So I have a 09 2 door sport Manual. I have a 2.5 TF lift and 35ish inch duratracs. I have 4.88 gears and front and rear bumpers/tire carrier and rock rails. I currently get about 11-12 mpg going around town/campus which is lots of stopping and starting and rarely going above 40. On the highway I get maybe 13-14 am I am usually at cruise control at 75ish. Is it normal to get this horrible of gas mileage? I hear of people getting 16-17 easy around town but I have never even gotten close to that even when I was unmoved. Am i just an aggressive drive or is there something I just never figured out about getting better gas in a jeep?
I ask this because I am about to start having to commute 6 hours round trip per week and it stresses me out about gas cost and the potential of breaking down because my jeep likes to stick me with costly repair bills for no good reason and its about to get driven a lot more then usual.
Payment on Prius would be cheaper then gas for the jeep on that commute lol. But hey we didn't buy the jeeps for the gas mileage either. My 2011 JKU averages about 15 mostly around town with 3.5 lift and 33s with 3.73.
Heck diesel isn't much higher then gasoline now a days. And it is actually cheaper for me to drive my diesel then it is my jeep and actually cost about the same per mile when towing my jeep.
You get bad mpg because A) you said a good bit of your driving is around town/campus hardly above 40 mph. This absolutely destroys gas mileage. Idling or continually stopping/starting and driving through city streets rips it apart in any vehicle. B) You go 75+ on the highway. The Jeep is a box. Most cars/vehicles see their ideal mpg figures (the EPA figures or more) at 50-55 MPH. The Jeep is even more so affected by this due to its horrible aerodynamics. Your lift is also hurting that.
My recommendation: slow down, and drive better. Not that you are a bad driver or not (who could tell), but if you really want to increase MPG, shift quicker, be easier on both pedals, coast more, don't idle, and mainly, SLOW down. You will see an increase of 2-3 mpg easy.
I had a Mustang GT before my Jeep, and routinely cruised at 75-80 and higher speeds on slower streets as well. The aerodynamics were better and while I traveled at higher speeds, I granny shifted usually to get there. I averaged 19-20 mpg on a V8. That was very surprising to most people. And yes, it was hand calculated and true.
In the Jeep, I've gotten 18.5 average on a fillup, but that was mostly highway. I routinely get around 17 each fill up, specs in sig. I do not let it idle, I do not shift above 3k rpms hardly ever. I take it easy. Highway 55-65 MPH.
You get bad mpg because A) you said a good bit of your driving is around town/campus hardly above 40 mph. This absolutely destroys gas mileage. Idling or continually stopping/starting and driving through city streets rips it apart in any vehicle. B) You go 75+ on the highway. The Jeep is a box. Most cars/vehicles see their ideal mpg figures (the EPA figures or more) at 50-55 MPH. The Jeep is even more so affected by this due to its horrible aerodynamics. Your lift is also hurting that. My recommendation, slow down, and drive better. Not that you are a bad driver or not (who could tell), but if you really want to increase MPG, shift quicker, be easier on both pedals, coast more, don't idle, and mainly, SLOW down. You will see an increase of 2-3 mpg easy.
Going any speed above 65 actually makes the MPG number go down, happened to me all the time in the highway, then i kept it at 65 and im getting 17.6MPG Combined... but a big detail: Im fully OEM soooo we wont get similar numbers lol
Now that I have 35s I dont drive faster than 65. 60 is my jeeps happy place. Sometimes I just let the diesel trucks pass me. Ill get there when I get there.
60?? I would get killed in Dallas going that slow. I wish I could because it would make hwy driving more enjoyable. Most of our highways are 70 so mpg will always suck for me. 2.5" lift, flat fenders and 37's should help though.
Your new commute isn't just going to coast in gas but tire wear as well. IF you want to drive the Jeep I'd say go to 31-32-33" tires and re-gear the speedometer. More importantly ya got to slow down.....
It's the 3.8l engine. I have a 2012 with the 3.6. 35's, bumpers, winch, rock rails, etc. I easily get 17-18mpg around town with 3:73 gears. That 3.8 is just a crappy motor. Sorry. Trade her in for a new Jeep.
In a Jeep, I'm shocked because I get 99mph going downhill with a back wind. Going the other way, not so much. But then again I've been driving 4x4's for many years and if I get 17 to 18 mph I feel like I have a hybrid.
35" tires are definitly *not* commuter friendly! Regear or drop back down to what you started with, as far as tire size. If you can afford it, regear.....
If your going to keep driving the Jeep on that commute, and want better MPG your going to have to drop a tire size and or change gears... Use a calculator like this one Calculators figure out your rpm's at 65-70mph and go from there...
Just buy a motorcycle to commute with.. dont have to worry about putting miles on the jeep or taking the top down.. they are also cheap and great on gas (usually) my bike get 30+ constantly and it's a blast.
Hmm...I have a 2015 JKU Willy's and get about 19ish with mixed highway/city/dirt driving...but it is completely stock atm, I could probably get 20 if I was cruising on the hwy the whole time....
March 23rd is a combo of my oem willys wheels/tires, and my new upgrade.
Mostly street and LA traffic. Procal calibrated and no change in driving habits.
March 23rd is a combo of my oem willys wheels/tires, and my new upgrade. Mostly street and LA traffic. Procal calibrated and no change in driving habits.
I've got a 2008 JKR with 2.5" lifts, 6-speed, stock 4.10s,several hundred pounds of skids plates underneath plus front bumper, 33" DuraTracs. My mileage is generally in the 13 to 15mpg range in town. To get closer to 15 requires keeping my foot out of the peddle and coasting on hills. On the highway I can get in the 17mpg range if I keep it under 70. At 65 I can get around 17.5-18 if I'm lucky (tail wind). Once I go above 70 my mileage goes down again.
I'm thinking some 3.8L just get better gas mileage than others. That is the only way I can explain folks with a lift and 35s getting 17 around town and higher on the highway.
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