B13 Sentra SE-R: 52mpg

[ShadeTreeMech]

Originally Posted by nissanlover90

you actually under sized and way overinflated which leads to aggressive tire wear try 195/50r14 @ 35psi but other than that congrats on the awesome mpg

I run 50 psi in all my tires as well, no issues to date. I have a buddy that inflates his F-250 tires to 80 psi to gain economy, and those tires will last him close to 50k according to his experience. Mind you we're talking about 12 ply rated tires, but it's suprising the number of myths you see debunked here.

[Red Lion]

Well, I got a disappointing 35.57mpg on a 142.3 mile/4 gallons even road trip.
Haha but as always, I have a few loss buffers, such as the 15mph wind I was fighting. Let me tell you, I could really notice it today compared to my last trip. The car struggled to go 55 downhill! It felt like I was fighting a wall of air.

Also, about 15 of those 142 miles was city (which I only average about 22mpg city right now). I felt like taking out the CB for the trip so the trunk mount antenna probably didn't help matters either.


Hopefully it won't be that windy for a trip I have coming up, and I should have a belly pan and front bumper cover/work done by then.

[nissanlover90]

id like to thank yall for the welcome . i tried inflating mine to 40psi and i wore through to slick in about 2 months, i was suggesting the wider tire to help with traction in momentum friendly turning. i use my car as a work car ( delivering pizza) ive tried skinnies and was disappointed in the traction so now i run meaties at dealer recommended psi and they last about 6 to 7 months depending on how hard i have to be on them. i dont know how many miles im going now because my speedometer cable finally snapped but i average half a tank per 2 days of delivering. good luck on your upcoming trip im hoping for great tailwinds for ya.

[ShadeTreeMech]

How much do you pay for tires? sounds like you might be getting some low quality tires. i bought tires once from wal-mart and they didn't last very long at all.

I'd do some research into some good tires for your car that'll take a good beating without causing you to buy tires so often. My experience has been tires that cost twice as much as the cheapest generally last way more than twice as long

[Red Lion]

Thanks Nissanlover!

I need to research, but I wonder if running straight into the wind is the equivalent of driving at a higher speed, based on the wind speed. For example: if I drive 55mph straight into a 15mph wind, does that have the same effect on aero and mpg as driving 70mph on a wind-less road?

[sarguy01]

Originally Posted by Red Lion

Thanks Nissanlover!

I need to research, but I wonder if running straight into the wind is the equivalent of driving at a higher speed, based on the wind speed. For example: if I drive 55mph straight into a 15mph wind, does that have the same effect on aero and mpg as driving 70mph on a wind-less road?

Driving at 55 into a 15 mph wind is more or less the same as driving at 70 mph. Only for the wind aspect.

It is not the same for everything else. Rolling resistance changes, engine rpm's are different, etc.

[Red Lion]

^Thanks for the input.
You're right, definitely not the same. At 55mph I didn't feel like I was in the powerband to muscle through the wind that I have had at 70mph (2700rpm-ish vs. 3500rpm). That definitely made things feel worse.