Whats your average Miles Per Gallon

[Silver_Phoenix]

Ok, So I just filled up with fuel and calculated my average miles per gallon as (this tank) being 30.2 miles per gallon. The last 2 fill ups have been with 89 Octane, due to the price of 93 octane around here being almost $2.60/gallon. I average between 27-30 miles per gallon on a 2002 MC that has a little less than 35K miles on it.

Just was curious to know:

What is the best miles per gallon you get on a tank of fuel in your Mini?

What Octane do you normally fill up with? And do you have a preference?
(realizing that inside the gas door it reccommends filling up with 93....)

Has anyone ever pushed the envelope far enough to see exactly HOW many miles per tank you can go?
(per manual it states that when the red lights on the fuel meter turn on, you have approximately 2 gallons left in the tank.)

I think my highest so far (miles per gallon) has been 372.5 miles. When I usually fill up, I get somewhere between 11.6 gallons and 12.89 gallons in the tank.

Post with your answers and lets compare notes :)

Becky

[oznogonzo]

Mine is about the same... although I just put on an Alta cold air intake and I expect it to change a little. Most likely I will have to go through several tanks to get an accurate measure since I have been really laying into the throttle just listening to my supercharger :D

I always fill up with 93 octane... I always have on all my cars.

I drive about 70 miles a day, with an average speed of 31-35 mph per the obc.

After 1/2 tank on the CAI I am running about 30.4 mpg per the obc.

Your MINI will adjust to your driving style, and from what I understand from talking to others... the cooper & the cooper s stay mostly on an even par concerning mpg even comparing stock to moderate mods. It all really depends on your driving style.

[MINI Rog]

Interstate driving = 35mpg with 93 octane. I find I get somewhat better mileage with the premium fuel. I have a Cooper with CVT and in town only get about 26mpg.

[HotRodPilot]

http://www.tarheelminis.org/gallery/data/500/gas_picture.JPG

From the left: Date, Miles Driven, Gallons, Price, and Mileage.

The spreadsheet has records going back to Aug of 05. I've been averaging 27.8742 since then:cool:

[UN4G1VN]

I always seem to get better mileage with high octane provided that I control my foot. I think that you will see that the extra cost of high octane will pay off with better mileage.

[MidnightDave]

I run 93 in everything, always have, always will--just me. I have no idea about mileage, but it's gotta be better than the mid-teens I got from my 'stang I sold when I bought this! ;-)

BTW, <temporary hijaack> I want to say you're a welcome addition to the club. You put interesting and informed posts. Next year the wifey and I will join you guys at the Castle Whatsahoozits event, just didn't work this year. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for all you do. <Back on topic>

[minimark]

93 octane only, Best was about 31.8 on a trip to beach, average in town is around 24mpg depending on right foot...:D

[HPUdrew]

Well I hadn't calculated it myself in a while but noticed my miles on a tank seemed to increase, so on the last tank I checked it. 33.25mpg in a mix of highway, stop & go, and "spirited" driving. That's on a Cooper S with a 6-speed and using 93, which this car has always seen.

I think the light weight wheels helped a decent amount, I had been averaging 28-30mpg before swapping to lighter wheels/tires.

Drew

[minianni]

About 24-28 mpg. But when I drive the mini the gas pedal is an on/off switch... mostly on.:)

mr.minianni

Don't tell ms.minianni.

[UN4G1VN]

It seems that everyone suffers from the same problem. It is a concentration of gravity around the area of the right foot. This is quite alarming, should someone contact the CDC?

[Minime]

I normally just rely on the computer which tells me I get a combined highway and around town of about 28MPG doing normal driving. I usually run 87 0r 89 octane but occasionally fill it up with 93. I can't tell any difference in driving between 87 and 93 octance and according to Mark he couldn't tell any difference either . Its about 5 bucks price difference on a fillup using 87 vs 93 octane. Yes i may get a little better MPG with 93 but it doesn't offset the 30 cents / gallon price difference.

In a drive last summer along the parkway, I eneded driving much further than intended. As I recall, the low tank indicator came on when I had about 30 Miles in it. I finally made it to the gas station in the wee hours of morning with only 5 miles of fuel left. I think at that point I had travelled 415 or 420 miles.

[N2MINI]

Just checked mine yesterday. Got 29.8 MPG, and the first 1/4 tank of that was our run up 66 last weekend.. Went a total of 388 miles and put in 13 gallons, so it was getting dang close to empty.. That tank lasted me a week of W-S to G-boro for work everyday also, so I can't complain...

[N2MINI]

Just checked it again and got 33 MPG. Went 398 miles before stopping for gas.

[HPUdrew]

I've consistently averaged 30mpg with my MCS lately. When I've done more highway driving I've been getting closer to 33-34mpg on a tank, and my mountain runs have come back around 28-30mpg. :)

Drew

[jbalfour]

After 1774 miles, I am averaging 35.1 mpg. The computer has been about 2.5 mpg more.

My best mileage on a tank has been 39.3 (41.7 comp.).

[doodlez]

I have been getting between 29 and 31 mpg (calculated the old fashioned way) in all city driving. The computer generally reads about 2 mpg better than reality. My best was about 37 on a long distance road trip.

[wildcrazy442000]

2006 Cooper With JCW Sound Kit, 17" S-Lites: 27-34 MPG. With the 34 being on a Disney Trip, 70-95 Miles per hour

[Casper]

:( Disappointing - so far. I had expected better but am only getting 23 - 24 mpg around Roanoke, Va. My wife and I are retired so not particularly heavy footed but we don't let the grass grow under our tires either, if you know what I mean. We have only had the car about a month and we were on vacation one week (didn't drive the MCS), so we have only been driving it about 3 weeks. Dealer provide first tank so don't know octane. I put in 87 on first purchase but have started using 93 on subsequent fill-ups. Hoping for improvement.

Second point is the accuracy of the fuel gauge. Seems to be off in that mid gauge takes about 9 gallons to fill up.

Car has Pirelli eufori@ 205/45 R17 runflats. I am considering changing to non-runflats but am concerned about not having a spare tire. Where would you put a spare doughnut in a MCS?

2006 MCS, Checkmate Edition

[MidnightDave]

Hey guy, I can't help you to much with the gas mileage b/c I'm a leadfoot and get about that, but expect to do so. Try replacing the air and fuel filters, that could contribute to it.

I think you'll like "regular" tires > the run flats, I took mine off at 10k miles and they sit in the garage. Instead of a spare, I bought the Continental Tire Kit off TireRack for less than $100 and it doubles as an air compressor...

[Casper]

Thanks for the reply. Yours is the second blog that has recommended the Continental Tire Kit. I will have to look into it -what is it and how does it work. (Other blog was on a link found on Tire Rack website.)

Since we purchased the car used, we have no real idea of when the air and fuel filters were last changed but the car only has 17K miles on it as of right now. Car appears to be clean as a whistle so one would believe it has been cared for. Some blogs report that octane matters, others say the tire choice matters. In reality, both probably matter but - how much?

[HPUdrew]

With your car only having 17k miles on it, it's almost certain that you don't need a fuel filter or really any other adjustments. Call your local dealer to find out when the car was last serviced. You may need to schedule a service for the car, which would probably help with the mileage.

To be honest though, some people report around 23-24 mpg averages in these cars, especially those that do more stop and go driving. I've averaged around 29 in mine, but with plenty of highway driving.

Oh, and octane does matter! :) Always put 93 in, your wallet and your MINI will both thank you for it over time.

Drew

PS. WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!

[oznogonzo]

After 4+ months with the CAI I am still seeing between 30-33 mpg. I intentionally ran my MINI hard with the last tank to see if I could make it drop... the results were still about the same... I always use 93 octane (always fill up at same station, its a BP) Last tank I was at 32.96 mpg (calculated by hand) the on board calculated it at 33ish.

Regarding Casper's mileage... the first few tanks for a new owner may not get optimum gas mileage since the computer has to re-adjust to the new driving style. The previous owner may have had a lead foot! Also if you switch drivers often, the computer might constantly have to recalibrate settings so it may take some time to settle. I purchased my MINI used and it took a while before my gas mileage started to run about the same with each fillup.

[Casper]

Thanks. What is your terrain and what are your driving conditions? Roanoke is fairly hilly (I live on one of those hills so ever trip ends with an uphill drive.) and my driving has been nearly all city driving. I am retired so I am not usually out in rush hour traffic but there is a fair amount of stop and go runs for traffic lights. Nevertheless, you are telling me to be patient and see what happens. As I said, I am switching to 93 octane so maybe that will help too.

[DSRH]

Man!!! I have a 2006 MCS with 8,300 miles on it. I have been checking the mileage manually since I put the first mile on it. I drive it to work on relatively flat roads at .....ok my average speed on the computer is around 47. I literally hit the highway out of my development and stay on 4 lane all the way to work 27 miles each way...very little city driving. I only use 93 octane (always) In fact I will only use Shell or BP most of the time...I am picky about gas...get this...I am averaging 24.9 MPG. What is up? This car is a bone stock S. Yeah my foot is heavy but I have tried to take it easy through one tank and still the best I have seen is almost 26. The computer says 27.3 at the peak but my calculator says 24.5 - 25.8 most of the time. And I check every fill-up as I get ready to leave. I need some MPG mods!! Comments??

[oznogonzo]

Thanks. What is your terrain and what are your driving conditions? Roanoke is fairly hilly (I live on one of those hills so ever trip ends with an uphill drive.) and my driving has been nearly all city driving. I am retired so I am not usually out in rush hour traffic but there is a fair amount of stop and go runs for traffic lights. Nevertheless, you are telling me to be patient and see what happens. As I said, I am switching to 93 octane so maybe that will help too.

The terrain is relatively flat here in Raleigh & the surrounding area. Typically I drive 40 miles a day, mainly on highway back & forth to work, but about 20 miles of that is in heavy traffic (MINI's aren't made to sit idle in traffic... I can't stand it) We also don't have any additives to our gas, which may or may not be a factor. My MCS is a september '02 build with 50k miles.


Man!!! I have a 2006 MCS with 8,300 miles on it. I have been checking the mileage manually since I put the first mile on it. I drive it to work on relatively flat roads at .....ok my average speed on the computer is around 47. I literally hit the highway out of my development and stay on 4 lane all the way to work 27 miles each way...very little city driving. I only use 93 octane (always) In fact I will only use Shell or BP most of the time...I am picky about gas...get this...I am averaging 24.9 MPG. What is up? This car is a bone stock S. Yeah my foot is heavy but I have tried to take it easy through one tank and still the best I have seen is almost 26. The computer says 27.3 at the peak but my calculator says 24.5 - 25.8 most of the time. And I check every fill-up as I get ready to leave. I need some MPG mods!! Comments??

My average speed is more like 34ish due to traffic. Roughly 20 miles of my daily drive are at posted speeds of 45 mph or above... the rest I might hit 30 if the traffic is good. Maybe the difference is between earlier/later models? Maybe my sitting idle in traffic is having a large impact on my mpg... although I would think that would make the gas mileage worse.

Another thing to note... I never run the ac, I have auto climate control, but I hate it. 90% of the time I have the sunroof open and all the windows down.

I just thought of something else... do you guys have stock wheels & or runflats? I noticed a bit of improvement after getting rid of my runflats and going with lighter rims. I estimate I took about 6-10 lbs rotational mass off each corner. Those runflats weigh a ton, and so do the S-heavies!

[Casper]

You bring up some good points. I have been running the AC continuously as my wife has allergies and the allergans have mostly been very high since we purchased the car a month ago. Either I run the AC or leave the wife at home. I choose to run the AC! I have wondered what impact that may be having on the mpg as it is only a 4 cylinder engine, albeit is an S Mini. My 04 Acura TL, Type S, gets almost as good mpg as the Mini (my Acura gets 20-21 in city driving) and I think the Acura would beat the Mini on the highway. I recently took the Acura to Phily and got 33 mpg on the interstate and I was "easily running with the flow of traffic".
I am running original rims and Pirelli eufori@ runflats although I am in the process of evaluating tires - I will need to replace, at least, two of them in the foreseeable future. My understanding is that my rims are a special design as my car is an 06 Checkmate edition. I like the look of my rims so I would be reluctant to replace them. The mileage difference would have to be significant for me to even consider replacing the rims. I do not plan to race my Mini so getting the ultimate in handling performance at high speeds is not that important to me. Comfort and tread life are more important. Any recommendations on tires - anyone? I have never driven without a spare tire so changing to regular tires is a bit scary for me although I don't remember when I had a flat last. A couple of blogs have recommended the Continental Tire Kit from RaceTrack in lieu of carrying a spare tire. Anyone have any experiance with this option - good or bad?

[Mr. Magoo]

33.6 MPG with an average of 39.0 using 89 octane (middle grade).

[Casper]

What is your secret - besides the fact that you drive a Cooper and I drive a Cooper S? I'll see you Sunday. Carl

[Mr. Magoo]

What is your secret - besides the fact that you drive a Cooper and I drive a Cooper S? I'll see you Sunday. Carl

No big secret. The only thing that I did was change the air filter to a K&N drop in. Also I rarely use A/C. A good bit of that driving was in the mountains, at the Dragon, etc. I don't drive with a light foot, either. I do know that the CVT transmission is supposed to be good for mileage. This is what the hybrid cars have and there are others that use this tranny.

[BillyWack]

I have had my mini for a little over a month and driven a little over 3,000 miles at this point. Three days after I got it I drove from NC to RI and I do mostly highway driving at home; although I do enjoy taking off rather quickly on occasion! The computer says my average speed has been about 47! My MPG has been 34+ on the computer and 33+ calculated by hand! I have done nothing to the car except put gas in it (shell 89 octane) and clean it. Not sure what the difference is but I am very happy with mileage.

[tarlander]

Maybe I'm looking at the wrong information, not figuring the mpg up by hand, looking at the computer display I'm averaging 39.5 overall. I went to Williamsburg about two weeks after I got the Mini and the highway mpg was 44.6. This was according to the car computer as I said but the mileage has been great especially compared to my two other vehicles. I burn 93 and get it at several stations. I'm about average on 'foot power' and run about 70-75 on the highway. I'll wait to after the first oil change and try lower octanes to see about the difference.

[jbalfour]

I am down to 34.5 with the hot weather and the A/C running most of the time. I think the mileage is on the way up, though. The computer is reporting better mileage since I ran the car at VIR. I'll keep an eye on it and post back after a few more tanks.

[KillerKar]

KillerKar averages between 33-35 mpg and I'm WAY happy with that - compared to what I (wasn't) getting in my old T-Bird. My wallet's happy too. :) I use just regular unleaded, not the high octane stuff, and he zooms right along. My driving habits tend to be a bit more conservative than my husband's (pity him - he doesn't have a stick shift in The Pod - his '06 Honda Civic LX - so I let him drive Killer on weekends.) But when I *am* a bit more aggressive and sneak in the occasional wind-out to 70+ mph on Church St. Extended in Greensboro, I still don't vary much from that 33-35 mph range when I fill the tank up next. I just am SO happy with my MINI for SO many reasons and gas mileage is just one of them! - Laura

[Silver_Phoenix]

So is it really "harmful" to run regular unleaded in your tank? I have always heard that you need to put the high test in because of the engine.... I get away with mid-grade because of the whole wallet factor....

Can anyone truly enlighten me on the whole "which gas grade can we use" in our Mini's... Im slightly confused...

Thanks,
becky

[HotRodPilot]

Anything less than 91 octane and your fuel economy and horespower will decrease.


It isn't harmful, though.



For those of you hurting on mileage, putting the car in 6th (or 5th if you have an '02-'06 Cooper) gear anytime you are going 35mph or faster will help your mileage a lot

[MINI Rog]

We appreciate your input from afar. Keep your head down and be safe over there.

[N2MINI]

Got 34.5 MPG on this last tank. Mostly to work and back everyday. Half highway and half backroads to get there. Best that I've gotten so far. I only check it every now then though..

[wildcrazy442000]

The highest MPG I have seen on my car was 38. That was comming back from a Dragon Run so factor in the elevation change. One thing is for sure, there isn't any carbon build up in my car.

[localdrummerweb]

Well I tend to drive mine with my foot to the floor 90% of the time I cant help it : ) and I use 93 Octane all the time..i usually get 23-25 in the city and on my last trip to Myrtle Beach I avg. around 34-35 mpg..but like I said I like to drive it like I stole it so...

[moorek]

I have a 2005 with 50K miles on it and I get about 40mpg (higest 60mpg)and over 400 miles per tank:D:D:D

[09mcs]

worst is 14.5 best is 21.5 in town havent made a long trip yet

[BlimeyCabrio]

worst is 14.5 best is 21.5 in town havent made a long trip yet

BooYah!!!

YeeeHawwww.... Frank is ENJOYING his new MCS, eh? :cool:

Thank goodness Jimmy Carter isn't still President...

(obscure reference to gasoline rationing for those under 40)

[Duffer]

I just filled it up for the first time and got 36 mpg with about 50% of the miles in highway driving.

[Casper]

I filled up with mid-grade Shell gas before I left Roanoke for the Mabry Mill run.last weekend - we met up with the group at Mabry's Mill, went to the picnic and on to Woolwine before returning home to Roanoke. Then I drove it around town all this past week. Calculated average was 30 mpg. (267.9 miles per the odometer and 8.942 gallons fill up to pump automatic cutoff - same as always, when I fill up.) By comparison, obc showed 31.7 mpg average consumption at an average speed of 32.0 mph. Otherwise, I think I am still running around 23.5 to 24.5 when I simply run up and down the hill that I live on to go to nearby stores (short trips on hilly terrain with lots of traffic lights). I am sure that would improve if I drove greater distances and with fewer traffic lights. Have I mentioned how much I loathe traffic lights as I sit there, one after another, and watch my mpg drop on my obc?

[DSRH]

Here is an article I found very interesting. It talks about the differences in grades of gas...

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041008.html

[Eepers]

Man, the way I drive, I'm lucky to be getting 18, haha. I'll try the "shift to 6th above 35" technique though.

[1QukMINI]

I average 30.5 right now.

[Aonach]

Here's my 2 cents:
Returned last weekend from Charleston SC. Good weather, no wind. All estimates are by OBC. Fully gassed up with premium Shell before leaving. Used cruise control about 1/4 of the time. Average speed: 76mph. Drafted behind an 18 wheeler for 1 1/2 hrs (which really helped average climbed from 36 to 40). In the end, I traveled the 405 miles and got 39.6 in my 07 MCS. (It maxed at 40.5mpg when behind the lorrie)

Of course, that is by OBC, with drafting, and taking it very light on accels/decels. I was trying to max it to see what the MCS could do hwy. Pretty pleased I must say.

In town, I get about 32.5-33.5 by OBC. Havent been energetic enough to keep my gas receipts. Plus, my wife fills up messing all the calcs up!

[N2MINI]

Got 35.5 from home to last gas stop before getting to Fontana Village at mostly highway speeds.. "and then some". Got 33 on the return trip home, which included a few runs up the dragon, and around the village..

[Silver_Phoenix]

You wanna know what a hairy situation is??

We went up to Beckley W Va this past weekend and we headed up 52 to 74 to 77. Well, I had intentions on stopping at the hospital exit (where Hoots Memorial is) to get fuel before heading up the mountain. According to my computer, I had 22 miles left before I was out. ....I missed the exit.

As we were plugging up 77, across the NC/VA state line, my computer slowly drops... About half way between the state line and Fancy Gap, the computer drops to 0, and we still had several miles to go before the next fuel exit. :eek:

Needless to say, I made it to the gas station off of the Fancy Gap exit without running out of fuel. Computer reading --- by this time and my adrenaline pumping :confused:*hoping I make it without running out of gas*

I think that tank of gas got me 408 miles to the tank......

[MidnightDave]

Note to Becky: It doesn't cost any more to fill the top half the tank than the bottom half!

Just glad you made it without being stranded and trashing your fuel pump--I mean injectors, or whatever happens to modern cars--not that I'd know!

;-)

[minimark]

Actually, with the way gas is going up, probably cost you less to fill up the top half!;)