# Gas Mileage?



## volhub (Feb 3, 2006)

hey guys, im new to the nissan world. just bought a 06 frontier SE4x4 and im a little dissapointed in the gas mileage. i drive about 80 miles a day just to and from work. im not the most mechanically inclined but i was curious if there was anything to help maximize my miles to gallon ratio. i dont have a heavy foot at all and on my last tank, i got 14.5 miles a gallon. any insight would be appreciated. other than that, the truck is great!


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

*This is an issue*

My 06 Nismo MT has about 900 miles. The first three tank ups were not too great in the mpg department. If your 80 miles per day has a lot of highway, then your numbers are very disappointing. I gather you have an auto tranny?

Give it more miles. I won't worry about my truck until 3k miles.


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

volhub said:


> hey guys, im new to the nissan world. just bought a 06 frontier SE4x4 and im a little dissapointed in the gas mileage. i drive about 80 miles a day just to and from work. im not the most mechanically inclined but i was curious if there was anything to help maximize my miles to gallon ratio. i dont have a heavy foot at all and on my last tank, i got 14.5 miles a gallon. any insight would be appreciated. other than that, the truck is great!


You should _Search _for the current threads on gas mileage; there are several of them.

FWIW, here's what I've done so far:


increased my tire PSI to a couple of ticks below the max
added a tonneau cover (soft)
added (and use regularly) cruise control
added a freer flowing muffler (many have gone with a cat-back system)
added a K&N filter (many have gone with a CAI kit)
switched to synthetic fluids (crankcase, trans, & differential)

But, I think the biggest contributor to my good MPG is that I drive VERY conservatively.

Now, all that being done and said, I'm not seeing a terribly great return on my investments (maybe $800) so far. As you can see by my Fuel Mileage Chart I've managed to recoup a whopping $9.99. Just another 20 years or so and I should break even 

Oh, Congratulations on your purchase and Welcome :cheers:


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## Snafu (Dec 17, 2005)

Welcome to the forums.

I have heard but as yet need to verify it, new vehicles are tuned for the first x miles to run a break in period and gas mileage can really suck. Like the advice given before give it a bit and maybe even with your first oil change mention it to the dealer. They should confirm that it will get better.

Cheers


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## volhub (Feb 3, 2006)

Snafu said:


> Welcome to the forums.
> 
> I have heard but as yet need to verify it, new vehicles are tuned for the first x miles to run a break in period and gas mileage can really suck. Like the advice given before give it a bit and maybe even with your first oil change mention it to the dealer. They should confirm that it will get better.
> 
> Cheers


i appreciate all the insight. thanks!


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## 05 NISMO 4X4 (Jun 4, 2005)

It been my experience with past new vehicles that gas mileage will increase after you have between 5K to 6K on the odometer. I'm still under 5K on mine and I bought it in June last year, but ony commute about 15 miles one way! My gas mileage is right about 16.2 now, and I'm praying past experience holds true for the Frontier as well! :thumbup:


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## Q-Tip (Sep 10, 2005)

At 7k miles, my mileage seems to have plateau'ed at about 17.15 mpg. Rose steadily to a peak of about 17.2 and has settled down a little.

BUT, I haven't had it on any long trips yet (~300 miles or so, burning a whole tank at one time). This has all been commuting to work and about town, about 50/50 city/highway.

And sometimes I've got my foot in it and other times I'm just cruisin'    so this is probably a realistic city mileage number but is not indicative of a highway mileage value. Some here have had 21 mpg or more.


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## msubullyfan (Jul 24, 2005)

Search! Yes, search!

There are several threads in this forum about the exact same issue. You'll be able to find even more information than what's posted here.


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## =WD=big-X (Jan 30, 2006)

my 06 fronty SE V6 4x4 is getting 19-20 mpg in town. 26-27 mpg highway


and thats an imperial gallon not a US gallon


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

*Conversion*



=WD=big-X said:


> my 06 fronty SE V6 4x4 is getting 19-20 mpg in town. 26-27 mpg highway
> 
> 
> and thats an imperial gallon not a US gallon



Which when converted to US gallons: 16.2 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Fairly good consumption if tranny is auto.


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## MTBPATH (Sep 14, 2005)

_Now, all that being done and said, I'm not seeing a terribly great return on my investments (maybe $800) so far. As you can see by my Fuel Mileage Chart I've managed to recoup a whopping $9.99. Just another 20 years or so and I should break even _


jerryp58,
what kind of progrom do you use to record fuel mileage?
or do you just record it on your own and put it into a chart.
thanks.


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## mainerunr (Jul 30, 2005)

Snafu said:


> Welcome to the forums.
> 
> I have heard but as yet need to verify it, new vehicles are tuned for the first x miles to run a break in period and gas mileage can really suck. Like the advice given before give it a bit and maybe even with your first oil change mention it to the dealer. They should confirm that it will get better.
> 
> Cheers



I didnt see this at all. I've been between 17 and 21 since I got the truck (SE CC 4x4 6-spd). Average has been 19.02 over 10,500 miles. I dont baby it all the time but I do when I think about it (sadly I'm usually thinking about how late I left for work). I also run up the tach when passing.

I would hope the original posters commute is highway (80mi in towns would rot) but at the same time, 14.5mpg is horrid if it is highway.


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

MTBPATH said:


> _Now, all that being done and said, I'm not seeing a terribly great return on my investments (maybe $800) so far. As you can see by my Fuel Mileage Chart I've managed to recoup a whopping $9.99. Just another 20 years or so and I should break even _
> 
> 
> jerryp58,
> ...


Just a Microsoft Works spreadsheet. There aren't many calculations in it and it works pretty well.


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## =WD=big-X (Jan 30, 2006)

CT_Nismo said:


> Which when converted to US gallons: 16.2 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. Fairly good consumption if tranny is auto.


 and it is indeed an automatic.. i bet it goes up by a mile or two per when i 
mod the airbox drop in a K&N and put a magna flow cat back on it.


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## volhub (Feb 3, 2006)

mainerunr said:


> I didnt see this at all. I've been between 17 and 21 since I got the truck (SE CC 4x4 6-spd). Average has been 19.02 over 10,500 miles. I dont baby it all the time but I do when I think about it (sadly I'm usually thinking about how late I left for work). I also run up the tach when passing.
> 
> I would hope the original postes commute is highway (80mi in towns would rot) but at the same time, 14.5mpg is horrid if it is highway.


it is kind of 50/50 city/highway. i live in tennessee and a lot of little hills and so what. i have only put 3 tanks of gas in it so hopefully it will get better. at this rate, i will be filling up every three or four days. before this, i drove a chevy silverado 2wd small v8. i got around 18 in that. does the 4WD have a lot of say in the less mileage? like i said, im not the most mechanically inclined, i know the basics and i have always had full size trucks. i just fell in love with the frontier after looking at and driving tacomas. once again, appreciate the advice and insight.


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## Argo73 (Oct 31, 2005)

17.6 mpg on my last milage check. Truck is at 4400 miles and I ran the tank for 280 miles. 75% highway with a lot of punching it off the line so I imagine I can get into the 18's easily w/out racin' around sometimes. If I had 290 total miles for the tank that would have brought me up to 18.2 mpg.


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## wensk (Oct 30, 2005)

Not real happy with my mileage yet. @4K on the odo but its been winter, I have 250lbs of extra weight in the rear and morning warm ups probably all contribute to my 15mpg average.


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## volhub (Feb 3, 2006)

wensk said:


> Not real happy with my mileage yet. @4K on the odo but its been winter, I have 250lbs of extra weight in the rear and morning warm ups probably all contribute to my 15mpg average.



update on my mileage. on this last tank, i got 18.2 miles to a gallon. i did break the 1000 k mark as well. i was pretty conserative but still im very pleased now. appreciate your alls input.


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## scuba91ta (Aug 19, 2005)

that sopunds more like it...

4x4 adds weight, unless your driving in 4wd, only the added weight of it is going to effect your mileage...

i wish my would get 18 consistantly - but it doesnt... howeverm i do usually manage 15 with 20% highway and 80% back roads...hilly here as well...


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## Arknismo (Feb 3, 2006)

jerryp58 said:


> You should _Search _for the current threads on gas mileage; there are several of them.
> 
> FWIW, here's what I've done so far:
> 
> ...


Other than the tonneau cover, how much did all these mods cost for you if you don't mind me asking? ....also, how much _do you think_ the mpg would increase if you did the last 3 mods in your list? Just wondering. 

I looked at your chart, and while helpful, I would like to know what you think. Like the original poster...I'm not that mechanically sound :loser: 

I had a wreck in december and since I got my truck back (last friday) I have been getting about 16.5 mpg. Before the wreck I was getting about 17.7 or so. All with same driving conditions.

Thanks for any help!!

Jared


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

Arknismo said:


> Other than the tonneau cover, how much did all these mods cost for you if you don't mind me asking?


PSI = FREE
Tonneau = $250 (could have gotten it for around $200 or less on the Web)
Cruise Control = $300
Muffler = $175
K&N Filter = $30
Synthetics = $25 (trans & diff), ~$20 (crankcase)




Arknismo said:


> also, how much _do you think_ the mpg would increase if you did the last 3 mods in your list?


I would guess (maybe I would have a better idea if I had several fill-up data points before each mod  ) whatever extra MPG I may be getting is due mostly to the muffler. The filter & fluids probably help some and were relatively cheap and very easy to do. In theory, I should be getting some improvement with the tonneau and the cruise. I wasn't logging my MPG at that time, but I have the impression, from what I can remember, that the tonneau had little to no effect and cruise may have given me 1 MPG from what I was getting before (just a guess).



Arknismo said:


> I had a wreck in december and since I got my truck back (last friday) I have been getting about 16.5 mpg. Before the wreck I was getting about 17.7 or so. All with same driving conditions.


I would check behind the shop on things like:


Did they put all of the undercarriage shields (I know I have one under the engine) back on?
Are all of the wheels moving freely? No brakes binding/dragging.
Does the truck sit at the same height as before?
Is it aligned correctly and tracking down the road straight?

Just some thoughts.


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## Jsee (Jan 12, 2004)

*E85 - ethanol Gasoline Blend*

I have been on the board before asking about fuel mileage. However, Chevy and other car manufacturers are reallly pushing this E85 Blend fuel.

Question, Can you run this E85 blend in new cars, lets say 2002 and newere?
What Kind of damage, if any, would it cause.

We just purchased our Frontier and I would hate to have to go out and buy another car just to run this stuff.

So if any of you on this board know the answer, I would like to find out for myself too.

thanks all.


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## MrFancypants (Nov 18, 2005)

Jsee said:


> We just purchased our Frontier and I would hate to have to go out and buy another car just to run this stuff.
> 
> So if any of you on this board know the answer, I would like to find out for myself too.


E85 is not all it's cracked up to be. It's cheaper, but you'll get even worse fuel mileage than you already do. Ever notice that you get worse gas mileage in the winter? Thats because they junk up your gas with ethanol to help farmers stay afloat. Your gas mileage suffers.

Anyway the important thing is the lower cost of E85 does not offset the lower fuel mileage. Read this:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2006-02-14-e85-usat_x.htm?POE=TECISVA

Also, as far as the FSM and Owner's Manual state, the Frontier needs 87 octane at a minimum (not suitable for E85).


- Greg -


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## scuba91ta (Aug 19, 2005)

This should intrest all of you too - ethanol fuels may go away...




> EPA lifts requirements for states to add ethanol, MTBE to gas
> 
> WASHINGTON -- States no longer will have to add corn-based ethanol or MTBE to gasoline to fight pollution _ a requirement that costs as much as 8 cents a gallon _ under rules announced Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency.
> 
> ...


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

Jsee said:


> I have been on the board before asking about fuel mileage. However, Chevy and other car manufacturers are reallly pushing this E85 Blend fuel.
> 
> Question, Can you run this E85 blend in new cars, lets say 2002 and newere?
> What Kind of damage, if any, would it cause.
> ...


My $0.02 on this topic. 

One needs a flexible fuel vehicle FFV to run ethanol/gasoline. This mixture gets lower gas mileage because ethanol contains oxygen.....the ethane group is already partially burned. Politically, the farmers in this country want this to go big time as they would plant corn to beat the band. But sad to say, the economics of E85 is inferior to oil. Without Washington price supports, ETOH would fail. 

If the truth be known, we American are hooked on gasoline. Not because Bush said we are. We like the convenience, we like the power, we like the range. The only problem is $60/bbl oil. The day may come when we must use Hydrogen, E85, or other sources that are more inconvenient. I am a guilty as anybody else with my Nismo getting 16-17 mpg.


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## landmanlane (Feb 18, 2006)

volhub said:


> hey guys, im new to the nissan world. just bought a 06 frontier SE4x4 and im a little dissapointed in the gas mileage. i drive about 80 miles a day just to and from work. im not the most mechanically inclined but i was curious if there was anything to help maximize my miles to gallon ratio. i dont have a heavy foot at all and on my last tank, i got 14.5 miles a gallon. any insight would be appreciated. other than that, the truck is great!


 I get 20 mpg diving at 70 on cruise control, all interstate, 3000 miles on truck, have soft bed cover, K&N. 05 King Cab nismo. 15 mpg in town


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## xtreme43s10 (Oct 9, 2005)

should of got the 4 cyl :cheers: , my last tank i got 22 mpg, and avg 21-22 with alot of fast driving ( 80-85) on the highway thats with mix city and highway about 50/50. that was a big selling point on the 4 cyl for me, i don't need to tow anything, i don't need 4wd, and i don't need another fast vechile to get me in trouble. if anyone thinks it matters i have had 250 lbs of sand in the bed all winter. so far I'm very happy with my truck.


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## azrocketman (Oct 5, 2005)

"One needs a flexible fuel vehicle FFV to run ethanol/gasoline. This mixture gets lower gas mileage because ethanol contains oxygen.....the ethane group is already partially burned. Politically, the farmers in this country want this to go big time as they would plant corn to beat the band. But sad to say, the economics of E85 is inferior to oil. Without Washington price supports, ETOH would fail. " 


Actually, the reason one gets lower gas milage with ethanol than gasoline is that ethanol does not have the same energy content per gallon as gasoline. Gasoline has 125000 BTU's per gallon where ethanol has 76000 BTU's per gallon. All else being equal, you'll get almost twice the fuel economy with gasoline as with ethanol.

You might want to look at this web page:

http://www.cogeneration.net/FuelAndEnergyConversionandEquivalence.htm


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## kevin01 (Feb 18, 2006)

I have a 2006 V6 2 wheel drive. I am very happy so far with the fuel milage. My first four fill-ups, the milage was: 1) 17.8, 2) 18.9, 3) 20.4, 4) 18.5.
# 1,2,4 were all city driving. #3 had 25% hiway 75% city.

This is better then I expected, The window sticker claims 16 mpg city

I am waiting for the 3000 mile mark to change to synthetic oil. After I note the milage difference I will switch to a K&N air filter.


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

azrocketman said:


> "One needs a flexible fuel vehicle FFV to run ethanol/gasoline. This mixture gets lower gas mileage because ethanol contains oxygen.....the ethane group is already partially burned. Politically, the farmers in this country want this to go big time as they would plant corn to beat the band. But sad to say, the economics of E85 is inferior to oil. Without Washington price supports, ETOH would fail. "
> 
> 
> Actually, the reason one gets lower gas milage with ethanol than gasoline is that ethanol does not have the same energy content per gallon as gasoline. Gasoline has 125000 BTU's per gallon where ethanol has 76000 BTU's per gallon. All else being equal, you'll get almost twice the fuel economy with gasoline as with ethanol.
> ...


Azrocketman,

I intentionally used a non-technical phrase "already partially burned" to describe the effect of oxygen in gasoline. This is in deference to the character of this board which is has limited technical understanding on the fundamentals of energy conversion. Ethanol’s lower heat of combustion as compared to gasoline is due to the alcohol group (-OH) on the ethane molecule. So to say that ethanol is "partially burned" is incorrect. But ethanol as compared to ethane has one less bond to combine with oxygen during combustion. This results in lower energy release, i.e. lower heat of combustion.


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

CT_Nismo said:


> If the truth be known, we American are hooked on gasoline. Not because Bush said we are. We like the convenience, we like the power, we like the range. The only problem is $60/bbl oil. The day may come when we must use Hydrogen, E85, or other sources that are more inconvenient. I am a guilty as anybody else with my Nismo getting 16-17 mpg.


I'd like to think I'm stuck with it more than "hooked" (a 30 mile round trip bike ride would be doable I guess, but a little tough every day). Personally, at this point, I think I'd pay $5/gal for gas grown in this country (better than subsidizing farmers not to grow things) if it meant telling the rest of the world they can drink their oil (and keeping us out of their continual fighting). Until then, I'll get my 26.6 MPG and try to squeeze as much more out of my truck as I can.


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

We American have choices. Our transportation system is built mainly around the car. If we really wanted to be energy efficient, we would have taxed gasoline $3.00/gal (as they have done in Europe for many years) and seen everyone migrate to tight cities. But we like the FREEDOM and the power to choose where we go and when to go. Connected to this freedom is the obligation to do business with people that do not like us. But insofar that these choices have been made for you and I, we are stuck.

But I confess, I like the freedom and the zoom power.


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

What kind of gas are you guys running to get these numbers? Regular, Premium? Have you noticed any difference between running regular and premium? What kind of power gains and MPG gains are there between the two?


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## CT_Nismo (Dec 25, 2005)

I am running 87 octane. I think the consensus of this board is that you can get more power with premium and only marginally better mpg with premium.

I think my problem is winter gasoline: Too many cold starts and short trips. When it warms up, I should do better. Also, I buy my gas at Costco which advertises that it places up to 10% ethanol in the mix.


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## 05 NISMO 4X4 (Jun 4, 2005)

Check this out, it should help answer your question about Regular v. Premium fuel: Fuel Economy

I added an AirAid CAI and a Power Aid TBS to my truck, and it's helped a bit. I was getting about 16.4 to 16.6 mpg and now I'm getting 17.8 to 18 mpg. That's conservative driving on an 60/40 city/highway commute of about 16 miles one way. I'm hopeing it will improve some more when we're off the winterized fuel too!


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## avenger (Oct 7, 2005)

i get 16.1 mpg on premium fuel (Chevron 91 is all my truck has ever gets) with a custom flowmaster exhaust and the K&N Non CARB-EO Intake kit. I have a heavy foot sometimes, and my highway cruising speed is 85 (usually, sometimes 90)


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## MEDEL514 (Nov 24, 2005)

Well that sounds good, My other car knocks and gets piss poor gas milage on anything less than premium. Are there any power gains between the two gasolines?


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

MEDEL514 said:


> What kind of gas are you guys running to get these numbers? Regular, Premium? Have you noticed any difference between running regular and premium? What kind of power gains and MPG gains are there between the two?


FWIW, I've been keeping a spreadsheet on my fuel consumption / MPG for the last few months. I had always used 87 octane in my 4-cyl truck and had no problems with pinging/knocking and no complaints about performance. I am currently on my third tankful of 89 octane and haven't noticed any difference in the truck's performance (but then, like I've said, I don't push the truck very hard). I plan on matching my 12, 87 octane, fill-ups with 12, 89 octane, fill-ups and then I can compare the two sets. There are always other factors (weather, driving conditions, and on and on), but I guess it'll give me something to compare.


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## 56cbr600rr (May 16, 2005)

I'm averaging 17.6 mpg mixed city/highway. Last fill up I got 18.4!!!:jump:


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## neicedover1982 (Jan 27, 2006)

I was getting around 14.3 in my truck for a little while. I have started just trying to drive a little less "lead foot". I only made a few changes to how I drive and I am up to 14.6. I miss seeing that 300+ when I filled up last november when i first bought the truck. Maybe with a little more practice the changes I made to driving will before natural and I wont even think about doing them and I can get more mpg


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