gas milage

[Janie Reynolds]

Why are we not getting better gas milage in our cars? I know it can be done. What can I do to try to change this.
qlady

[bb62]

Originally Posted by Janie Reynolds

Why are we not getting better gas milage in our cars? I know it can be done. What can I do to try to change this.
qlady

I have a 2005 Mazda 6 with a manual and 4 cylinder. I got 37 mpg on the last tank (50/50 city/highway) by keeping the rpms under 2000 and the highway speed under 60. My wife and I also took a trip in her Honda Civic and by cruising at about 59 mph we got 43 mpg for the 290 mile trip - that's only 6.7 gallons or about $28 for the trip.

[gt0163c]

Originally Posted by Janie Reynolds

Why are we not getting better gas milage in our cars? I know it can be done. What can I do to try to change this.
qlady

Are you asking why cars in general don't get better gas mileage (despite some technology being available) or why you individually are not getting better mileage?

If it's the former, there are all sorts of reasons including consumers not wanting to pay more for the technology for fuel efficiency (this is changing); consumers wanting faster, more powerful cars; companies not taking enough time in the design cycle to do things like minimize weight and tune performance for optimum fuel efficiency (which, again, comes down to the money). And there's some theories that it also has to do with the automakers being in with the big oil companies...what you believe about that is up to you.

If your question is more about your personal situation, there's the standard things to check:
Are your tires properly inflated?
When was the last time you had an oil change, tune-up and replaced the fuel filter?
Do you have extra stuff in your trunk?
Do you have a roof rack or other things that are adding drag to your vehicle?
Can you drive slower, especially on the highway?
Is there a way you can minimize the amount of time you idle (waiting at stop lights, waiting to make left turns, etc)?

All of those should help you get better mileage.

[jayfromfree411]

"Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors" on wikipedia.

[purplefdu]

The government requirements for fuel efficiency have not been strict enough. This will be changing in 2010 (I think, have to double check that) to a minimum of 20mpg. Until then however it is up to the manufacturer to want better efficiency, not the laws.

[72Tiger]

There have been fuel efficient options on the market for a long time (since the 70's oil crisis). For the most part they have been ignored by the majority of American consumers. Gas has simply been too cheap to make them attractive, and manufacturers never marketed them much because there was not much of a profit margin on them, especially when compared to an SUV that had 2 to 4x the price tag.

Hopefully, now that oil prices are at the level they are now, manufacturers and the buying public will reinvigorate and improve the market for fuel efficient cars.

[gt0163c]

Originally Posted by purplefdu

The government requirements for fuel efficiency have not been strict enough. This will be changing in 2010 (I think, have to double check that) to a minimum of 20mpg. Until then however it is up to the manufacturer to want better efficiency, not the laws.

Currently, the fuel efficiency standards that the government imposes on the automakers allow for some interesting math for the calculations. The standards are for all lines of vehicles that a manufacturer makes. So, an automaker can make a hybrid that gets 42 mpg and a super SUV that gets 8 and still come out with a reasonable "overall" fuel efficiency rating. Additionally, the fuel efficiency rating is based only on the gasoline used in the vehicles. That sound reasonable until you realize that with "flex-fuel" vehicles (generally those which use ethanol), only the mpg of gasoline is factored in. So a vehicle which can run on up to 50% (or more) ethanol, has an artificially high mpg fuel efficiency rating and contributes to the manufacture's overall fuel efficiency rating.

Whether this is right or wrong depends on how you interpret the fuel standards which the government holds the manufactures to, how this effects the general public and such. I also don't know how the laws are changing and how that will effect how an automakers fuel efficiency rating is determined.

Personally, I'm not certain how I feel about the government imposing fuel restrictions on the automakers. A large part of me feels that the market and consumer demand should be what determines what the automakers produce. But I also understand the importance of fuel efficiency in terms of pollution control and decreasing the dependence upon oil. I also understand that it takes time to design and produce new vehicles and that corportations often need incentives to push for new innovations that consumers may not yet want, but will probably want in the near future.

[carlsguide]

I think auto makers can and should build more fuel efficient cars. But until they do here are some tips on how to save money on gas.

[KevinW]

I've always thought that mandating fleet wide mileage averages (CAFE) is silly. It's always been full of loopholes and misfits such as ethanol cars, diesel cars, series hybrids, and so on.

I think a federal tax on gasoline would create a true market demand for more efficient vehicles, which manufacturers could meet however they like. Unfortunately there are substantial political challenges to creating new taxes, and such a tax would be regressive.

[SurferTiki]

When gas prices shot up and the impact on my wallet went up with it, I found quite a bit of good resources on how to improve your gas mileage on your current car here on wisebread. I went from 26mpg to 31mpg. When gas was $4.75 per gallon that was huuuge savings.