Recumpence

You actually have more than 50% of your miles in EV mode. WIth mileage that is down a bit, I would say when the engine is running, you have less efficient running. If you are in an extremely hilly area running the AC, that would cause it. Matt

I did the math and I am 2% better off buying premium at the current prices versus the MPG difference. Almost not enough to even consider. But, the fact that it does not cost me any more per mile (actually a tiny bit less), I will go with premium since I do not have to fillup as often and it just feels better seeing higher numbers on the dash. :) Matt

My last fillup showed 12.88 gallons used on the dashboard and 13.1gallons at the pump. Matt

Well, I can tell you this; Rain totally messes up mileage. It is pouring rain today and my mileage is 53.1mpg. Bummer......... Matt

Yup, that is true. :) Oh, I posted a picture in the 50mph trips thread of my day today. I ended at over 62mpg for 125 miles IIRC. Also, my refill on this 701 mile tank was actually 13.1 gallons. Not too far off from the shown gallons used. This tank was a literal 53+mpg tank (calculated by the gallons refilled at the pump). Matt

My best day yet. I pretty much have this car figured out........... Matt

Actually, higher pressures reduce the chances of a pinch flat. The car does ride a bit more harsh with more pressure, though. Matt

My second 700+ mile tank in a row. And, for all those nay-sayers, this one was done on regular unleaded, not premium. :) Matt

I do this a HUGE amount during every day's driving routine. I kow when I have a long stretch of flat road that can maximize EV and when the engine is going to run anyway (maybe for along up hill climb) and I plan my driving accordingly. "Oh, this hill is coming up, I can EV until the hill and let the battery charge as I climb (because the engine is more efficient at higher power output than just climbing alone and I can use that added efficiency to charge the pack)". ---or--- "Hey, I have a long down hill stopping situation approaching. That will charge my pack, I can run it down in EV before then." Matt

My mileage in warm weather is 55mpg on the average with regular. It is 58.5 To 59.5mpg with premium consistantly. Modern engines sense knock and retime accordingly. This boosts efficiency with higher octane fuel. Matt

In the winter, I ran a grille block and averaged 42mpg to 45mpg with regular unleaded. In the warmer weather, I am averaging 54mpg with regular and 59mpg with premium. This is mainly in town driving. Today I ran the AC for much of the day and averaged 53mpg on regular fuel. Matt

I would say the advanced version of this is to know your route well so you can plan when to run in EV mode and when to drive to maximize charging. This becomes second nature after a while. Matt

OK, I have to say something on the other side of this, however; I have seen accidents with human fatalities due to slamming on the brakes for a single sparrow. we do need to keep things in perspective. If we can stop without killing someone to allow animals to cross, that is awesome. But, we need to make sure we do not kill people in the process. Do not flame me for speaking up. I just have seen too many major wrecks caused by a squirrel or chipmunk in the road. A little balance and common sense goes a long way. Matt

Well, just as the title suggests, all hybrids are very sensitive to various environmental conditions as well as driving style much more that gas only vehicles. I think the Cmax is getting a bad reputation because there are more hybrid converts to the Cmax than other cars because it seems to perform better than other popular hybrids. These recent hybrid converts have not gotten used to the hybrid thing very quickly. This is just a personal observation. For those who are familiar with hybrids and are still getting poor mileage, your issue is different. I just wanted to point out this aspect that others may not have considered. Matt

It is obvious you are very frustrated. My mileage is off by 1.5mpg when calculated at the pump versus the car computer. I have kept track of it from the very beginning. If yours is really off by 5mpg, there is something wrong with you car computer. I can tell you I am over 50mpg true mileage. There are those of us who are getting way over the epa with our cars. It does seem like some cars are just getting poor mileage no matter how hard the driver tries. matt

I know two people who own Prii. Both have told me they average (in town) 40 to 42mpg in winter and 50mpg in summer. That is what I average (I see about 42mpg in winter and 55 in summer). I find the difference in power, size, and weight to be huge, yet the difference in mileage to be very slight. That, in my mind, make our mighty C-Max far more desireable. :) Matt

It is good to see guys above 50mpg for a full tank. I was beginning to feel.........alone......... Matt

My 700 mile tank was done on premium. That being said, that tank averaged 55.2mpg IIRC. Right now, on regular fuel (for 415 miles so far on this tank) I am averaging 55.5mpg. So, it looks like I will be able to top 700 miles on regular. Oh, I have averaged 52.4mpg for the last 3,000 miles according to my Trip1 odometer. Matt

For me, premium averages about 6% to 7% more than regular. So, it is not a performance thing. The added mileage pretty much pays for the added fuel cost and I do not need to stop for fuel as often. With regular, I see 55.5 To 56.5mpg. With premium, I can hit 60mpg for the entire day....... Matt

Hello All, I have done some experimenting with premium versus regular fuel from a mpg perspective and have found a roughly 6% increase in mileage running premium gas. So, my refueling regime has now included calculating the percentage of difference in price between the two to see if my 6% mpg increase can offset the added fuel cost. who else has noticed this? Matt

Yup, true. I think the absolute upper limit without aero modifcations is 750 miles (this would be insane, no AC ever, no loud radio, low speed fan and driving like a slug). But, right now, I just want to hit 700 again to prove it was not a one time occurance. Matt

So, anyone else want to join me and shoot for 700? It is very difficult, but it is possible...... Matt

Great stuff! This is what I am talking about. Also, wait till you have significant miles on your cars. The MPG will go up. I am sure much of that is complete break-in and part of it is getting more used to driving. But, I can tell you, my mileage increased a noticeable amount after about 15,000 miles. Matt

Hello All, I have a question for those of you who are struggling with your mileage; I have noticed (and this has been mentioned, but not really covered at length) that the daily driving distance affects mileage pretty drastically. I am seeing 55 to 60mpg every single day at this point. However, I drive 130 miles per day at least. Here is what I am noticing; The first 10 miles of each day are only around 40mpg for me. It is only after the engine and transmission are warmed up and run for that innitial 10 miles that my mileage goes up. However, when it goes up, it goes WAAAYYY up. Once I am into my day, the mileage stays up. So, this thread is for those who are seeing 40mpg or less to discuss their driving routine and see if that is what is causing the low mileage. For instance, if you are driving 6 miles to work and 6 miles home at the end of the day and never drive more than that (or only highway miles of longer than that), your mileage will be lower. Lastly, my mileage went up after about 15,000 miles on my odometer. Matt EDIT: My wife and I just got back from breakfast (at Chic-Fil-A :)). The mileage going there was 43.4mpg and the mileage coming home (identical route) was 77.1mpg! This is a good example of what I am talking about as far as warming the engine. :)

I run 51psi in my tires. That is above what Ford recommends, but exactly what Michelin recommends as the maximum pressure. I gained roughly 1mpg moving up to 51psi from what the tires were originally pressurized to. Honestly, I think there may be variations from car to car. I may have been blessed with one car that hits high mileage. However, that being said, here are the main things I do when driving; #1 I setup MyView to show the Empower left side meter and the three efficiency scoring bars on the right side. I obey those bars. For instance, when accellerating, I make sure I keep the accellerating score at maximum. That is normally the second line on the KW power bar on the left. #2 I keep the heat and AC at what I need, not what I want. That helps alot. #3 My driving type maximizes mileage. I drive mostly 35mph town to town. Lastly, my mileage really began to improve when I hit 15,000+ miles. Beyond that, I do think there may be differences between customer's cars because even my wife gets high MPG and she does nothing to try at it. Matt