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There's an amazing difference in gas mileage between long and short trips

Chaotic42

Chaotic42

Lifer
I moved to New York a few months ago and I live .4 miles from work. In Mississippi, I drove 50 miles to school, 50 miles to work, and 30 miles home every day. Down there I got 370-400 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

Here I get 198....

I knew there would be a difference, but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic.
 
isn't it entirely depedent on how often you change speeds? on shorter trips, your speed fluctuates a lot more than your speeds on long trips. 50% does seem like a lot. your car properly maintained? weather would factor in too i imagine.
 
Also your car uses more gas when it is warming up. Until then the engine is in loop mode and does not adjust the fuel ratio as well as after it has hit its min. engine temp.
 
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Less stopping and starting = better mileage.
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Yup, 65mph on the freeway or so gives you awesome milage compared to stoping and starting in the city constantly, haha.
 
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Also your car uses more gas when it is warming up. Until then the engine is in loop mode and does not adjust the fuel ratio as well as after it has hit its min. engine temp.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I moved to New York a few months ago and I live .4 miles from work. In Mississippi, I drove 50 miles to school, 50 miles to work, and 30 miles home every day. Down there I got 370-400 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

Here I get 198....

I knew there would be a difference, but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic.
Click to expand...

It's 4/10 of a mile. For the love of FSM, walk to work!
 
I cruise in the top gear at 100mph and somehow it does nothing to help with my gas mileage :laugh:

But the way I drive I've become so numb as to how much I spend at the gas pumps. 80.5/L vs 86.0/L vs 93.0/L, the extra few dollars means nothing to me. Not to say I'm rich or anything, but I favour my driving habits over a few extra dollars of savings.

One thing I should mention though is my car recently reached 100,000KM and all of a sudden I seem to be getting better gas mileage, driving the same way and fueling the same way. Has it only now being considered as broken in and thus me getting better mileage? Considering fall/winter conditions means the intake is sucking in cooler air.

 
Originally posted by: PeeluckyDuckee
I cruise in the top gear at 100mph and somehow it does nothing to help with my gas mileage :laugh:

But the way I drive I've become so numb as to how much I spend at the gas pumps. 80.5/L vs 86.0/L vs 93.0/L, the extra few dollars means nothing to me. Not to say I'm rich or anything, but I favour my driving habits over a few extra dollars of savings.

One thing I should mention though is my car recently reached 100,000KM and all of a sudden I seem to be getting better gas mileage, driving the same way and fueling the same way. Has it only now being considered as broken in and thus me getting better mileage? Considering fall/winter conditions means the intake is sucking in cooler air.
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Your neighbor is putting gas in your tank when you aren't looking.
 
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Also your car uses more gas when it is warming up. Until then the engine is in loop mode and does not adjust the fuel ratio as well as after it has hit its min. engine temp.
Click to expand...

This is the main reason. Every other reason is secondary. Same thing here. When I drive all highway, I get 32ish mpg. My commute now is 6 miles, all city, and I usually get about 22mpg. When my commute was 1 mile, I'd get about 18mpg. All in the same car. A bit worse in the winter than in the summer.

All those EPA ratings assume your engine is warm already. It takes about 5 minutes to get there...during those 5 minutes, you're gulping down gas.
 
Originally posted by: Syringer
Originally posted by: Marlin1975
Also your car uses more gas when it is warming up. Until then the engine is in loop mode and does not adjust the fuel ratio as well as after it has hit its min. engine temp.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

The car uses more gas when is warming up - but the engine is in open loop mode only until the oxygen sensor heats to its working temperature (however, cold engine in cold weather=more fuel used in order to keep it rolling).
The biggest fuel hogs are: engine runs longer (as average speed is lower, but distance is the same); engine is "gunned" in order to stay in traffic (accelerating often); energy lost in braking

(the MPG is better when you go 55miles per hour than when you go 70 miles per hour, but is also better than when you go 10 miles per hour)
 
Originally posted by: MrPickins
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I moved to New York a few months ago and I live .4 miles from work. In Mississippi, I drove 50 miles to school, 50 miles to work, and 30 miles home every day. Down there I got 370-400 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

Here I get 198....

I knew there would be a difference, but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic.
Click to expand...

It's 4/10 of a mile. For the love of FSM, walk to work!
Click to expand...

QFT
 
Originally posted by: MrPickins
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I moved to New York a few months ago and I live .4 miles from work. In Mississippi, I drove 50 miles to school, 50 miles to work, and 30 miles home every day. Down there I got 370-400 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

Here I get 198....

I knew there would be a difference, but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic.
Click to expand...

It's 4/10 of a mile. For the love of FSM, walk to work!
Click to expand...

That's what I'm thinking. By the time you open the car, put your stuff in, tune in a radio station and get moving , if you walk, you would be half way there already.
 
Originally posted by: MrPickins

It's 4/10 of a mile. For the love of FSM, walk to work!
Click to expand...

Well, I've been considering it, but I go to work at 12am and leave from 9am-1pm. The daylight part is fine, but walking in the cold, rainy darkness at midnight on a road with no sidewalks leaves a little something to be desired.

I might try it tonight though.
 
Driving .4 miles is bad because the engine never gets a chance to warm up. In a week, you've driven 4 miles on a cold engine.

I thought all the roads in NYC had sidewalks.
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
I moved to New York a few months ago and I live .4 miles from work. In Mississippi, I drove 50 miles to school, 50 miles to work, and 30 miles home every day. Down there I got 370-400 miles on 12 gallons of gas.

Here I get 198....

I knew there would be a difference, but I didn't expect it to be that dramatic.
Click to expand...

Are you telling me that you actually drive to work when you live .4 miles away?

I hope this is not the case, but if it is... LAZY!

I could only dream of working so close. There is no doubt in my mind that I would walk every or nearly every day.
 
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
Originally posted by: MrPickins

It's 4/10 of a mile. For the love of FSM, walk to work!
Click to expand...

Well, I've been considering it, but I go to work at 12am and leave from 9am-1pm. The daylight part is fine, but walking in the cold, rainy darkness at midnight on a road with no sidewalks leaves a little something to be desired.

I might try it tonight though.
Click to expand...

I would like to know more about you. Are you fat?
 
Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Driving .4 miles is bad because the engine never gets a chance to warm up. In a week, you've driven 4 miles on a cold engine.

I thought all the roads in NYC had sidewalks.
Click to expand...

They probably do. I live in the other 99.9999% of New York that isn't NYC.

I'm fat, but not obese. I've got a gut, but I could very easily walk .4 miles, like pretty much anyone could. The problems are that:

1) It's always either cold or rainy or both here.
2) I'd have to walk on the road to avoid getting my shoes muddy
3) Having the car allows me to go get lunch at 3am.

So it really works out for the better if I drive. I have the gym for exercise. 😉
 
1. Walk anyway. Cold = Jacket. Rain = Umbrella or Raincoat. You likely spend nearly as much time just getting into your car. And in .4 miles, your car isn't warming you up anyway.

2. Bring someting to work. Maybe healthy.

Follow these two steps and you will no longer be fat and lazy! 🙂
 
As has been said numerous times on ATOT, by the CarTalk boys, and car fan/maintenance sites, super short trips are hard on your engine. Your odometer may only advance 0.4 miles, but to your engine it feels more like 200 miles.

Suggestions:

Lunch: get Subway on your way to work, bring near-instant meals (pasta, soup, etc), or make your own

homestarmy is right, and to add to those comments:

Can you take a bus?

If you don't feel comfortable walking at night, get a pedestrian flasher light.

Ride a cheapie garage sale mountain bike through the grass.

Write a letter to your city staff to mow or improve the conditions on the shoulder.

 
Actually I measured it today and it appears that it's a mile and .4 miles like a coworker who also lives in these apartment says. .4 seemed kind of low, but I had no reason to think that he was wrong.

Originally posted by: homestarmy
1. Walk anyway. Cold = Jacket. Rain = Umbrella or Raincoat. You likely spend nearly as much time just getting into your car. And in .4 miles, your car isn't warming you up anyway.
Click to expand...

You've got to be joking, right?

I'll leave your other comment aside.
 
Yup. On longer trips, I can easily get less than 4.5L/100km in my Civic Hybrid. But since my daily commute is only 8km, I usually only average 5.5L/100km.
 
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