GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I drive a couple hours each day and thought about how to get past the issue of artificially elevated MPG due to inconsistent fill-ups. Personally I track the MPG on my Vibe by using the running average - this will take the error out.
I also understand that most people don't track their MPG on a spreadsheet...(yea I know I a little compulsive )

So my question is how many miles are we getting between fillups?

My personal best is 412.2 miles and 11.56 gallons.

My best: 827.5 kms on 49.332L converted to 513.9mi on 13.05gal - 5.96L/100kms or 39.47MPG

And that was an entire tank... I've had that mileage on partial tanks as well but it's very hard to drive that conservative with that much steady driving on a single tank.

star_deceiver wrote:
And that was an entire tank...

That's definitely an understatement Talk about "riding on fumes" you probably were spitting & sputtering as you pulled up to the pump on that tank I've yet to make it to 400 miles yet BUT I will. Knowing that I can achieve 37 mpg or better (damm good for the 2.4l engine) which I've done twice, it's just a matter of "pushing it" a bit further and making it to the next gas station without running out. I gamble with this a lot and only ran out ONE time in my 35 years of driving. My wife likes to fill up when the tank gets down to 1/4. If it ever reaches catastrophic levels (the amber "low fuel" light on) then she really blows a fuse and I hear about it

I too keep a spreadsheet, record all the fuelings.


My records show that my most miles per tank was 468.3, on 8/31/2006. That fill up took 11.274 gallons, for 41.5 mpg. $2.839US/gal
To demonstrate the value of averaging, the next fill up, on 9/7/2006, took 11.163 gallons, ($2.419US/gal) almost the same as the tank before, but on that second tank, I only got 372.8 miles, for 33.4 mpg. together it comes to about 37.5 mpg, which is still really good for my 03 base 5 speed. My overall average for the life of the Vibe is about 35.7 mpg, better in the summer than the winter

I've had a couple of 460+ mile tanks, I get nervous when it goes that long on one tank.

Recently I was buying gas regularly, before getting too low, to buy before they could jack the price up again, and haven't broken 420 on a tank since August 2011
(not the 420 some of you are thinking of)

[quote="joatmon"]
I've had a couple of 460+ mile tanks, I get nervous when it goes that long on one tank.

quote]

I think I might be driving wrong (maybe too fast) most of my mileage is highway and I use cruise. My 05 base does have 145K and I am averaging 33.4 (which I am happy with) but I think I've only hit 37 once or twice...both times I attribute to inconsistent fills.

Glad to know I'm not the only person keeping records...I have always thought that a radical change in MPG would indicate problems before being stranded.

My furthest tank was 448miles, 12.435 Gallons, 36.027 mpg. That said, my Vibes live time average 30.945mpg.
Not great of a 06 base 5-speed, but it's been fun

I have always heard it's not good to run the gas down too low, so I try to avoid that by filling up when I get to a 1/4 of a tank.

I would figure out the gas mileage for both our Vibes at every fillup since new, but unfortunately I didn't start actually keeping track of the numbers until May of 2010 about 12,000 miles into ownership.

My Vibe:
05.22.10 - 366.5 miles - 10.789 gallons - 33.970 MPG (my highest MPG to date) - 100% highway - Sandwich, Illinois to the Wisconsin Dells and back on one tank. The low fuel light came on when I was a few miles from the gas station.

My mom's Vibe:
09.13.10 - 344.3 miles - 12.090 gallons - 28.478 MPG

With my upcoming trip to Erie, I predict I will beat my highest MPG and get closer to 400+ miles per tank. I will be cruising at 55 MPH as much as possible to conserve gas and see what kind of mileage I can squeeze out of the 2.4L.

You might want to look at the gas mileage thread. Its long, but will give you the info you are looking for.

I had issues with the inconsistent filling of the tank and mentioned this in my post in the gas mileage thread as the reason I set up a spread sheet to track it.

Follow the link to my post and the spreadsheet I uploaded.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=36538&start=200#p429588" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Charles

J_TO_ENVY wrote:I have always heard it's not good to run the gas down too low, so I try to avoid that by filling up when I get to a 1/4 of a tank.

As a general rule...I agree. My most recent venture caught me a little off guard...just after leaving town, the needle took a dive. Feeling a little confident I proceeded. I am certainly not one to drive till the light comes on, I think I've only done it 3 or 4 times.

acvw74 wrote:
Glad to know I'm not the only person keeping records...I have always thought that a radical change in MPG would indicate problems before being stranded.

We are probably in the minority BUT record keeping on our Vibe's I treat as a high priority issue. No different than when you visit the doctor and they have records on your health Acquiring the data, especially long term, will help in pointing out future problems with our cars.

J_TO_ENVY wrote:
With my upcoming trip to Erie, I predict I will beat my highest MPG and get closer to 400+ miles per tank. I will be cruising at 55 MPH as much as possible to conserve gas and see what kind of mileage I can squeeze out of the 2.4L.

I know you'll do even better than your current best. If you truly drive 55 the whole distance there is no reason that you shouldn't see 37-38 mpg . Just yesterday I recorded just over 38mpg driving from Swanton to Port Clinton (a 55 mile distance) driving 55 on the Ohio turnpike. Traffic was light so I didn't get passes up by too many drivers. The low fuel light came on and I continued to drive 35 more miles until I got to a fuel pump. When filling up it only took 11.7 gallons Hell I could have gone 30-40 more miles had I known.. I too get a bit nervous when driving too long with the gauge well below empty.

I once got 293 or so miles on a tank. I wasn't sure we'd make it to a fuel pump! Oh, and my parents were with me, which would have made it that much more embarrassing.

lannvouivre wrote:I once got 293 or so miles on a tank. I wasn't sure we'd make it to a fuel pump! Oh, and my parents were with me, which would have made it that much more embarrassing.

Yeah ...... it's one thing to run out of gas by yourself BUT with a spouse or parents in the car when you conk out. you'll NEVER hear the end of it I try not putting off filling up our vehicles when they are close to empty but then again I sometimes "live on the edge" and push it a bit further. This really pisses off the wife to where we end up fighting. I then reluctantly leave the house with the said vehicle and fill it up. She is then back to normal when I return

I am still having too much fun getting up to the speed limit quickly and pulling out of curves with some speed. How long does it take before a new Vibe owner cares more about learning how many miles per gallon you can get than the fun of driving this responsive little car?

my last vibe (07 5spd) got me a couple 440+mile tanks. My current 03 base, particularly with the 6 speed swap has only gotten over 400 once. I also tend to drive too aggressively and my mileage is regularly 27mpg instead of low 30's.