Another Gas Thread, not price this time

[Guest db99wj]

I know in the winter time the gas folks put in a different mixture in order to fight moisture freezing in the gas or something like that, the winter blend. I know that your gas mileage will drop because of this. I also would like to say that I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee, with a V8, with a small lift, and bigger tires, so gas mileage is not that important to me. But with that said, my wife comes in complaining about the fact that she usually gets about 325 miles per tank in the mini kid bus we got, Dodge Grand Caravan. We just put new tires on it, got an oil change. She is at like 265 and dead empty. Oh, and I usually get 225-250 miles of city driving in my Jeep, at 180.

What's up with this? Can anyone explain

[Mike.357]

I always thought the winter gas was better. That along with cooler air provides more horsepower as well as better gas mileage.

Summer they do stuff to gasoline so as it will not pollute as bad, therefore lowing MPG.

I guess I have been wrong, LOL

I am curious now. I feel like i have been duped my entire life.

[Guest db99wj]

I have no idea, I just know we both have seen dramtic decreases in mileage. Maybe the gas companies are putting in something so that mpg goes down, we have to buy more, in order to make up for the gas prices being so low. Boy that has conspiracy theory all over it!

Oh, good to hear from you Mike, seems like you haven't been on here as much, course I haven't either.

Edited December 15, 2008 by db99wj

[Mike.357]

thanks for the kind thoughts db

I think maybe they are adding more ethynal to the gas now. Almost every pump i use claims something to the effect of "10% minimum ethynal added" I know that stuff kills MPG.

[Superman]

Maybe they have uped the ethanol content. Try a different brand of gas. I've always got the best mileage out of Shell and Sunoco, and I always use premium in everything I drive. 87 octane isn't 87 octane by the time it gets to your tank.

[Guest JLowe]

Thats odd, I have always gotten better gas mileage in the Fall and Winter than in the Spring and Summer. It usually goes up by about 10%. I drive a Toyota Tacoma V6 Quad Cab 4x4. Its got all the bells and whistles for going off road on it, just no lift kit. I usually get about 275 in the summer and a little over 300 in the winter.

[kckndrgn]

What are her driving habits like? Until recently I could get better mileage out of either vehicle than my wife.

She started to change her driving habits and now she gets better mileage than I.

Slow starts, ease off the gas before hitting the break. Lots of little things that can effect the gas mileage. With the Windstar that I drive I can get about 20mpg city driving.

[Guest db99wj]

What are her driving habits like? Until recently I could get better mileage out of either vehicle than my wife.

She started to change her driving habits and now she gets better mileage than I.

Slow starts, ease off the gas before hitting the break. Lots of little things that can effect the gas mileage. With the Windstar that I drive I can get about 20mpg city driving.

Her driving habits are pretty good, light acceleration, light braking, Me not so much!

It's strange, because what everyones thoughts were and are saying is what I thought, but I have seen it in mine and she said something this morning about it. I told her that since we got the oil changed, new tires, and some other work, she might see a small increase in mpg.

[kckndrgn]

Her driving habits are pretty good, light acceleration, light braking, Me not so much!

It's strange, because what everyones thoughts were and are saying is what I thought, but I have seen it in mine and she said something this morning about it. I told her that since we got the oil changed, new tires, and some other work, she might see a small increase in mpg.

OK, might be time to take it to a shop and have the tires checked for alignment. Did you notice any unusual wear in the tires that you just replaced?

Spark plugs and spark plug wires would me next to check

I'm not a mechanic, I just tinker with my own vehicles

[Guest db99wj]

OK, might be time to take it to a shop and have the tires checked for alignment. Did you notice any unusual wear in the tires that you just replaced?

Spark plugs and spark plug wires would me next to check

I'm not a mechanic, I just tinker with my own vehicles

No weird wear, and the alignment was done when the tires were put on. Man it is too cold for me, to be working on cars!

[kckndrgn]

No weird wear, and the alignment was done when the tires were put on. Man it is too cold for me, to be working on cars!

That's what 2 car garages and heaters are for

[Guest tnmale46]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=winter+gas+mileage&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

[Guest abailey362]

have you been paying attention each tank or just noriced it recently? my mileage is down tons over last year because of the ethanol.....or it could just be a bad batch of gas.

ethanol content shouldn't be over 10%, but the mix can vary greatly

[Guest db99wj]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=winter+gas+mileage&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

The car talk link was pretty good. Thanks.

We did have radiator service done at the time to, complete flush and fill. I wonder if they screwed her thermostat up.

[Guest db99wj]

have you been paying attention each tank or just noriced it recently? my mileage is down tons over last year because of the ethanol.....or it could just be a bad batch of gas.

ethanol content shouldn't be over 10%, but the mix can vary greatly

She is very observant with her gas mileage.. don't know why, pay for it!

[strickj]

I was just having this same conversation last night with a friend.

He was telling me that Exxon gas has no ethanol per the stickers on their pumps which seems to give him better mpg.

Dont really know the validity of that,always thought ethanol was some sort of gov thing )

Seems interesting enough though for me to fill up there next time to see though

Edited December 15, 2008 by strickj

[Mike.357]

Exxon gas has no ethanol

I wonder where Chattanooga gets its gas from? Exxon here (at least the two I buy from) has ethanol in its gas and it is noted on the pumps.

[Guest abailey362]

there isnt an exxon around where i normally gas up, but i'd gladly drive for ethanol free gas

[Guest Rugerman]

Exxon gas has no ethanol per the stickers on their pumps which seems to give him better mpg.

Dont really know the validity of that,always thought ethanol was some sort of gov thing )

He is correct about mpg. There is not as much energy per unit volume of ethanol vs. gasoline.

[Guest bigsack]

Thats odd, I have always gotten better gas mileage in the Fall and Winter than in the Spring and Summer. It usually goes up by about 10%. I drive a Toyota Tacoma V6 Quad Cab 4x4. Its got all the bells and whistles for going off road on it, just no lift kit. I usually get about 275 in the summer and a little over 300 in the winter.

as an fyi for you JLowe and anybody else who drives a toyota made after 96. toyota ECM (engine control module, i.e. "brain") is a pretty niffty lil peice of kit. the "brain" is constatly "re-learning" how you drive. it basicaly has a memory of about 1000 miles or about 3 full tanks of gas. it evaluates how you drive and what you demand of your car/truck, and slightly re-trims fuel maping. in other words if you drive like a bat-outa-hell its going to automaticly dump more fuel in, but if you drive like an old blue-hair it will lean it out and get better milage.

when i bought my 99 taco 4cy 4x4 i was geting about 16-17 mpg driving it like a tard, then i changed my driving style and have sence got a high of ove 24 mpgs, and i average 20-22mpg.

as far as the OP's car, are the new tires similar to the old one's? ie mfgr, model? different mfgr's tires can have greatly different "rolling resistance" are they still inflated to propper pressure? new tires can sometimes lose a lot of pressue when they are first installed.

[Superman]

All cars do that not just post 96 yotas. Even carbureted cars do it to a point, just not electronicly and not as efficiently as fuel injection.

[Guest bigsack]

well that may very well be true but the "bulk of my experience"(reading truck forums till all hours of the night) is only on yota's and specifically taco's

[Guest jackdog]

I was under the impression that ethanol was a federal mandate and that all brands had it. and that they could add up to 20 %. Maybe I was wrong on this. Anywho ethanol was a another idea that was a major loser. Food prices went up because so many farmers dumped their entire crops into corn production

[Guest db99wj]

as an fyi for you JLowe and anybody else who drives a toyota made after 96. toyota ECM (engine control module, i.e. "brain") is a pretty niffty lil peice of kit. the "brain" is constatly "re-learning" how you drive. it basicaly has a memory of about 1000 miles or about 3 full tanks of gas. it evaluates how you drive and what you demand of your car/truck, and slightly re-trims fuel maping. in other words if you drive like a bat-outa-hell its going to automaticly dump more fuel in, but if you drive like an old blue-hair it will lean it out and get better milage.

when i bought my 99 taco 4cy 4x4 i was geting about 16-17 mpg driving it like a tard, then i changed my driving style and have sence got a high of ove 24 mpgs, and i average 20-22mpg.

as far as the OP's car, are the new tires similar to the old one's? ie mfgr, model? different mfgr's tires can have greatly different "rolling resistance" are they still inflated to propper pressure? new tires can sometimes lose a lot of pressue when they are first installed.

Replaced with the same Goodyear tires that came on them. I will check the air pressure, I have driven it, no vib's or pulling. Only thing is that I also saw a drop in my Jeep. I filled up today, and we pay more attention to it. By the way, we both use Kroger gas and have for a long while for the most part.

[Mike.357]

we both use Kroger gas

I dunno if it is true or not. But I switch up who I buy gas from about every third tank or so. The purpose is that the cleansers added to fuel can leave a buildup inside your injectors. Buying gas from a different source now and again gives you a different cleanser which will clean out the previous cleanser buildup.

Like I said I dunno if it is true but I have been told that by a guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express.