What is the maximum highway speed I can go before gas mileage suffers?

Question

I own a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer SE, 4cyl, 2.0 liter.

Answer 1

conventional wisdom is 55/60...but id rather pay a little more to go 70/75...i got places to go people to see!

Answer 2

The sweet spot to get the best gas mileage for any vehicle varies by car.

It depends on vehicle weight.  Engine size and type.  Transmission type.  Final drive gearing.  Vehicle aerodynamics.  Weather conditions. Driving style.  Vehicle mechanical condition.  All of these figure in on the speed where you get your best miles per gallon.

Generally between 50 MPH and 60 MPH.  The slowest speed where the transmission is in top gear, overdrive engaged (if equipped), and torque converter is fully locked (if automatic transmission).

Keep a log of your fuel mileage.  Try driving at different speeds on every tank and you will be able to figure out the speed where your vehicle gets the best fuel efficiency.

Answer 3

Gas mileage is a factor of speed, so the higher the speed the higher the gas useage. It's a balance thing, speed against fuel consumption. 30 is better than 50 is better than 70 for fuel consumption. A good balance for highway is 60 mph

Answer 4

my Chevy 1986 cavalier has 140000 miles on it and still gets 32 miles to the gallon driving at 35...40  mph

I stay off the freeways and use the little utilized back roads in our area and take the shortest route.

2.0 4 cylinder engine

Answer 5

It's not about speed, it's about engine revs.

If you want to save money on fuel, drive smoothly, change gear at the correct time.

No sudden acceleration or Braking.

Keep under 3000 revs if you can.

And avoid using, air con, heated rear screen, heater motor and other big consumers of electricity.

Also keep your car serviced because badly maintaned cars are the worst on economy.

Answer 6

Proven by AA tests a steady 50/55 on motorway is best no hard acceleration

Answer 7

With the price of gas - cycle!

Answer 8

Best speed for gas mileage is 45 to 50 mph. During the embargo (Nixon Era) the national speed limit was 55 for a reason. At 60 you only take about a 10%  hit. It grow exponentially from there. At 75 you take over a 40% reduction compared to 50 mph. At 100 mph a Honda 750 motorcycle gets less than 18 mpg (When I was much younger and not as bright; I was paid to do it; test rider for Honda), when normal mileage was about 45 mpg.

Going too slow hurts your mileage. you need to be in overdrive for best mileage.

Answer 9

55-60

Answer 10

Actually, its a function of wind resistance.  The slowest your car can be driven (without lugging the engine) in its highest gear will provide the best gas mileage.   You can find out how much energy is lost by searching a combination of the words:

drag   wind resistance  speed  car