My own findings over the years? I get 28-30 mpg city and 33-34 highway in my AP1 and I never let the RPMs fall below 3,000 once rolling. If I'm doing it wrong I should be getting crappy MPG's.

The lower the RPM with the wider throttle opening = most efficient? I'd really like to learn more about this...interesting.

 

Mines an automatic.

 

not saying you're 'ing but i just have a hard time believing what you said. 28-30 mpg CITY?? what kind of city driving are you talking about, cause that's the type of mpg most people would get from all highway driving. in fact that's even higher than EPA estimates for this car which is like 18/25 i believe.

i get like 22-23 mpg combined in NYC with maybe 1/2 city (including frequent stopping from traffic lights, stop signs, etc) and 1/2 highway and i vtec everyday. i'm not complaining about this number either cause i'd like to see a 350z/g35 get these kind of numbers with same driving style.

back on topic, i shift around 2500-3500 usually depending on how fast i want to go. i don't know about ap1's but ap2's are pretty good even at 2500 rpm.

 

I agree. City I am lucky to get 23, more like 20 if I am doing ANY acceleration and run the AC. Highway i have hit 30 before, top up cruising at around 75.

For 35mph, I would be in 4th or 5th, depending on grade.

 

If i am just cruising i have no problems putting the car in 6th. Keep the rpms low and just relax and not worry about anymore upshifts.

 

Lower RPMs minimize friction losses, wider throttle openings minimize pumping losses. The hypermilers in their first-gen Insights and manual first-gen Civics generally go full throttle to about 2000 RPM and then shift. The goal is to get into top gear as soon as possible. It's also why the "pulse and glide" technique yields better mileage than steady-throttle cruising, because you basically run the throttle in two modes: fully open and completely off, which minimizes pumping losses.

The AP2 S2000 will pull from around 1500 RPM and you can shift by 2000 RPM, as long as you're not in a hurry. Not saying this is a fun way to drive the car, but it will yield the best mileage. AP1s probably need a few more revs.

As for individual results, tires make a huge difference. No one is getting 30 MPG with a set of Dunlop Star Specs regardless of how they drive, but if you have hard tires, it's easy to top 30 MPG.

 

^that's interesting, i didn't know there was a theory behind all this.

so what you're saying is, when i start off the line, go WOT until it reaches around 2500 rpm (don't think i could shift at 2k), shift until i hit the highest gear right? pretty much avoid holding the throttle in lightly, especially when i'm driving on highway? this is completely opposite of what i've been doing but if it works i'm willing to try it.

 

Your gas mileage is based on how much gas you are squirting, meaning, how hard you are hitting the pedal on the right. For you to pass a car (generate x amount of inertia) in 3rd might only require 1/4 throttle, but passing the SAME car in 6th might require full throttle, thus, the same result is achieved using MORE fuel.

 

Absolutely not true.

RPM has NOTHING to do with gas use. I've done 8500 rpm without using ANY gas.

 

Again, this theory might work in a vacuum, but not in reality.

Say to came to a light on a 50mph blvd. You are at a standstill, and need to get back up to 50. If you do it your way (shift at 3000 rpm to get to top gear quickly), you will press the gas pedal HARDER, thus your TPS will open the injectors more, meaning, more fuel.

This is assuming you want to get up to 50 in the same amount of time. You can do it your way, with 1/4 throttle, but it will take you a mile to hit 50.