mad. I beleive it boils down to perception. Take this topic, one guy says he drives hard and gets great mileage...ok whats driving hard? compared to who, what are the tach numbers you shift at? When my mother says she drives hard I go yeah right what 5 over the speed limit. When I am driving hard my friend who used to race is asleep next to me, when he drives hard I'm bugged eyed wide awake praying for my life...."Just the facts ma'am" that's all I want. Just my .02 worth.

Oh yeah just picked up an 05 Black hatch...I love it.

If you mean driving hard is redlining every shift then I truly feels sorry for your car. What's the point of driving a manual if you granny shift before 3k rpm.

Just for your info, my shift rpm depends on which gear I am in while driving in the city. Shift around 5 - 6k from 1st to 2nd and that usualy hits the speed limit already.

Just sharing, I am not pissed if you don't find the humour in my mooning smiles. Just I find it strange when people refuse to believe what they have been told that's all.

That's my $0.02

Hi Guys, I've been reading this thread with much interest, now that my 3 has a few miles, I'll chime in with my mpg... 23 in town, almost 31 on the highway. My highway speeds are around 75-80 mph too. Automatic, BTW, so I'm surprised.

I Am Starting To Feel Sorry I Started This Thread. Causing So Much Tension. Well After What Bill Wrote About His Mileage ,even Though His Is A Auto, I Feel My Mileage Is Doing Just Fine.
No And I Do Mean No. I Have Never Hit The Rev Limiter So To Say I Shift At The Red Line Is Well. Not True. Between 1st To 2nd It's Around 4500-5200 (still Under The Red On My Car). 2nd To 3rd 4000 To 4500 ( Yes Still Below The Red Line). 3rd To 4th 3500 To 4000 (in Town -still Below) 5000 To 5500( Getting Onto The Freeway So I Get Into Traffic At Speed Or Better, And Wait Let Me Check, Yes It Is Still Below The Red Line) And 4th To 5th 3500-4200 With A Nice Cruising Spped Of 70-75mph@ 3000-3200 Or So In 5th.
Sorry I Like To Drive The Car The Way It Was Designed. So If It Can Do 80 In 3rd. Hell Ya I Will Get It There At Times. I Drove A '83 944 For 8 Years Prior So "bad" Habits Die Hard I Guess. Still I Guess I Can't Bitch To Much Because That Car Always No Matter How Hard I Drove It Got Only 20mpg And After My First Few Tanks I've Beaten That.
Peace To All And Relax. This Post Was Only Put Up For A Benchmark To See How Everyone Else's Car\driving Habits Effect Mpg.

Hmmmm first tank 298 miles with 200 miles of freeway, rest just short rips around town, hit redline probably 4 times (still breaking in) 26.7...not bad in my book

Hey Fish, I wouldn't sweat it, this IS the internet after all. It's your car, do what you wish with it, if it gets decent mileage, great!
I just got out of an '01 Taurus that got as low as 14 mpg in town, so this car is a godsend.

No Sweat Here Bill. 14 Mpg? Oh That's Tough. Would Of Been Cheaper To Walk.

Big Fish,
I can see running it up towards 5K when you've really got to pull into traffic on the highway - but why not try shifting up between 3K and 4K and let us know how you do? A ride without hard Gs can be quite enjoyable - put on some nice music, relax... Peace :)

The last tank I tried to keep it under 65MPH and under 3500RPM (speed limit is still 55 where I do most of my driving) and I got 27.2 mpg.

I'd like to know what tricks anyone is doing to consistently get over 30mpg...
Driving downhill with the wind behind you at a steady 50mph in 5th gear ?? :D

Ok I am from Canada so I don't want to convert to mpg, but my car get 400km/45L of gas and it is only less than 2 month old with 4000km on it. I think that is a pretty bad gas milage considering my 96 240sx with all the upgrade gets 550-600km/55L. (keep in mine I am very generous with the 3 right now)

But i guess you can't complaint about gas when you drive a 3's. FUN factor overide evreything :)

if you are calculating that way Krazychemist, I am getting 12 km/L to 13 km/L. You can always use google by typing in 12km/l in mpg to figure out what the mpg is.

it's a forum people, get over it. There's no such thing as "bad feelings" and tension.

Kilometers Per Liter / Miles Per Gallon (U.S.) / Miles Per Gallon (U.K.)

Fobby, when you were reporting 31mpg were those Imperial Gallons? That would explain your superior numbers!

Krazy: 400km/45L = 8.88 k/l = about 21mpg(US) is not good! Are you driving it as hard as Big Fish?

I do about between 465-475 on 45 litres. Mine is a 2.3 GT, with automatic transmission. I expected it to be a little better than that, but judging from what I see here, it's about average.

As I mentionned in another thread, the only problem I have with mine is that the car is difficult to start cold - takes about 3 seconds of cranking before it starts. It's likely a problem with the fuel delivery system (either the pump, line, sensor or whatever). Maybe fixing that would improve the mileage a little - but then again, I was driving a 93 Lumina before that, so regardless, the mileage is quite an improvement. And my Lumina had a 60 litre tank with it to boot! Hopefully, that'll be taken care of tomorrow when I drop my car off at the dealer.

A friend of mine has a 1.8 PRotege, and he does 500 to 550kms in the summer , and only 400-450 in the winter (since he uses the starter a lot to warm up the car). So, with a 2.3 litre engine, and about 50 more horsepower with the MAzda 3, there's definitely a difference.

So how much you drive in actual miles in only one indicator of consumption. Where you drive, how you drive, what kind of tires you have (winter tires affects this) impacts on fuel consumption.

Hey Bob. yeah I know i need to get a tad more mellow.I fill up my tank with every intention to try to be more conservative but it's like getting a new girlfriend in the sack :tit: . you need to get all of the "newness" out of it before you settle down to what really works. I will keep you informed. thanks

as you can refer to the chart above. 12km/l would be 33.89 gallons in the UK.

I live in Canada, so I don't use miles and gallons, but I used Goggle to convert. So it gives me 28.68 for 12km/l which is what I got from my last tank of gas. So no. it's the US gallon that I was reporting. :P

Many others are even getting better mileage then I am on a different forum.

So I guess that means I'm getting about 10-10.5 kms/litre. It's lower than 12, but maybe it's because mine is automatic.

No not at all, I am still breaking in so haven't even reach 4500rpm yet. oh well it does matter anyway like i said earlier fun factor when driving the 3 is everything

Oh I just filled up two hour ago ...
404km/46L (that when the light showed up)

I have been averaging 19 mpg around the city (with some highway miles). I shift no higher than 3500-4000 RPMs. My 04 Hatchback has 5500 miles on it (Manual). I've had it in a bunch of times already for CELs and for the mileage, nothing has helped. From what I have seen on this site, 19 is WAY lower than it should be. What can/should i do? The most I have goten is 27, and that was all highway. I have been between 18 and 20 MPG on every tank since I got the car in June when driving around the city. WTF?

Mikeg, all's you can do is double check the tire inflation - use a couple of different guages to make sure you have the tires at 32psi - Those low profile tires don't hold much air - so you have to be careful to make sure you have them just right. And check that your brakes aren't dragging - see that the car rolls smoothly and straight on a level smooth city street - that the car doesn't pull at all as you apply the brakes. And then take it for a ride up out of the Bronx on one of the parkways into my neighborhood (Westchester) and see how you do. 27, maybe 28mpg on a good day with the wind behind is what I'm getting on the Westchester parkways - driving pretty conservatively in 5th gear at 55 to 65 mph.

I’ve had my 3 Sp. GT for a year now and I find that I can easily get over 500km out of a full tank and I drive the shit out of it on a daily basis. Usually About 50/50 between hwy and city.

I also have been reading noticing a lot of you have new cars and are trying to break them in by taking it easy with the rpm's. Check this site out; it might let you have some fun with your 3 sooner than you think!!


http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm