2005 Pathfinder Gas Mileage is KILLING me.

dared3vil00 · Postby **dared3vil00** » Mon Nov 28, 2011 10:29 pm

Hello there people, So i have a 2005 Pathfinder LE, and i get BRUTAL gas mileage, to the point were i think somethings wrong. before i go back to my hated dealers ( 2005 tranny problem... don't get me started... all fixed now

to see what's up i thought i'd see what you guys think;

I do mostly city driving, and i'm lucky to see the cheaper side of 20L/100k (about 11-12MPG). Couple that with premium fuel and i'm dropping about 90bucks a week into the tank (canadian gas is retarded in price), now is there anything simple i can do? Perhaps a cold air intake? ANYTHING aside from hyper miling is a welcome suggestions.

Baedarlboo · Postby **Baedarlboo** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:59 am

I see you only have 62000 miles...that's pretty low mileage for that year. What kind of maintenance have you done? Spark plugs? 02 sensors? Air filter? How often do you check tire pressure? What is the tire pressure set at now?

I have an 05 also and seeing about 17.5 mpg with a city/hwy mix driving.

valenburg · Postby **valenburg** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 5:07 am

check your driveline (u joints) I was getting pretty low mileage and my forward shaft joints were DONE. Replacing them got me another 1-2mpg. Perhaps maybe your fan is stuck on.

skinny2 · Postby **skinny2** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:03 am

All city driving will be brutal with any vehicle, particularly a truck/suv. I don't really think 11-12mpg is out of line if this is true city driving, lots of idling...particularly if you drive with any amount of type-A personality. Have you owned a truck/suv and driven it in the same conditions?

I would stop buying premium fuel if I were in your shoes. There's really no need for it around town unless you're drag-racing everyone and it's important that you win. Sitting around idling in traffic on premium fuel is a waste and you won't see enough of a mpg gain to make a difference. Towing or if you just want/need maximum performance is really where you should run the premium in these.

hfrez · Postby **hfrez** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 6:31 am

City driving is relative term. In my city there are some stretches that you can drive 45mph for a mile or so before you get to a traffic light so it is not too bad. I coast a lot and accelerate moderately and I get 16.4mpg. I can see that true city driving would kill that in a heartbeat. Stop and go would get me down to the 14mpg range or less. I agree with skinny2 that it is a waist to drive with Premium fuel in the city. Baedarlboo has a point about the maintenance this would help improve your mpg’s and possibly using synthetic oil as well. It is hard to believe but tire pressure does play a role.

When I bought my Pathfinder this year I never used Nitrogen before in any of my car’s tires but it came with this vehicle. I am amazed how well it keeps in the tire. In three months there has been no fade of tire pressure at all. That is pretty amazing here in Florida since the heat really gets to the tires. Typically I would have to monitor my tires monthly and loose about 3 to 4 psi in that time frame. A well maintained tire pressure gives you low rolling resistance and keeps your tire wear to a minimum. I know it seems a bit petty but every little thing you do adds up.

I also have a K&N cold air system installed and it gives me half a mile per gallon better usage but also takes more gas when I stomp on the accelerator and go for wide open throttle. But sometimes I cannot resist and it sound great too.

Good luck and keep us posted on results if you change anything.

kelleyo · Postby **kelleyo** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 7:26 am

How much junk is in the trunk? My kid was getting horrible mileage until I got him to clean all the crap out of his car. He was even carrying dumbells in the trunk. Lightening the load helps a lot.

selliott · Postby **selliott** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:21 am

Try some sea foam

dared3vil00 · Postby **dared3vil00** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:45 pm

skinny2 wrote:All city driving will be brutal with any vehicle, particularly a truck/suv. I don't really think 11-12mpg is out of line if this is true city driving, lots of idling...particularly if you drive with any amount of type-A personality. Have you owned a truck/suv and driven it in the same conditions?

I would stop buying premium fuel if I were in your shoes. There's really no need for it around town unless you're drag-racing everyone and it's important that you win. Sitting around idling in traffic on premium fuel is a waste and you won't see enough of a mpg gain to make a difference. Towing or if you just want/need maximum performance is really where you should run the premium in these.

I don't buy it for performance, It said "premium fuel only" in the inside of the gas cap and i talked to the dealer and they recommended it. is it "safe" to just drop using it alltogether?

kelleyo · Postby **kelleyo** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 8:55 pm

I run mid grade (89 octane) without any issues. Premium is 93 octane in my area and I fill it with 93 and a bottle of techron every 3 months or so.

dared3vil00 · Postby **dared3vil00** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:01 pm

kelleyo wrote:I run mid grade (89 octane) without any issues. Premium is 93 octane in my area and I fill it with 93 and a bottle of techron every 3 months or so.

I'm going to make sure my tire pressure and all the basics are ok tomorrow and report back, also whats the weight on that boat your towing out of curiosity?

kelleyo · Postby **kelleyo** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:09 pm

it is a Four Winns H240 and weighs about 4400 lbs.

I do not tow it very far. Dry storage to the ramp is only 1/2 mile and the gas station is 1 mile. The furtherst I have towed is to another lake that is 15 miles away. This is mountainous terrain so the pathy definitely labors. If I was going to tow a long distance I would use another vehicle.

dared3vil00 · Postby **dared3vil00** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 10:09 pm

kelleyo wrote:it is a Four Winns H240 and weighs about 4400 lbs.

I do not tow it very far. Dry storage to the ramp is only 1/2 mile and the gas station is 1 mile. The furtherst I have towed is to another lake that is 15 miles away. This is mountainous terrain so the pathy definitely labors. If I was going to tow a long distance I would use another vehicle.

Yeah, Still the Pathys have amazing Tow capacity for a v6 SUV

hfrez · Postby **hfrez** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:59 am

Even though my the Pathy will take all grades of gas (87 to 93) one thing I did notice is that the 4.0l is sensitive to the quality of gas used. If I get a low quality gas from an unknown gas station (mostly when I travel) the MPG’s drop and I get a vibration from the motor when I idle at intersections but as soon as I fill her up from one of my local gas stations (I like to use Hess) she purrs like a kitten and the MPG’s improve as well. Has anyone else experienced this?

skinny2 · Postby **skinny2** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:34 am

dared3vil00 wrote: I don't buy it for performance, It said "premium fuel only" in the inside of the gas cap and i talked to the dealer and they recommended it. is it "safe" to just drop using it alltogether?

Not sure when they changed it, but my '08 fuel door says "Premium fuel recommended for maximum performance". I have found this to be true and with my driving style I tend to run at least 89, usually higher if I'm towing. But if all I did was city driving...I would probably go with the cheap stuff. I really only feel the power difference above 4k rpms. If it runs decent on the cheap stuff it would likely save you quite a bit.

eieio · Postby **eieio** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:28 am

fuel quality does seem to be more important than octane rating, though higher octane is beneficial for heavy loads and towing
it's already been shown under normal driving circumstances, that the advantages (if any), of high vs. low octane do not outweigh the additional cost
the main thing for improving mileage is to keep it moving as much as possible
idling, and getting up to speed from a stop are the culprits
11-12 mpg seems a little low, but not unheard of for city driving, especially with the use of the air conditioner (from my experience)
what mileage do you get at highway cruising speeds?

2005 Pathfinder Gas Mileage is KILLING me.

2005 Pathfinder Gas Mileage is KILLING me.

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