Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Officially in the 50s club!

  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    256
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 37 Times in 28 Posts

    Officially in the 50s club!

    Hi all,

    I’m stoked to announce I’ve made my first entry in the 50s club! 51.8mpg to be exact! Too bad I couldn’t take a photo before the number went down.

    It happened when I was going 50-55 mph on a 55 freeway with windows down, no AC, light traffic and keeping rpm below 2500. I couldn’t believe it! I did not at all expect that kind of number since my wheel and tire combo isn’t original and weighs about 10lbs heavier.

    It’s one of those little things that make your day



  2. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to newtomit For This Useful Post:

    dspace9 (08-13-2020),inuvik (08-12-2020),Loren (08-13-2020),Top_Fuel (08-13-2020)

  3. #2
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    3,022
    Thanks
    1,810
    Thanked 692 Times in 564 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Hi all,

    I’m stoked to announce I’ve made my first entry in the 50s club! 51.8mpg to be exact! Too bad I couldn’t take a photo before the number went down.

    It happened when I was going 50-55 mph on a 55 freeway with windows down, no AC, light traffic and keeping rpm below 2500. I couldn’t believe it! I did not at all expect that kind of number since my wheel and tire combo isn’t original and weighs about 10lbs heavier.

    It’s one of those little things that make your day
    Well done. I've had my Mirage over 6 and a half years, and I've always been amazed at the 40-50 mpg you can get just doing regular driving. Cheap car to fill up at the pumps too.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  4. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    SW, WI
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    7,401
    Thanks
    594
    Thanked 2,688 Times in 2,106 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    Hi all,

    I’m stoked to announce I’ve made my first entry in the 50s club! 51.8mpg to be exact! Too bad I couldn’t take a photo before the number went down.

    It happened when I was going 50-55 mph on a 55 freeway with windows down, no AC, light traffic and keeping rpm below 2500. I couldn’t believe it! I did not at all expect that kind of number since my wheel and tire combo isn’t original and weighs about 10lbs heavier.

    It’s one of those little things that make your day
    Personally, I think the 165/65r14 Federal SS657 tires do fairly well in the mpg department.

    Back in the 1970's when cars weren't all that fuel efficient, there was some logic behind all this -

    "The national 55 mile per hour (mph) speed limit law was enacted as a fuel conservation measure after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and secondarily, to improve highway safety."

    When I got my license, all roads (county, state, interstate) were 55 mph or less.

    "In 1995 the Republican Congress repealed the 55‐​mile‐​per‐​hour federal speed limit law. At the time, the highway safety lobby and consumer advocacy groups made apocalyptic predictions about 6,400 increased deaths and a million additional injuries if posted speed limits were raised."

    Economy cars like my former 1990 Ford Festiva (designed by Mazda, built by KIA, & sold by Ford) didn't have to travel that fast when they were first sold. Speedometers maxed out @ 85/90 on that car, because you didn't drive that fast anywhere. My 1981 Suzuki GS550T had a speedometer that maxed out @ about the same, & most bikes (& some cars) had 55 mph in big bold numbers on the speedometer.

  5. #4
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    1,225
    Thanks
    324
    Thanked 936 Times in 539 Posts
    Ah, now you're starting to figure it out.
    Simplify and add lightness.

  6. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    256
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 37 Times in 28 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark View Post
    Personally, I think the 165/65r14 Federal SS657 tires do fairly well in the mpg department.

    Back in the 1970's when cars weren't all that fuel efficient, there was some logic behind all this -

    "The national 55 mile per hour (mph) speed limit law was enacted as a fuel conservation measure after the 1973 Arab oil embargo, and secondarily, to improve highway safety."

    When I got my license, all roads (county, state, interstate) were 55 mph or less.

    "In 1995 the Republican Congress repealed the 55‐​mile‐​per‐​hour federal speed limit law. At the time, the highway safety lobby and consumer advocacy groups made apocalyptic predictions about 6,400 increased deaths and a million additional injuries if posted speed limits were raised."

    Economy cars like my former 1990 Ford Festiva (designed by Mazda, built by KIA, & sold by Ford) didn't have to travel that fast when they were first sold. Speedometers maxed out @ 85/90 on that car, because you didn't drive that fast anywhere. My 1981 Suzuki GS550T had a speedometer that maxed out @ about the same, & most bikes (& some cars) had 55 mph in big bold numbers on the speedometer.
    Very interesting information. Thank you!
    So all the EPA mpg highway testing is done at 55mph?

  7. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Los Angeles
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    256
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 37 Times in 28 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    Ah, now you're starting to figure it out.
    Yes! I’ve been driving for almost 15 years but never paid attention to rpm numbers until now. It can actually be pretty fun trying to control the rpm and mpg

    Sadly, my average mpg from tank fill-ups is only 36-39. Most of my driving is city with heavy traffic.

  8. #7
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,154
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,785 Times in 2,104 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by newtomit View Post
    So all the EPA mpg highway testing is done at 55mph?
    In the 1970s, yes. I'm pretty sure that has since changed.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •