Over the past few years I have seen many posts with members complaining about poor mpg, and asking for suggestions. Most of these threads start off with a few tips that ultimately don't help the member resolve their issue, and then subsequent posts are members posting what poor mileage they are getting, followed by other members posting how great of mileage they are getting, then it becomes a thread full of numbers between 16 and 35. What I would like to do is create a go to thread with suggestions, and would like to hear back to know if the suggestions helped. Instead of a bunch of replies with how good or bad your MPG is, how about those who try these tips post how much their MPG improved?
I am one of those members that is getting just average MPG. My Jeep is rated at 20/23, and I usually get about 19/21. Coming from an xB that was rated at 22/28 and consistently getting 28/32, the Patriot was a bit of a shock for me, and I have been determined to find out what I am doing wrong, or what is wrong with my Jeep that I can't seem to exceed EPA estimates. Sure my MPG's haven't been terrible, but I would always like better. I would like to at least hit EPA estimates every now and then.
I think I may have recently discovered the golden nugget in my situation:
Other general tips:
YMMV,
-MrJeepR
I am one of those members that is getting just average MPG. My Jeep is rated at 20/23, and I usually get about 19/21. Coming from an xB that was rated at 22/28 and consistently getting 28/32, the Patriot was a bit of a shock for me, and I have been determined to find out what I am doing wrong, or what is wrong with my Jeep that I can't seem to exceed EPA estimates. Sure my MPG's haven't been terrible, but I would always like better. I would like to at least hit EPA estimates every now and then.
I think I may have recently discovered the golden nugget in my situation:
- If you have a CVT, don't use the tachometer. Don't look at it, don't drive by it, don't pay attention to it at all, and don't listen to the engine revs. Sounds silly, right? Before getting the Jeep with a CVT, I was used to driving the xB with a 5-speed manual, and tried to keep the RPM's low. In the Jeep, I tried doing the same thing, but found I was either getting no acceleration and poor MPG, or too much acceleration and poor MPG, which negates the higher MPG's when cruising. In my situation, I believe the problem is I'm trying to figure out what the Jeep is doing, while the Jeep is trying to figure out what I am doing. The truth is you can't drive it by RPM's, because the RPM's tell you what the engine is doing, not the transmission (I find it more difficult to drive by RPM's in the FDII than the other models). While you are accelerating, the CVT is trying to go into a higher ratio for better MPG, but if you are cutting the throttle to keep RPM's lower, it confuses the computer. The Jeep may optimize driving by using lower RPM's with higher throttle inputs, higher RPM's with lower throttle inputs, and everything in between.
- So what do I do now that I drive without paying attention to RPM's? I drive looking out the window, and feeling the pull in the seat. Too much pull, and I ease off, not enough pull and I give it more gas, with nice smooth throttle adjustments.... simple as that. Looking out of the window and paying attention to the surroundings I can better tell when other cars are driving too fast or slow, and how I am doing compared to traffic. This may sound really stupid and like a no brainer, but coming from a 5-speed manual has made it a challenge. Making this slight change in driving style, the computer is finally able to figure out how I am trying to drive. I've noticed the engine is quieter, the CVT is shifting smoother, and I don't feel like I am out pacing traffic or holding anyone up. According to the EVIC my combined city/highway driving is up to 23 so far, which is a 2 MPG improvement in my 20/23 rated FDII.
For best results, I recommend resetting the fuel mapping first since your driving style might change.
Other general tips:
- Reset the fuel mapping. This can improve your Jeep's performance by allowing it to start fresh, learning your driving habits. This is especially useful if you bought the Jeep used, or have changed your driving habits
- COLD tire pressure. Make sure your tires are at the recommended PSI, at the coldest time of the day, before you drive anywhere. I found that for every 2 lbs of psi that the tires are below the recommend pressure, I lose about 1 MPG
- Do not use remote start! Anytime the engine is running and the Jeep is not moving, you are getting 0 miles to the gallon! Lets say you have a 30 minute drive, and you would normally get 20 miles to the gallon, but first you let the Jeep idle for 10 minutes to warm up. Doing some quick fuzzy math, your 20 MPG trip could end up being as low as 13 mpg. If its cold out and you need it, by all means use it! Just don't expect good MPG that tankful.
- Keep to the speed limit! The Patriot seems to take a hit on MPG's over 70 mph for FWD and FDI, and a bigger hit on FDII's over 65 mph
- Weather plays a factor. If you are going 60 MPH and have a 20 MPH headwind, your Jeep is fighting an 80 MPH wind! There is nothing you can do about the weather (except follow a rock slinging, window chipping semi truck), so unless you can avoid driving in strong winds, plan on taking an MPG hit. If you have a 20 mile an hour tailwind, then your MPG's should go up dramatically (That 60 MPH speed now feels like 40 MPH to the Jeep)
- USE your A/C! I haven't seen much difference in MPG when leaving the A/C off, and it is actually bad for your A/C if you don't use it. The air conditioner has oil in the system that needs to circulate to keep the system working. Leaving A/C off for months at a time will cost you a compressor, negating any benefit you would have received from saving 0.5 mpg for 3 months (Page 284 of the 2011 Owners Manual, 6th Edition, "Vacation Storage")
- Change your Copper sparkplugs every 30k miles, and check your air filter. Dirty air filter and fouled plugs keep the Jeep from running as efficient as possible
- Get an alignment! Hitting curbs and driving over potholes messes with your alignment. If you have one wheel that is straight and another that is pulling away or pushing in, this is causing drag and hurts your Jeeps efficiency.
YMMV,
-MrJeepR
