CVT owner seeking MPG advice

[91cavgt]

Sorry to go off topic here - Do the NL cars have MAF or MAP sensors? I ask because I'm interested to know if the cruise needs a MAF reading.

I highly doubt that the cruise would need any kind of engine parameter reading. I know if the computer senses wheel spin it will disengage cruise control. I would imagine that if the computer sensed transmission slippage then it would disengage cruise control. Otherwise, it just senses current speed, desired speed, and it tries to keep the 2 numbers matched up.

All the MAF sensor does is to measure the density of the air entering the engine.

[Teasmade]

I highly doubt that the cruise would need any kind of engine parameter reading. I know if the computer senses wheel spin it will disengage cruise control. I would imagine that if the computer sensed transmission slippage then it would disengage cruise control. Otherwise, it just senses current speed, desired speed, and it tries to keep the 2 numbers matched up.

All the MAF sensor does is to measure the density of the air entering the engine.

Indeed - my line of thinking being that it might be a system that when cruising takes into account engine load when calculating throttle position input - to smooth things out going up a hill. The other reason I was wondering is that someone did put up a diagram of a US aftermarket cruise kit and there were more connectors to the engine ECU that I would have expected - however they weren't labeled with their function - only the pin used.

[uheym]

Neutral is almost always best for coasting. The fuel use is pretty minimal, and the distance you can coast is MUCH greater than if you're in gear.

I only ever use DFCO (deceleration fuel cut off) if I need to slow faster than coasting, or I know I'm going to need to stop (ex: stop signs).

I just got Truck and Bus driver licens last year, and when i did we drove in a truck/bus with a scangauge attached. First run driving like all people would do, and second run driving and trying to save as much fuel as possible, incl. Coasting with gears looking forward etc etc..

Most new engines completely shut down the fuel injection when you are coasting, so it would always save you money.

I drive my MT 5 speed with low Rpms, switching gears when the UP icon⬆is in the display, its possible to drive 60 km/h (37mph) in 5 gear, and I get about 21/22 km/L (12-13,67mpg) With a warm engine in 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) , 2 persons inside.. looking forward, read the trafic, coasts to red light.

See the picture, about 1800rpm, driving a bit higher than 60..

[Gnarles2]

Why can't we get that eco gauge in the U.S.? We need that and the 1.0 liter engine as a special eco model.

[91cavgt]

Why can't we get that eco gauge in the U.S.? We need that and the 1.0 liter engine as a special eco model.

I agree!

[uheym]

Hmm, maybe its possible to change the speedometer.. What i Think is, the ECU could probably deal with it?
Try and ask the US Mitsubishi import dealer ..

[Jin]

Ive just reached about 7000kms on my 2015 cvt.. I found something interesting. Why is cruise control so much better in fuel efficency keeping the rpms lower than without?
Coming from a manual rav4 with a noisy engine, ive gotten used to the noise to acceleration ratio which was very clear - more noise=more rpms=more power. But not with the mirage. Ive seen the engine at low rpms running fairly quietly vs engine at higher rpms running very audibly and also maintaining the same speed on a slight uphill at 60kms/h. what gives? Is one gear ratio for cruising and the other poised to accelerate faster?

Conversely, downhill coasting in "D". Sometimes ill feel the cvt automatically behave like "B" and use the gear to keep revs up and act as a braking mechanism to slow the vehcile down, and then switch to "D" when speed slows down

[El Kapitan]

mine will increase in speed on downhill grades if i am going over a certain speed, and engine break if i am below a certain speed. i still have not figured out at which speed the transition from engine breaking to coasting takes place. it seems like perhaps around 40 mph.

[GrouchoMarxist]

How is everyone getting such high MPG? I don't know if it's just my car, but it mainly stays in the 30s, and barely gets to 40. One time, I got to 48 MPG (my personal best). I turn the A/C off sometimes to see the effect, but the MPG increases very little.

I used to belong to a diesel car club where the maniacs (of which I was one) were trying to outdo each other with fuel mileage. I currently get about 50 mpg with the Mirage with the air conditioner off.

First, and I know some will disagree with me on this, is sometimes even the same exact model car gives different mileage. I tried three of the same model ES Mirages at the dealership (2014 leftovers) and I wound up picking the one I have now based on the sound and vibration of the engine, how the CVT interacted with the engine and that the car felt "tighter" than the others. I can't explain it, but after driving over 40,000 miles per year for 30 years I just have a sense about it....though not infallible if you saw my Monte Carlo which was a piece of junk...but hey...it was my first new car.

But I diverge...the basics that affect mileage are 1) acceleration; 2) the air conditioner; 3) position of the windows; 4) color of the car; 5) coasting; and 6) braking...

The first three should be pretty obvious....4) the darker the color of the car the more often you will use the air conditioner...5 & 6 overlap each other...the basic principle is that every time you touch your brakes you are killing gas mileage...I do two things about that...the instant I see a light turning red I immediately go into a coasting mode with the idea I don't want to come to a complete stop if at all possible...I also don't tailgate other cars even when traffic is moving slowly...what happens when you do that is that you will hit the brakes more often when the car in front speeds up and slows down...that takes a lot of discipline to do and I had to really work hard on that...outside of the air conditioning there is no question in my mind that braking is the number one thing that kills gas mileage...people do that way more than they think.

I use a full synthetic which helps "a little" in terms of mileage and wear and tear on the engine and have found that additives are useless since most motor oils whether synthetic or not are of way higher quality than those of years ago...A mechanic used Quaker State on one of my cars in the seventies that "varnished" the engine when they had to pull the heads...the good old days...btw...use of higher octane doesn't affect mileage, just hurts the wallet...I just wish they would get rid of the ethanol...it hurts gas mileage, the trade-off in mpg doesn't help the environment, doesn't do the car any favors either and raises the price of food crops...my one and a half cents...

[El Kapitan]

that's one of the main reasons that I always try to buy white cars. even up here in the great white north, it still makes a huge difference in summer. the spoiler on the mirage also helps at midday because it partially shades the rear window, which itself is not too large. the rear passenger windows are also small, which helps keep extra sun out. folks, try touching the top of a white car and then a dark car on a hot sunny day. you'll be amazed at the difference.

and as for the ethanol... follow the money