Is this possible? While my experience is no scientific experiment...it was certainly intriguing. This may have been discussed several times already. my apologies, if so.

I have constantly obtained 27mpg on average out of my car. This is about a 60/40 mix of highway/city driving from class to work. That average is what I get after an extended period of time...say 1 month's worth of driving. Not just a few trips, and it has remained in that area for over the year i've owned my car.

I recently noticed my avg mpg had decreased to 25. Even my highway mpg which is normally around 30, was only reaching 27mpg. This was the case for over 3weeks. My driving style never changed....just school and work.(I actually drove easy for a while... trying to pull my mpg back up) I went through several tanks of gas to rule out bad fuel. I had done no motor work to justify the change. The only modification I made was an m7 extreme scoop.

After deciding the scoop was too aggressive looking and protruded to high from the hood for my personal tastes, I removed it. And instantly, my gas mileage returned to the normal 27mpg average and 30highway.

is it possible the scoop could cost me 2mpg on average because of wind deflection? I have since ordered a new scoop thats not as aggressive, and will monitor its effects.

just wanted to get some thoughts if this is common or even a possible outcome...maybe some other factors were playing into my numbers?

 

while 2 mpg is a lot...I guess it could be possible if the scoop is doing what it is intended for. Scooping more air means more drag, which means less mpg. Certainly shouldn't have an effect in city driving though. I just wouldn't expect 2mpg...Maybe .5, but 2 is alot

 

Could it have been a temp. change? I know temp. can effect your MPG. A ten degree difference can drop my MPG by 1 maybe 2.

 

Maybe your intake cant keep up with the ludicrous speed your traveling...

 

Actually, this is one of the first documented cases of what we've all been suspecting for a long time: the M7 Extreme scoop is a totally inefficient item intended to suck the hard-earned cash from Mini Cooper S owners through the subtle means of lower gas mileage... Mmm, I bet they invented it just before gas prices went up.
Damn it Jim, I think you're on to something!

 

when was the last time the car was tuned up?, including the air filter?
how bout the fuel filter.fuel injectors may be dirty. i cant see a little scoop having that much of an effect on your mpg. i also had the scoop and just taken it off. My new CF hood came with a CF one so I didnt want the black one on anymore. I have not had higher mpg because of the reverse swap. so im thinking its mechanical

 

The MCS is a brick, with a Cd of .35 -- compared to a Prius with a Cd of .25, a Porsche 997 of .28.
Mind you a Formula 1 car has a Cd of .9 but they want downforce much more than the ability to take off...
My point is that the size and shape of the scoop can't possibly affect the Cd enough to make a 2mpg change in fuel consumption.
If the change in consumption is real, it must be due to some other factor.

 

That is strange, drag might have had a small effect but like DrPhil said, the MINI's pretty much a rounded brick going through the air. Maybe the drag from the scoop combined with lowered intake temps since cooler air tends to result in more fuel being injected, combined with a few other factors (like a string of bad luck with traffic lights, you gained five pounds that month, there was never a tailwind, the outside air temp dropped 25 degrees...) is to blame.
I could see blaming the scoop but that dramatica a drop seems pretty extreme.

 

I would blame mechanical(i did at first) but as soon as i took the scoop off. i started getting my normal gas mileage back, and continue to get 27mpg to this day. I never gave it much thought at the time, as I was not experimenting...just removed the scoop because i didnt like the looks. If i didnt sell it already id put it BACK on again, and see if the mpg dropped again....but not really a possibility now.

temperatures really have changed that much...and like i said, I always get 27mpg. whether its 20 degree winter, or 90 degree summer. I know the OBD isnt the most accurate device either.

just wanted to see if those other extreme scoop owners have noticed anything.

 

Need more data for sure. Little things can have a big effect on fuel economy. While I agree that the delta is higher than I'd expect, one is trading drag for increased cooling via the IC.

DMH found that scoops didn't lower his lap time on the track, and he interpreted this as the drag and power added canceled each other out.

It's an interesting question for sure.. When I did some data logging the fuel consumption wasn't something I looked at, just cooling... Hmmmmmm.

Matt

 

I bet it's as simple as seeing a pimple on the end of your nose and watching it grow and grow and hating it every minute...then one day, it's gone, and your life is back to normal. You hated the scoop, and I'm sure you questioned yourself every day about it.......

 

I dunno about the mpg question, however, today I noticed that the wipers buffet with the m7 extreme scoop on versus the stock one. I just installed the scoop yesterday and while doing 85 on the turnpike with a 15mph headwind the wipers were vibrating like a rattlesnake tail. never saw that with the stock scoop at those or greater speeds. anyone have similar?

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ood-scoop.html

My wipers start vibrating at 130mph also the hood scoops that m7 and others make real just try to scoop more air. What you need to do is make a bigger gap so you can fit that extra air you are trying to scoop. You could be losing mpg and performance if you are not getting enough air across your coil or intercooler to cool it down. If you ever notice the cooler the intercooler the more power you car make. Check out my thread on custom hood scoop.