600 mile tank challenge!
This weekend, I made a round trip from Atlanta to Jacksonville,FL, and thought I would see what the E could do for gas mileage.
On the way from Atlanta to Jax, I filled up just before hitting the highway, and then set the cruse control to 52 MPH. When I got to Jax, I had gone 408 miles (still on one tank), and when I filled up, I put in 11.3 gallons, which calculates out to 36.1 MPG! ( I fill up to the second pump clickoff ).
Just before the fillup, the tank read about 1.6 / 8ths, and I estimate that I had about 3 gallons left, which would theoretically have let me drive another 108 miles, which could have taken me to 516 miles on a tank. (By the way, my low gas light never even came on).
But, as I said earlier, I usually fill up to the second click. If I fill to FULL (gasoline visible at filler cap) I can usually add another 2.5 gallons. At 36 MPG, this would be another 90 miles, which would bring up the theoretical total to 606 miles!
But, theory is just theory. I have ACTUALLY gone 408 miles on a single tank, with plenty of gas left (low gas light not even on). I believe that 500 miles on a tank is doable with not much effort, and I think that 600 miles is not out of the question at all.
So, I issue the challenge:
First, who can beat my 408 miles on a tank (should be easy).
Second, who will be the first to actually go 500 miles on a single tank with their Element? (I don't think that it will be that hard to do, and predict that this will be done within a month).
And, finally, who will be the first to attain 600? I predict that this will actually be done within the next six months by someone.
Please post your runs here. The focus should be on total MILES run on a tank, as calculating a correct MPG depends greatly on being able to accurately fill the tank to the same level before and after a run (this is actually only possible when filling the tank to be visibly full, which is not recommended under normal circumstances).
Please post as much data about your run as you can. My data is:
My data for my 36.1 MPG run:
Miles driven: 408
Gallons used: 11.3
Calculated MPG: 36.1
Gas:
87 Octane Quick-Trip "my contain up to 10% ethanol"
Element:
2006 EX-P, 5 speed manual transmission, no modifications, 52,000 miles.
Oil is Castrol full synthetic 5W/20. Rear differential fluid changed at around 50,000 miles.
Cargo:
One driver, all seats installed. Driver plus luggage weight about 200 pounds total.
Tires:
Original Goodyear Wrangler P215/70R16, 52,000 miles, pressure set at 33 front/35 rear when "cold" (80 degrees F). This is just 1 PSI above normal.
Weather:
85 degrees average, no rain.
Technique:
Average speed: 52 MPH, set with cruise control, and verified with dashboard GPS.
No A/C was run at all during the trip. Both front windows were rolled down about 2" from top. Radio was playing most of the trip, and yes, the XM antenna was extended.
This weekend, I made a round trip from Atlanta to Jacksonville,FL, and thought I would see what the E could do for gas mileage.
On the way from Atlanta to Jax, I filled up just before hitting the highway, and then set the cruse control to 52 MPH. When I got to Jax, I had gone 408 miles (still on one tank), and when I filled up, I put in 11.3 gallons, which calculates out to 36.1 MPG! ( I fill up to the second pump clickoff ).
Just before the fillup, the tank read about 1.6 / 8ths, and I estimate that I had about 3 gallons left, which would theoretically have let me drive another 108 miles, which could have taken me to 516 miles on a tank. (By the way, my low gas light never even came on).
But, as I said earlier, I usually fill up to the second click. If I fill to FULL (gasoline visible at filler cap) I can usually add another 2.5 gallons. At 36 MPG, this would be another 90 miles, which would bring up the theoretical total to 606 miles!
But, theory is just theory. I have ACTUALLY gone 408 miles on a single tank, with plenty of gas left (low gas light not even on). I believe that 500 miles on a tank is doable with not much effort, and I think that 600 miles is not out of the question at all.
So, I issue the challenge:
First, who can beat my 408 miles on a tank (should be easy).
Second, who will be the first to actually go 500 miles on a single tank with their Element? (I don't think that it will be that hard to do, and predict that this will be done within a month).
And, finally, who will be the first to attain 600? I predict that this will actually be done within the next six months by someone.
Please post your runs here. The focus should be on total MILES run on a tank, as calculating a correct MPG depends greatly on being able to accurately fill the tank to the same level before and after a run (this is actually only possible when filling the tank to be visibly full, which is not recommended under normal circumstances).
Please post as much data about your run as you can. My data is:
My data for my 36.1 MPG run:
Miles driven: 408
Gallons used: 11.3
Calculated MPG: 36.1
Gas:
87 Octane Quick-Trip "my contain up to 10% ethanol"
Element:
2006 EX-P, 5 speed manual transmission, no modifications, 52,000 miles.
Oil is Castrol full synthetic 5W/20. Rear differential fluid changed at around 50,000 miles.
Cargo:
One driver, all seats installed. Driver plus luggage weight about 200 pounds total.
Tires:
Original Goodyear Wrangler P215/70R16, 52,000 miles, pressure set at 33 front/35 rear when "cold" (80 degrees F). This is just 1 PSI above normal.
Weather:
85 degrees average, no rain.
Technique:
Average speed: 52 MPH, set with cruise control, and verified with dashboard GPS.
No A/C was run at all during the trip. Both front windows were rolled down about 2" from top. Radio was playing most of the trip, and yes, the XM antenna was extended.
