I am at my beautiful vacation destination after two days of fighting head winds and side winds. Left OKC Thursday morning and the sustained winds from the north were 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. This kept up until just east of the Texas border. It felt like every big rig that passed was going to blow me right off the road and I had to constantly remind myself to keep a firm but not locked grip on the steering wheel. Filled up the tank in Amarillo and really didn't pay attention to the small sticker on the pump that said the gas was 10% ethanol, my bad. From Amarillo to Tucumcari the winds were brisk but not as bad but keeping an eye on the EVIC mpg it steadily went down. After a night in Tucumcari I wanted to top off the tank and all I could find in that town was the ethanol mix. At one point just east of Albuquerque the mpg was down to 21.9, yes, you read that right, all highway miles with the cruise control set at 69 mph. I finally found a station in Socorro, NM with 100% gas and from there to T or C I managed to get the mpg back up to 23.8. Speed limit on New Mexico I-40 is 75 mph and I can't even imagine how much worse the mpg would be if I went that fast. Anyone who tries to tell you how wonderfully the Patriot handles in high winds is full of poo. I now have a new nickname for my Riot - The cracker box on wheels. Well, I'm off to explore the Land of Enchantment and hope to have pics in a day or so. Arrivederci i miei amici.
Oktazcat
I live just north of one of the world's best wind-farm locations. It's almost always windy here, with a west wind blowing over the north-south highway. I've had wind speeds of over a hundred kilometers per hour, and yes, it can be a challenge, not to mention a bit disconcerting when you see tractor-trailer units on their sides in the ditch. Haven't noticed a significant effect on mileage, however. I think your bad mileage is due to the fuel.
So does that mean that ethanol is not what its all bragged up to be? I have never used it. Its like propane power also you get bad mileage. Tell you the truth nothing beats good Alberta gas.
The thing has the aerodynamics of a brick, what did you expect? Not to mention, wagon-like vehicles like the Patriot are more susceptible to crosswinds than a sedan would be. To be honest, the Pat does a little bit better with crosswinds than my Saturn wagon, but its mostly because the Pat is a heavier vehicle than the SW2.
I have noticed my Patriot is not affected by wind from the side as the XJ is, so for me it is better. We pretty much run 10% ethanol here in Iowa. I am waiting til I get some more miles on it to see what the broke-in MPG is. Right now combined city/highway is 21.7 and that includes morning warm ups as winter is here. Will check out 100% gas sometime too.
I agree, its a difficult vehicle to handle in high winds...etc...but keep in mind you are also battling flapping hood syndrome as well.
My Jeep Wangler was a lot harder to drive in wind. I like the way the Patriot handles.Its a good cracker box.
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