danimal15

Any tips for getting beter mileage with my 2011 GT?

I do almost all city driving, so I realize it's going to be hard to get decent figures. But since buying the car almost a year ago (I drive it as a second car and have less than 3,000 miles on the odometer), my average MPG has mostly been right around 15, which is lower than I expected.

I don't drive like a maniac, though I sometimes rev it up to 4,500 RPM getting on the highway. I do have to deal with lots of stop and go.

I thought I could expect more along the lines of 17 or 18 MPG for city driving. I use high-octane fuel, I try to drive in the higher gears when possible. I try not to keep the AC at max.

It's not a huge deal, but I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

eas9898

I believe the 17 mpg claims are a joke, personally. I once tried to drive gently to try to achieve those numbers, and I discovered two things:

a. The number is not achievable.
b. I can not enjoy my car while trying to achieve it.

So, I settle for 14-15 city and just enjoy the car. It probably costs me ~ 15-20% more in gas than what I'd otherwise spend, but, as I said, I don't think it's possible for me to get 17 mpg city no matter what I do.

eliyarbrough

I baby mine pretty much every where I go! I get about that in town I live in. I think this is pretty normal? Maybe I'm wrong, too.

SD CALSPCL

Another thread had questions about fuel, and I recommeded Top Tier gas, which is what I use. If your fuel has 10% Ethanol in it, as I understand some major cities require in all blends, your mpg will suffer. Here in South Dakota they post the Ethanol fuels on the pump. Premium, where I live, is 100% pure gas. 99% of my driving is highway related at 75..my average is 22 to 23.5 mpg. I could probably do better if I kept my foot out it on the entrance ramps.

jaybertx

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5117945...alculated.html

I don't think that they ever drive the car on the street to calculate those numbers...

Jethro

2010 GT.....5 speed, 3.73 gears. 94 octane tune running 94 octane gas.

I get 8L/100 kms (about 29 MPG) on the highway with cruise control set at 120 kph (75 mph).

I get about 12L/100 kms (about 19 MPG) mixed driving (stop and go, city, a bit of highway).

danimal15

Thanks.

There's definitely ethanol blended in here in my area. Not sure if it's in the premium. I do seem to get slightly better mileage using premium, maybe 5% better.

I don't mind paying a bit more for gas. I just get sick of it running out so fast and seeing that gas light on my dashboard. It does take some of the fun out of owning the car.

On the other hand, I'm used to a Prius, which can go weeks without a fill-up, so my perspective is skewed.

danimal15

It also kind of bugs me that there was so much hype last year about how the 2011s had better fuel mileage than the previous GT even with more HP.

Based on my experience so far, I find that hard to believe. Could the pre-2011s have actually been worse than 15 MPG?

kn7671

My 1984 Mustang that I converted to Fuel Injection only got 10-12 mpg in the city. I would have been thrilled with 15mpg.

If you bought the 5.0 to drive around town for the majority of your driving and expected an easy 17mpg, you bought the wrong car. Even the V6 will struggle to maintain 20mpg in mostly city driving.

druice

Most of my driving is in the city and I've been getting 16-17 mpg. I do let myself have some fun with it and shift post 4k rpm when possible (mostly limited to on-ramps and the like, though). Bottom line, 17 mpg is achievable, but at the sacrifice of your second point.

Take another perspective on it; the amount of fun you're having is directly related to how fast you're emptying your fuel tank. At least that's what I tell myself.

tom_vilsack

buy a used geo metro.....

99mstng

I drive mine like I stole it, as should anyone with 400+ ponies under the hood, and with 75% highway 25% city I'm lucky to get 17mpg. I have found my best mileage is using BP Premium. My car is a 6 speed with 3.73 gears.

Ltngdrvr

To the OP, are you calculating your gas mileage manually, dividing miles driven by gallons used or are you just going by the fuel economy readout on the dash?

The dash readout reads 1-2 MPG low all the time, so if that is what you are going by then you are getting better mileage than the readout shows.

Hytek

I avg 18ish w/ 50% of my daily drive hwy. I run premium from Shell, which I read on the pump last night could contain up to 10% ethanol. This weekend I'm doing a 500 mile road trip all highway so I'm curious to see what I'll get. I'll post my results next Monday.

11SHELBYGT500

18 combined in my 500

Agent

I get about 19-21 mpg on highways and 12 - 16 in town, where speeds rarely exceed 35 mph. My driving in town is a mix of soul-sucking rush hour congestion and hard launches revving up to around 6500 rpm whenever I can sneak them in.

I vowed never to say a word about gas prices, low mpg, tire prices, etc. when I bought this car. I just focus on smiles per gallon, and enjoy the ride.

12GTBLK

I have the 6mt 3.73 , I use 93 octane with 10%ethanol. I get 17.5 city and 22 all highway.

des63

Yours might read 1-2 MPG low all the time, but the one on my 2010 GT reads from dead on (yesterdays fill up) to 1.5 MP better than actual pencil to paper number. My F-150 is any where from 1.5 to 2.5 MPG better than actual. Gave up on resetting it 20,000 miles ago.

For the record, 6800 miles on the GT and the average is 19.9 for mostly city driving (smaller town) with some spirited driving usually thrown in.

Ltngdrvr

Most anyone on here who has checked will tell you that there economy readout is always lower than the calculated mileage.

Jcint

I get about 15 (average) city driving. I could get more but to achieve that i have to shift early keep the RPM's low. Only drawback is it's NO FUN!!! Now i just drive normal and when i'm trying to save alittle i monitor my driving.