C4 - What gas mileage to expect?

[KOPBET]

I have put less than two tank fulls through my recently acquired 1996 LT1 cpe w/33K and was wondering what kind of gas mileage I could expect to get given "normal" fair weather city driving conditions and speeds. Car is completely stock. I know normal is a relative term for 'vette drivers so, whatever your experiences are, please let me know.


Thanks,
KOPBET.

 

[Yarls24]

I do all highway driving with mine for the most part. Looks like I get about 25mpg.

 

[LT4hitsthespot]

I have a 96 LT4. I get anywhere from 28 to 30 MPG on the highway around 70 MPH. When I first got it I really watched my instant MPG and drove it really easy. City/Hwy combo I got around 23-24. Now, I don't pay much attention to it and get on it every once in awhile as well as cruise high speeds on the Hwy and average about 21. I recently took it to a track and raced it for part of a day then finished up the tank normally and averaged 19.

So, you can expect anywhere from low to mid 20's in town. Not too shabby for a sports car with some real power.

 

[c4cruiser]

The best I have ever seen with my 92 (auto and 3.07 axle) was 27.8 mpg. Freeway driving with the A/C on and cruise control set at about 64MPH. This was northbound on I-5 in central Oregon where it is fairly flat.

Cruising at around 75, I usually see around 25. I use the average mpg display on the dash to show the figure. It appears to be accurate after checking against the trip odometer and fuel pumped in.

Of course your mileage is inversely proportional to the weight of your right foot!

 

[jmccloud]

Gas mileage

My 95 coupe LT1 is pure stock.
I get 17+ in a local college town with horrible traffic.
From country home to town & back (10 miles each way) 20+
On trips up to 28 mpg.
I recently found how to keep the A/C compressor from running all the time (see "1995 coupe A/C comp. runs always" in this forum). It seemed to make about 2mpg improvement in cool weather. The numbers quoted are without the A/C compressor running.

 

[KOPBET]

Re: Gas mileage

My 95 coupe LT1 is pure stock.
I get 17+ in a local college town with horrible traffic.
From country home to town & back (10 miles each way) 20+
On trips up to 28 mpg.
.

Interesting. My avg. mpg (displayed) has been 12.5 - 13.5. This is with a lightweight right foot too! I haven't calculated actual usage though.

What gives I wonder?

KOPBET.

 

[KOPBET]

Of course your mileage is inversely proportional to the weight of your right foot!

I've always wondered why my left foot is smaller than my right foot!

 

[LT4hitsthespot]

Re: Re: Gas mileage

Interesting. My avg. mpg (displayed) has been 12.5 - 13.5. This is with a lightweight right foot too! I haven't calculated actual usage though.

What gives I wonder?

KOPBET.

Is it stock? Sounds like something is wrong. I check my Avg MPG display and it is right on. The very worst I have gotten is 19 and that was some pretty hard driving for alot of the tank. Your LT1 should be about the same mileage as the LT4.

I was expecting around 15 when I bought the car and can't be happier with what I am getting.

 

[LT4hitsthespot]

Looked up on the model and it's showing avg to be 20 or 21. Here's the link.

http://corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/1996/96specs.html

Maybe I do more highway driving than I think I do but even so, I am getting better highway MPG than they are listing. Hmmm, maybe I just got lucky with my car. Well, considering that everyone is going to have to take out a mortgage on a gas station pretty soon to be able to afford the gas prices, I won't be complaining. I do have another exhaust and K&N filter. Maybe they are actually working.

 

[robert kirk]

on the 92, auto, 308 gear it gets 27 to 29 at 70 in cruise. at95 with the cruise on it got 22.5. this is by the display in the dash on a very cold weekend. round trip about 600 miles total. when i first got the car i did a tune up and the milage was less than 20. changed both oxygen sensors and i now average over 24 overall. i was a little surprised that o2 sensors would make that much differance, but they did. this car gets driven hard. a trip is usually 30 miles of highway, 2 hours of stop and go, then 30 miles of highway, so 24 overall i can live with. robert

 

[KOPBET]

on the 92, auto, 308 gear it gets 27 to 29 at 70 in cruise. at95 with the cruise on it got 22.5. this is by the display in the dash on a very cold weekend. round trip about 600 miles total. when i first got the car i did a tune up and the milage was less than 20. changed both oxygen sensors and i now average over 24 overall. i was a little surprised that o2 sensors would make that much differance, but they did. this car gets driven hard. a trip is usually 30 miles of highway, 2 hours of stop and go, then 30 miles of highway, so 24 overall i can live with. robert

I'm curious, why did you choose to change the O2 sensor? Recommendation, prior experience or knowledge, swag? How many miles were on them?

 

[KOPBET]

Re: Re: Re: Gas mileage

Is it stock? Sounds like something is wrong. I check my Avg MPG display and it is right on. The very worst I have gotten is 19 and that was some pretty hard driving for alot of the tank. Your LT1 should be about the same mileage as the LT4.

I was expecting around 15 when I bought the car and can't be happier with what I am getting.

As far as I know and can tell it is 100% stock. Does the display register this value right away or after settling down after a few miles?

RPO shows G44 3.07 ratio and G92 performance ratio.

 

[LT4hitsthespot]

It will register pretty much right away. Of course when you first fill it up depending on the driving conditions it goes up or down pretty fast but after a few miles get on it, the driving won't change it as fast and you'll have a pretty good idea of what you'll be getting. When I want to watch my mileage I usually set it to read instant MPG and try to stay in a gear that is getting about 26-28. But honestly you get tired of watching your gas mileage fast and want to drive it like the reasons you bought it in the first place.

My only complaint is even though I get really good gas mileage the cost factor is kind of mute because I have to run premium in it. I haven't really sat down and calculated it out (don't think I want to know) as to what the comparison is to a car that gets mid 20s but only uses regular unleaded. I would guess in dollars that would probably put me equivelent to around 15 or 16 MPG.

Gee, thanks alot! I was pretty happy with my MPG until your post made me think about it that way! Now I'm depressed. LOL

 

[Vettelt193]

How short are your trips??

I have had 3 C4's (the family total is 7 all together) and have had gas mileage as good as 34 on my '93 LT1 6 speed coupe... Highway, 65 MPH, A/C off. And as low as 8, on my '87 auto convertible... in town, short trips... My '96 LT4 gets about 15 currently, because it is a weekend and short trip driver (actually, it is my temporary full time car, since monday)

It all depends on how short the trips are, how stop and go the traffic is, A/C on or off (I did a test on A/C, it takes 2-3 MPG to run it on the highway) and do you have hills? One last thing to think about is disconnecting the battery for a few minutes... this will re-set the computer. By doing this it will learn your driving habits and adjust accordingly.... After going to the drag strip, I can count on getting at least 3 MPG less than on my drive to the drag strip.

 

[KOPBET]

Gee, thanks alot! I was pretty happy with my MPG until your post made me think about it that way! Now I'm depressed. LOL

Sorry. Try to take a long drive, it will make you feel much better.

:L

 

[LT1Vettepilot]

My car is a daily driver and experiences everything from nice off the throttle cruises, both city and highway speeds, and fun loving romps on frequent occasions. My current average is just over 21 or 22 I believe. This includes a road trip where I averaged about 26 on the highway. Usually around town I get about 18-19 and 24-27 on the open road.

 

[vader86]

avg about 19mpg

 

[Interceptor430]

I experience zillions of smiles per tank....and avg 20 mpg.
75% highway cruising 55-75 mph, and I always get to the speed limit without delay.

 

[KOPBET]

How short are your trips??

I have had 3 C4's (the family total is 7 all together) and have had gas mileage as good as 34 on my '93 LT1 6 speed coupe... Highway, 65 MPH, A/C off. And as low as 8, on my '87 auto convertible... in town, short trips... My '96 LT4 gets about 15 currently, because it is a weekend and short trip driver (actually, it is my temporary full time car, since monday)

It all depends on how short the trips are, how stop and go the traffic is, A/C on or off (I did a test on A/C, it takes 2-3 MPG to run it on the highway) and do you have hills? One last thing to think about is disconnecting the battery for a few minutes... this will re-set the computer. By doing this it will learn your driving habits and adjust accordingly.... After going to the drag strip, I can count on getting at least 3 MPG less than on my drive to the drag strip.

Short trips mostly, 6-10 miles and few hilils. There seems to be a wide variance in the replies of some people. Others report considerably higher mileage.:confused I hope it doesn't get much worse with the A/C on.

Should I have mechanic check out compuer/O2?


;help ;help

 

[JRMaroon]

What does your instant MPG read while you're on the road? Have you reset your Average MPG to start at zero again? I apologize if this is a stupid question. Just trying to cover all possibilities.