Tay831

Um this is an inresting topic the xb is quoted at 30/33 and we all know the way they get those numbers(few really drive that way haha) Ive tried different things babying the car like never over 2500 rpms and stuff like that. I drive about 70% highway and 30% intown and pretty much no matter what I do i get 30 mpg. I drive 80 on freeway and still get it never really get the advertised 33 (except on trip to Los Angeles when I was on highway whole time. Its funny too cuz im so paranoid bout this and my last car got 18mpg hahaha.

Jan06xB

Hess gas is cheeper than most or all the other stations except maybe Stop & Shop but I get about 5-6 MPG more with Hess so 20% for a few pennies more I can deal with that and it runs better on it and my old Geo would not knock with Hess and would with the other cheaper brands. The theory is that it is produced for southern states and is less of a "low energy" winter blend than other brands.

Jan06xB

How about when my xB is warmed up and I drive about 20 mph I get about 55 mpg and have averaged about 40 on the last two tanks - still breaking it in.

snuppy

first off, i'm just throwing down my observations from a few things that's been said in this string... i've checked this thread on and off for a while... if i missed something, my bad, i'm only trying to help...

you upgraded to 17's... i'm going to assume these are heavier than stock... that will kill your mpg... add in wider tires, typically adds a few extra pounds and increases road friction over the skinny oem tires... that will hurt your mpg as well...

another thing you mentioned is that your daily work commute is 6 miles each way... two cold start ups each day with only 12 miles driven... three cold starts if you take your car out to lunch or whatever... that will murder your milage too...

finally toss in the little to no highway driving... 30-40 mph is great for mpg if it's constant... if it's mostly city driving, stopping going, red lights, traffic, etc... that will kill your mpg as well...

x_rayted711

^^^Thanks for the response.

Just to let you know a little more...

I have had the 17" wheels and tires since May and got 30+ MPG until Oct.

Also, we have been here in Santa Rosa CA since Aug. 1st and it has been the same stop and go, stop light to stop light 30-40 MPH driving since then (August). The MPG dropped in late October, early November, so I think the driving style theory is busted because we were here for 3+months and everything was OK. I know winter fuel blends may play a role in all of this, but not to the extent of 10 MPG drop.

I wonder (surely NOT) if it is a combo of the amount I drive, the wheels, the colder air, the winter fuels, the stop and go traffic, etc. could cause this? I don't think it would because this basically happened over the course of a SINGLE tank and has been there ever since. If it were a combination of the above issues, it would be a more gradual drop over time. I could be wrong on this, but I can't see how it could happen all of a sudden.

THX again for the response!

snuppy

hey no problemo... like i said, just trying to help...

i had a very similar situation with my truck... i had a 5 mile, no freeway, all backroads,stop lights everywhere, commute... i averaged 15 mpg... when the commute changed to 25 miles one way, all freeway, no traffic... my milage went up to 20 mpg (epa sticker read 21 mpg)...

it sounds like the true anomaly would be getting the 30+ mpg in the first place... most of the things you have mentioned (plus size tires/wheels, short commute, stop and go, etc)... those should have taken bites out of your mpg from the beginning... as i mentioned above, my current 25 mile commute is fairly ideal for milage... and i averaged just under 32 mpg on the stock steelies... (33 mpg with the lightweight 15's)... if i changed back to my old 5 mile commute, i'm sure that my milage would suffer...

anyway... good luck...

Malibu_Rapper

x_rayted711,

I think there has been some talk of RPMs but one thing this thread never checked was your RPMs at certain speeds. Perhaps your car is revving too high when you drive on the freeway. The reason why I am bringing this up is because my auto tranny has been acting funny lately, not sure if it's the cold weather. But it revs a lot higher than it should before shifting. My xB's tranny doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me.

Today I will try to remember to keep track of my RPMs at certain speeds. I'll post it when I get home but let's just do a comparison between our 2 cars to see if there's a difference.

Record your RPM at 55 MPH, 65 MPH and 75 MPH (don't blame me if you get a ticket!!!). If your RPMs are higher than what they should be at cruising speeds on the freeway, that will definitely affect your MPG. Do not turn your OD off. Maybe this will give us a clue.

jthebear

I am sure my mpg sucks. I have two cold starts each day and a 2.2 mile commute to work.

Malibu_Rapper

Ok, I recorded my RPMs. Here is what my 2005 xB auto with stock wheels did:

55 mph 2200 RPM
65 mph 2700 RPM
75 mph 3100 RPM

HTH