MADMAX New Record, 918mi/ 13.5gal and 68MPG, 72%EV, 28%ICE

[ptjones]

Just pushed the bar a little higher without running out of gas, sorry Jus. Smart Gauge reads 902.2mi/14.13gal and 63.8mpg then corrected for(New Tires) Odometer error of 1.019%= 918mi.. I put in 13.5gal., second click= 68mpg for the trip.  In theory having .4-.5gal. left I could have gone another 25-30mi. before running out or 945-950mi. total. Also 72% EV, 28% ICE.

 

My Wife and I decided go someplace Warm after Xmas, Florida didn't disappoint with temps in the 70's-low 80's to look at Lighthouses for fun. It turned out to be harder than I figured but that's another story. To get ready for the trip I set up MADMAX with everything I could think of to improve MPG's like 50PSI tire pressure, installed New Upper Grill Cover along with Center and lower Grill Covers. Also Wheel Covers, GasPods, covered Fog Lights and taped seems around hood, Lights and Grill Covers with clear packing tape to minimize heat lose. You get your best MPG's when WT is above 200*F which I monitor with my ScanGaugeII.  I topped off my tank with eight gallons  ethanol free gas plus 2gallon gas can if I needed it, I didn't.

Started trip Dec. 26th and it took 4 days to go the 900+ miles. The first day temps  in Newnan,GA were 35*F when we left and it took about a hour to get the WT up 200*F with speeds between 35-55mph on State Routes and about three hours before I could get my average to 60mpg when temps got up to the 50's. After 10 hours I was up to 67.4mpg so things I thought were looking promising.

Second day I lost .5mpg right of the bat because of warm up of ICE, couldn't plugin ICE heaters on the trip. Then made a wrong turn and ended up on I-95 for 15mi. with speeds up to 77mph, lost another .5mpg.  St. Augustine was having a Party and got stuck in gridlock for 2.5 hours and only lost another .5mpg.

Third day started at 66mpg and by the end of the day I was down to 65mpg average, because of head winds.

Forth day we had rain so we lost another 1MPG so I thought from looking at the not so Smart Gauge being off by .6 gallons and I went at least 50 miles pass 0m to E expecting to run out at any time for the last 30miles. It looks like I could have gone another 20-30miles.

 

I still think it is possible to go a thousand miles on at tank, but everything would have to go your way to do it. It looks like if traffic and weather conditions had cooperated I could gotten around 970-980miles, getting very close. :yahoo:

Paul

Edited January 4, 2015 by ptjones

[drdiesel1]

Sweet!  Glad to see it's possible to stretch it that far. I run 55 psi in my tires, all the time

and run Royal Purple 0W20 full synthetic oil.

[ptjones]

Sweet!  Glad to see it's possible to stretch it that far. I run 55 psi in my tires, all the time

and run Royal Purple 0W20 full synthetic oil.

I'm have been letting FORD change my oil with their 50/50 blend, but would be interested in changing if there was some real proof that it would improve MPG's. Seems like we have had this discussion before. :) 

 

Paul 

[SPL Tech]

I'm have been letting FORD change my oil with their 50/50 blend, but would be interested in changing if there was some real proof that it would improve MPG's. Seems like we have had this discussion before. :)

 

Paul 

There is plenty of real proof out there. Only a million vehicles on YouTube showing dyno comparisons. Synthetic blend is only 30% synthetic oil, so a more appropriate name would be conventional oil blend.

Edited January 4, 2015 by SPL Tech

[fotomoto]

Back when I got my 894 mile tank, it mainly consisted of my daily commute route but I did do a couple of "long runs" at the end to finish the tank off on the weekend.   On those runs, I was getting around 75mpg keeping speeds below 45mph and that was without any aero mods. So, a 1,000 mile tank is certainly achievable but it would mean several dedicated day long drives; preferably in warmer weather without a/c.

[ptjones]

There is plenty of real proof out there. Only a million vehicles on YouTube showing dyno comparisons. Synthetic blend is only 30% synthetic oil, so a more appropriate name would be conventional oil blend.

I have Googled Synthetic Oil gas mileage improvement, but couldn't find any real test comparisons. Everyone seems to say it will, but you might not be able to measure it. I think I will try Full Synthetic 0-20 for next oil change and see if I can see a difference. It would look like if I can come up about 2% improvement I can make 1,000mi. :) 

Paul

[Smiling Jack]

I have Googled Synthetic Oil gas mileage improvement, but couldn't find any real test comparisons. Everyone seems to say it will, but you might not be able to measure it. I think I will try Full Synthetic 0-20 for next oil change and see if I can see a difference. It would look like if I can come up about 2% improvement I can make 1,000mi. :)

Paul

 

Paul:

 

Great tank !!!  Thanks for posting.

 

Go for the full synthetic 0W20.  I saw a difference of several mpg with it (in my Camry Hybrid) over all types of driving.  One time the dealer put their regular blend in by mistake and I saw an immediate drop of 4 or 5 mpg on the highway.  I have not yet needed to change the C-max oil (waiting for the car's computer to tell me to do it), but when I do I will definitely go for the 0w20 full synthetic.

 

I bet you will do the 1000-mile tank.

[ptjones]

Paul:

 

Great tank !!!  Thanks for posting.

 

Go for the full synthetic 0W20.  I saw a difference of several mpg with it (in my Camry Hybrid) over all types of driving.  One time the dealer put their regular blend in by mistake and I saw an immediate drop of 4 or 5 mpg on the highway.  I have not yet needed to change the C-max oil (waiting for the car's computer to tell me to do it), but when I do I will definitely go for the 0w20 full synthetic.

 

I bet you will do the 1000-mile tank.

Thanks Smiling Jack, I'm not sure what brand FORD uses, probably doesn't make much of a difference. So 0W20 full synthetic for next time. :)

 

Paul

[Smiling Jack]

Thanks Smiling Jack, I'm not sure what brand FORD uses, probably doesn't make much of a difference. So 0W20 full synthetic for next time. :)

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

I have noted also your tire pressures and your previous posts on heaters.

 

In my years with the Camry Hybrid, before I went to the aftermarket plug-in conversion, the three best things I noted to improve mpg were tire pressure, 0w20 synthetic oil and a block heater.

 

A cold engine is a real mpg killer, because of the overly rich mixture that is run to compensate for fuel condensing out on the cylinder walls.

 

In case you have not yet noticed, the block heater is nearly as much help in the summer as in the winter.  Here in Houston I saw nearly as much effect on near 90-degree summer mornings as I did on 40-degree winter mornings.  So, don't forget to plug in those heaters in the summer !

[ptjones]

I use my ICE block and pan heater all year around and 50PSI gives even tire wear. Still with all my testing Grill Covers give the most improvement in MPG's of anything I've tried overall. :)

 

Paul

[Smiling Jack]

I use my ICE block and pan heater all year around and 50PSI gives even tire wear. Still with all my testing Grill Covers give the most improvement in MPG's of anything I've tried overall. :)

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

Do you attribute the grille cover benefits mostly to heat retention or aerodynamics?

[ptjones]

Paul,

 

Do you attribute the grille cover benefits mostly to heat retention or aerodynamics?

City driving is about 90% heat retention and HWY about 50% heat retention. :)

 

Paul

[scottwood2]

Congrats on the great FE.  

 

Interesting that you can get fuel with no ethanol in it.  I have not seen it here.  

 

Temperatures here are going down to single digits tonight and looks like a cold week.  My FE is doing good now if I get 40's and once in a while a 50 MPG thrown in there.  Looking forward to warmer temps and better FE but I don't even see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

[SPL Tech]

hey, if you are not using E10 then you are cheating. I say your world record is DQed. 99% of drivers do not have access to E0. Try some E10 and then report back on your FE.

[obob]

 

 

Interesting that you can get fuel with no ethanol in it.  I have not seen it here.  

 

 

 

http://pure-gas.org/

 

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=MI

[Smiling Jack]

City driving is about 90% heat retention and HWY about 50% heat retention. :)

 

Paul

 

Paul,

 

Thanks for that.  I thought you would know !

 

BTW:  I do not agree that you are somehow "cheating" by avoiding ethanol.  On the contrary, I think that you are to be commended for avoiding it. 

 

IMO:  Taking a source of food and turning it into a motor fuel that gives us worse fuel economy has to be one of the stupidest things the human race has ever done.

 

Those of us who do not have access to ethanol-free fuel are simply GREEN with envy.

[Smiling Jack]

http://pure-gas.org/

 

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=MI

 

Obob,

 

Thanks very much for posting.  I was not aware that there are a couple of ethanol-free stations in the Houston area.

[ptjones]

Congrats on the great FE.  

 

Interesting that you can get fuel with no ethanol in it.  I have not seen it here.  

 

Temperatures here are going down to single digits tonight and looks like a cold week.  My FE is doing good now if I get 40's and once in a while a 50 MPG thrown in there.  Looking forward to warmer temps and better FE but I don't even see the light at the end of the tunnel yet.

EPA/FORD do their MPG testing with ethanol free gas so in theory everyone Pure Gas if they expect to get EPA MPG. Go to Pure-Gas.org to find the closest location, they show 217 stations in MI. Interesting that Alaska only has Pure Gas. I normally use premium at BJ's  When I did my test comparing REG,PREM and Pure Gas two years ago it looked like there was only about 1mpg difference between REG and Pure Gas. I don't think I have ever seen Reg.Gas advertised as E10, but that the ethanol content could be as high as 10% which means it could be ethanol free!

 

"scottwood2" do you have Grill Covers on your CMAX?  If not tape up your whole front end with clear packing tape so cold air doesn't gets into the ICE compartment. Setup Smart Gauge to MyView with Engage left side and WT gauge on right side. This should improve MPG's around 4mpg City driving. How about ICE block and oil pan heaters? They are worth 2MPG's. :)

 

Paul

[SPL Tech]

EPA/FORD do their MPG testing with ethanol free gas so in theory everyone Pure Gas if they expect to get EPA MPG. Go to Pure-Gas.org to find the closest location, they show 217 stations in MI. Interesting that Alaska only has Pure Gas. I normally use premium at BJ's  When I did my test comparing REG,PREM and Pure Gas two years ago it looked like there was only about 1mpg difference between REG and Pure Gas. I don't think I have ever seen Reg.Gas advertised as E10, but that the ethanol content could be as high as 10% which means it could be ethanol free!

 

"scottwood2" do you have Grill Covers on your CMAX?  If not tape up your whole front end with clear packing tape so cold air doesn't gets into the ICE compartment. Setup Smart Gauge to MyView with Engage left side and WT gauge on right side. This should improve MPG's around 4mpg City driving. How about ICE block and oil pan heaters? They are worth 2MPG's. :)

 

Paul

Why would you use premium? You get absolutely no benefit out of higher octane fuel if your vehicle does not require it. Premium fuel is anything but, it's just normal gas with a higher percentage of octane content. The word "premium" is purely marketing. You do not get better MPG, HP or anything else from premium if your vehicle does not require it. This has been studied over and over again and there are a million websites that talk about it. Just gooogle it.

Edited January 6, 2015 by SPL Tech

[Wnuk]

Late to the party but congrats Paul! You are a Jedi with the CMAX, Between you and Jus I expect a 1000 mile tank sometime this year.

[ptjones]

Why would you use premium? You get absolutely no benefit out of higher octane fuel if your vehicle does not require it. Premium fuel is anything but, it's just normal gas with a higher percentage of octane content. The word "premium" is purely marketing. You do not get better MPG, HP or anything else from premium if your vehicle does not require it. This has been studied over and over again and there are a million websites that talk about it. Just gooogle it.

With 146 full ups I know my car very well and I get at least 1-2mpg better with Premium.  My last tank was cheap 7-11 regular and almost immediately I could tell I wasn't getting the MPG's I was getting with Premium. I fulled up with BJ's Premium two days ago and immediately my MPG's jumped up from 47mpg to 50.5mpg with 95mi. on this tank with temps in 40-30's as compared to 70's-50's which is worth another 4mpg more.  For a total of 7.5mpg improvement over regular on this tank. FYI CMAX loses approx. 2mpg for each 10*F drop in temperature from 70*F.

 

SPL Tech why don't you try a tank of Premium and see what you get. :)

  Paul

Edited January 7, 2015 by ptjones

[SnowStorm]

Also, we can't assume there is the same amount of corn juice in Regular and Premium from the same station.  "Up To 10%" ethanol doesn't mean it is exactly 10% - or the same in all grades.  (Might even be more than 10%!)  Before I found an "all ethanol free" station, I used to get Premium at a station that had E0 Premium and 10% Regular with the Mid grade at 7%.  I guess they just mix them?  Anyway, before you start comparing octane ratings you should measure the ethanol content to make sure it is the same.  From all I've read, I'm convinced that ethanol content has far more effect on MPG than octane rating.

[ptjones]

I have gotten Ethanol Free gas from two stations locally and I get better MPG's from one than the other, I'm not sure if it is the octane or "freshness" of the gas. I did get ethanol free gas from a gas station in OK that only had ethanol free gas in three grades. Also I travel all over the country and have noticed that some parts of the country I don't get as good of MPG's, apparently not all gas is created equal. ;) 

 

Paul

[SPL Tech]

 

With 146 full ups I know my car very well and I get at least 1-2mpg better with Premium.  My last tank was cheap 7-11 regular and almost immediately I could tell I wasn't getting the MPG's I was getting with Premium. I fulled up with BJ's Premium two days ago and immediately my MPG's jumped up from 47mpg to 50.5mpg with 95mi. on this tank with temps in 40-30's as compared to 70's-50's which is worth another 4mpg more.  For a total of 7.5mpg improvement over regular on this tank. FYI CMAX loses approx. 2mpg for each 10*F drop in temperature from 70*F.

 

SPL Tech why don't you try a tank of Premium and see what you get. :)

 

  Paul

 

Well I dont think you can compare regular at one gas station with premium at another. Try a tank of regular at a Shell, the go back to the same station and try a tank of premium and see what you get. Also, if you only get 1-2mpg more with premium, it's not worth the money. Premium is minimal $0.20 more per gal than regular, and at 1-2mpg more you are only saving a cent or two per gallon.

 

It's also well known that ethonol has a lower energy contant than gasoline and E10 gas will get lower mpgs than E0. This has been known for decaids.

Edited January 8, 2015 by SPL Tech

[mtb9153]

Sweet!  Glad to see it's possible to stretch it that far. I run 55 psi in my tires, all the time

and run Royal Purple 0W20 full synthetic oil.

Tread centers must be well worn?  At least on fronts?