marshtex2 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 IT MADE IT TO 51 REAL MPG! My C-Max used a tank full of gasoline yielding an honestly measured 51.0 mpg using odometer miles. Considering the odometer is 1.5% low compared to gps miles, actual mpg was 51.8, the C-Max computer said 53.0. It used 13.5 dispenser-measured gallons to go 689 odometer miles, mixed suburban and highway driving. Almost no hyper mpg driving technique was used, just driving like we would in any car for best mpg. Accelerate slowly as much as possible considering drivers behind me, cruise not over the low to mid 50’s letting it drop back into the 40’s on uphill runs, again with consideration of accompanying traffic, but allowing 60 + going down hill while keeping in EV mode. I wondered if I had the patience to drive that slowly for a whole tank full but made it. rjdeeme29, ptjones and Jus-A-CMax 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdeeme29 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 My last tank was 53.0 mpg by the computer using 12.98 gal for a distance of 688.7 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus-A-CMax Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 :congrats: - you are now FIRED from the Consumer Report fan club! ;) See, things are possible with the CMax. Now go work on the 700 and 800 tanks :rockon: rjdeeme29 and ptjones 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshtex2 Posted July 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 Great. What do you mean by computer? Those numbers calc out to 53.0 but is that the gallons measured by the dispenser or that number shown as used on the C-Max readout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjdeeme29 Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 The trip computer, actual fill up was 13.14gal at the pump. Trip and pump have been pretty close for me for the 5 fill ups since buying the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted July 22, 2014 Report Share Posted July 22, 2014 I have to make a distinction between capability and achievablity... I find the car capable of exceeding 50mpg easily, but I have a hard time achieving 50mpg over an entire tank. Only done it once as I close out my first year in the car. I may stay on back roads with this tank just to get a second one... I'm getting 55-60mpg on my rural commute, averaging ~30 mph over 15+ miles, doing round trips so no net elevation change. My best tank was 53mpg, because I don't just commute, and at 150 miles/week, we're talking months between fill-ups, not fill-ups per month. When you know the roads, and know the car, Jus' and Paul's achievements are within reach, albeit with some modifications to the car (OK, I've done a lot...), and a more modest average speed. Conversely, at 8F last January, the same rura route yielded 30mpg, partially because I needed heat. Remember, the top mileage guys live in temperate climates! My lifetime may never make 40 for that simple reason. HAve fun,Frank Adair 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelleytoons Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Remember, the top mileage guys live in temperate climates! My lifetime may never make 40 for that simple reason. Frank (my best friend is named Frank and he used to live near Rochester :>), Do you think the heater thing is true for all hybrids? And how does that compare to a gas engine? IOW, would a Prius also do better in warmer climes? And does the same issue (running a heater or running a colder engine) also affect gas mileage for a gas engine? Answers to those two questions could make a big difference in how attractive hybrids (and perhaps even all electric) cars would be to a lot of people. For example, if hybrids in general "only" average around 30mpg in colder climes and this didn't affect a gas engine as much (or at all) then you might very well get as good or nearly as good mileage with a gas engine in those places. I'm starting to wonder if this hybrid/electric thing is so popular in California not because it's trendy but because it's just a state it suits very well (or both <g>). As for me, living here in Florida, the cold issue isn't that big a deal (although we do use A/C quite a bit), even though we do get a few months each year when it's cold enough to put on the heater in the morning (never freezing but certainly cold). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recumpence Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 I am back to 100% stock on my car (no aero mods) and I am seeing 55 to 57 mpg for the entire tank. I was seeing 3 mpg better with aero mods. I have had over fourty 700 plus mile tanks. My lifetime mpg (including winters) is 49.5 mpg for 58,000 miles. Matt C-MaxSea and ScubaDadMiami 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Thanks for the recalibration, Matt. I suspect driving style remains the biggest driver... It is YOU! To Kelleytoon question, if occupants need heat, you're going to run the engine (or discharge the battery in a plug-in) to get it. Here's an idea of the temperature dependence I see in expressway and rural/suburban commuting. Note the vertical scale is different. I need to add more e-way data from Summer_14, but hate seeing the tank mileage tank at higher speed. I suspect I'm way above the baseline data now, but my baseline period started Sept. 1 last year, so we're still filling things out. Next winter, I'll try the block heater... installed in Fall so I have a warm weather comparison. I love the "my media" reply menut button! Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelleytoons Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 Well, the best thing about your chart is that you're saying gas will still be available in 2104 (although I won't be alive then) <bg>. So since a gas engine in general produces heat as a by-product (which is why running the heater actually cools the engine down) I'm guessing this only impacts hybrids and all electrics. So there might very well be a break even point at which, climate wise, it wouldn't make sense to get a hybrid (maybe if you live in Fargo, for example :>). I also wonder at what point the A/C becomes a factor -- obviously here in Florida our temps exceed your chart quite a bit and I'm guessing from your mpg that you don't run the air even when it gets to 80. Conversely, here we need the air on even if it's 75 or above (due to the humidity) and summer is bound to be the lowest mpg for me (until we get to the winter when if we run a car heater more than a few days it's something). ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsteblay Posted July 23, 2014 Report Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Mileage for my last 520 miles - 51.1 MPG. This is 2 weeks of me driving to work. A little tough to see - one of my commutes to work during the last 510 miles - 60.2 MPG. These miles are mixed freeway (70%) and local roads (30%) - my work commute during rush hours. Speeds are as high as 70 mph but with congestion at points in the drive - typical rush hour driving in the Twin Cities. I believe there is a 500 ft change in elevation between home and work. I would say that I am completely keeping up with traffic - not the slowest on the road by any stretch. I apply Punch & Glide and what I call oscillation. I oscillate my speed by 2 - 4 MPH switching often between EV and gas engine mode. I can maintain close to 50 MPG traveling at 65 MPH using this technique. This type of mileage can only be had in warm weather. My lifetime average is 40 MPG. I recently took 2 long trips - one 3100 miles from MN to FL to SC and back. Averaged 41.1 MPG using cruise at marked freeway speeds. I took another 1300 mile trip from MN to NE to KS and back and averaged 41.0 MPG using cruise at marked freeway speeds. Edited July 23, 2014 by nsteblay ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshtex2 Posted July 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 (edited) fbov, I'm with you on using the back roads where cruising 30 to 50 mph doesn't bother other drivers. That helped me get to 51.0. My faith is in odometer miles driven (they could be corrected by GPS or Mile Marker comparisons but that is usually too much trouble) divided by dispenser-measured gallons, just like all my life in every car I've driven. That is what I mean by "REAL 50 + MPG" on this post title. The C-Max 'puter numbers are part of somebody's dream. Edited July 24, 2014 by marshtex2 ptjones and JAZ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 The computer's accuracy varies, to be sure, but on my 707 mile tank, the pump and the computer agreed to 4 decimal places... far better than needed! Go figure! I try to be consistent in my fill-ups, but...Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themacguy Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Averaging around 42-43mpg in mixed use. When I'm on the highway I try to set the cruise to 62 and it seems to be hitting the average. I live in El Paso so there's a bunch of up'n'down hills where you can see the mileage drop as you go up and then come back up as you go down. No complaints. Ford even sent me a check for $475 the other day. Considering my last car (a Scion xA) averaged 31mpg and was a loud and rough-riding go-cart, I'm happy with 43mpg in a car that is supremely comfortable and quiet. All I ask is continued reliability. Funny thing: I was looking for a vehicle to replace my wife's 10 year old Avalon and she saw a Lincoln she liked. Imagine my surprise when I checked the specs and found the same drivetrain as my cMax! My wife liked that. :D Barry ptjones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptjones Posted July 24, 2014 Report Share Posted July 24, 2014 Working on my fifteenth 50+MPG tank although I have two 60+ tanks. It is easier with heat conservation and aero mods. The real question is question is, can you get 70mpg on a tank of gas. LOL Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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