First Week with Mirage- Pluses and Minuses

[skyblue]

Are you sure? Then how do you even know that the feature is there?

Sorry not following, since turning it off, I've never "forgotten" to put my seatbelt on, nor in any other car that lacks the feature.

[Danny]

I agree on the people passing ya during the daytime. I go 400 miles (200 each way) on Sundays during the day and I might pass 1 or 2 cars the whole trip. During the week I have a 50 mile stretch (25 each way) that I drive at night. It almost never fails that someone will come up on ya from behind, then sit behind ya for awhile, sometimes even several miles. I've slowed down to as low as 60, and they still don't pass. I've had this route since January, and there's only been a handful of stretches that it hasn't happened. As for days where both stretches it hasn't happened, I'd say less than 5.

People tend to drive slower at night. I think they also want that other car to follow so if something jumps out they're not the ones that take the brunt of it. It's uncanny at how often a person will come up behind ya going (guessing) 74 or so, and I'm going 68- and when they get right behind me they don't pass. As stated, I've slowed down to as low as 60. A few times I even turned on my hazards. I do not like people riding behind me for extended periods of time. I understand it in the city, but this is more rural/suburban areas. There's enough road and not that many vehicles where everyone can have their own piece of road. I don't care what speed I drive. They can pick their speed and I'll pick another one.

I don't like to follow trucks real close drafting, because I'm afraid of what they may straddle that I won't see until the last second.

I'd lay money on the 5 speed car being able to handle 85 mph all day every day (assuming maintenance and repair are kept up). But as for efficiency, I've noticed more reward for low rpm in this car than I have for any other. If I shift at 3,000 rpm and just take my sweet time, this car knocks out spectacular mpg.

Down south, if I use the cruise control, I usually wind up alone. Because most people, on the interstate, like to run as hard as their car can go, right on each other's bumpers. And I'm never going as fast as they want. My sister is just like the rest of them. Within a 100 mile stint on the interstate, I'd say she winds up with her foot to the floor probably 20 times, just trying to get past the "slow butts" who are already doing 15 mph over.

[Danny]

Hesitated to write this, but it's part of the venture I guess. Yesterday was my first real disappointing day w/ my Mirage. I had a trip up north for work. Three things made it a rough day. The first was it was a windy day. On a bridge going up there, I really got blown around. I'm not going to dramatize and say it almost blew me off the bridge or anything like that, but I did have to drop it into 4th and be under 60MPH to be able to maintain my lane. I put my flashers on.

The 2nd was my actual MPG for that part of the trip. 37 MPG was disappointing. A fair amount of the run isn't open air like the bridge. By that I mean even though it's windy, the highway has nice big trees on both sides, so it doesn't blow ya around. I never got over 72. Yet my mileage for that part of the trip was not good. Interesting in that I'm beefing about 37 MPG, but that was all highway and I guess my expectations have been raised.

The last thing that got me yesterday was the lack of passing power. After I filled up, there's about a 30 mile stretch of road where the speed limit is mostly 55, with a lil bit of 35MPH through some small towns mixed in. It's a lot of one lane road each direction, and my gauge actually shows I'm getting 50+ MPG in this stretch. Even though the limit is 55, it's kind of accepted that people will do 60-65. I got behind some slow guy going 53. There was a pick up truck loaded with things behind him. That guy wouldn't pass. I couldn't pass either. It just lined up that the few times the Mirage had enough space to pass, there was oncoming traffic. A vehicle with more pep would have had some chances to pass them.

I was stuck behind this guy (plus the pick up truck) for some 20 miles. Uggh.

Then a 4th thing, which I kind of knew and was ok with before, is my time. A friend does the exact same route as me, but he starts at 5AM. I saw the sign in sheet, and he signed in at 8:06. So a touch over 3 hours. He went straight there, and got his fuel on the way back. My route starts at 11, and I got there at 2:45, almost 4 hours. I did get fuel, so that was some of the time difference. Still, there's too much of a time difference in how long it took each of us to get there.

I think from now on I'll be using my mini van (27MPG for this run) on Sundays. I can comfortably go 80-85 in it. While it's not a speed demon, it can pass when needed. Plus it will save about 430 miles (home to home) a week on my new car. I'm still putting 600+ miles/week on it, and that's enough.

[dspace9]

I think from now on I'll be using my mini van (27MPG for this run) on Sundays. I can comfortably go 80-85 in it. While it's not a speed demon, it can pass when needed. Plus it will save about 430 miles (home to home) a week on my new car. I'm still putting 600+ miles/week on it, and that's enough.

Ya eh I've crossed the Mackinac bridge in my Mirage myself, back in 2014. Not a windy day. And that is where I saw the lowest MPG reading on my dash computer, 4.2 L / 100 km. Anyways.

I heard a story that a Firefly/Metro flew off either that bridge, or could have been the Sarnia/Port Huron bridge. End of their story unfortunately. Not sure if that's as possible with new traction tech. Wind is mother nature, and who can win there lol.

Cheers!

[MetroMPG]

The last thing that got me yesterday was the lack of passing power. ... It just lined up that the few times the Mirage had enough space to pass, there was oncoming traffic. A vehicle with more pep would have had some chances to pass them.

A friend of mine once complained that her manual transmission economy car had no passing power.

Here's the kicker: after asking her more about it, I realized that whoever taught her to drive stick never explained about downshifting!! Once she got on the highway and shifted into top gear, she just left it there until she turned off the highway.

When I demonstrated the difference between passing in 5th gear vs. 3rd gear it was a revelation.

[Dirk Diggler]

Hesitated to write this, but it's part of the venture I guess. Yesterday was my first real disappointing day w/ my Mirage. I had a trip up north for work. Three things made it a rough day. The first was it was a windy day. On a bridge going up there, I really got blown around. I'm not going to dramatize and say it almost blew me off the bridge or anything like that, but I did have to drop it into 4th and be under 60MPH to be able to maintain my lane. I put my flashers on.

The 2nd was my actual MPG for that part of the trip. 37 MPG was disappointing. A fair amount of the run isn't open air like the bridge. By that I mean even though it's windy, the highway has nice big trees on both sides, so it doesn't blow ya around. I never got over 72. Yet my mileage for that part of the trip was not good. Interesting in that I'm beefing about 37 MPG, but that was all highway and I guess my expectations have been raised.

The last thing that got me yesterday was the lack of passing power. After I filled up, there's about a 30 mile stretch of road where the speed limit is mostly 55, with a lil bit of 35MPH through some small towns mixed in. It's a lot of one lane road each direction, and my gauge actually shows I'm getting 50+ MPG in this stretch. Even though the limit is 55, it's kind of accepted that people will do 60-65. I got behind some slow guy going 53. There was a pick up truck loaded with things behind him. That guy wouldn't pass. I couldn't pass either. It just lined up that the few times the Mirage had enough space to pass, there was oncoming traffic. A vehicle with more pep would have had some chances to pass them.

I was stuck behind this guy (plus the pick up truck) for some 20 miles. Uggh.

Then a 4th thing, which I kind of knew and was ok with before, is my time. A friend does the exact same route as me, but he starts at 5AM. I saw the sign in sheet, and he signed in at 8:06. So a touch over 3 hours. He went straight there, and got his fuel on the way back. My route starts at 11, and I got there at 2:45, almost 4 hours. I did get fuel, so that was some of the time difference. Still, there's too much of a time difference in how long it took each of us to get there.

I think from now on I'll be using my mini van (27MPG for this run) on Sundays. I can comfortably go 80-85 in it. While it's not a speed demon, it can pass when needed. Plus it will save about 430 miles (home to home) a week on my new car. I'm still putting 600+ miles/week on it, and that's enough.

I did the sky bridge in St. Pete FL, one of the highest/windy bridges in the country. I had my wife as a passenger and never once did I feel like I had to turn my blinkers on. Sure, I got pushed around a bit but nothing insane at all. Brother, your Mirage will be fine on all highways and bridges, I promise you.

[Top_Fuel]

The first was it was a windy day…

I can see where this is going. These cars only weigh 2000 lbs and have a side profile like a billboard. Match that up with skinny tires and some stiff sidewinds…and you aren’t going to feel very confident at higher speeds. I have experienced that before.

I was stuck behind this guy (plus the pick up truck) for some 20 miles.

I call that an opportunity. 😊 Mirages love to go 45-50 mph. I wouldn’t want to do it all day, but I’ll intentionally stay behind slower traffic occasionally just to to boost my mpg numbers.

Just for a comparison…

I made a 250 mile freeway round trip this past weekend on I-70 across Indiana. I set the cruise control at 65mph and didn’t use any AC. I have taller, low rolling resistance tires. 65 mph (GPS) is “only” 3050 RPMs in my car. I think I passed 1 car the entire day. My fuel mileage for that trip was 53mpg. I have noticed that some of the smarter owner-operators with aero mods tend to run slower speeds (around 60-65) to save fuel. Company drivers seem to run 75 because they aren't paying for the fuel.

I can comfortably go 80-85 in it.

I know people do it, but I can’t imagine going 85mph in a Mirage.

[7milesout]

I did 80 mph for a solid 3 hours, maybe 3.5 hours, with 2 of my sons in the vehicle. Narry a complaint. Did it like a champ. Nominal weather, no excessive windification.

[Dieter]

Oh that hurts! You say manual with cruise control? That is one feature I wish I had. Can't even get it aftermarket. SOB.

[Mark]

Oh that hurts! You say manual with cruise control? That is one feature I wish I had. Can't even get it aftermarket. SOB.

Rostra cruise control kit can be added to a manual Mitsubishi Mirage. Former member Steve put over 300,000 miles on his manual Mirage, & he used an aftermarket Rostra kit.