Gas Milage

stefan · Post by **stefan** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 6:41 am

EB- Unless you were on the I-90 or the I-87 you didn't see me!!! I only saw 3 Bajas the whole trip- 2 yellows between Rochester and Syaracus- and one Blue outside Rome

ebbie97 · Post by **ebbie97** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 4:33 pm

Nope, wasn't me than. I got a Regatta Red '03 with the activity lights. Maybe next time.
-EB

peiboy · Post by **peiboy** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:49 pm

I was up to 28 in my 03 Automatic. Then I was in an accident and they pulled the battery for some time while they did the body work.

Nice thing is - the car runs great since they did the work.

Bad thing is, my mileage tanked - now I am only at 25.

I wonder if something is not quite right? I am not getting a CEL so I think everything is working ok. Anybody ever have a similar experience?

Has anyone any data about modifications and the impact on mileage?

Thanks
Jonathan

Kev M · Post by **Kev M** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:19 am

After 3-4 tankfuls (1500 miles) I'm holding steadily at 22-23 mpg during mixed, but mostly around town usage.

Hoping it will improve as I get some more miles on her.

Especially if I can keep speeds down on the highway.

I need a road trip to check it out.

Kev

nacho · Post by **nacho** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 7:42 pm

I am getting around 20 mpg in the city and 24 mpg when I drive on the highway. I just put a Subaru Intake on my baja. I am interested to seen if this helps in fuel efficiency.

bnther36 · Post by **bnther36** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:44 am

I jigged sawed out a temporary cover for my Baja last weekend, (I sent the soft cover back--didn't like it). I'm wondering if anyone has any info on whether or not the bed cover helps the mileage at all.

Also, I'm waiting to see if anyone with the aftermarket intake can report on improved mileage.

thedanc · Post by **thedanc** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 11:05 pm

The TV show "MythBusters" did a spot on pickup trucks and how covers can effect gas mileage. Their findings aren't scientific, but semi-realistic for the pickup truck they tested. (a Ford F150 I think)

- Driving at 55 down the highway was the control. Gas usage was measured using a flow meter.

- Driving with the tailgate down was the worst mileage; like 10% worse. It likely had to do with the aerodynamics of the long bed made longer by the open tailgate.

- Driving with an aluminum topper was about the same as the control. Possibly because the aerodynamics don't matter enough to overcome the added weight of the topper. I have an Ozzbros topper and haven't found any appreciable improvement in mileage. The Baja's cab is so large that I doubt the aerodynamics on that little bed matter at all.

- They did find that they could save about 5% by replacing the tailgate with a cargo net. This again could be due to the long bed of the Ford and the reduced weight of losing the tailgate.

By far the biggest thing that I find that effects the MPG is how much I use the Turbo. At 55 I can certainly stay under 3000RPM, but a highly agressive merger onto the highway followed by an extended run at 75 is not ideal.

Kev M · Post by **Kev M** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 6:42 pm

But mythbusters, amusing as they are, use about as scientific a method as the average high school science teacher (no sorry, that was unfair to science teachers).

I.E. Mythbusters SUCKS if you want scientific results.

Frankly, try it yourself and see.. .do what makes you warm and fuzzy.

K

peiboy · Post by **peiboy** » Sun Nov 26, 2006 7:23 pm

I did test it both ways (Tailgate Up and Tailgate down).

I did not save the data (it was about 3 years ago).

I did not notice a statistically significant difference between running tailgate up and tailgate down. I have been running Tailgate up. Maybe I will try to repeat the testing and gather the data and post it (it will take several weeks to gather, of course.

Jonathan

bnther36 · Post by **bnther36** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:44 pm

I ran about 3 tank fulls through with the jig-sawed bed cover. The mileage did not improve. I flipped over 4k yesterday and I'm still hovering at 24mpg with almost all of it on the highway. Got to say, I'm a little dissapointed. It's definately one of the nicest cars that I've ever had, but I would like to see something a little closer to the 28mpg that was on the sticker.

thedanc · Post by **thedanc** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:23 pm

First, yes, mythbusters is really just infotainment. They are certainly not consumer reports, but I do find them amusing.

On gas mileage - I find that I can only get over 27MPG with my Baja Turbo if I keep the RPMs below 3000. That means not using the turbo aspect and not exceeding 70MPH on the highway. Going a bit faster costs a bit on gas mileage and, of course, full turbo highway mergers cost too.

This is a lot better than my friend's Durango V-8 which can't do better than 10MPG no matter what he does. The Baja was meant to to provide a lot of truck like performance, but still give "pretty good" gas mileage.

I came to realize the value of AWD and high ground clearance just the other day and didn't care about the extra couple dollars in gas! I was going to post a pic, but that link seems to be broken. Anyhow, I'm sure you've all seen the Denver snow in the news.

-Dan

cliffhanger · Post by **cliffhanger** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:41 pm

I'm inbetween 22 and 24, pretty much all of the time, but I have a lot of mods... I figure I'm doing pretty good, especially with the performance and fun factors

I usually shift by 3 unless I'm trying to pass someone or school someone. Keep it safe and fun.

BTW... congrats on your master rating, Kev M!

Hawk296 · Post by **Hawk296** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:43 pm

peiboy wrote: Has anyone any data about modifications and the impact on mileage?

Thanks
Jonathan

went from around 22MPG to between 14.5-19MPG after modifications. But these modifications are of the high performance type.

cliffhanger · Post by **cliffhanger** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 10:52 am

alll of my mods are fairly simple to do & bolt on -- I have:
Xcceleration TBE exhaust
Helix catless uppipe
Perrin lightweight crank pulley
VF-39 STI turbo
JDM STI TMIC
Walbro Fuel pump
remapped ECU
Perrin MBC @ 16#
ummm.. that's all I can remember.
like I said, I drive sane and get 22-24 MPG, but I could easily get much less if I drove like an idiot street racer. I've learned my lesson, racing is for the track! My next planned mod are perrin equal length headers and fuel rails - anyone have these?

Hawk296 · Post by **Hawk296** » Sun Dec 24, 2006 11:01 am

cliffhanger wrote:alll of my mods are fairly simple to do & bolt on -- I have:
Xcceleration TBE exhaust
Helix catless uppipe
Perrin lightweight crank pulley
VF-39 STI turbo
JDM STI TMIC
Walbro Fuel pump
remapped ECU
Perrin MBC @ 16#
ummm.. that's all I can remember.
like I said, I drive sane and get 22-24 MPG, but I could easily get much less if I drove like an idiot street racer. I've learned my lesson, racing is for the track! My next planned mod are perrin equal length headers and fuel rails - anyone have these?

Just curious why you have a MBC if you have a remapped ECU? What benefit are you getting from this compared to the ecu controlling boost on is own?

Ive been driving more city lately, and its been colder. But when i do get on it, it flows a LOT of fuel, so with a few full throttle merges combined with letting the car warm up a bit, and city driving, It really takes a toll on my mileage.

scoobytruck.com

Gas Milage

Does the bed cover give any improvements?

Bed Cover

Gas Mileage isn't everything