Wonder what people are getting for gas milage on their Miatas? Does it get better as they improve technology, or is it pretty well "struck"? I recently purchased a 1990 Miata and wonder what I should expect (260km on it) and if there is anything I can (should) do to improve the mpg numbers.
Mike
Well, Mike, it's sort of a conundrum.
On one hand, you have a small, lightweight car, with decent power to weight ratio and only 1.6L so the gas mileage should be pretty good.
On the other hand, you have a car that begs you to drive it hard and, frankly, to have a lot of fun whenever fuel is being piped up to the eager little four-banger up front.
If you relate to the second paragraph, forget about gas mileage and enjoy.
If you relate to the first paragraph, you might as well be driving a Camry.
I don't think I ever calculated the gas mileage on my '90. Wild guess: around 30 MPG.
Ken (270km)
Mike,
Consistently 28mpg driving the roads I like, 30mpg driving the ones I don't. The Miata has a numerically high final drive ratio to get the most out of the engine which hurts ultimate mileage but sure helps the driving experience. The good news is that there isn't much differenc between the spirited mode and the cruise control mode so you don't feel guilty running it like it was meant to be run.
Tom
Mike wrote:
Milate - geez how did I miss that spelling error!! Thanks for all the replies - I'm glad someone didn't say "if you have to ask or know, then maybe you shouldn't buy a Miata"!! That's how I feel about motorhomes!
Mike
Never gotten below 30mpg in my '91 w/Greddy turbo. Probably not driving it fast enough.
DonB, white '91
I must be doing something wrong (or right!) as I only get 22-24 MPG in mixed city/interstate driving. I got the same mileage with my '99.
Randy
I used to get 28-30 in my 1991 Miata, but only get 23-24 in my 2000 Miata. I have always assumed the added horsepower in the later model engines was responsible.
Mark Cutler
In stock form, I could see as high as 28-29 MPG on highway trips, and 23-24 in mixed/around-town driving.
With a 6ish psi supercharger kit installed, I see
23-24 most of the time, and 22 if romp around town a lot.Dana
Every time I fill up I add the odometer and gallons figure to C:\MILEAGE.TXT. (My inner nerd compels me.) Since 11/07/03 I've driven my '93 16826 miles (with a pretty heavy foot too) and consumed 575.08 gallons of gas for an average of 28.37 MPG.
I should mention that my Miata is in hi-performance white, which as physics guru Leon will tell you, is good for at least a percent or two more thermal efficiency than the darker shades, so even though we have the same 1.6L engine, as the saying goes, "your mileage may vary."
Yours WDK - snipped-for-privacy@ij.net
................................................................ Posted via TITANnews - Uncensored Newsgroups Access >>>> at
This nerd has an Excel spreadsheet which charts all sorts of useless statistics (rather like a North Amercian baseball fan). The average for my '94 MX-5 in the 2.5 years I've owned it, with a variety of driving, has been
7.5 l/100km, or 31.3 mpg in the US.Stephen
Those are estimates based on filling it up (usually to about
10 gallons) at the 260-280 mile mark. I've only once filled it with 11 gallons.GB
Miatas have a pretty low tech engine. Their gas mileage is poor for an engine with such low power in a moderately light weight car.
There are sports cars that have three times the power that get better gas mileage.
K
Miatas have quite good mileage, as can be seen from recent posts.
The reason that mileage is less than it could be for such a small car is not that the engine would be low tech, but because it is geared as an enthusiasts' sports car, causing the engine to rev quite a lot during day-to-day driving. In addition, being a good-looking convertible, on the highway the aerodynamics is inevitably poor.
It depends on your definition of sports car. Your BMW might well get noticeably better mileage.
Leon
Corvette I assume?
That's the highway number. Due to a combination of gearing (~1500 rpm vs 3000 at 60mph) and superior aerodynamics (~0.3 vs ~0.4). Pure engine specific fuel consumption probably still favors the Miata. I've driven both and I'd be surprised to see a 'Vette get better mpg in real-world driving. Just too tempting to goose it :-)
Don't forget being forced to skip gears in leisurely driving.
You weren't driving the '91 hard enough.
My 99 gets 27-28 in local/commuter driving, and 29 on the Interstate. I assume the relatively small difference is due to the very high speeds on freeway (Ohio truckers drive 75!) and the fact that small short cars with folding tops don't really have good aerodynamics.
Joe Silver '99
I get 38mpg (Imperial gallon) on the highway. I have a 92 with manual tranny.
1994 Miata got 28/32 mpg pretty regular, 2004 Mazda speed 24 mpg but I get there faster 8-)
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