Very low MPG
Thread Starter
Rookie
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
From: New York
Very low MPG
Hey guys...for some reason no matter how I drive my car, I seem to get around 15ish mpg. I think the highest I have gotten is 17. I don't really understand how people are getting in the 20s because most of the time I am not driving hard at all. Is there something wrong with my car? I have around 5500 miles and my commute/everywhere I drive is local. BTW i have an is350
Lead Lap
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 541
Likes: 0
From: CA
Hey guys...for some reason no matter how I drive my car, I seem to get around 15ish mpg. I think the highest I have gotten is 17. I don't really understand how people are getting in the 20s because most of the time I am not driving hard at all. Is there something wrong with my car? I have around 5500 miles and my commute/everywhere I drive is local. BTW i have an is350
Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 822
Likes: 1
From: CA
I'm not that surprised. My commute is 26 miles each way, with no more than 3 or 4 miles of stop light driving each way. I've been driving for max mileage recently, so I've been keeping a light foot and constant RPMs. My tank average on the computer is 23.5, a far cry from the 29 EPA Hwy. The spread between city and hwy is 8 (21/29), so you getting 8 less MPG than me is probably likely, especially if you do short local trips.
Hey guys...for some reason no matter how I drive my car, I seem to get around 15ish mpg. I think the highest I have gotten is 17. I don't really understand how people are getting in the 20s because most of the time I am not driving hard at all. Is there something wrong with my car? I have around 5500 miles and my commute/everywhere I drive is local. BTW i have an is350
Is your driving lots of stop and go or more freeway? Lots of stop and go eats gas.
It's winter, and that also eats more gas because you have to heat the engine every time you drive from a colder temperature. If you are driving short trips - under 15 miles - your engine never really gets fully heated, so you're spending a lot of money on gas just trying to get it fully warmed up, but it never happens. While I would never forego the heater for gas mileage myself, using the heater does slow the warm up process too.
If they're using a reformulated gas in your area, you lose mileage too.
And last but not least, have you checked your tire pressure recently? The TPMS will tell you when you are dangerously low, but it won't tell you when you're losing mileage from being just a bit too low.
Thread Starter
Rookie
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 86
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From: New York
thanks for all the input guys..most of my trips are filled with lots of stop and go traffic with my car hardly getting heated. i do park in a heated garage so that helps a little.
about the tire pressure what should they be? I am running 18's with summer tires if that makes a difference
btw i just checked my avg and its 14.1
about the tire pressure what should they be? I am running 18's with summer tires if that makes a difference
btw i just checked my avg and its 14.1
Check the sticker in the door jamb. It should say 35 psi front and 37 psi rear. You want to check the pressure before you drive very far. Ideally before you drive at all. The tires will heat up, even on cold days, and raise the pressure.
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Lexus Test Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 950
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From: Washington D.C.
make sure you reset your avg after ever refill...I drive in the city as well, and get similar MPG. You may not be pushing your car hard, but you do drive a little over the speed limit don't you?
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Pole Position
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 287
Likes: 0
From: CA
i get about 17 mpg pretty consistently. i drive about 14 miles each way in some traffic, but yea, if you use the power in the is350 even some of the time, you will not get the greatest mileage. but it's totally worth it! my last car was an 05 S2000 (4 cyl.) and i got about the same mileage (manual 6 spd, much lighter wt., etc.), so i think the is350 is relatively pretty good
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 48
Likes: 0
From: Ca
Is most of your driving in the city with high traffic? If so that could be why you are not getting better gas mileage. Alot of stop and go could be the result of your low MPG. Even with and IS350 you should be getting better gas mileage then an IS250. Yeah I know its hard to believe.
Driver
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: AZ
Shoot....I can drive it as hard as I want all day long around town racing Hondas and still get 24mpg...