Archives

Hello,

Brand new to forum, but I've had the mpg bug for a while (just not anywhere near the hypermiler scale that I've seen here.)

I drive a '92 Subaru Loyale wagon manual. Had it for 4 years or so. My rough estimate on the best tank I have had to this point is around 35 mpg. That's entirely HW miles, with tires at around 40 psi, 91 octane fuel, a fresh oil change, and a half can of Seafoam in the tank. Car was carrying 2 adults, 2 kids, and a weekend's worth of camping gear. I most likely had a tailwind that helped as well.

I can consistently get over 30 HW with my current driving habits. City miles aren't really as big of an issue with me, as I commute by bike year round.

Took a trip this weekend and remembered reading the MJ article. Tried RR and FAS on the back side of hills on the way back home and came close to doubling my FE (at least the fuel gauge appears that way.)

Looking around a little, I didn't see as many Subaru-heads here as I thought I would. Out west there's about 6 Outbacks for each resident.

Looking forward to some advice...

Slouch

Welcome to the forum!

Hope you find some tips to help you improve your MPG's.

One question: Does your Subaru require premium fuel?

If it runs on regular, do you see a marked improvement in MPG's with premium?

You may be spending more for premium for no gains.

One thing to think about.

Looking around a little, I didn't see as many Subaru-heads here as I thought I would. Out west there's about 6 Outbacks for each resident.
Slouch

Greetings! I'm a resident Subaru-head here.

Was getting 24-25mpg in my Outback, but NICE-ON seems to improve that to 33-ish, and I'm still learning. Rolling hills around here, so I try to pulse on the uptick so I can extend the glide going down. The Outback is probably higher, heavier, and draggier than your Loyale, so you should be able to do better than me.

Other problem is that I use the Insight for commuting and the Outback for hauling stuff, dealing with snow, and errands, so I don't get as much practice in it.

The Scangauge II has been invaluable in working on mpg but your Loyale may not have an OBD port. If it has a port, you should seriously consider getting a Scangauge II.

Also, it helps me to think of mpg gains as percentages. For example, 33 mpg may not sound like a lot more than 30mpg, but it's a 10% gain, which is very impressive.

Haven't experimented with higher tire pressures in the 'Ru - yet.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

I've driven in Colorado and experienced the challenge of the mountains.

Cosidering the terrain, a Subaru wagon is an economy car.

One question: Does your Subaru require premium fuel?

If it runs on regular, do you see a marked improvement in MPG's with premium?

You may be spending more for premium for no gains.

One thing to think about.

Hawk, I actuall DO see what appears to be a marked improvement in my mileage with premium fuel, and there's no question that premium improves the performance of the car. I've got nothing to measure this accurately by right now, I'm just going on subjective analysis, but it sure feels much steadier up hills and smoother on acceleration to me. I could be fooling myself, though.

Welcome... my previous car before the Prius was an '00
legacy, and I don't think I did any better than 27 mpg in
it but then again I wasn't really trying back then. I
just figured that big ol' 2.5L flat-four was just gonna
suck it down no matter what I did... for me, an overpowered
monster, but it gave rise to a couple of fun little
articles in the meantime. [Here (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/#prius) under "other car stuff"]
.
_H*