# 1997 200sx fuel consumption



## Gregorio (Dec 20, 2008)

i think my 1997 200sx with 1.6 engine auto transmission should get more mileage on full tank ...i did about 310 miles on full tank - most city miles ...correct me if im wrong but i think i should get more .
Thanks


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

310 ain't too bad. I get about 350 with mixed city/highway in my '97 Sentra A/T w/186K miles.
If you're running the tank to empty (which you shouldn't be doing in the first place), 13.2 gallons @ 310 miles = 23.4mpg. Yes, low, but if you're doing city driving, there ya go.
It's all about the right foot and keeping out of it.


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## xumox (Jan 18, 2008)

I have a 99 sentra GXE (auto tranny, 4-2-1 headers and 18 wheels) and it's getting about 16-17 city miles, i live in Dom. Rep. and I'd brought the car to a mechanic to verify if everything is working correctly, their answer is "yes" but i'm almost sure that my car has a problem. Any suggestions?

Thanks


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

With 4-2-1 headers and 18" wheels, I'd bet dime to a dollar that says you're hot-rodding around town every chance you get too. And with that, I'd say 16-17 MPG would be about good..unless you know for an absolute *FACT* that you used to get a lot better fuel mileage driving around. Anything else is anecdotal evidence at best.
If you really want good info, get a realtime OBD scanner and log some data. Watch the O2 sensors, MAF, TPS, etc. Only then will you know if your fuel mileage is decent for your driving habits, or if something is really actually wrong (which I'd doubt).
When was the last time you gave the car a good tune up? A really good tune up....


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## skeeter123 (Apr 30, 2010)

Hey, 16mpg isn't bad for an 18-wheeler..... 

But, if it came stock with 14" wheels and you've gone to 18"; did you modify the speedometer/odometer to calcualte the right speed/distance? I'll bet you're going 18/14= 28% farther than you think, and getting 16*1.28= 20.5mpg. Not great for a 1.6L, but better than 16mpg.


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## pepperjack13 (Jun 20, 2010)

310 mi isn't that bad, last time I saw the low fuel light was at 345 mostly highway miles. Using scangauge in my 97 sentra a/t with 176k miles I have seen as low as 23mpg in city( usually 27 city/31-33 mpg highway). 

@XUMOX 16-17 mpg is too low even with 18 inch rims, my car used to have 17s and never saw less than 22-23 mpg but it might be possible if you have drive hard all the time


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

Here's a trick I use to measure MPG on any car. First fill up your tank to the brim and reset the odometer. Use the car normally and whenever you decide to fill up(doesnt matter if its 1/2 tank 3/4) make sure you fill it all the way up again.

Now, take note of the gallons of gasoline you put in your car and the miles on the odometer. Divide the miles by the ammount of gasoline used to fill up the tank, the result is your pretty precise mpg.
example: I filled up with 10.75 gallons and my odometer says 240 miles
240/10.75=22.33
so, in this example the car is doing 22 miles per gallon.

Hope this helps!

BTW, last time I filled up I got 24.8 mpg. I have done some tweaks since then so lets see how much I get now...


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

motoman740 said:


> Here's a trick I use to measure MPG "


Trick? Are you kidding?
Seriously?


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

jdgrotte said:


> Trick? Are you kidding?
> Seriously?


:wtf:

you better check yourself before you wreck yourself...


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

@motoman740

How else would you get mpg? that's what _everyone_ has been doing since the 1920's. these sentra's don't have fancy comptuers that calculate all that for you. hence jdgrotte's tactless comment.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Jdoggsc said:


> @motoman740
> 
> How else would you get mpg? that's what _everyone_ has been doing since the 1920's. these sentra's don't have fancy comptuers that calculate all that for you. hence jdgrotte's tactless comment.


Tactless? Yes...
True? Yes...
Priceless? I rest my case.


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

Yes, I understand the formula has been done that way for decades. But if im not mistaken, in the previous posts you guys were trying to measure mpg based on fuel tank capacity... When in my case I point out measuring MPG based on fuel consumed using a full tank as a starting point  2 totally different ways of measuring fuel consumption. Its my 2 cents


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

no worries, man. The first guy was asking about range, and the best way to estimate range is based mainly on tank capacity and then on mpg. No need to feel like we're getting on your case. Jdg (who just changed his name from jdgrotte?) is often an ass to people but you can't discredit his advice, because he _*does*_ know his stuff!


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

But...
Name one person that's ran his tank completely empty, at the risk of being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, at the risk of roasting an in-tank fuel pump, at the risk of clogging up the fuel pump inlet screen with all that crud at the bottom of the tank, all to get a good ESTIMATE of range, when we all know perfectly well, the next time we fill up, the temperature will be different, driving conditions will be different, the combined total weight of the vehicle will vary, tire pressure will be different, the quality of the fuel may not be the same...and so on and so on...and that one person will probably be some college educated punk with all book learning and no practical.
Dontcha think it might be a bit better of an idea to get your gas mileage off what you put in for the last fill up, do the division, and multiply it back out by 13.2 gallons (which is what my '97 Sentra tank holds from bone dry which I know because I took it last year to fix a dent and measured the fill up.

And who says the B14 Sentra doesn't have a fancy computer to calculate MPG?
Mine does!


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

After advancing my ignition timing to 15 deg I am now getting 26 mpg city. 2 mpg improvement. I still am trying to see how I can manage the 30mpg city that many people get with these cars...


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

It's all about the right foot.
I don't consistently get 30mpg in the city on my '97 Sentra (1.6L, A/T). Usually around 26-ish. But if I keep my foot out of it between fill ups, I can squeeze 30+ out of it. Highway only, I get 32mpg holding 65-70mph, 35+mpg if I keep my right foot out of it.
3 years ago, I went to Yellowstone in my '98 200SX-SE, GA16DE, M/T. I got 56mpg for one tank while tooling around Yellowstone, never went above 45MPH, following campers, 5th gear except for the steep uphills, etc. Got 575 miles before the low fuel light went on. Extreme case, yes, sure...but it's doable.


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

I've gotten 50mpg of purely interstate driving. That was on the desert interstate from LA, CA to Phoenix, AZ. 600 miles on 12 gallons going 72mph the whole way. I got that 2x and haven't been able to reproduce it since, but 23 is the *WORST* i've ever gotten. the last 2 years I averaged 37 and now I'm somewhere around 34, but I've also been driving with a heavier foot since I notice myself trying to make my Sentra move like my motorcycle. heh.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

You talking about that stretch of I-10?
Ya...nothing but flat there. I've been on it twice, once in the 200SX, once in my truck.
Funny how the gas prices (and possibly quality) changes right there at Blythe.


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## Gregorio (Dec 20, 2008)

well ...im going to FL from NJ ...and im taking sx200 to save on gas ....i will see how much i can save ...my other car is dodge nitro ...22 mpg on highway


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## Jdoggsc (Dec 25, 2007)

jdg said:


> You talking about that stretch of I-10?
> Ya...nothing but flat there. I've been on it twice, once in the 200SX, once in my truck.


that's the one!



jdg said:


> Funny how the gas prices (and possibly quality) changes right there at Blythe.


Eh.. don't get me started on California and it's bloated pricing. I will never live there. Not worth it--way too unnecessarily expensive, and too many snobs.


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

When i started out with my 200, i was getting about 18 mpg city. I have been slowly improving the mpg. Now im at 26 mpg city. There has been alot of progress. I wonder if by using 93 octane with a more advanced timing would be a considerable mpg improvement...


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

18 MPG with a GA16DE? What year? Transmission? And all that? 'cause 18MPH is really bad for those motors. Even 26MPG can be improved on.


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## motoman740 (Jan 17, 2011)

when it started out with 18 mpg it had seen alot of neglect. the only thing the previous owner changed was the oil. I was using premium gas and as soon as I switched to regular it bumped up to 20mpg.
since then for engine fuel economy I have:
-stock replacement K&N air filter(350z owner threw it away when he installed an intake, to my amazement it fits in my car)
-new wireset
-dist cap and rotor
-pcv valve
-tipe-r sticker
-advanced timing 16 deg
-pacesetter header
-ngk gp platinum plugs, then changed em to bosch coppers(downgrade), will soon change them again
-Throttle body coolant bypass for lower intake temps

Things that I think are hampering fuel economy for me:
-The spark plugs are POS my next ones might be the stock ngk laser plugs found on the SR20(i read somewhere that they were the best for our cars, lets see)
-The egr delete has wreaked havoc on my idle and I didnt notice 1 bit of power gain + it hurts mother earth= might put it back on. I noticed that the ecm on our cars is deeply reliant on the egr system and if you eliminate it the ecm doesnt adjust correctly thus hurting your fuel economy.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

I think you hit the nail on the head(s).
Where's the O2 sensor place in that header? Does it read only a single cylinder or all of them after they "collect" together?
EGR - yep, others will swear at it, I swear by it. The only place EGR affects a guy is at idle and part-throttle cruise..doesn't have anything to do with anything when your foot is on the floor.
Go back to the stock plugs, NGK-whatever-your-year-engine-wants. Back off the timing back to stock. These things have knock sensors. Too much advance and the ECU will spend more and more of it's time backing off the timing to eliminate the ping and the ECU takes out more timing than you added in the first place. Up to a point, a bit of extra advance is ok, but too advance much will come back to bite you.


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## lenstrum (Sep 17, 2012)

That`s about right. I got about that with an automatic, but moved up to around 30mpg with a manual tranny, city.


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## thxone (Feb 7, 2012)

-1997 200sx SE 5-speed
-210,090 miles
-eBay header 4-2-1
-Due to previous owners blown head gasket - milled and surfaced head
-Due to my own blown head gasket due to the choice of shops by the P.O. - Milled and surfaced head was verified by my speed shop who replaced my head gasket.
-Timing set at Apprx. 12*
-No CEL or MIL or the like
-Custom Aluminum and Brass EGR tube
-185/65/14 tires
-10w-40 oil
-Deer whistles
-Sylvania zXe headlights
-100w yellow driving lights
-Black grill
-NISMO badges... 35hp each 

I have discovered a few things about this car. The most important thing is to *NOT ADD MORE FUEL TO THE GAS TANK AFTER THE PUMP STOPS ON ITS OWN WHEN FULL!!*! I used to squeeze a bunch more fuel in the tank after it was full and that is a really bad idea. My check engine light was always on and throwing an EGR code briefly but most often an *EVAP purge solenoid code (Code P1441)* After many tanks full of gas I discovered that my EVAP purge solenoid code was a direct result of what I was doing. By filling up the tank well past full I think the EVAP system was pulling raw fuel through the solenoid rather than just fumes. No matter what was happening, when I stopped over filling my tank, the light went out. I tested this by over filling it recently... the light came back on quickly and at a half tank on my gauge I only traveled 155 miles.

Now, onto my MPG results... 

I deliver pizza and this is the only car I own currently. This is constant stop and go driving with 60mph treks mixed in. I am averaging 28-31 MPG while delivering. At the half tank mark, dead center, I am traveling on average, 210-223 miles. I have hit 244 miles once. I have used VG's (Vortex Generators also from eBay). They added 7 miles to my tank... though 7 miles could have come from variances in my driving aggression. They do look nice above the back window and I am sure they work as I have no clearcoat on my spoiler now lol. I am currently working on getting over 30mpg right now. As you can see in the pic my mileage on the car, how much gas I have used from full (stopped pumping when the pump shut off on its own when full) and how many miles I have went since full on the trip meter. Nothing has been altered and this was one shift at work with no fill-ups, just straight driving for 6 hours stop and go. Not running A/C... only lights and radio.


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