2017 mazda3 getting 44+ mpg
 

I recently got a 2017 mazda3 standard in addition to my 2008 mitsubishi evolution mr. Aside from lack of a turbo's torque punch, the aggressive steering setup with high negative caster and responsive 14:1 compression motor has blown all my expectations away and I havent driven my evo in 2 weeks now. i used to average 12.5-13L/100km or roughly 17mpg on 94 octane gas on my evo and now i'm getting about 7.4L/100km (total average since purchased) or 32mpg on 87 regular gas with the 3. Not to mention the much lower emissions. My evo produces visible smoke under boost and you could literally smell your money get blown away! I'm a car guy and every car i bought has been heavily modified and this mazda is no exception. i currently have a ride height drop of 1.5", bigger 19x8" forged wheels with wide sticky tires, aem cold air intake and a ecu flash. Even with these mods my mileage is still improving. I think this is in part to the engine breaking in...I only have 1,500 miles on the odo. Today I average 5.4L/100km on my drive to work or roughly 44mpg! Also failed to mention that the 32mpg includes a some driving in the backroads :p Very happy so far and looking to get back into the eco game despite my not so economical mods.

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I'm impressed. What sort of tune do you have? Any chance of running it more on the lean side at part load, and only stoich or rich as it nears WoT, for improved economy?

i have left fueling stock as it's already very good from factory. 14.7-15.2:1 very light throttle. i mostly upped ignition timing in cruise areas and added more intake valve timing cam advance at high rpm. the intake is already very retarded at cruise - there's is about 100* cam retard at cruise! atkinson cycle or whatever it's called. however i found that ignition timing was way too conservative at cruise and 50-70% load area so i bumped it 2-5* knock free. planning on adding 2* total and upping to 89 gas for more power. an extra 1* is a lot of timing on this much compression and advanced cam (high load).

Congrats, thats pretty great mileage.

Very sexy car. If I was to get a new car right now it would be a mazda3 :D

Direct injection sure has its downsides when it comes to NOx emissions, but mileage-wise it can do wonders in a high-compression engine.