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Car Forum / Nissan / Nissan Maxima / December 2004Gas mileage 2001 max?
I have a 2001 max SE 5 speed with about 25,000 miles, and was wondering about gas mileage. I've noticed my mileage go down from about 380 or so on a tank to about 350, sometimes even 340 a tank (or even less) now, I drive pretty easily, usually make my shifts at 2K on the Tach (give or take) and dont' generally accelerate fast. my driving habits haven't changed at all since I've gotten the car last year. I live in RI where it gets fairly cold, I always make sure I warm up the car for about 3-5 minutes before going (til the needle on the temp is about 1/4 of the way up. now, coudl it be somethign I'm overlooking. is there anything I shoudl do to my car at about 25,000. (fuel filter, plugs, air filter, anything else?) I change my oil pretty much every 3,000 miles (sometimes I'm over by about 100 miles, never more than that though.) any other suggestions on how to get my mileage up a few MPG? (right now I figure I get a little over 20 MPG), whe I used to hit a pretty consistant 22-23 MPG with the AC on in the summer. thanks! -Slick Nick > I have a 2001 max SE 5 speed with about 25,000 miles, and was wondering about > gas mileage. I've noticed my mileage go down from about 380 or so on a tank to [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > AC on in the summer. thanks! > -Slick Nick How's your tire pressure? If it is low it will cost you mpg. Cold weather reduces pressure. Unless they are severly underinflated this won't account for the 10% drop you've noted... but it might be a factor... Regards, Mike This is pretty typical... a lot of 5th gens get only 300 miles per tank (or less), including my former 2000 SE 5-speed and current 2002 GLE auto. The very best highway mileage I was able to eek out of the 2000 was only 21.5mpg.. with gentle driving. My 2002 gets similar. > I have a 2001 max SE 5 speed with about 25,000 miles, and was wondering > about gas mileage. I've noticed my mileage go down from about 380 or so on > a tank to about 350, sometimes even 340 a tank (or even less) now, I drive > pretty easily, usually make my shifts at 2K on the Tach (give or take) and > dont' generally accelerate fast. my driving habits haven't changed at all > since I've gotten the car last year. Are your trips the same length? I has a customer than changed jobs to one closer to home and complained about MPG.  SignatureSteve http://www.atlantaracing.com Have you changed where you buy your gas, or have they converted recently to a methanol blend? The alcohol blend will easily account for a 10% loss in mileage, but so would low tire pressure or bad tires. Does your car coast easily, or does it feel like there's a drag from the tires? Off course, warming up the car before taking off doesn't help the mileage either... Matthew 01 Max SE Auto 21.5 mpg average I buy my gas at the same 2 stations I always do, my car coasts pretty easily, I checked the tire pressure and it seems to be fine. from what I understod your suposed to warm up your car a little before driving, espically in cold weather. read something about the car's computer richening the gas mixture to warm up the engine until the temp reaches a certian level then it leans it out. (is this true) how would i knwo if my station changed it's blend? do they have to post this somewhere? >Have you changed where you buy your gas, or have they converted >recently to a methanol blend? The alcohol blend will easily account for [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >01 Max SE Auto >21.5 mpg average -Slick Nick If your station sells a methanol blend, it will have a sign on it that states to the effect "Contains up to 10% Methanol". Yes, the car runs a bit richer when cold but not very much so. If you had an automatic, it would not shift into overdrive until the engine warms up. The rationale for this is that it is important to warm up as rapidly as practical without breaking anything. Towards that end, it is wiser to warm the car for only a few seconds (maybe 30-60 secs if it is extremely cold) and then commence driving at a moderate pace. No high revs, but get some load on the engine. The head and block warm up at different rates, and as they warm they expand. During this transition, the cylinders are distorting and out of round, which can cause wear on the engine. That is why most companies want you to warm the car at a fast pace. Good luck, Matthew 01 Max SE > The head and block warm up at different rates, and as they warm they > expand. During this transition, the cylinders are distorting and out of > round, which can cause wear on the engine. That is why most companies > want you to warm the car at a fast pace. Interesting theory. I heard a different story - due to emissions requirements, the are set to warm up fast to get the pre-cat and/or cats hot ASAP, and that a gently warmup might be better for the mechanicals. Have you heard this one (cause I don't know what to believe) Dave I have also heard that, and its one of the reasons that we have 4-wire O2 sensors. But I've heard the warping cylinders theory for many more years. Keep in mind that the stresses are very low when mildly driven, and you get the oil and water (hopefully not together ) flowing for best heat distrubution. In any case, my father used to idle his cars for 10-15 minutes in the winter and his cars burned oil before 100K miles. I rarely warm my cars more than 2 minutes (waiting for my wife or kids, usually), and my cars typically run like new well after 100K. I don't abuse them, usually cruising at 20-40 mph, and I never stand on the pedal until I see the temp gauge up at operating temperature. Works for me anyway... Matthew 01 Max SE thanks for the info, neither of the stations I go to have a sign saying they contain any methanol. are they required to have a sign? as far as warming goes, I don't let the car warm for a while, and I always drive it gently when it's cold til I see the temp gague get to it normal level. any other ideas why my mileage has gone down? could it be time to service anything (plugs, fuel or air filter, ext.) thanks >If your station sells a methanol blend, it will have a sign on it that >states to the effect "Contains up to 10% Methanol". [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >Matthew >01 Max SE -Slick Nick Habibe99, The 2001's have a very small gas tank, about 14 Gallons or less. Your car is about like mine. You can almost watch the gas guage needle go down as your drive along. >I have a 2001 max SE 5 speed with about 25,000 miles, and was wondering >about [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > AC on in the summer. thanks! > -Slick Nick umm, I was aware that it had a 16.5 galon tank, I usually put in about 15.5 galons when I fill up >Habibe99, >The 2001's have a very small gas tank, about 14 Gallons or less. Your car [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> AC on in the summer. thanks! >> -Slick Nick -Slick Nick |
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