Who Calculates/ How is MPG Calculated?

[Kiwi_ME]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml

"Professional driver," hmm, well, Audi used a robot in the early '80s and no-doubt still do.

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: horse123
How often do you use 4wd? The only time you should use it is when you're stuck, it's monumentally wasteful on gas and eventually maintenance costs to use it all the time.


It's actually kinda nice to keep from getting stuck in the first place. You know, like when the rear of the truck keeps kicking out because you're on several inches of snow. Or you're looking up the hill and there is a foot of snow on it.

Right now I'd say I'm using it about a quarter of the time, give or take. I drive my car on nice days, which is most of the time. When it snows I take my truck. Ergo, it is seeing "lots" of 4x4 usage. Mind you, despite 16mpg and a tiny 20gallon tank, I'm filling it maybe every other week.

Since it's an old-school part time system I don't use it on bare or wet pavement. Pretty much only when it's pretty slippery, whenever RWD isn't getting it done. And yes, I have snow tires on it.


My friend with an old wrangler on worn mud tires of all things has almost never used 4WD this winter. Maybe not once.

Put some weight in the back, or get new tires. Plenty of RWD cars do find with all season tires in snow.

 

[hattaresguy]

I calculate the MPG for my truck every time I fill up.

Like clock work I get 14 winter 15 summer, and the best I have ever done was just shy of 20 on the highway, won't quite do 20.

The window sticker on my truck is 15/19 which is pretty accurate.

My worst ever tank was 10, lots of idling.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: horse123
How often do you use 4wd? The only time you should use it is when you're stuck, it's monumentally wasteful on gas and eventually maintenance costs to use it all the time.


It's actually kinda nice to keep from getting stuck in the first place. You know, like when the rear of the truck keeps kicking out because you're on several inches of snow. Or you're looking up the hill and there is a foot of snow on it.

Right now I'd say I'm using it about a quarter of the time, give or take. I drive my car on nice days, which is most of the time. When it snows I take my truck. Ergo, it is seeing "lots" of 4x4 usage. Mind you, despite 16mpg and a tiny 20gallon tank, I'm filling it maybe every other week.

Since it's an old-school part time system I don't use it on bare or wet pavement. Pretty much only when it's pretty slippery, whenever RWD isn't getting it done. And yes, I have snow tires on it.


Go to Lowes and buy 4 of the 60 pound sand tubes, nestle them between the tailgate and the wheel well two on each side. Pickups do better in the snow with some weight out back even 4wd ones.

Its also not a terrible idea to carry sand it might get you unstuck in a pinch.

 

[supton]

No thanks. It has 4wd, why not use it?

I had brand new LTX MS2 on it, and with a camper shell, eight tires, four rims and 120lb of sand it would slide around at moments notice. Putting it into 4wd would tame it, but I never trusted it after realizing how skittish it is. Four snow tires later and it feels much better, but I still use 4wd when it seems called for.

I've driven my fwd cars with bald tires in winter, and those are fine. Well, I'd rather have good tires, but I'm used to how they handle, save for the snap oversteer my car is developing. RWD though is kinda scary in snow.

I probably have too much vehicle, but I keep it for other reasons than it's snow ability.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I have no choice on the rogue its auto AWD, though it does have a 4WD lock for speed under 30 mph. IIRC a Mitsubishi Lancer AWD I test drove ( on sale 2500 off sticker) had a 2wd option for operation to save fuel, but the car was to tight inside for me and the highly canted windscreen gave me too much claustrophobia

Im just used to getting above 27 mpg in worst conditions in a Forester with the old EJ engine that had the fuel conserving variation of a Honda VTEC SOHC valvetrain which kept one of the intakes barely open at low load/low tach.

 

[MNgopher]

Why anyone would by a 4x4 vehicle and then not actually use the 4x4 system in conditions that allow it is beyond me...

I own two 4x4 vehicles - a full size truck and an SUV. In snowy conditions, I'll put my truck in 4x4, and yes, I have sand tubes in the bed and snow tires. I don't drive any differently that if I didn't have 4x4.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: supton
No thanks. It has 4wd, why not use it?

I had brand new LTX MS2 on it, and with a camper shell, eight tires, four rims and 120lb of sand it would slide around at moments notice. Putting it into 4wd would tame it, but I never trusted it after realizing how skittish it is. Four snow tires later and it feels much better, but I still use 4wd when it seems called for.

I've driven my fwd cars with bald tires in winter, and those are fine. Well, I'd rather have good tires, but I'm used to how they handle, save for the snap oversteer my car is developing. RWD though is kinda scary in snow.

I probably have too much vehicle, but I keep it for other reasons than it's snow ability.


Well every pickup I have ever driven always did better with a bit of weight out back, from a 1/2 ton up to a dump truck. 4x4 or not didn't matter. Trucks unless they have a utility body or something very heavy in the back are always very front biased in terms of weight distribution.

 

[ARB1977]

I just started using fuelly...only took me 13 year's to monitor gas milage, lol.