Thanks, we figured that out!! Said it before, "This is the first car that I actually had to read the Owner's Manual!!!

 

Hate to get off topic, but I always feel the need to address this kind of forced induction snobbery

I have a "Regular" MINI and I drive it as hard as, or harder than, plenty of the R53/R56S drivers out there. I'm not alone. I'll get an S when they are as reliable as my R50

 

THANK YOU!! I don't like having to justify purchasing a Justa. See my earlier response to this. I, too, adopted my "regular" MINI based on reliability, better mpg's, and really no need for the S performance (would get me in trouble).
2010 HzB Clubgirl, fairly loaded, much loved

 

My last ride was a CBR600, 110+HP and in the neighbourhood of 400lbs. I drive my Cooper just as hard as the CBR and have just as much fun, just takes a second or two longer to get there. Power to weight ratio is only one small factor, it's all about how you use what you've got.

 

Very well put!

 

I have a 22 mile commute in city traffic. I usually get about 32.5 mpg. For 1 tank of gas I tried driving like a little old lady. Only went up to 33mpg. The mini likes to drive hard - just avoid heavy braking at stops and your mileage will be good.

I recently took a road trip where I drove fully loaded at 85+ mph in hilly country with the AC on for 2 tanks of gas. I still got 36.5 mpg. The mini likes to drive hard.

 

 

Tips for better fuel economy:
1- Make sure the tires are properly inflated. The pressure that MINI states should be viewed as an absolute minimum, and the "MAX PRESSURE" rating on the tire as a maximum. Higher pressures will give you (slightly) better mileage, at the expense of a harsher ride.
2- Slow down. It can be tough driving such a fun car "only" at the speed limit, but it requires much more energy to push through the air when you are going faster.
3- Drive as if you didn't have brakes. That means leaving lots of room around you, and reacting well in advance to traffic and changes on the road. It also means not slowing down when you don't have to, because getting back up to speed uses even more fuel. The good news is, MINIs don't really have to slow down for most corners!

Shutting the engine down at stops can help, if you know you will be stopped for a while. There are a lot of different theories about how long "a while" is, but certainly if you know you will be stopped for a minute you will use less gas with the car off. If you're only stopped for one or two seconds, you will use more gas starting the car again than you would if idling. I would guess that about ten to fifteen seconds is a good "long enough" figure for most cars.

Accelerating at full throttle uses more gas than accelerating with modest throttle. So if you can accelerate using only ~1/4 of the throttle, it will save some gas. This can be a tough one, especially in a fun-to-drive car.

Higher RPMs use more gas than lower RPMs. If you don't wind the engine up above about 2200 RPM, it will use slightly less gas. Also a very difficult one to follow in a fun car.

Cold engines use more fuel than warm engines, but this doesn't mean you should idle to warm things up. It does mean that you should do as much of your driving at once, rather than spreading short drives out over the whole day. And it implies that when you are going to a bunch of places in one trip, you do the longest part of the drive first so that the engine has time to fully warm up, and the shorter drives start off with a partly warm engine.

 

I try to keep the tires properly inflated, drive a few MPH slower on the highway, and get the car in 6th gear ASAP. Other than that, I just have fun driving the thing.

 

The best method I have found to increase gas mileage is to let my wife drive!

 

Let's face it, none of us bought a MINI because of its luxurious back seat accommodations, its trailer hauling capabilities or to be able to bring a refrigerator home from Home Depot. We bought it because it's lots of fun to drive. Unfortunately, the only way to squeeze more MPG's out of it is to reduce the fun. Let's do the math...If I can have lots of fun and get 31 MPG or drive like a little old lady going to church and get 35 mpg, and I drive 15,000 miles per year, the "fun" will cost me an additional 55 gallons of gas a year (429 gallons at 35 MPG and 484 gallons at 31 MPG). At the very high prices for premium gas in California, that would come out to about $230 a year or around $19 a month. We all have to make our own choice, but where else can I have that much fun for $19 a month? My choice is to rev it up and let 'er rip!

 

Excellent perspective, which is why I now drive in sport modenall the time!

 

Giggles,
Have you checked your manual? Mine is a justa too and it says 89 octane, It also states that I can use 87 but not in extremely hot weather. Putting premium in a car that doesn't require it is a waste of $$$$ It doesn't do anything for the car other than overfeed it. I am still on my first tank of gas. Mileage isn't great yet but with all local traffic and 105 miles on the odometer it's hard to judge. I am hoping for 30+
watch out for more postings in my adventure.

 

Driving around town I stay in 6th gear and never go over 2k RPM unless I need to. On the highway I just stay in 6th as well, but I try to keep it at 3000 rpm which is around 75-80 depending on flat/up/down hill. I usually get 34mpg on trips doing that, higher if I back off the throttle (not as much fun).

 

Cruise control. 60 miles per hour. 6th gear.

That's good for 33 mpg in my BMW 330i. I can't wait to see what our '12 Cooper will do, especially once it gets broken in.

 

My three main techniques..

Light throttle inputs during acceleration.
Use the brake as little as possible.
Coast in gear, don't coast in neutral.


I have a daily commute of 140 miles, and I average anywhere from 38-42mpg depending on how frisky I get with the car on each tank. The mileage is figured from distance/gallons, I'm sure most of you know the on-board is generous by 1 or 2 mpg.

Once spring comes around next year I'll be investing in a nice set of summer wheels/tires, and I'm curious how it'll affect my mileage.

 

Thhis being the only car I ever owned that I HAD to read the manual. Yes, i have put 89 in her. Since the car has a 13 gallon tank the cost to put premium in her isn't really prohibitive, so I use premium as a rule, especially before a spirited run. My commute is a MINI dream of hilly, twisty back roads, and I am getting over 38 mpg's This makes Giggles Mommy very happy!

 

Just because. One of the things I do to boost gas mileage is go about 65mph and stay about 3 to 4 (American Car) behind a semi-truck. Normally I will run blocking for the trucker so when he goes to pass I will sslow traffic so that he ca get around them. I have found that by doing this I can get in the neighborhood of around 40 to 45mpg in my S. I only like doing this on really long road trips when I am not in a hurry. When I go to see my parents that live about 2 hr from me its like running a hot lap at Daytona(go like a bat out of hell).

 

Oh...also, I try to use my cruise control as much as possible...I think that helps. AND...I've been watching my boost gauge and using it as more as a "fuel economy" gauge. I try to keep it out of the boost as much as possible by being light on the gas...that seems to help. You'd be amazed at how often you are actually getting boost from the supercharger.....that gauge really makes you drive easier on the gas if you watch it.....or harder if you are trying to see how much boost you can actually get

 

Only if you're trying to slow down. You will get compression braking from coasting in gear, so you will lose speed quicker than if you were in neutral. But the MINI should have Deceleration Fuel Cut-Off (DFCO), so at certain times that you are coasting in gear, your fuel usage will be zero. That's definitely good for economy! Very definitely a good alternative to lightly riding the brakes if you need to slow down slightly.

 

I bought a mini so that I can drive it as hard as I want to drive other cars, and then I can still have better mileage than all of those other cars. Everybody's a winner! :D

 

One thing I learned from past experience in the car biz is to use the same brand and grade of gas all the time. When you change gas it takes the ECM a full tank or more to adjust to the change. After that you'll get optimum mileage for the gas you're using. Before that, you'll get worse mileage. If you're trying to compare different brands or grades of gas, wait until the 3rd tank of the new gas you're trying.

 

Huh...interesting...

 

I agree with Giggles, that is interesting. Do you have a source for this information or is it based on your personal observations. Educate us.

 

Based on what I was told by a service tech with 30+ years of experiences at the dealership where I worked, reinforced by a SA when I bought my 2007 Civic Si.and personal experience. The ECM's have gotten more and more sensitive in order to optimize mileage and lower emissions that they react to even small changes in their environment. Elevation changes, temperature changes when seasons change(I've experienced this myself), changes in gasoline(also experienced this). I saw it when I put a CAI in my Civic, too. 1st few tanks of gas, mileage went down, then went up about 10% better than before I put the CAI on the car.