Oh yeah, since people have been asking what I do to get 17-18 mpg...

Something I just thought of that might be good info to share is that I use Shell Rotella T oil in my Xterra. You can pick it up cheap from Walmart or most auto parts stores -- about $9 to $15 a gallon.

I use this oil in all of my vehicles, including a 2003 CBR600RR and my 2004 CRF450R with great results. You can also change it more frequently than normal if that is your routine because it is so much less expensive.

ben

sigh...

OK, I have a '01 4wd, 2" BL/3" SL, Full armor and bumpers, winch, OBA, 33's, etc...

I average 20 mpg overall pretty consistantly.

I got rid of all the foo foo roof plastic, keep the tires a bit hard, went to full sysnthetics for everythng, even wheel bearing grease, and drive more like a running back running for daylight than an old lady...except that the speed stays constant, and not overly fast.

Speeding up uses way more gas than maintaining a constant speed....I time the traffic and the gaps, etc...and try to stay as steady as possible...

Wind resistance on an X is significant over about 40-50 mph...and adds up FAST faster than that...and is the primary reason for poor mpg in X's.

If I go 45 mpg at a steady pace....25 mpg is achievable, but it takes too long to get anywhere...so I go faster than that...say the 50's most of the time, maybe 60. (Hence the 20 mpg average...)

If I go into hilly terrain...my mpg plummets proportionally, it takes gas to get up hills.

If traffic permits...I can get some of the hilly area mpg back by losing speed on the uphills, and geting it back on the downhills...especially if I think the local constabularies are disinterested, etc.

So - If you live where its hilly, or there's thick stop and go traffic, or you go over 55 mph/gun it/weave in/out of traffic...your mpg is going to suck.

The first gen X's were only EPA rated for about 16 mph...so 17 is a pretty average # as far as I can tell, nothing wrong with it...and some here would kill for it (So be careful...)

A side bar - A HUGE number of people get larger tires, and, forget that their speedometer is off...and drive the speed the speedometer tells them...

IE: The speedometer is telling you you're going 60 mph...but you're really going 67 mph...against A LOT more wind resistance....

AND

Your Odometer is telling you you got 280 miles on that tank of gas...but you REALLY went 314 miles.

So, on 33's instead of 29's... you think you drove 280 miles at 60 mph....but you really went 314 miles at 67 mph...

You drove faster, and went more miles than you thought, both of which make your perceived mpg go down. (If people forget to correct for that...they report dismal mpg #'s...)

In Phoenix, there is heavy stop and go traffic on the freeways (highways for you east coasters), 110+ degrees ambient temperatures, and 75 MPH speed limits outside of the city where going 80 MPH just means you are staying up with traffic. So, I am happy with 15 mpg.

Ted - I just noticed your sig line says 2 AAL, does that mean you had TWO SETS of AAL's, or that you have a 2-Pack AAL?

TJ, I had a spring shop add two full-size leaves on each side. Now, I am only limited by the weight rating of the axle.

Just did another tank of gas. Put 16.6 gallons in the take with 317 miles on the trip odo. That is 19 mpg.

The one thing did different from the last tank where I got 17 mpg was kept it under 2,000 rpm when accelerating from stops, and also never drove faster than 65 mph steady. There were a couple of times that I had accelerate fast from a stop just to merge with traffic or to get over to my exit on the freeway.

All of this was done with windows up and AC on.

Next I'm going to change the fuel filter and air filter and calculate on a new tank of gas. Then I'm going to remove the plastic ramp and basket from the roof.

I'll keep you posted.

ben

AZ-Ted...I go the same route every year to Massachusetts..alot of hiway miles...and yes the amount of gas is roughly the same, I try to keep a steady 70mph on the interstates but occasionally get it up to 80 breifly to do some passing. Also I use the a/c intermittently to keep the family cool. As for acceleration..I overdrive the crap out of it to "milk" the most mpg I can get.

Also AZTED...I upped the tire pressure from 36psi to 40 psi for less rolling resistance and that makes a huge difference,even with my father-in-laws EXPLODER he managed better mpg with the added psi in the tires.

Sorry for seeming I abandoned this thread.

Last thing I changed was removing the air ramp and basket, along with the cross bars on the roof rack. I ran a full tank of gas through the X same as my normal routine and saw no improvement in gas mileage. Got 18 mpg on that tank.

This is still doing the keep it below 65 mph, under 2,000 rpms while accelerating. Remember, best I've seen so far is 19 mpg doing this.

I went ahead and left it all off for now. This weekend I changed the air filter and fuel filter. Running a tank through it this week and will report back on my mpg.

ben

Sorry for seeming I abandoned this thread.

Last thing I changed was removing the air ramp and basket, along with the cross bars on the roof rack. I ran a full tank of gas through the X same as my normal routine and saw no improvement in gas mileage. Got 18 mpg on that tank.

This is still doing the keep it below 65 mph, under 2,000 rpms while accelerating. Remember, best I've seen so far is 19 mpg doing this.

I went ahead and left it all off for now. This weekend I changed the air filter and fuel filter. Running a tank through it this week and will report back on my mpg.

ben

07 se fully loaded here. 18.5 in the city and a best of 22.5 on a trip back from Kentucky lake to Rolling Meadows, Ill.

Mobil 1 and a K and N are it for mods.

Joe

The best thing is to SLOWWWW DOWWWWNNNNN.

El Paso TX to.....Fort Gordon GA.....1500 plus miles....

El Paso TX to Midland TX = Legal Speed of 80mpg, drove 80mph and got 14.3mpg....

Rest of trip drove 70mph and averaged 18.4.

Take it for what its worth.

Tim

I can get 23-24 on the highway by drafting trucks, usually 20-35 feet away, and driving between 55 and 65 mph. As an aerospace engineer, I can attest to the fact that drag force is proportion to the square of velocity. So reducing the velocity that the car sees by 1/3 will reduce the drag by much more.

Any questions let me know!

The wife has been driving the X lately, so no new figures on gas mileage. Sorry guys.

Happy to report my CBR still gets 40 mpg. And gas prices are the lowest they've been in a long time here in Phoenix. I heard them say on the news today that we are the cheapest in the nation right now.

ben

This is the truth written above,

I bought a scanguage for shits and giggles and its fun to watch your instant MPG change based on load, speed etc. On the scanguage the difference between 55mph and 70mph is about 3.5 mpg or 16.5 - 20mpg. After calibrating the scanguage over a few tanks its usually spot on or 0.1 gallons off each time I fill up. Get up to about 75-80 mph and your dipping below 14-15 mpg. This is with 33's, shrock, winch, yakima rack, BL etc so a stock X should be close or better if not its all about the driver sorry....

edit to add the Xterra is a pig around town, city driving only I can get under 14mpg

I've gotten 25 mpg a couple of times, but if I push it to 80 on the highway it drops to around 20. Also, yup, its a pig in town. Something about moving a 5000 lb brick from a dead stop. And I'm running the stock long trail t/a's, switching to at's at the next tire change. And its a stock 06, mt, 4wd.

I just bought mine a few weeks ago and have about 2,700 miles on it - I've been getting about 20mpg on my last few fill ups. So far not as bad as I thought it would be. I've been trying to ease up on the skinny peddle and that has helped.

Dave

Just did a trip to Stoneman Lake in Arizona. Pulled a small 5' x 8' flat trailer with a dirt bike and camping gear for a family of 5 for 4 days.

Trip up and part way down did 160 miles of mountain highways and some Forrest Service fire roads. Got 13 mpg. Not bad considering I was working the X pretty hard on some of the hills.

ben

so my other car is a toyota prius and it's definatley taught me alot about squeezing fuel economy from any car, hybrid or not.

i got my xterra a few weeks ago, and the first week I went through a tank of gas in a matter 4 days... as an experiment, the next week I took it easy, 'pulse and glided' it more and I'm still about half-tank full.

the X has a pretty serious engine but I'm convinced you could pull 27+ mpg if you're careful about it. On the other hand, don't get carried away! have fun out there...

also, you don't want to tailgate but getting behind big trunks saves MAD milage because they're the ones cutting all the air - you're just riding in their draft (kind of like how ducks fly).

Anyway, for what it's worth, it's a good trick.

this car is not kind to speeders, though.