40+ mpg ave doable from a 1st gen Miata?

[CAPTAIN CHAOS]

So I've been continuously bitten by the 'fun car' bug for some time now. I love the simplicity and utter cheapness of my Saturn but I'd love to commute in something a little more 'entertaining'. My thoughts keep wandering back to a Miata.
My thing is though, I'd like to be able to average 40mpg (or close to it) on my 80mi, mostly hwy/county roads, daily commute and I'd like to do it without any crazy boat-tail modifications or extreme hyper-miler techniques; just with careful, attentive driving at modest speeds (55mph).
I see lots of unimpressive mileage reports on the Miata's from various sources but I can't help but wonder if the 25-30mpg claims are just from people who can't control their right foot long enough to get into the MPG 'butter zone' of this car. I figure if anyone can get some decent numbers from a Miata their bound to be in here.

So, what can these little go-carts do when driven 'properly'?
Keep in mind too that I'm no stranger to turning wrenches and if some modification is required to meet my goals (like say a final diff swap) I have no problem with that. I just don't want to ruin the look of the car with pizza pans, boat-tails and coroplast stuck on everywhere.

[Fat Charlie]

They're small enough. With reasonable tires some real P&G could probably get there just fine.

[Daox]

You'll need to P&G for sure, but its doable.

[Chrysler kid]

"Anything's a dido if you're brave enough"

Hell there is a guy on here with a crown vic getting 30+ mpg, it's just depends how hard core you are with fuel conservation methods. He could be drafting greyhound busses for his routes for all I know

But yes it's do able but it will take some dedication. One of the reasons I love my civic is that it is extremely roomy on the inside and haS a big trunk, and I regularly get 40mpg with a good tank of gas and easy driving.

Is it worth driving a 2 seater car that is small and old to get you places is what you need to decide

[user removed]

Short geared screamer on a nice twisty @ 55mph?

I owned one but I'm too big for it at 6 feet. Always wondered about the 99 and later models as far me fitting in there better.

If the car fit me it would be almost automotive heaven, and I could care less about 40 mpg, 35 would be fine, but you could probably do the whole run in top gear and stay over 3k rpm. I wonder if the 6 speed is better?

regards
mech

[MetroMPG]

YES: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...0-a-18667.html

I average 45+ MPG real world driving. I can get over 50 MPG if I economize.

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Engine swaps aside...

What are you averaging in your Saturn? How high above its EPA highway rating is that?

Do a rough calculation: apply the same % difference to the Miata's highway rating for the same driving speeds/style. It won't be exact, but it'll get you in the ballpark. Knock some more off for top-down motoring.

[jeffcat]

I'm sure it can be done but gearing is your biggest enemy. You are going to be cruising at really high RPMs because it's geared so short. Your best bet is a larger overall diameter tire to change the gearing and get the RPMs down. Obviously make sure the air vane or maf is all up to snuff. The engine doesn't do bad...it's just geared extremely short for obvious reasons. The 323 had the same 1.6 and got 37mpg.

The miata is God awful in terms of aero. The hardtop has the least drag. Also put an R style front lip in the front bumper as an air dam. Around the rear bumper you need an underbody tray because the bumper cover acts like a parachute. The whole underbody could use a tray to be honest. Then you could go for narrower wheels if you have some or put some racing style fender flares on it to enclose the wheels better.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

YES: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...0-a-18667.html



----

Engine swaps aside...

What are you averaging in your Saturn? How high above its EPA highway rating is that?

Do a rough calculation: apply the same % difference to the Miata's highway rating for the same driving speeds/style. It won't be exact, but it'll get you in the ballpark. Knock some more off for top-down motoring.

That's a good idea assuming the cars are similar, both small, both manuals. The EPA test seems to in a way penalize larger cars on the city and highway test, and aerodynamic cars on the highway test. Why that 2002 4cylinder Camry thread shows such good highway cruise MPG even though the EPA claims it's not stellar. The EPA test makes the car drive like a moron is behind the wheel... and yet the general population complains they can't even get EPA numbers. I think manuals also do a lot better then EPA also, again driving for economy.

A lighter car isn't as penalized with brisk acceleration and heavy braking as physics says it just is easier to do with less mass. The areodynamics don't help much as the speeds of the tests are pretty low, the average speed on the highway test is only 48.3 MPH even on the "high speed" test.

[jeffcat]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

That's a good idea assuming the cars are similar, both small, both manuals. The EPA test seems to in a way penalize larger cars on the city and highway test, and aerodynamic cars on the highway test. Why that 2002 4cylinder Camry thread shows such good highway cruise MPG even though the EPA claims it's not stellar. The EPA test makes the car drive like a moron is behind the wheel... and yet the general population complains they can't even get EPA numbers. I think manuals also do a lot better then EPA also, again driving for economy.

A lighter car isn't as penalized with brisk acceleration and heavy braking as physics says it just is easier to do with less mass. The areodynamics don't help much as the speeds of the tests are pretty low, the average speed on the highway test is only 48.3 MPH even on the "high speed" test.

The Miata has horrendous aero. Most SUVs have better cd. The wheels, underbody, and back of the car is so horrific. We know people that pick up 10mph on straightaways with drag reduction.

[CigaR007]

An interesting take on the Miata's Aerodynamics.

https://hanchagroup.wordpress.com/tag/miata/