RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 3/6/2008 12:25:47 PM
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zzcj
Posts: 4
Joined: 3/5/2008
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quote:
ORIGINAL: UrbanmanUSA
quote:
ORIGINAL: zzcj
maintaining a steady speed between 35-50MPH in fifth gear will get you an amazing gas mileage. ...
adding 2-3oz of pure acetone to the gas MAY reduce the effect of ethanol. Personally, I see a marginal, 5-10% increase in mpg on this engine with acetone. So I neither endorse nor discourage using acetone with your Mazda3.
I wouldn't drive 35 mph in fifth gear. This engine's sweet spot is definitely NOT driving 35 MPH in the top gear. I have found having your revs in the 2750 to 3250 range is where the best MPG is achieved.
If what you say is true, Mr. Rant, that you can get 10% better MPG with acetone, why would you not endorse its usage? I would not put acetone in my gas. Acetone is corrosive.
http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/acetone.asp
To clarify a few things here.
You are absolutely right about the "sweet spot". However, maintaining 35mph in 5th gear does yield much better gas mileage vs. 4th gear, verified by ScanGauge II. Lucky for you with a 2007 Mazda3 which comes with free trip computer (I read about this somewhere), so you can test it out. I don't know about the 2.0L engine, the 2.3L turns at 1500rpm in this situation and has plenty of torque to maintain the speed while being frugul although you do need to drop a few gears if you merge onto freeway from there on.
The reason I does not endorse or discorage use of acetone in this 2.3L engine is that it does not make enough difference (<10%) to warrant the additional procedures after each fill up. Acetone is a solvent for certain type of rubber and plastic, however it does not affect the engine and fuel line seals, not to mention the concentration in fuel is mearly 1.5% by volume. I have read many articles calling acetone "corrosive" or "beneficial" to different car parts. As a chemist, I do not believed any of those claims without supporting data. Try for yourself: dip a used rubber fuel line or engine seal in pure acetone and see what happens after a while. Make sure you seal the bottle to keep the acetone in place :). One thing I do agree is that acetone DOES strip car paint which was one of the reasons I do not endorse it for an average person.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 3/6/2008 7:56:46 PM
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PAC
Posts: 47
Joined: 10/19/2006
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My 2.0 gets 5 mpg less in the winter than the summer - even with the A/C always on in the summer.
23/City Winter and 28/City Summer
You get considerably less gas at the pump in the winter and there are other factors that cause efficiency problems in cold weather.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 3/7/2008 6:45:43 AM
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nrdlfe@gmail.com
Posts: 4
Joined: 3/5/2008
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No change in gas stations and this didn't occur after a service. Just flipped like a switch from 30 mpg to 23 mpg. I've had 5,000 miles with the gas mileage problem, about 3.5 months. All have my habits, whether they be where I go for gas or where and how I drive my car have remained constant.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 3/7/2008 6:48:45 AM
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nrdlfe@gmail.com
Posts: 4
Joined: 3/5/2008
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PAC, this is my 3rd winter in the car and the first winter that I've experienced a signficant drop in mileage. Yes, I have seen a drop typically in the winter to 27-28 mpg instead of the typical 30-31. I drive 90% highway.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 3/15/2008 11:57:26 PM
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chaseme5
Posts: 6
Joined: 3/2/2008
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I am very upset. My dealer does not know what they are doing. They are using me for a cash cow. I am still getting terrible gas milage. I am still looking for answers. 2008 M3 touring 8500 miles.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 4/29/2008 9:10:22 AM
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vienna58
Posts: 1
Joined: 4/29/2008
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My '07 has less than 6000 miles and also is getting around 18 mpg mixed (mostly city) driving. It has only been going down since I bought it. My Volvo x-country gets close to 20 for the same time period! This can't be right! What's going on?
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 4/29/2008 3:05:07 PM
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bosamar
Posts: 8
Joined: 3/24/2008
Status: offline
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I drive a 2008 Mazada3 2.0L Auto tranny. This is a new vehicle purchased in March 2008. I track the mileage on my iPhone with an Application program that computes it for me.
DATE MILES GAL MPG
March 19 320 10.03 33.81
March 24 677 10.56 33.36
March 27 1037 10.79 34.08
April 1 1393 10.45 33.76
April 4 1742 10.34 33.93
April 9 2097 10.46 34.05
April 14 2445 10.22 33.28
April 17 2768 9.71 34.38
April 22 3116 10.12 34.28
April 26 3542 12.43 TBD
Overall MPG 33.9
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 4/30/2008 1:05:41 PM
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S8MP
Posts: 54
Joined: 4/30/2008
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i have same problem so ima try something i was told by someone
reset the ecu by disconecting battery and pressing on brake for 10 seconds and let it alone for 5 min before connecting back (it supposed to set you back to stock option the mazda originally come with )
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 6/3/2008 3:53:57 PM
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Cklaven
Posts: 3
Joined: 9/24/2007
Status: offline
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I live in Arizona and I actually experience the exact oposite regarding seasonal mileage. I have an 07 GT with the 2.3L. In the summer I get 25MPG, in the Winter I can as much as 29MPG. I drive slowly, really try to conserve gas and these are the best numbers I can get consistently. If I am not being careful to save gas (driving 80 on freeways and not trying to coast all the time) I can easily only get 20-23MPG. I think the Mazda3 just doesn't get very good mileage, not much you can do about it.
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RE: 2008 Mazda 3 touring low gas mileage - 11/7/2008 11:28:59 AM
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mdwester
Posts: 2
Joined: 11/7/2008
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I have a 2008 Mazda 3 Touring 5 door with 2.3 liter engine and manual transmission. Gas mileage has been very disappointing. Usually get 22 miles per gallon with 50/50 city/hwy driving and 10% ethanol fuel. Using mileage improving driving techniques (efficient gear shifting, slow acceleration, coasting) improves the mileage to a maximum of 23.5. This is really not what I expected when I bought the car. It is not worth the savings in gas costs to trade the car in. So I guess I am just stuck.
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