gas consumption

[BIGBLUE1212]

how much is it to fill the tank on a 97 legacy?(if the price of gas is at a dollar) and how long can you go for on a tank?

[firstwagon]

how much is it to fill the tank on a 97 legacy?(if the price of gas is at a dollar) and how long can you go for on a tank?

 

If it were completely empty, it would cost $60.00 fill the tank and it would go roughly 600 km (more on the hwy)

[idosubaru]

there are many variables here. size of gas tank, EJ22 or EJ25, gearing, transmission, highway or city mileage.....mileage varies from 18 - 35 depending on vehicle and driving style.

[OB99W]

Just so this doesn't get really confusing, I'm going to stick my nose in and make a few assumptions that will hopefully clarify things...

 

 

how much is it to fill the tank on a 97 legacy?(if the price of gas is at a dollar) and how long can you go for on a tank?

That appears to be referring to one Canadian dollar per liter.

 

 

there are many variables here. size of gas tank, EJ22 or EJ25, gearing, transmission, highway or city mileage.....mileage varies from 18 - 35 depending on vehicle and driving style.

The gas mileage range quoted is in miles per US gallon.

 

I just love the fact that the US never fully adopted international units.

[lekmedm]

I just love the fact that the US never fully adopted international units.

 

I concur! What's the big deal with that? We buy a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi, but a half gallon (2 quarts) of milk. C'mon, my fellow Americans... Can't we straighten out this BS and finally go metric...?

[Manarius]

Assuming the price of gas is $3.00/gal and you run it bone dry (not recommended), one fill up would cost $48. Range if average MPG is 20 is 320 miles. 20 is a bit conservative though.

[Martinjmpr]

Last time I ran my car down below "e" on the gas gauge, it cost me just over $42 to fill it (at $2.91/gal) and my MPG (mostly city) averaged out to around 25.5. I always reset my tripmeter when I fill up and in this case I put in gas at about 405 miles.

[OB99W]

Last time I ran my car down below "e" on the gas gauge, it cost me just over $42 to fill it (at $2.91/gal) and my MPG (mostly city) averaged out to around 25.5. I always reset my tripmeter when I fill up and in this case I put in gas at about 405 miles.

Okay, now you've got me going. According to your profile:

City: Denver, CO, USA

Vehicles: '99 OBW, Dark green, AT

 

I live in a somewhat hilly area, and have a car that matches the description of yours. But in local driving I only get about 20 mpg, and I'm a conservative driver. Therefore I'm envious of your 25.5 "mostly city" mpg; I can get 26-27 mpg, but only on the highway.

 

If you don't mind, could you tell us what pressure you keep in your tires? Do you run dino or synthetic oil? How long is a typical trip, and at what speed? Do you have the roof rack bars on?

 

By the way, I tried to calculate your mpg using the figures you gave. If you spent "just over $42" for gas at $2.91/gal, then you bought about 14.5 gals. If you went 405 miles on that amount of gas, you got close to 28 mpg, not 25.5. Now I really would like to know more about your car and trips.

[nipper]

It's the fact that the car is green. Green cars get better gas mileage

 

 

 

im getting about 20-22 in urban driving and 27 on the highway.

 

nipper

[fastwgn286]

It's the fact that the car is green. Green cars get better gas mileage

 

 

 

im getting about 20-22 in urban driving and 27 on the highway.

 

nipper

 

yes! no wonder i can get 30 on the highway! and 23-25 in town (18-22 in city...and there IS a difference)

 

back to the original post - it should be about 12 gals empty when the gauge hits E, 13.5-ish if the gas pump light comes on.....then do the math for the range

[OB99W]

It's the fact that the car is green. Green cars get better gas mileage

 

 

I thought that might be the case , but mine is green :-\ .

 

There's also Martinjmpr's Denver location (elevation, which doesn't typically improve mpg) to further cloud the issue.

 

 

im getting about 20-22 in urban driving and 27 on the highway.

Your mileage is much more consistent with my experience and EPA ratings than others I've seen reported. On the local trips I average a bit less than the EPA 21 mpg "city" rating.

[nipper]

I thought that might be the case , but mine is green :-\ .

 

There's also Martinjmpr's Denver location (elevation, which doesn't typically improve mpg) to further cloud the issue.

 

 

Your mileage is much more consistent with my experience and EPA ratings than others I've seen reported. On the local trips I average a bit less than the EPA 21 mpg "city" rating.

 

i got it up from 19 to 21, 1lmost 22 by using a trip computer, the 27 plus came via a tuneup and replacement of the 02 sensor, before that it was 19/24

 

nipper

[OB99W]

yes! no wonder i can get 30 on the highway! and 23-25 in town (18-22 in city...and there IS a difference)

You've also got a manual trans, which can certainly factor into mpg. Martinjmpr and I both have ATs.

 

 

back to the original post - it should be about 12 gals empty when the gauge hits E, 13.5-ish if the gas pump light comes on.....then do the math for the range

The cars have a 15.9 gallon tank, so the approximately 14.5 gallon refill that I calculated based on Martinjmpr's figures could make sense. If we assume that the fill was closer to 13.5 gallons, for a 405 mile "range" that would result in 30 mpg; if a 12 gal fill, nearly 34 mpg, both of which are even more questionable (especially for city mpg) than basing the calculation on 14.5 gals.

 

I'm wondering about the range (405 miles), or that they were "mostly city" miles (especially if in Denver).

[OB99W]

i got it up from 19 to 21, 1lmost 22 by using a trip computer,[...]

Have you ever tried to improve mpg by driving while monitoring engine vacuum, and trying to keep it as high as possible? I wonder how that would compare with the result of using a trip computer.

[nipper]

Have you ever tried to improve mpg by driving while monitoring engine vacuum, and trying to keep it as high as possible? I wonder how that would compare with the result of using a trip computer.

 

the computer has a percent of load display, which is in essence a vacume gauge. i keep that number under 30% around town and under 50% on the highway, that has helped raise it.

This computer reads almost all the aprimeters of the ECU, so you cna pick and choose our method.

 

nipper

[nipper]

Interesting observation today. We are dealing with the leftovers of Ernesto.

 

97 OBW

 

relativly flat road along the beach

headwind guesting up to 40mph rather constantly

 

into wind

13 mpg car has problems staying out of lockup

27 mpg cross wind (normal at 65)

32 mpg tail wind

 

nipper

[OB99W]

[...]97 OBW

 

relativly flat road along the beach

headwind guesting up to 40mph rather constantly

 

into wind

13 mpg car has problems staying out of lockup

27 mpg cross wind (normal at 65)

32 mpg tail wind

That's the problem with a vehicle having the aerodynamics of a billboard.

[nipper]

That's the problem with a vehicle having the aerodynamics of a billboard.

 

but its such a pretty billboard

 

ive been told to take off the cross beams on the roof rack and i may gain some mpg, i will have to try it.

 

nipper

[eastwestboy]

I might be a little late here but here is my report.

 

Legacy Brighten 98, bought new, manual, 195000km, crossbar always on, never missed to note at fill up: 8.6 L / 100km. 70% rural, 30% city.Was more than 10 L till 12000km and I almost panicked back then.

 

Sounds like a Diesel. should I try Diesel ?

[OB99W]

ive been told to take off the cross beams on the roof rack and i may gain some mpg, i will have to try it.

Perhaps you could try changing the crossbeams' relative position, and see what affect there is on mpg. They may just be too far apart; after all, the rear one should be positioned in the slipstream of the front's.

[nipper]

Perhaps you could try changing the crossbeams' relative position, and see what affect there is on mpg. They may just be too far apart; after all, the rear one should be positioned in the slipstream of the front's.

 

ill try that, but they have never been moved since the car was born, so the entire thing may be moot.

 

nipper

[OB99W]

[...]Legacy Brighten 98, bought new, manual, 195000km, crossbar always on, never missed to note at fill up: 8.6 L / 100km. 70% rural, 30% city.[...]

For folks in the US whose calculator is out of reach, that's about 27.4 mpg.

 

 

Sounds like a Diesel. should I try Diesel ?

Only if carbon buildup in the cylinders has raised the compression ratio to at least 15:1, in which case be sure to disable the ignition system and install glow plugs for those cold Canadian starts.

[nipper]

 

 

Only if carbon buildup in the cylinders has raised the compression ratio to at least 15:1, in which case be sure to disable the ignition system and install glow plugs for those cold Canadian starts.

 

well at that point the huge holes in the psitons would make it all moot

 

nipper

[fastwgn286]

i doubt the roof rack bars will do much. tried it twice, 1, maybe 2 mpg at most first time, no change second time. but that wind comment is something i usually realize but forget about...

 

and yeah, its one of the most beautiful billboards subaru has ever built

[Martinjmpr]

Wow, this is funny, I was off the boards for a couple of days and found out I was the subject of much speculation.

 

Here's the lowdown: Up until a couple of months ago I, too, averaged around 22-23 in the city. I have managed to boost my Mileage by about 2-3 mpg by changing my driving style.

 

It's a little hard to describe, but I call it "driving smooth." Pretend there's a rotten egg behind the accelerator and the brake pedal. IOW, do everything smoothly - no jackrabbit starts, no quick stops. Take the car slowly up to the driving speed of the road you're on, and let it go slowly back down. Don't worry about all the idiots in a hurry to race from stoplight to stoplight - slow and steady wins the race.

 

This isn't easy to do. Many of us have habits we've developed, like driving 5-10mph over the speed limit, making sudden changes in direction, punching the gas to get through a yellow light - but if you can "unlearn" that, you will benefit at the gas pump.

 

The same thing applies on the highway. If you can stand it, when on the interstate, stay in the far right lane, set the cruise control between 55 and 60, and just kick back. Sure, it will take you longer to get there, but you'll save a lot of money and be more relaxed when you get there. Doing this I recently clocked 29.1 mpg - and that included a 38 mile trip up to the top of Pikes Peak (14,110') and back down, where I was in 1st or 2nd gear most of the time!

 

Incidentally, I do live in Denver but my employer (the US Govt) gives me a free bus/light rail pass, so I normally don't drive to work (except sometimes when I need to go somewhere right after work and need the car.) So most of my driving is not in stop-and-go rush hour traffic, it's urban and suburban streets where speeds are 35-45.

 

And I don't run any special oils or anything like that. I get my oil changed every 3,750 miles at a local Subaru dealer and they use whatever the recommended oil is. They also check the tire pressure - I'm a little bit ashamed to say it but I haven't checked the pressure in months.

 

Oh, final note: I took the cross bars off the roof rack last year. I still have them in my closet, with the ski rack still mounted to them from the last time I went skiing. Considering that I tore my ACL, it's unlikely I'll ever ski again, and the crossbars won't go on unless I need to haul something.