What kind of driving do you do, and what is your mpg? What do you do to IMROVE your mpg's? With gas prices so high just curious what can be done to offset cost of PREMIUM gas prices! MINI recommends turning off the engine at long stops....does ANYONE actually do that?! and does it work?!

 

I have turned the car off when sitting in a queue for controlled roadworks, if I saw the stop begin - so know there's a long wait. Maybe not in hot/humid weather, or in freezing winter!

Best mpg gains don't come from that, but from gentle driving. Don't accelerate hard, and glide to a stop rather than heading in at full speed then using loads of brakes.
But it might take some of the fun out of MOTORING ...

 

I noticed a gas mileage difference when I moved to NC from AZ.
I don't know if AZ is too flat and NC is so hilly that affected my gas mileage.
I have learned not to "GO" when the light turns green

I drove 106 miles the other day and got 29.8 mpg and was surprised.
I usually only get 25 - 28. In AZ I was getting 27-31.

I would like to see the responses here too.

 

Well for starters, I live at 9000ft, but I'm averaging roughy 40mpg in my 2006 MC.

Remember 50/50 rule: Under 50mph, more efficient with windows down. Over 50mph, more efficient with A/C.

Slow down as you go uphill, if you maintain the speed limit you're just wasting gas. You'll regain speed as you go down the other side (and don't touch the gas pedal here!).

Keep your car washed/waxed. A slippery car is a fuel efficient car!

Keep momentum through turns, brake BEFORE you enter the turn and let the momentum carry you through the turn.

Pull forward to parking spots so you can simply go forward. If you have to reverse out of a spot, chances are your engine is colder and it's less efficient then. Also, you'll have to accelerate to backup and then accelerate to go forwards.

Just a few tips I've learned over the years with other cars, but my 40mpg comes mostly from being gentle on the gas and braking, and living at 9000ft where there's no oxygen for engine power, lol

 

I drive the MINI S the was it was designed to be driven, and my diesel truck. When I want 100mpg I hop on my scooter.

Would have bought a Justa if I was worried about MPG - that said the MINI S does much better on gas than the PT Cruiser GT HO it replaced did.

 

Basically, try to have as little fun as possible

Also, don't forget to monitor your tire pressure and make sure they are always properly inflated, or even a few pounds over.

Just got back from a ~3200km trip in my Justa, which I "Justa" drive the hell out of. On a "fun" tank (90+mph, lots of passing and canyon carving.) I got around 33MPG (US gallons.) and taking it easy with the cruise control, rolling at 10kmh above the speed limit or so I got close to 40mpg. But it was boring.

 

My MPG sucks because 90% of my driving is miami rush hour traffic so it's all stop and stop but what I do to keep an eye on the mpg is to have my gauge set on the instant mpg all the time and then I try to adjust the pressure I put on the gas pedal to get as high an mpg as I can while maintaining the speed I want. This helps a little.

I also use the cruise control whenever I have a chance, which is rarely but I still try.

 

i do this when i feel like saving gas. it's kinda fun to try it out for a tank to see how good your mileage can get. it's also fun to drive the hell out of it.

 

I drive it hard every day, so that on the days I feel like saving gas, I just drive normal, and bam...guaranteed big gas savings from usual!

 

I see.... why am I worried about MPG????

I do love driving my car like I should! (or shouldn't)

 

Oh I'm sure I'll find that out real soon... I have a 16 mile commute to/from work everyday...16 miles of mountain twisties with no traffic WHATSOEVER, only a few elk/deer to dodge and best of all, police NEVER patrol the road!

 

NICE!!

 

A quick answer is to look at your manual. On page 113 it states that you can run the S models on 89 octane (but if the temperature is hot you may experience a knocking) Non s can be run on 87. See if this works, it could save you some $$$ maybe switch off every other tank 89 and then premium This will save you about 20 cents per gallon.

 

I average 27.4 on my 08 MCS no matter how I drive it.

 

There's one traffic light on my way to work that's really long.
I'll turn the car off there if it's recently turned red when I pull up to it.
Also for road construction stops, which seem to be never-ending on my route the past couple years
(sewer/drainage work on about a 5 mile stretch, they never seem to get it finished).
I probably do it more to save the low speed fan resistor than for gas mileage reasons.

 

I turn the engine off when I am waiting for trains, coast down hills, & sometimes pop the clutch & coast to stop lights (if no one is behind me to become annoyed).
Check, check, check tire pressure.
Once in a while I pretend I belong in the slow lane to give me a slower driver's perspective.

 

My commute is 42 miles round trip on simply wonderful twisty, hilly country roads. Since my very first Mini dealership early oil change my mpg's have risen. Currently getting 38.2mpg.'s in my Justa. Got the Justa for better gas mileage, and it was less expensive, plus hoping to have fewer maintenance issues. ALWAYS use premium, even tho I know I don't have to, worth it for the health of my MINI and the mpg's offset the extra cost of the gas.


2010 HzB Clubgirl, fairly loaded, much loved

 

Instructions for using the amazing egg:

1. get an egg
2. put it between the sole of your right foot, and the pedals (duct tape helps here)
3. don't break it.

My personal results:

With egg: average 35 mpg, best tank 39.5 mpg
Without egg: average 27, range of 22-29 mpg
In competition: 2 gals for 12 runs (about 10 mpg)

Kind regards,

Charlie

 

 

step 1: set tach display to show MPG (which lies in first gear, although getting 8MPG accelerating is amusing)
step 2: shift when the supercharger starts screaming, which is hard... very hard...
step 3: it's a MINI, have fun...

 

Are you sure that you don't put the yellow in the gas tank and fry the white on the engine?

 

I am enjoying my MINI thoroughly...the less money I have to pay for gas = more money to buy her things!! Besides, my great mpg's gives me more bragging rights!!

 

from what i can see, your petrol price per gallon is on average around $3.90 we here in the uk would love a chance to be able to buy petrol at this amazing low price, we currently are paying £6.52 for our premium petrol per gallon do the exchange at today's rate of $1.61 to the £1.00 and that's a staggering $10.54 a gallon enjoy your cheap petrol and have fun driving your mini

 

I hate to beat this dead horse but using premium gas in a car that doesn't require it won't improve your mpg any. The recommended for the non-S is 89, even says so on my gas cap, and per the owner's manual it can run perfectly on 87. I know some people disagree and think the non-S should still use premium but I disagree. Just my opinion of course...

I've done some very unscientific experiments with mine and have used 93, 89, and 87 octane and have found no measurable difference in mpg, and if anything, maybe slightly better mpg with 87 and 89 than with 93.

btw, I just started using the gas cubby app on my iphone so within a month or two I'll have some much more accurate statistics on mpg and how it's affected by octane and also the brand of gas. I'm really curious to see what the results are.

 

Sorry about your petrol prices!! I guess it's all relative to what gas used to cost!! Don't know how you do it over there!!