There is hope - 2SS gas mileage

[Ghost Rider]

I have been getting about 17.1 mpg on my Camaro with a combo of city and highway which is not that great and so I figured the 25mpg HWY as claimed on the sticker was bogus. However, I recently had a chance to take my new Camaro on a reasonably long dsitance, all highway trip and got better gas mileage than I expected. Here's the info:

Location - Highway 74 between Wilmington and Wadesboro NC
Total distance traveled - 130 miles exactly
Road conditions - pretty straight and level, light traffic
Air temp. - 73 - 76 degrees F.
Altitude - 10 ft. - 700 ft. above sea level (estimated)

2010 Camaro SS - A6 (Auto for those that don't know what A6 means)
A/C - off
Cruise Control - on
tire pressures - 34 lbs in each tire
total miles on car - 1871-2001

Avg. MPG per computer - 24.9
Avg. MPG actual - 24.71
Gallons of gas - 5.26
Average speed over distance - 68.8 MPH
Peak MPG per computer - 27.5 @ average speed of 63 MPH
Fuel Range per computer - 440 miles

Speed limits over the distance ranged from 55 mph to 70 mph and I kept the crusie control at 9 mph over (there's lots of cops on that highway).

I hit and held 27.5 mpg for the first 25 miles or so in the trip at the lower speeds but as I hit higher speed limits of 60 and 70 mph and as I set the cruise at 69 and 79, I watched the avg. mpg drop.

The really good news is that the car is capable of 25 mpg and more under optimal conditions. I guess that fuel management system really works.

[Mark A Collier Sr]

GREAT NEWS!

[VenomZ302]

For the record, I've gotten 26.5 mpg at 60-65mph in my 2SS 6MT, so there's definitely hope for better mileage.

Originally Posted by Ghost Rider

tire pressures - 34 lbs in each tire

You should really have more air in your tires, especially if it was 34 psi, hot... That can significantly factor into your mileage as well, if you were unaware. The sticker in my car (and yours too, I would assume) says that the cold pressure for your tires should be 36 psi for all four tires.

Originally Posted by Camaro Owner's Manual

Tire Pressure
Tires need the correct amount
of air pressure to operate
effectively.
Notice: Do not let anyone
tell you that under-inflation or
over-inflation is all right. It is
not. If your tires do not have
enough air (under-inflation),
you can get the following:
• Too much flexing
• Too much heat
• Tire overloading
• Premature or irregular wear
• Poor handling
• Reduced fuel economy
If your tires have too much air
(over-inflation), you can get
the following:
• Unusual wear
• Poor handling
• Rough ride
• Needless damage from road
hazards

[Brown5150]

After the AFE intake I get 21 MPG.

[TooCool5]

Is this before or after the first oil change?

[Leolee]

nice i travel a lot to wilmington from charlotte and its that straight shot on 74.... its 45 to 55 to 60 and 70 mph on there

[2Fast4U2010]

I really did not buy my 2SS because of the gas mileage as most of us can agree on Just to enjoy a nice big V8 again. Good info thou.

[Ghost Rider]

Originally Posted by TooCool5

Is this before or after the first oil change?

It was before the first oil change. I just changed the oil yesterday, after I got back from my trip.

[joepitt]

I think the highway mileage with cruise control is the only good test for most of us whether we have a v6 or v8. It is too tempting to be heavy footed around town, which kills the mpg number.

[CamaroFemme]

Originally Posted by Doc

I'd recommend at least running the factory tire pressue of 36 lbs per tire. Contrary to what they post as to not "over-inflating" you can go a couple lbs over which will make the steering slightly more responsive, give you crisper handling, and improve your mileage by 1-2 mpg. They always have to think of legal issues when they make recommendations to avoid lawsuits. You can run 38 lbs per tire with no problems and in fact it tends to give you better wear because typically the edges of tires wear faster because people usually don't pay attention to their tire pressures and they're under-inflated. Going 2 lbs over distributes the wear more evenly across the center of the tread. You will notice a slightly firmer ride but it will handle better, stop better (less likely to slide because of better grip) and you'll see better gas mileage.

You are my Camaro info guru.

[lee]

Originally Posted by Doc

I'd recommend at least running the factory tire pressue of 36 lbs per tire. Contrary to what they post as to not "over-inflating" you can go a couple lbs over which will make the steering slightly more responsive, give you crisper handling, and improve your mileage by 1-2 mpg. They always have to think of legal issues when they make recommendations to avoid lawsuits. You can run 38 lbs per tire with no problems and in fact it tends to give you better wear because typically the edges of tires wear faster because people usually don't pay attention to their tire pressures and they're under-inflated. Going 2 lbs over distributes the wear more evenly across the center of the tread. You will notice a slightly firmer ride but it will handle better, stop better (less likely to slide because of better grip) and you'll see better gas mileage.

im gonna add some air to mine , good info

[eynigush]

Great info. Like everything else in life, the small details can make a difference.

Originally Posted by Doc

I'd recommend at least running the factory tire pressue of 36 lbs per tire. Contrary to what they post as to not "over-inflating" you can go a couple lbs over which will make the steering slightly more responsive, give you crisper handling, and improve your mileage by 1-2 mpg. They always have to think of legal issues when they make recommendations to avoid lawsuits. You can run 38 lbs per tire with no problems and in fact it tends to give you better wear because typically the edges of tires wear faster because people usually don't pay attention to their tire pressures and they're under-inflated. Going 2 lbs over distributes the wear more evenly across the center of the tread. You will notice a slightly firmer ride but it will handle better, stop better (less likely to slide because of better grip) and you'll see better gas mileage.

[Ghost Rider]

UPDATE

After reading the comments about the tire pressure I went out and checked the computer for tire pressure and it read as follows:

34 33

34 34

So I took it for a drive, about 10 miles or so and it read as follows:

37 36

37 37

So I'm guessing the tire pressure was higher than I inititially reported. I relied on the computer reading when the tires were cold. Just an FYI.

BTW - the dealer put nitrogen in the tires when I bought the car. He said nitrogen doesn't leak out as easily as air. True or false? Also, I thought he said nitrogen wouldn't be affected by heat and cold like air and the tire pressures would be stable. Apparently that's not true.

[VenomZ302]

Originally Posted by Ghost Rider

UPDATE

After reading the comments about the tire pressure I went out and checked the computer for tire pressure and it read as follows:

34 33

34 34

So I took it for a drive, about 10 miles or so and it read as follows:

37 36

37 37

So I'm guessing the tire pressure was higher than I inititially reported. I relied on the computer reading when the tires were cold. Just an FYI.

It doesn't matter. Your cold tire pressure is supposed to be at least 36psi.