Gas mileage / MPG achievements (with optional MPG computer pics)

[Top_Fuel]

...if there's room to increase wheel/tire size without rubbing issues that will give you slight taller gearing.

I've been running 185-60-15 tires for a few months now. This might be the tallest tire that will fit on a stock suspension Mirage without rubbing. These tires are like having a mini-overdrive gear. They will net you about a 200 RPM drop at 60mph.

I haven't had them on long enough to make any conclusions, but they seem to be doing pretty well for me right now and they're still brand new. Once the weather warms up, it will be interesting to see how what kind of mpg numbers I can get out of them.

[Space Wolf]

I just want a hardware idea that I haven't thought of yet.
<snip>
My daily commute is ~3.5 miles each way.

A bicycle?

[7milesout]

Not bicycle friendly roads, or weather.

[Eggman]

Not bicycle friendly roads, or weather.

Yeah, sometimes commuting by bicycle is a matter of will. Weather can be dealt with.

Making the jump from a steel cage to a vulnerable bicycle takes a certain amount of guts especially if one is accustomed to driving a huge masculine truck. Wouldn’t it be something if all truck drivers had to commute by bike at least once a week? Ho boy that’s a good one.

Regarding bicycles sometimes the best route is not the direct route. It is the one form of transportation that truly benefits humanity with improved health.

[Fummins]

Yeah, sometimes commuting by bicycle is a matter of will. Weather can be dealt with.

Making the jump from a steel cage to a vulnerable bicycle takes a certain amount of guts especially if one is accustomed to driving a huge masculine truck. Wouldn’t it be something if all truck drivers had to commute by bike at least once a week? Ho boy that’s a good one.

Regarding bicycles sometimes the best route is not the direct route. It is the one form of transportation that truly benefits humanity with improved health.

No comment.

[2016 Versa]

I wish I could still ride a bike. I injured my back 21 years ago, I think I've ridden a bicycle about a 1/2 miles since and when I got back home my back was hurting so bad I could hardly walk in the house. As a child I road my bicycle everywhere. I had a speedometer/odometer on my bike and between the ages of about 12-15 I think I racked up about 6K miles. During the summertime when I wasn't in school 25-50 miles a day wasn't a bit uncommon.

[dspace9]

I can relate to this post. I use to bike all the time, all over the place. Trails and roads. Maybe not that many miles in a day, but I wasn't counting. My bike was my main form of transportation when I was younger.

Some time in the mid 20s I took a big spill over a curb... ended up needing 7 stitches across my chin, lost 2 teeth that day. I haven't been into biking much since.

On the topic of fuel economy, my new Hankook winter tires are returning around 5.6 L / 100 km's according to my trip computer's reading. That's pretty good. So close to the same on my winters in the winter, as my all-seasons in the winter. And the winters absorb more, making for a softer ride.

[Space Wolf]

I wish I could still ride a bike. I injured my back 21 years ago, I think I've ridden a bicycle about a 1/2 miles since and when I got back home my back was hurting so bad I could hardly walk in the house. As a child I road my bicycle everywhere. I had a speedometer/odometer on my bike and between the ages of about 12-15 I think I racked up about 6K miles. During the summertime when I wasn't in school 25-50 miles a day wasn't a bit uncommon.

Have you ever talked to a physiotherapist about this? Generally speaking cycling is good for your back, and maybe it's enough to only use another bike model.

[Eggman]

I wish I could still ride a bike. I injured my back 21 years ago, I think I've ridden a bicycle about a 1/2 miles since and when I got back home my back was hurting so bad I could hardly walk in the house.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Not knowing what happened to your back and there are a wide range of back problems out there. But as you probably know cycling comfort often comes down to mechanics. Maybe a good bike shop can work with you to dial in fitment? Older bodies don't seem to be as accommodating as our younger selves. Some bike shops have equipment dedicated to fitment. And apparently there's nothing like a custom frame.

Racing-style handlebars are nice in that they give lots of hand positions, reducing fatigue & soreness in hands & wrists. Riding the drops can be tough on the back after a while. I see more bikes going back to the styles prevalent before the great ten-speed bike boom of the late 1960s & into the 1970s, and semi-recumbent designs are more comfy than they look. Springer saddles should have never been lost to the complications of bicycle suspensions front & rear.

Look up Sheldon Brown's website for more. He was a good dude.

[2016 Versa]

I've been running 185-60-15 tires for a few months now. This might be the tallest tire that will fit on a stock suspension Mirage without rubbing. These tires are like having a mini-overdrive gear. They will net you about a 200 RPM drop at 60mph.

I haven't had them on long enough to make any conclusions, but they seem to be doing pretty well for me right now and they're still brand new. Once the weather warms up, it will be interesting to see how what kind of mpg numbers I can get out of them.

You need to do your odometer correction in order to get accurate MPG numbers. According to a tire size calculator the tire size you're running is 5.8% larger diameter than OE. Without doing the tire size correction it's possible the mpg would figure lower than with the original size tires.