I do a 25 mils round trip to and from work every day and random places over the week car has been well cared for. it only has 50300 miles on it. Anything I should get checked ? It seems once it gets below 1/2 the little gauge goes down quicker.
Let's start with you giving us ANY information at all.
What engine?
Is service up to date?
What are your driving conditions?
What is your driving style?
Is the CEL on?
What tire PSI are you running?
Have anything on the roof?
250 miles per tank in an H6 doing mostly city driving isn't too abnormal. In an H4 at 65MPG on the highway, something is wrong.
Driving conditions are fine
driving style I don't drive recklessly I don't necessarily speed I'm usually doing 65.
engine is an h4 I'm pretty sure no cover on the engine
service is up to just had work done not to long ago.
psi in the tires is around 48
nothing on top of my roof.
Yes 28 psi is correct sorry. I was looking online and it says the tank is 16 gallons , and when I fill I up it takes 12 to 13 depending on the time I'm thinking my gauge is messed up so it's saying my gas is lower then what it is. Usually when I get below a half of a tank it goes down alot faster.
48 PSI in the tires? That seems a bit high, must be a harsh ride. I have 38 PSI in mine, and I think recommendation from factory is 31 PSI. Manufacture rating is almost always too low and you can and probably should go higher than 31 PSI. 48 PSI just seems excessive but maybe not...
In the winter I can't quite reach 300 miles/tank in my '03 2.5. I think the best I've done is about 320-330 100% highway. 250 does seem low.
I run my tires at 35PSI front, 34PSI rear, as it keeps the factory ratio but firmed up the soft riding Michelins I've got.
For me, a pure city tank will average about 20MPG, and a pure highway tank will average between 26 and 31, depending on where the cruise control is set. I think I've broken 400 miles on a pure highway run, but I was on fumes at the fuel stop.
The gauge reads very conservatively on the low end, at least in Kaylee. But I try to never have less than a quarter tank on principle.
you will probably ruin the tires, check the sticker on the drivers door frame for 'proper' pressures. In reality, many of us run 2-3 psi above those pressures but, you are wearing the center of the tire too quickly and probably would have poor emergency handling. You probably need something like 30 in the front, 29 in the rear.
you may need some professional help troubleshooting why your car isn't running more efficiently.
post a new thread asking for a shop recommendation in your city. might get lucky and someone here can suggest a good mechanic.
2000- 2003 era h4 ob in mixed use 25 mile commutes 20-25 mpg tank averages would be very normal.
15mpg averages would only happen if your doing lots of idling in stopped traffic. How long is your commute?
A failing sensor resulting in very rich run would be another suspect if your 25 mile commute is only 40-50 minutes. If were talking 1.5hr 25 mile drive then your car might be fine. That engine burns lots of fuel at idle, Ive burned through a half tank running the AC idling in a parking lot for 3hrs.
You have a 16 gallon tank. The fuel light goes on with about 3gallons left. When you fill up do you put 14-15 gallons in it?
Old fuel sender sensors can show a low or empty tank when you still have a quater or more left.
How much are you putting at fill up? Guessing 11-12 gallons? Which means your doing 20-22mpg that would be in normal range pending temps and how much idling your doing.
some people have carried a can of gas with them and purposely run the car dry.
If you do that, put exactly one gallon in, then refuel at a nearby station, you should know very close to the actual volume of the tank. It isn't an ideal thing to do.(fuel pump can get hot, debris might collect on the 'sock') But both my cars seem to have 'about' 2-3 gallons left when the orange light comes on.
If you're putting in 11-12 gallons at 250 miles, that's 20.8-22.8ish MPG. My '03 5-speed wagon window stickers at 22 city, 27 highway, so to be honest you're not that far off. My normal drive is about 50% highway, 50% back roads/stop lights, and I average about 24 MPG. In the winter it dips closer to the 22 end. You didn't say where you live or if it's still chilly out.
Once it gets warmer, I run the A/C due to my allergies so it's rare I ever see 26+ MPG. It's a heavy car with short gearing, and I don't putt-putt on the highway, so I don't expect miracles.
When I had my '01 Outback VDC, the light seemed to never come on... until I decided to go until it ran out. Well... the light eventually did come on. It seems this generation is very cautious towards the end of the tank. Mine was literally on the "E" line before the light would come on. I still had about 1.5-2 gallons left at that point.
My general rule of thumb, as mentioned, is about 2-3 PSI over what's listed on the door. I can't remember what this generation Outback recommends, but my '05 Legacy wagon is 34 front and 36 rear. I run them 2 PSI above that.
For the general running around you're doing, your mileage doesn't seem too far off. Check the air filter. When were plugs and wires done last? Run 2 tanks of Chevron Techron through it. Consider replacing the front air/fuel sensor (O2). Consider doing a SeaFoam Spry treatment for the throttle body. Check and clean/replace the PCV valve. Use good synthetic oil. Change the transmission fluid.
There are many things you can try to get a little better gas mileage.
The second half of the tank does seem to go by faster than the first, but that is probably due to the fact almost all gas tanks are irregularly shaped, so a float system doesn't detect the remaining amount with any serious accuracy. I had a vehicle that would drain in a fast-slow-slow-fast (per quarter tank), other that was slow-slow-fast-slow, and other permutations.
I just drove from Indiana to Florida, then the other way 2 weeks later. Got ~26mpg avg. for both trips, peaking at 27.5mpg. That was with AC running half of each trip, and only used cruise control the return trip for straight, level runs. I tended to refill based on fuel price research via Gas Buddy, so I didn't wait until 3/4 empty or lower, but based on filling 1/2 down or so at the cheapest points on the route. This gave me ~200 miles per run. I KNOW my tank isn't good for 350 miles before empty mark.
Oh, and I think the low fuel light comes on once the needle hits solidly on E. I don't think Subaru plays the game where they whine at you before E. Americans are the ones who push their vehicles well into reserve on fair occasion, and think Subaru designs for the more disciplined mindset of Asians and Europeans. I've seen USDM vehicles with low fuel lights that come on at 1/4 tank remaining.
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