Gas Mileage.

bikinman1226 · 05-07-2008, 07:43 PM

Hey guys, I get like 12-13 mpg in my Libby which doesn't really bother me but I was wondering if anyone else gets in that range? Or if mine is just kind of low. O and I also have a bike rack up top with a wind fairing.

Busch2fan · 05-07-2008, 08:28 PM

The wifes '08 has almost 3000 miles and is now getting about 17 on short range drives and I've gotten almost 20 on the highway. I try to keep my foot out of it while the gas is about $3.50. The '03 was about the same. Of course where I live in Michigan there are no hills to navigate.

Jakked · 05-07-2008, 09:57 PM

I think 12-13 is pretty low, but not uncommon. Higher is definitely possible, depending on road and weather conditions, driving habits (and engine health).

If the weather is fairly warm I get about 16-17 mpg in the city and 21-23 on the highway. If it's been below freezing for a few days, I've seen as low as 9-10 mpg on short city drives.

aszalan · 05-08-2008, 05:39 AM

my 06 KJ usually averages around 17 mpg around town, and 19-20 on the highway.

here is a good www article on fuel economy

http://www.oramagazine.com/archive/2..._TECH05_01.asp

panthermark · 05-09-2008, 06:37 PM

I've been getting 14-15 in the city...and I'm light on the gas.

I've gotten 18 on the highway from Chicago to Des Moines in a heavy headwind and bad weather.

A month later, I got 23 on a clear day with a touch of a tail wind.

CasitaBabe · 05-09-2008, 07:23 PM

I have had my 2004 Liberty about 2 weeks. When I got gas the second time my mileage was 12.51 mpg. Most of this was in town. I am really disappointed. This is less than I got with my Ranger.

I drive conservatively. What is going on? Any recommendations on what I can or should do to improve these numbers?

Thanks

Pablo · 05-09-2008, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CasitaBabe

I have had my 2004 Liberty about 2 weeks. When I got gas the second time my mileage was 12.51 mpg. Most of this was in town. I am really disappointed. This is less than I got with my Ranger.

I drive conservatively. What is going on? Any recommendations on what I can or should do to improve these numbers?

Thanks

1. Check the air in the tires. 32-35 psi.

2. Clean Air filter.

3. Fresh fluids (synthetic helps) in diffs, oil, etc.

3. Check the brakes. The rear brakes drag sometimes. If the brake is dragging, your mileage will always be crap.

4. Some have found that opening up the front air box with a 2.5 inch hole piped to the front headlight improves performance and MPG. You will not be able to ford deep water after doing this (unless you buy a seperate air box just for that and leave it stock). Most who have installed a CAI have been disappointed as it has not shown a better improvement than this simple airbox mod. Many off ebay result in worse performance. Hint: if it pulls air in from under the hood it is not pulling in cooler air. If it is not sealed it is not pulling in cooler air and is not suitable for use on a Jeep offroad in any case. The stock box is sealed nicely, it just needs a bigger opening.

In town driving will always hurt you the most. Stopping and starting is the culprit. The KJ weighs much more than your old Ranger. The Ranger weighs around 3,000-3,400 and this thing is 3,900+ (mine is around 4600).

n8evans · 05-10-2008, 04:29 AM

I average 11 - 12 mpg in town (highly congested, major metropolitan area). However, at 70,000 miles I'm consistently averaging 23 - 24 mpg on the highway which is slightly less than the mpg of lesser, car-based CUVs. On a trip from Florida when my Liberty was new, I had three passengers, full cargo, but a folded empty cargo bag tied flat to the roof rack. The trip computer showed that I was averaging 19 mpg. When starting the last half of the trip the following morning, I removed the cargo bag from the top and placed it inside the cargo area. The trip computer showed that I averaged 23 - 24 mpg on the rest of the trip. I think your bike rack may be robbing you of mpg.

katsmeow · 05-10-2008, 05:53 AM

03 LIb live in the Poconos PA so there are lots of hills.
140K on it and get consistently 19 on the road (hills too)
Don't drive much city.
Winter months when warming up in the a.m. I have gotten as low as 17 which freaks me out.
The only thing that dropped it drastically was high octane gas and it only dropped to 16

CasitaBabe · 05-10-2008, 10:38 AM

Thanks Pablo. I will try your suggestions. I will be going on a short trip pulling my Casita in a couple of weeks. I will see how it does then. I love driving it. I just want to get at least as good mileage as I did with the Ranger. Otherwise I will feel that I shouldn't have traded.

Jakked · 05-10-2008, 08:06 PM

Just bought gas for the first time in a month; I registered 15.3 mpg on a mix of about 80% city driving and 20% urban highway driving (read: lots of stop-go traffic).

**cowpie01** · 05-11-2008, 07:30 AM

What is really depressing about this fuel mileage stuff is that in 30 year fuel mileage hasn't improved a bit, and actually gotten worse. I used to get 16-17 mpg with my '79 full sized Bronco with 351M engine. Heck, with a '98 3/4 ton Chevy Pickup that had a 454 V8 I used to own, I got 14 mpg.

Even worse is that my semi, even when loaded with 40K lb of freight can get almost 7mpg (unless I am bucking a strong wind). Almost half as good of fuel mileage while weighing 20 times more.

Given all of this, and our advances in technology, we should be getting in the mid twenties for mileage on a bad day.

I realize that there is not as much energy in gas as there is in diesel, but something is definately wrong when we haven't improved in effeciency to get better mileage out of vehicles even like the heavy liberty. When a computer controlled V6 in a Liberty cannot get better mileage than a carburated, non computer controlled V8 in a larger Bronco, we have definately not moved into the 21st century with vehicle fuel effeciency.

Busch2fan · 05-11-2008, 09:20 AM

cowpie, I had a new 79 fullsized bronco too. What a beast that thing was. I don't remember getting that kind of millage but gas was about 40 cents a gal. Also had a 65 chev that got a 6 MPG but that was fun.

Jakked · 05-11-2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowpie01

I realize that there is not as much energy in gas as there is in diesel, but something is definately wrong when we haven't improved in effeciency to get better mileage out of vehicles even like the heavy liberty. When a computer controlled V6 in a Liberty cannot get better mileage than a carburated, non computer controlled V8 in a larger Bronco, we have definately not moved into the 21st century with vehicle fuel effeciency.

I would have to argue that it's an American car problem; or at the very least an engine architecture problem. American gearing and reluctance to adopt DOHC engines wholesale.

In my Libby sits a 3.7L SOHC V6 engine, putting out 210 hp for a 4,200 lb (approximately) vehicle, getting pretty much the average numbers you've all experienced.

Two of my past cars were as follows:

German, 3.0L DOHC V6, 210 hp for a 4,000 lb car, but PERMANENT AWD. I got 18-20 in the city and 20-25 on the highway.

Japanese, 3.0L DOHC V6, 222 hp for a 3,900 lb car (Hardtop convertible). I got 19-21 in the city and 22-27 on the highway.

Although I do know that engine type and gearing are not the sole factors: the aerodynamic profile of an SUV is enough to throw off the comparison quite a bit.

I wonder how much your Bronco weighed, though?

**cowpie01** · 05-11-2008, 06:46 PM

Not sure of the weight of that Bronco, but the '78 and '79 were the largest they made. They started trimming them down a bit after that. It did have two heavy duty axles and quad shocks up front. 4 speed with granny low and a 30 gallon fuel tank. It was a real lumber wagon. Sure miss that vehicle. It didn't make it thru 6 years in Alaska. Bought a '91 Bronco after that one, but the '79 was the best.