Why You Don’t Get Your EPA Fuel Economy MPG
April 14th, 2008 by Ana
The EPA fuel economy MPG is those numbers they put on the car window sticker that estimate how many miles per gallon (mpg) you should be getting out of your car. Most people do NOT get that number, but instead get a lower mpg.
I’ve heard folks who maintain their car religiously, check their tire pressure (tyre inflation for the Brits), get an oil change at every 3000 miles on the dot, get their tune-ups on time, and basically do everything under the sun to get the best number of miles per gallon out of their car, then still fail to acheive the number on the window sticker that they laminated and keep in the glovebox. They ask: Why?
In a nutshell: It’s your driving style!
That’s right, take a good look in the mirror if you’ve done all the maintenance possible and still can’t get up to your EPA fuel economy number. As a pizza delivery driver, I have probably seen you in MY rear-view mirror or through my windshield, and I can say that all the maintenance in the world will be undone by driving style. Here are the official EPA tips to improve your mpg through driving style:
- SLOW DOWN!!! Seriously, most people on the road with me are driving 5-15 mph over the posted speed limit, even through known speed traps and school zones. The EPA estimates that simply observing the speed limit will save you 7-23%, which translates to $0.23-0.74 per gallon at $3.239 per gallon price (what I saw this weekend). That doesn’t take into account the expense of getting a speeding ticket and having your driving insurance rate raised.
- Aggressive driving costs you. Rapid acceleration, especially from a full stop (often called drag racing starts or jackrabbit starts), uses the most gas for the least amount of distance. I see this the most in town between stoplights! Why are you in such a hurry to slam on the brakes at the next stoplight? The EPA estimates that “aggressive driving” costs 5-33% of your mpg depending on just how aggressive you truly drive. At $3.239 per gallon of gas, that could cost you $0.16-$1.07 per gallon! So how does it feel to stomp on the gas pedal and know that you just burned 1/3 of your fuel effieciency? If you can’t tell, this one is a pet peeve of mine, especially when the aggressive driver is directly behind me.
- Excess weight in your car makes your engine work harder. The EPA estimate is 1-2% per every 100 pounds of extra weight in your car, which translates to $0.03-$0.06 per gallon of gasoline. Basically, if you are dragging around excess weight you just negated any savings you might have gotten by price shopping or using a discount card at the pump.
- Avoid idling. When you are idling, you are burning gas to go absolutely nowhere. I always turn the Pizza Taxi off instead of idling at a customer’s house or at the shop in between deliveries. (No EPA figures)
- Use cruise control (if you have it). This helps you keep a smooth constant speed on the highway as opposed to the speed-up-slow-down routine, even on the hills. Hubby’s truck has cruise control, but as a 5-speed the Pizza Taxi doesn’t. (No EPA figures)
- Use overdrive if you have it. Once you are up to highway speed, pop it in overdrive to let your engine work less. (No EPA figures)
I know some of y’all are wondering just how well I do against the EPA figures for my Pizza Taxi. Here are the stats I plugged into the “Find your fuel economy” page: 2000 Ford Escort ZX2 5-speed manual.
- Old EPA fuel economy: 25 mpg city and 33 mpg highway
- New EPA fuel economy: 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway
- MY fuel economy on the last fill-up (Thursday before work to Saturday after work) 325 miles travelled, 9.6 gallons of gasoline used for 34.58 mpg!
- My record for city and delivery mpg: last summer I got 35.8 mpg while driving for Domino’s and delivering into downtown even!
- My record for highway mileage: 39.2 mpg on a road trip about three years ago immediately after an oil change and tune-up and driving on a windless mild day.
I beat the old EPA fuel economy numbers, and stomp all over the revised numbers. Why? HOW? I follow all the tips I just listed for y’all, plus a few of my personal gasoline-saving driving tips listed last week.
Here’s my challenge for everyone: Try one week of driving like the EPA and I recommend, and figure your gas mileage. To do this, start with a completely full gas tank and either note your starting miles on the odometer or reset your trip meter to zero. When you go to fill up again, top it off, and the number of gallons it takes is how much you used. Then divide number of miles traveled by gallons used for your mpg. Compare this number to what the EPA says you should be getting (both old and new numbers for fun!) and post it here 
Posted in pizza delivery |
April 14th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I go sixty on the highway. People look at me like I’m nuts but I saved $25 in gas on my last road trip (six hours driving). Oh and I feel like telling people, if you know any physics, speeding doesn’t save you time unless you’re driving a really long distance. Good post!
April 14th, 2008 at 10:04 am
We tried the “drive the speed limit” in our old truck and it really did save us $$ wise on a long trip, but the drive took an hour longer than usual. So we traded maybe $20 in gas savings for a extra hour of highway driving.
I think I may have preferred to spend the $20; I hate boring highway driving. However, when I drive in the city (which is rarely, we sold our truck 2 years ago and only rent for major errands now) I do apply many of these principals. Another big one is wasting energy getting up to speed only to slam on the brakes right before you hit that red light. I always try to anticipate reds and just coast in, only braking minimally to avoid wasting energy.
If you want to go even further, check out hypermiling.
April 14th, 2008 at 10:13 am
notanartist: I’ve read several articles on hypermiling, and most of it is common sense. However, not all of their recommendations are legal or safe. Use your judgement when applying hypermiling techniques.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:00 am
When I drive I’m all about maximizing gas, even though I buy so little. But with 87 gas here in Seattle at nearly $3.50 a gallon, it’s worth every penny. I have a question… I have a 5-speed manual Dodge Dakota Sport and I’m wondering about the “overdrive.” Would this mean always going into 5th gear on the freeway? I usually keep it in 4th unless I’m going over 65mph but I’m thinking that maybe I should be shifting into 5th more often. Yes?? Thoughts? Thanks!
April 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Shanti, I always shift into 5th gear whenever I go above 40-42 mph. If you have a tachometer also, keeping the RPMs around the 1900-2200 range is where I personally get the best mpg.
April 14th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I’m trying to learn when I don’t even need my foot on the gas at all on the drive between hear and the library. And remembering that being aggressive may save me time but cost me money. It’s amazing how many places there are where a light touch is all you need.
April 14th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Ahh, Ana - I’ve been keeping it between 2400 and 2800… I guess I can just stay away from the “growl,” eh?
Thanks!
April 14th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
We bought a Jetta TDI diesel a few years ago and it gets really good gas mileage (around 40 - 50 MPG). With diesel costing around $4.10 a gal it is starting to NOT make sense. This weekend I am buying a mountain bike and I am going to start riding that to work a few days a week. Hopefully this will save us $20 to $30 a week and it may even get me into shape.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:29 am
I’ll surely try the “one week of driving like the EPA and your recommendation” program.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Have you guys ever tried any of those carburetor gadgets? I always wondered if they improved your gas mileage. Also, could they do any damage?
April 15th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Great post! Congrats on getting better than the EPA in your car. That is an amazing feat as the EPA figures are literally done under ideal conditions.
Some comments:
* Those carburetor gadgets don’t work. They’re junk.
* Always drive at the lowest RPM possible to maintain speed, but never at the expense of “lugging” the engine. Lower RPM under no load = lower fuel use. Some years ago, the manual transmission in the Corvette was “programmed” such that, if accelerating slowly, you *HAD* to shift from 1st to 4th gear. Chevy did this to get their EPA #s up. Doing so does save gas. It’s just not very fun in a ‘Vette!
* Buy 87 Octane. Using the higher grades gives most *normal* cars no benefit, only added cost.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
this is my worst habit.
I got a lead foot.
I don’t think anything is going to change that.
I spend $50 a month in gas.
My car gets 13-14 mpg in town.
My car goes very fast. I don’t speed much, but i like getting to the speed limit as fast as possible.
I could buy an econobox. But I won’t fit in it. I’m long legged and 6′ tall. Most of the cars i’ve tried to buy that get good mileage are very uncomfortable for me to drive.
I’m also a bit claustrophobic. So i tend to stay away from small cars.
but I also don’t drive unless I have to. So a fill up can last me a month and a half.
April 16th, 2008 at 1:40 am
A cruise control is likely to make your fuel consumption worse if you’re going up and down hills, not better!
A cruise control will try to keep your speed constant up the hills, but you’ll save fuel if you allow the car to slow down up the hill, and then coast down the hill on the other side.
April 16th, 2008 at 7:07 am
I get exactly the 17 mpg in my Honda Ridgeline that they say for combined. Before they added ethanol to gas, I was getting 20-21 on the highway. Not anymore!
April 18th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
[…] at DebtFREE-Revolution explains why you might not be getting the full EPA miles-per-gallon rating on your car. My personal bad habit, which she doesn’t mention here, was laying too hard on the gas pedal […]
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
[…] Debt Free Revolution explains why you don’t get your EPA fuel economy MPG. […]
April 23rd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Just wanted to chime in- I’ve always gotten better than the EPA, even with my old and beat up cars. The winner though, was my 200 Mitsubishi Mirage.. driving all highway, I got 47 miles a gallon. That’s doing 5 over the speed limit and no cruise-control. I have no idea how I managed that, but it happened every time I took the trip from PA to NC.
I currently have a 2003 Jetta, EPA of 21-/29 and I’ve been getting 30/34 with it.
April 27th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Readers Digest recently had an interesting article on what it takes to really improve you MPG.
http://www.rd.com/special-reports/the-environment/ease-on-down-the-road/article55921.html
April 27th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Yan, once again, I have read up on hypermiling. I still say that NOT ALL of the methods used for hypermiling are SAFE or LEGAL. Always double-check with your state’s driving laws and use common sense with what you think you can or can’t get away with. Every weekend, the county has officers out for a speed trap right in front of our pizza store … and Friday night they had three out (including one unmarked) ticketing so aggressively the boss called all of us drivers on our cell phones to warn us.
For the record (I hope those county officers don’t read my blog!) I do employ a couple of illegal methods that I do not describe here, and won’t.
April 28th, 2008 at 6:39 am
[…] along with killing your fuel efficiency and gas mileage (MPG), speeding is not a safe thing to do! It becomes especially unsafe on the curvy twisting country […]
May 5th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
I drive a 1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6, which is a mid-sized SUV. It currently has 246,600 on the odometer. Like most big-city drivers, I had a lead-foot and tended to drive aggressively. I don’t know what my fuel economy was, but it wasn’t great. I was filling up the 18.5 gallon tank every 6 or 7 days before having to fill-up again.
I read your article and began researching hypermiling. I then started my own experiment by filling up the car to the tip-top. Then I changed my air filter and began driving 55mph on the highway and using cruise control wherever possible. I also avoided braking, stop light, stop signs, idling, etc. whenever feasible.
Guess what happened? I went 12 DAYS before I had to fill-up, doing the exact same commute everyday. I got 429.3 miles out of my last fill-up and calculated that I was averaging 23 miles per gallon on my mileage. I’m quite pleased with this as that is 2 mpg ABOVE the EPA’s highway rating for this vehicle.
Granted, most cars are flying past me on the highway, but it is worth it to save $$$ on gas with this ridiculously high fuel prices. Best of all, it only adds about 3 or 4 minutes to my commute each way, so the slower commute speed has no real negative impact on my time.
What amazes me is that so few people seem to be trying this. It’s almost as if everyone is screaming about the price of gas, but are not willing to change their behavior to save money. Apparently the irresistible urge to go tearing down the road at 85MPH in a big Dodge RAM locomotive, er, truck, means more to these morons then the enormous hole they are burning in their wallets. They must have a lot of money to burn. Go figure!
May 5th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
George, that is an AWESOME improvement!
It sounds like you almost doubled your fuel economy!