2young2retire

Just a little information on how the effect of speed effects fuel economy. In other words if you drive 75 mph for 300 miles and you get 23 mpg vs. 65 mph for 300 miles at 27 mpg and gas is $3.00/gal. your adjusted fuel cost is $3.52 a gallon. And the faster you go the worse it gets so if you drive 80 mph your adjusted fuel cost is way up there. Just something else to think about when you pull up to the pump.

The chart below is from Consumer Reports magazine.

bigleman

iTrader: (4)

i get my best mileage at 80mph when i dont have to keep slowing down bc people are in the way

DMCfirestar500

This chart would look a bit different for our Maximas due to how our CVT opperates. I've noticed I get some of the best fuel economy when driving about 75 with cruise control on.

RAZ76

iTrader: (8)

Gas mileage??What is that?? I'm not going to change my driving habits for few gallons of gas but that's just me. If people are worried about that, buy 4cylinder cars or electric.

67whitegoat

iTrader: (4)

Well that explains alot. I don't know if I can get 28mpg. I'm not a leadfoot but, I just can't stop the hard acceleration. This car is just too fun!

2young2retire

Yeah, I know. Even though I started this thread I feel the same way. Speed cost money and some times it is money well spent.

Mreim769

I got around 32mpg driving through the mountains without cruise control. And by no means was I taking it breezy easy through the twisties either. Normally driving around town I get around 16-18 mpg. However driving across the prairies with cruise control on doing about what you yanks call "70mph" I got only 23 mpg. Very interesting numbers IMO.

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

I'm averaging 23.5 in the city, very short commute and get at least 27-28 at 75 MPH cruising to LA, sometime more with CC turned on. I have seen 32 when I went Rocky Point last summer but I suspect that might have been that 102 Octane gas I bought while I was down there.

MaxLoverAz

iTrader: (1)

Nothing really new 55 MPH was the national speed limit because of the studies done on MPG after the 1973 oil fiasco. Don't you remember all of the lame drive 55 commercials!

bigleman

iTrader: (4)

none of us are as old as you

2young2retire

Some of us are! I was driving a Olds 442 back during the fuel embargo and it was a killer to drive 55. (still is)

67whitegoat

iTrader: (4)

I don't think it's worth it.

LtLeary

I believe our 7th Gens have a relatively high Drag CoEfficient (although I confess I've not researched the actual number (anyone know for sure?). A head-wind makes a major difference in my MPG...I would think this accounts for the bigger disparity in speed over MPG based on the vehicles described in the CR report...more so than drive train/engine size (especially given our CVTs ability to maintain more optimal engine performance to drive ratio...although obviously all come in to play) So yes, I can definitely relate to the speed to economy report. A 45 Mile stretch of my daily commute used to be 55 before they finished construction and raised the speed limit to 65 and I saw my 177 mile round trip average go from 33MPG to 28..Still not bad overall but a definite indication of how much air we push with our rides.

lightonthehill

Yes, the force required to push the car against air resistance comes into play big-time once speeds get into the 65 to 70 MPH range and above. Part of that air resistance is because the 7th gen Maxima front was designed to meet stiff European front end requirements to reduce damage to pedestrians, as that is a problem in Europe.

Were it not for the air resistance problem, this CVT-driven Maxima would not have as drastically reduced MPG from higher speeds as the examples given by CU. I am still getting around 28-29 MPG on trips on fairly flat, lightly-travelled freeways with speeds in the 65 to 75 range. Any heavy traffic or hills or 85 MPH stretches and my MPG drops.

ranmax

i'm getting low 16's ,,mostly city driving ... better then when i first got it i was at low 14's .. i'm hoping to be in the 18's within the next month... i have no lead in my foot lol.. momentary lead .. but mostly when i drive its keeping mpg in mind ,,, i find it very challenging ,, especially with this automatic .. with a manual it was much easier to get great mpg

bk2k3max

Just a little hint of help, if you drive behind a bigger vehicle like a truck/van or something wide it creates a slipstream for you to ride in so your vehicle doesn't have to push so hard against the wind thereby enabling you a smoother ride/less wind resistance and a little bit better fuel economy.

The only drawback is that you might get an occasional rock to the windshield

lightonthehill

It will be difficult to get very good mileage in city traffic with this Maxima, even with a manual tranny. This is a 3600 pound car, which requires a lot of power to get moving from a stopped or slow condition. It has a 290 HP motor to do the job, but that comes with a price in MPG. This car does very well with fuel efficiency on the open road, but not especially well in city traffic.

lightonthehill

[QUOTE=bk2k3max;7371053
Just a little hint of help, if you drive behind a bigger vehicle like a truck/van or something wide it creates a slipstream for you to ride in so your vehicle doesn't have to push so hard against the wind thereby enabling you a smoother ride/less wind resistance and a little bit better fuel economy.

The only drawback is that you might get an occasional rock to the windshield[/QUOTE]

Solid aerodynamic (and NASCAR) logic, but:

1 - Since the states went broke and stopped cleaning roadways and fixing potholes, I have tended to drop back to where the vehicle in front of me is not obscuring holes and debris until it is too late for me to dodge them.

2 - My wife is always in the car with me, and if I get within a cow-pasture length of the vehicle in front of me, her feet are immediately implanted on the dash, awaiting the impending impact.

jc53

Yes Light, my wife is the same way. She doesn't leave our small hometown much anymore, where you rarely get above 20mph due to the small winding roads. Just last night, we were returning from a work related holiday function and we were on the highway. I was doing 75 in a 65 zone and was leaving the old proverbial "one car length for every 10mph of speed" between me and the car I was following, and she was commenting that I was too close. I told her that she needed to get out a bit more often...what a mistake that was! But that's a story for Ann Landers.

I am getting 21mph in mixed conditions. On the highway, I'm getting 26mph or so, but if I slow down to the 55mph range, it does jump up. The problem with driving the speed limit is, however, that you are normally the only one on the road doing so thus creating a traffic hazard!

bk2k3max

By Traffic Regulations your wife was correct about you being too close, in the past it used to be the "2 Second Rule" since then they have increased that to "3 Seconds" I guess due to the fact that vehicles can travel at higher rates of speed faster than they were able to in the past.



I think all of our wives do the same thing!! You would think that with all of today's current vehicle safety devices such as ABS, EBD, TC, Drive by Wire, AWD and whatever else that our Speed Limit would've been raised Nationally and within the States a long time ago but somehow or laws are still based on when vehicles rode around on thin bias-ply tires.

This country is sorely in need of an Autobahn for the entire nation and even smaller networks of autobahns within our states that link us from one major city to the next.

I hate having all of these powerful cars with all this top end capability but no breathing room to air them out.

brockson

I had my 09 SV out on the Autobahn yesterday. I cruised at around 120-130 for around 20 or so minutes between Sarbruckken and Kaiserslautern, fuel economy was around 16ish.

nykbob

Did a trip to Florida from Atlanta. I was watching my gas mileage carefully for the 1st half of the trip. I was able to average 29 MPG for the first few hours. Once I put the cruise control on it dropped to 25.1 MPG. Around town I average just short of 21 MPG leaving it in "D" without manual shifting.

Overall, I'm pleased with the gas mileage for a car with this much power. I could have gotten a car with better mileage, but it would not have been as much fun. I did look at the Accura, but when I stepped on the gas of that 4 cylinder, I practically fell asleep waiting for it to reach highway speed.

LtLeary

Ah, my old stompin grounds from the early 80s. I assume you still had pedal left? I would cruise around 110-115 in my old mustang around there and believe it or not, my brides (relatively new back in those days) Datsun 210 (on level ground that is) would run all day at 95.

whtdvl

Wait you had your maxima on the autobahn?? People must have been like what the hell is that thing.

2 GO B4

I average around 24 mpg riding around in the city ----- with my air conditioner on in my 5.5 gen........(nope....no CVT)......

SonicDust187

iTrader: (11)

Took my bros 2010 SV and I was getting 30-33mpg on the highway going between 60-65mph. 12-14mpg in city driving.

Flip2cho

congrats, I get the same thing riding around Orlando with the a/c on with a CVT with a heavier car with more horsepower and torque. So what's ur point? Let's not try and turn this thread into a CVT war please.

BLACKNESS MONSTA

Calm down I dont think hes attacking your precious CVT. The 5.5 Gen gets worse mileage than the 7th because of its 4AT. I get around 16 city and 25 Highway

ABlackSER

I can get 30 MPG goin 80 on the freeway

alexdi

My results:

55 MPH - 33 MPG
65 MPH - 29 MPG
75 MPH - 26 MPG
85 MPH - 23 MPG

Roundabouts 3 MPG for each 10 MPH. Speed costs. To get maximum MPG, leave it in sixth, treat the throttle like an egg, and coast whenever possible. If you're on a downhill stretch, switch to neutral. I agree that this is utterly at odds with the purpose of the Maxima.

Flip2cho

That sounds about right Alex

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Just did a 900 mile drive, the 2 times I filled up I managed 25.9 and 24.6, mostly average 70-80mph, the 24.6 was due to all the left lane hogs, nothing like slowing down to 65 every couple miles and then stomping on it to get back to 80

brockson

Yeah we were coming back home and this guy on a Ducati about broke his neck looking in the drivers window. I had a great time on the way back driving with some A4's and a really fast 535 station wagon.

brockson

Yeah, plenty pedal left only thing was the speed limiter. I see a tuner in my future. I've driven a couple of other really fast cars and this is by far the best ride at speed. It was up around 4100 RPM at 125-130.

I'll try to post a video when I get the limiter removed. There is a really long stretch between Manheim and Stuttgart (A5??) that I think I could stretch the legs out on.

Mick7

My 2009 is virtually identical as far as mileage. Cruise does not adversely affect my mileage...tried it both ways on highway and interstates. The computer indicated MPG is very accurate on my vehicle..checked it vs real world calculations twice. I suspect some computers may be optimistic or pessimistic from the numbers given.

DraKhen99

I just watch the "estimated miles to empty" display ... and if I go 55 it's ok, but 65 is better and 75 is the best. I averaged 28mpg on the highway at about 70mph.

Around town I get between 18.5 (aggressive) to 21 (relaxed).

-John

STARR

iTrader: (1)

How long does it take to get to 130mph, mine seems to run out of speed once it touches 120, I could probably get passed 120 but don't have the roads to do it, my 09 does exactly what the guy in the youtube video does

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiiAnIQFvjw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJoHk...eature=related

faymus

I just turned 27 and it seems fuel economy is beating out speed in my list of priorities. lol never thought id see the day lol

Norm Peterson

Guess I'm one of the lucky ones. She doesn't say or do much of anything unless I catch some slowpoke in a turn or sequence of turns and let myself get (I won't say how) close.

I only remember "one car per 10 mph" and somewhat later "2 seconds", although I also understand that 18 wheel commercial drivers are currently supposed to maintain four seconds . . .


Absolutely wrong. Perhaps you can band-aid stupidity enough to let it drive at all, but you can't fix it that way.

Recent developments in vehicle technology are intended to protect the average driver against certain occasional lapses in attention, judgment, or concentration. But as unfortunate side effects, they also cover for substandard driver ability, interfere with control linearity, and give rise to a false sense of security (as clearly displayed in the above quote).

And that's an entirely sufficient reason to leave them alone. I dare suggest that very little human evolution has taken place between then and now, and that maybe even a general lowering of awareness of physical surroundings has occurred. Technology can't hurry up or fix those either.


Take it to a road course open tracking date, one of the sanctioned open road races (such as the Silver State Classic), or run the Maxton Mile (a one mile drag run). At least try to understand that top speed is little more than a consequence of satisfactory acceleration and reasonable fuel economy (when you figure out how those three concepts converge, you'll begin to understand).


BTW and back a little closer to topic, I get decent mileage in most anything I drive – EPA or slightly better without using cruise control - most typically at five to eight above.


Norm

brockson

I really wasn't paying attention. It did feel like it lagged a bit after 120 but nothing really noticeable. I'll run it out this weekend and see how long it takes.