Hi, everyone,

I am a new driver and I just bought myself a 04 Mazda 3i with 18K miles. It my first time to drive a stick. I only get mpg around 22 - 24 mpg ( mostly in city). Is it normal? How can I improve it? In ad, it says 28/35 for this car.

Thanks in advance.

 

drive with a lighter foot of course.

it also depends on where you live, if you live in an area with a lot of hills your gas milage is not going to be as good. its all about how hard you push the pedal, when you shift, and the area you are driving in. also stop and go traffic is much worse then just straight city cruisin

 

if you are thinking performance modification wise, this topic has been covered numerous times on this forum. adding a cold air intake as well as an exhaust will put up your gas mileage slightly higher... but that comes with a price! and i do agree that being "less heavy" on your gas pedal will obviously get your mpg a higher rating.

 

I get 28-34 all the time (28 was the lowest I have recorded) with my 3i 5-speed.

I definitely don't have a light foot, but a fair bit of my driving is highway (typically 80 mph)

 

to improve gas milage you could also shift around 2500-3000 rpms, drive with an egg on your foot, try and stay in the higher gears (4 and definitely 5), and use your cruise control as much as you possibly can.

 

your gas mileage is above average already if your getting between 22-24mpg(city). My best hwy mileage so far was 39.6mpg, but i think my city mileage is lower than yours. i just put a K&N drop-in air filter today in my 3i....man i could feel the immediate improvement in throttle reponse and smoother engine idle, its well worth 40$ imo.

 

shift early, keep it in low RPM.

 

add more air pressure to your tires...this will increase your mileage but it will also stiffen your ride a little and affect handling to a degree (im talkin a coupla pounds over the suggested...maybe like 35-36 lbs?...use your judgement). Also, make sure the air filter isnt dirty...i took mine out and opted for a K&N Drop in filter at around 15k miles.


I wouldnt recommend using your cruise control as much as possible if youre doing a bunch of city driving...thats just damn annoying and i doubt it would save you much at all.

 

1. Replace your stock intake filter with K&N filter

2. Keep your tire preassure always at 32-33lbs, check them regullary

3. KEEP your heavy FOOT off the gas, with such a low gas mileage like yours and 3i version this gas mileage is really horrible.

4. Accelerate from 0-60 in 20 sec, avoid downshifting and try to stay in highest gears

5. Use your brakes gently and get used to descellerate 1 block ahead of traffic, stop sign or a red light.

6. Do not carry any Extra load in your car which you do not need (trunk, back seat or someone who does not belong there)

7. Use synthetic oil, it can improve your gas mileage

8. Install Ground kit, better with 0 gauge wiring, connect one to your Throttle body and to "-" on your battery

9. Try not to use your AC when you do not need it, just roll your windows donw a little bit to get some cool air

10. Avoid driving on the highway or freeway with ALL your windows down, it will create Downforce and reduce aerodynamics, meaning your car will need more power to keep the same speed because of the wind resistance.

11. Avoid Ideling your car for more than 15min, bad for your engine, heat builds up under the hood quicker and doesn't work while ideling very efficient.

12. Use Cruise controle as much as possible or if you are relly good at feeling your car and have a contant foot like me than you do not have to use Cruise very often in city.

I think these are all of the factors which i know, and 1/4 of these i do not follow because the way i drive my mileage is ok, and i am learning and practicing to be much safer driver than before.

P.S. If you live in the mountans your mileage will not meet the statistics, but if you drive it right and always upshift at each gear at 2000rpms, and use Cruise controle whenever possible it will improve your gas mileage.

 

Thank you all very much.
Very useful for me.