Some stats' on VX mileage

[cascabel3]

About two months ago I installed the scan gauge which I purchased through Tone. This gadget will give me everything one can imagine, especially MPGs at any time. So for those with an interest in why they are getting the mileage that they are, here are some stats I have taken while driving for the last two weeks. Bear in mind that all figures are still approximations as I am guessing inclines and declines. I use the Nitto tires hence have calibrated the scan gauge for a 9% increase in tire size:

on frwy flat 65mph = 20mpg
on frwy flat 55mph = 23mpg
uphill grade 65mph~3% = 15mpg
downhill grade 65mph~3% = 34mpg
uphill grade 65mph~6% = 9mpg
downhill grade 65mph~6% = 45mpg

City driving is where I noticed using a lot more fuel. Hard accelaration will cut into your fuel use very quickly. I add 9% to the mileage per gas tank to make up for the tire size. On 65mph in cruise control, I can average 19mpg if it is mostly flat. The hills cost a bit of fuel. Window is up for the most part and AC was off. I believe that a lot of us tend to punch our VX, fast take-offs and speedy driving. This will cost you. I drove a little more gentle for a while and ended up putting 300 miles on the tank, where I filled 18 gallons averaging 16.6 mpg. This included at least 50% city driving.

[SPAZZ]

well my VX only gets 12 MPG and I accelerate normally and it sucks gas. If I accelerate slowly to the point of unsafeness then it doesn't suck gas as much...but if you accelerate normally then it doesn't help.

I'm talking if I acclerate to the point of slowness that I am the only car that can make it through the green light then it doesn't suck as much gas, but we should not have to drive like that to get the mileage that was stated to us from the manufacture.

[SGT.BATGUANO]

S/c'ed 16-17 mpg average with a medium heavy foot

[Wulfgott]

Spazz, is your poor gas mileage due to modifications?

If not, when was the last time you cleaned out the EGR?

Wulfgott

[cascabel3]

Spazz,

12mpgs? Something is wrong. What is your tire size and pressure?

I remember just how much gas mileage improved on my Unimog, taking the tires from 35psi to 50psi. The tires were rated for 50psi. And as you are in Idaho, a lot of mountain driving and curves?

[mbeach]

His truck is not exactly stock.

Our VXs average between 17 (mine, tires) to 20 (hers, stock) in mixed highway and city driving.

[Joe_Black]

My bought-new 2001 VX averages 17MPG and my eBay 1999 IronMan VX with 130,000 miles averages 19MPG. We've got an '01 Trooper 2WD with the 3.5L and it averages 19MPG as well. My two previous 4WD Troopers, a '93 RS and '95 Limited, both had the 3.2L DOHC and each averaged 17MPG (the RS was a 5-speed). All ran 100% Mobil-1 and K&N filters as the only engine mods, although I now have the Morgan-Tec on the 2001 VX which hasn't affected mileage.

[transio]

I get about 12-13 mpg, too. But I have a lead foot.

[SPAZZ]

my VX was straight stock as it was off the showroom floor. At that time it only had 30 miles on the odometer. I filled it up with 89 octane gas which is California's lowest Octane due to the detergent they put in it to help save the ozone by providing better emissions. Due to this detergent being added the octane couldn't be lower, plus being at sea level anyway means you can not use too low of an octane.

From purchase date till 12,000 miles on the odometer, my VX was getting 400 to 410 miles per tank. Then it started to get 300 miles per tank. Replaced fuel filters, had injecters flushed and cleaned out, cleaned EGR, replaced Pcv, replaced spark plugs, everything lubed, greased, and any fluid that could be, changed out. to no avail. It still received 300 miles per tank till it hit 18,000 miles on the odometer and then it started to get 200 miles per tank. mind you that, my VX was still bone stock.

THen I did the fluid change thing again, filter changes again, egr cleaned, injectors cleaned, etc.... but, I installed a fuel miser, tornadoe, and a Calmini air filter. This boosted my mileage up to 230 to 260 Miles Per Tank. and this is where it stayed and is still the same.

So, when I did change the axle gears out from 430's to 456's and installed the interceptor, and went with 32x11.5x17 inch Super Swampers, installed rock slider bars, diamond plate skidplate, Chrome molly Tie rods, Chromemolly sway bar disconnects, and the stinky fab heavy duty rear drag bars, extra yellow top battery, rear storage box loaded with crap, and not to mention the 6 or 7 boxes of Dynamatt xtreme, and I started carring around all my tools(200 pounds), 12 inch speakers and 400 watt amp plus all the heavy wiring, full size spare on top, Yakima extended load warrior, Tow hitch, winch bumber, Warn XD9000 winch, and about 4 extra sets of rock lights under neath the VX as well as the purple neons, extra auxillary fan, etc. after all that I still was getting around 260 miles to the tank. Changing the gears out when I went with the larger tires brough me back closer to stock readings, but not exact.

The only thing that I have changed since then would be I removed the rear seats and went with 305 70 17 Goodyear wrangler MTR's. Now the reading says that I am only geting 200 miles per tank...but I need to find some 477 axle gears to make the reading more accurate .

for a small slant 6 cylinder engine this should not be the case.especially when it was only just shy of weighing 4000 punds stock...mine tipping the scales at around 5,000 pounds...considering that I was at the tire shop and they had a lexus off the ground with the hydraulic lift and the door just happen to be open so I read the weight of it. It weighed more than the VX stock as well as mine with all the heavy crap added to it. It was over 5,000 pounds in weight and those POS's get better gas mileage than our VX's stock.

Bottom line the VX sucks...in mileage and is the crappiest investment in a fuel economy vehicle, but it functions offroad and that is mostly why I bought it. I'm just saying that I might as well have a big 8 cylinder engine in it if it wants to get the mileage of one.

[mbeach]

My wife's last vehicle, a Mitsubishi Outlander, came with a 2.4L 140hp banger. It averaged 17mpg.
That little, underpowered wheezer (same as comes in the Galant, Eclipse, etc.) was just plain working too hard trying to push the 'ute around.
I suspect it is the same with the VX.

Spazz,
I've admired the pics in your gallery for some time (excellent references to the location of various bits of the VX -you have a talent for taking pictures of the right things), and was under the impression that this mileage drop was a result of all of the mods.

Granted, the VX isn't the greatest on gas, but then again I would've bought a hybrid if that were my priority.
I think that it's mileage is respectable when you compare it to the other vehicles in it's class -think Jeep xj/yj/tj/zj/wj or a Series II Discovery.

[cascabel3]

I've got to say, I have seen all the pics in Spazz' gallery and there are some awesome ones. I wanted to add that I have the calmini airfilter and mobil 1 oil in the engine. I remember when I bought the car in Arizona and drove straight back to LA, with the stock tires averaging 85mph I still got 18mpg. After I put on the Nittos this changed however, now that I have the calibration for the tires on the scan gauge I realize I need to add almost ten percent to my actual miles per tank calculations. If living in hilly country, I really noticed just how your mpgs drop going uphill. Parts of Idaho I have been to where as beautiful as they were mountainous.

[Raque Thomas]

I am absolutely shocked when I get over 16mpg with my VX! Full to dead empty (the hard way) was 265 miles. That was combo city/hwy. Did 2 back to back trips 150 miles each with no "run-around" miles (so, all highway) and got 16.6 MPG------wooohooo! Speed was 75 and I don't jackrabbit off the line. Only mod is a drop in K&N filter and 285/55 tires (3% difference from stock in diameter). I had this kind of mileage before the tires were installed. When I first got her, I'd get 320 - 340 miles before a fill up, before the idiot light came on. Now 260 and the light is on.

[Wulfgott]

Wow, Spazz, you say you got 400 to a tank stock when you first got it? That must have been sweet for the short while it lasted. I average about 300-330 on mine now (pretty much stock) with 61K on it and a decent lead foot. My trips are almost always more than 70 miles though each way, pure highway. I live in Vic-Ville CA, and commute to work everyday near Anaheim CA. I wish I could just squeeze that extra mileage out, so I could make it one final trip before having to refuel. I hate stopping mid trip hehe

Wulfgott.

[cascabel3]

Wulfgott,

Victorville???? I travel through Victorville every other weekend on my way to Joshua Tree. If you travel the 14 South to the 5 you pass my house. Victorville to Orange County, that is crazy. We should hang sometime.

[Cyrk]

LOL... I get about 215 a tankful and that is squeezing it to the very last bit. Then again I have the S/C and a concrete leg that is attached to the go pedal.