Hi,
Last weekend I drove from my home in Livermore Ca to Las Vegas for the NASCAR races. 3 of my friends flew out and we had a great time watching some intense racing. On the way there and back I recorded three 30+ mpg tank averages with an all-time personal best of 36+ mpg for one tankful. I also had a 32 MPG and 34 mpg tank average during this vacation. The only sub-30mpg tank average I had was driving back and forth between our hotel and the track with lots of traffic but I still averaged 25mpg for that tank.
I've been interested in fuel economy for some time but got serious after gasoline broke the $4/gal. barrier. I used to average around 25-26 mpg/fillup but began paying more attention to my driving, increased my tire pressure to 42 psi all around, and did some aerodymanic mods ( grille block, passenger mirror removal and front wheel deflectors ). It seemed to reallly have payed off as my previous best ( last year's trip to Las Vegas ) was a 31mpg tank average. I have a 2000 3.0 liter SE and this demonstrates the potential efficiency of the S-type. I can take some pictures of my modifications if there is some interest.
best wishes , Vic

 

The fantastic gas mileage of our 2005 S-Type 3.0 has been an unexpected benefit. My wife returned from Florida yesterday and averaged right at 33 mpg. What a great car....

 

VMV, were you using the cruise on your trip ? What speeds were you going to and from LV ? Are you keeping the 42# in the tires still or was it just that trip ? Is it safe to have that much pressure in the tires?
That's great mileage and if/when we take a trip, I might want to put more air in the tires, but I don't need a blowout from over inflating.
I live in SoCal and will try to visit my son in Ft. Mojave, AZ. The temps can get to 115-120 so I would need to take that into account.

Curious (newby) minds want to know...

 

How fast did she drive?

Its amazing how good these cars are on gas for their size.

 

Hi Jay, I only used cruise control a few minutes to relax and move around.
I find that the CC kills good fuel economy by accelerating hard to maintain the set speed.

I've had the tire pressure up over 40 psi for at least the past 5-6k miles with no wear or handling problems. Only down side noted is a slightly harsher ride. Some hypermilers are much more aggressively with increasing tire pressure ( 60+ psi) but I'm pretty happy with the gains I've made at 42psi. It not usually overinflation that destroys tires on tires but underinflation and the resulting overheating.

FloridaJag, My trip average speed including stops was 59mph. I didn't go that fast , staying near the near speed limit ( 70-65 mph ) with some downhill coasts at 80+.

Jon, kudos to your wife!

These are very fuel-efficient cars if driven to achieve that.
best wishes , Vic

 

Guys,

She normally sets cruise control on 72 to 74 mph for the long stretches of I-95. On I-75, she has to back it down to about 70 due to more aggressive Highway Patrolmen in certain areas. I've got the tires set right now at 34 psi here in central North Carolina, but I'm sure a gauge reading while she was in Tampa would have put them at 36 to 37 psi....

 

Hi.
Attached are some pictures of my grille block, wheel deflector and passenger mirror deletion. The upper grille block is made of clear packing material that I cut to match the upper grille opening. The lower grille block and the wheel deflectors are made of flexible plastic panels cut to the appropriate shape and secured with velcro for easy removal. These are a bit rough and now that I know that they work I will repaint them for a better appearance and see about getting a clear piece of lexan to replace the upper grille block. I hope they are helpful in your pursuit of better fuel economy.
Best wishes , Vic