Winter not good for mileage...

[R.I.D.E.]

If an investment drops by 50% it has to rise by 100% to get back to the same point it was before the 50% drop.

[14Corolla]

Here I sit. The computer on my car is touching 40mpg avg on this tank for the first time since November.
All I have said on mileage and winter I'm finding true. It's warmed up now. My worst mileage was on the longest deep cold below zero we had.
I do have unknowns, and uncertainties in my results. I have to face that my car is for transportation. Not devoted to experimenting.

[Matt715]

I've given up trying to improve my mileage during the winter. I experience about a 4-5 mpg swing from warm to cold weather, but I do manage to occasionally get good mileage during long, slow drives during the winter. If you chart all of my fuel ups over the last 4 years, you'll see this trend quite easily. For some reason, I experience my best MPG in May-June, and so does one of my friends.

[14Corolla]

Just did fill up. Came up above my average.
Also verified the warming up. Drove around yesterday. Not short at all. It was 11 degrees out. Shifted to idle and it came down to 700.
Had this car a year now. Still haven't taken any long trip with it. Don't know what consistent highway mileage is yet? Drive on the freeway not much at all. Mostly rural type driving with stops.

[Matt715]

It sounds like you need to go on a short road trip!

[14Corolla]

This week I've begun driving to work at the new place.
19 miles one way. 17 of that on freeway. 1 at 45mph. 1 at 55mph. A couple stops.
I was driving 5 miles one way. 50mph max. A couple stops.

I'm up at 40mpg. Slowly climbing.
Am convinced my winter mileage won't drop like it did this winter. Car can warm up.
So my average will go up. Everything considered.

[14Corolla]

I continue to drive what I posted in last post. Plus the usual going to the store, etc. etc.
It's gotten warmer out. I'm consistently doing right around 40.
I can't play around with coasting as much as I did. This because of traffic. Oh gee... how I used to obsess with getting mileage. Now, it doesn't make too much difference. One thing I think does is the engine brake. Definitely use that. Also notice that my cruise control with this CV Transmission. It does a better job of keeping the rpm down on hills than I do.
I think the biggest thing will be better mileage during winter. Due to longer trip on freeway to work. Not just a short run, enough to warm the car up. Then shut it off. That didn't work out too good during winter.
My average is coming up again. Looks like I own a 40mpg car. (daily driving) Not too shabby at all. I'm happy.

[gregsfc]

I just love what happens when the weather gets really warm. I've got a really economical, gas-powered, full size truck (I know that seems contradictory, but true with Ford F150 and the 2.7 liter Ecoboost in a base work truck and 2WD). I just got my best-ever tank from more than 1 and half yrs ownership @ 26.7 mpg that included over 250 miles of the 550 mile tank in a short trip at or about 65-70 mph. Most of the other miles driven on that tanks, and most other tanks for that matter, are a very good, low traffic, state highway commute. But still, for a full-size truck, that's gas powered, I think over 26 mpg is pretty incredible. No hypermiling or other tricks; just conservative driving.

Also got a very fuel-economical motorcycle. A Honda CTX700. I'm flirting around my best mpg on that vehicle too here lately with mpg in the low 80s for commutes, and mid-80s for short trips. Getting ready to take it to a fuel economy contest at the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days near Lexington, OH. I'm shooting for 88 mpg. Wish me luck!

I love what warm weather does for mpg. The bike especially really suffers in cool or cold weather, but when it gets hot, I'm in the 80s or at least near it on every tank. And this is a mid-size bike; not a 250. Pretty amazing for a stock bike I think. At the FE contest, I think they'll be a couple of Honda CBR250Rs that will be mostly stock. I don't think I can beat them, but my goal is to get close.