[nonsequitur]

The full year of MINI Motoring went so quickly! Let's do this again, and have some FUN with a subject that has been beat around in this environment of US$2.40/gallon fuel, 20% higher than last year at this time.

In an attempt to take suggestions from last year, there are four separate polls and four separate threads for the 2nd Annual Gas Mileage Contest. This is so we can sort out real experience on the street in 2004. Here are the others:

MINI One

MINI One D

MINI Cooper S, MINI Cooper S JCW

Since we're not driving an economy car, this is a CONTEST to generate honest numbers we can use to answer the most common question from those who don't know what else to ask about our cars:

What is the best gas mileage you can get with your MINI?

The contest rules:

1.
Record your AVERAGE MILES PER GALLON in the Poll,
from data on your car
generated in a continuous one-way run of ten (10) miles or more,
at a steady state speed of 60 miles per hour or more,
with the motor running and driveline engaged
(no coasting down I-80 to Sacramento!),
using OEM or aftermarket street-legal wheels and tires,
a full tank of fuel onboard,
and no heavily modified aero-bodywork
(no tail faring allowed this year either please!).

We'll get real-world numbers. The one-way run means you can collect data on a trip without retracing your 10-mile route in the opposite direction, but this creates room to cheat (so Rule 5).

2.
The MINI's computer should be used if you have it available in your car. This provides much easier calculations and accuracy because you can reset the computer while underway. This may give a slight disadvantage because most speedometers are a little "optimistic" by 2-3mph. Please validate your speedometer against freeway mileposts (60sec/mile) so you can make a confident claim.

3.
Your posted statement will be believed, so be honest with your claim!

4.
Complete the appropriate Poll option. Choose the right "box" for your calculated claim; ie "33.3mpg" is selected as "33-34".

5.
You may post in this thread with your "claim" details, if you want to be crowned the "MINI High Mileage Champion 2004 - <Category>" for your Motoring effort. Your post must include a very brief but accurate description of your attempt: Car, road location, road grade, car details, your mileage claim (in format "33.3mpg"), and any technique or tricks you used to get to that number you are claiming. Get into it, the statistics from everyone should be interesting.

6.
Winners will declared for each of the following cars:
MINI Cooper
MINI Cooper CVT
MINI Cooper Cabrio
MINI Cooper JCW

7.
This thread will close on July 31, 2004 to determine the results at that time, and to prepare the list of Winners which will be posted in this same thread before it is closed to further postings for 2004.

8.
Good Luck, and great mileage to you all!

MINI2 Search hit words:
Gas mileage, Petrol consumption, Fuel mileage, Fuel economy, Gas usage, efficiency

[nonsequitur]

This contest thing may be flub this year. Oh well.

We recorded 49.0mpg today for ten miles at 60mph using the 6.5x16" wheels driving on I-90 from US18 to Issaquah (mostly downslope!).

[Mugami]

Then theres of us without OBC so we have to go by tank fillups which isn't as accurate simple because there are varency to get the avg. example on my yearly trek to the Dragon.(done twice so far) i get 526 miles(distance from my house to the microtel) to the tank(fill up is 12.5 gallons roughly) which = 42.08 mpg. For any given 10 mile stretch during that trip i have had to do one heck of an avg for the short distance. Oh and i do make the trip back on one tank as well..so no its not down hill both ways either. Techniques are Drafting, steady pedal, Momentum driving for curves , and Making sure the car is on "The pipe" as i call it. Those who have Two stroke Machines should understand what i mean. Performed with both 15% and the 19% pullies on the car.

[nonsequitur]

Mugami, Valuable hints. Thanks. Could I ask you to explain them for us here, and for those who might pick up a new technique in the MINI?

[Mugami]

i'll do my best..
Drafting... Perferable with a Mini-Van as the lead auto. . Get behind the Mini-Van just enough where you feel the wind no longer hitting the front end. should be a bit of buffering first. Just like in Nascar but not Bumper to bumper. Unless you know your partner very well. Pls don't do this with the Big rigs. 1st they can't see you when you do this. So it ticks them off. 2nd those tire spit up some nice rocks and other road debri. The front end is not Very Aerodynamic so this is good for quite a few extra MPG.

Next three are really tied together.
"Getting on the Pipe". If you ever ran a 2 stroke Dirt bike or the like. You would know that when you first take off the motor kinds of lugs until you get up in the revs a bit where the expansion chamber of the exhaust "The Pipe" takes over an the power just about doubles. The sound or pitch of the engine also changes. With the Mini's engine or pretty much any 4 cyclinder cars engine where i've run Turbo Tube, Glass packs and the Supertrapps (having loud exhausts helps but isnt needed). You could hear when the engine made the simular change in pitch while cruising (2500-3200 rpms) at this point your car is "On the pipe" as i call it and its normally the most fuel effencent. With the Supertrapps im running 4 disk in both sides it would change at the approx 2500. With 6 disks in both(currently running) its at 3000. 7+(been up to 10 in each) it would change at approx 3200.

Steady pedal.
Cruise control is great, But not the most fuel effencent. Once you get the car "On the Pipe" you can back off the Gas completly and barly touch it (which is about half as much before you let off the gas) to get the car to maintain the speed and keep it ther for most hills, dips, etc. this makes your speed change some but as long as your still "On the Pipe" its the most fuel effencent.

Momentum driving the Curves.
Since im using the Steady pedal technique. This is an easy one to do on the Hwy. But for our Enjoy the Twisties rides during Events, Meetings, Get to gethers..Etc. Its not as easy, But has made believers out of a few who were behind me during these runs. Like during a recent run through the Blue Ridge Mountains. Where i had 1 PW/PW MCS behind me.. The group would get up to 60ish when ever we hit a straight away. then down to 40ish for any curve we hit. Me and the other guy would sit in 5th Cruise at 50 the whole time curves and all. Except when we would catch the back of the train. The less drastic you change the speeds as well as how fast you change them the better off you are. When we started the tour. Everyone topped of there tanks. at the end Everyone had ther red warning lights on (1/8 tank or less). While me and the other Guy still had over 1/4 tank and drove home.

These Techniques never put you on the Supercharger and allowes the ECU to lean out the Mix for better Fuel economy. After a good long run. The next time or two after that when you get on it. The car will be more responsive and have more power. Then the ECU Learns your using the SC and richens it up again slowing the car down.

Hope this helps. I'm Better at showing how to do this than explaining in words.

Until we meet on the Road
Have fun, Be safe and Keep MOTOV8N

[n0uk]

I know it asked for the best, but this was actually the only time I tried!

This morning commuting to work, 10 mile stretch of road US Hwy 169, northbound from MN 62 to Bass Lake Road exit, just west of Minneapolis. Time of start of section was at 0702 CDT.

Road conditions: rather light traffic for morning rush hour and never had to drop below 60MPH, peaked at 66 and hovered mostly around 62. The road grade varies, a little down hill, slightly more uphill, and about 33% flat.

Average for the 10 mile span was 39.2 MPG and the lowest/highest I noted was 35.3 and 40.6.

It looks like you only get to submit an entry once but, I f I can improve on the average I'll post an update message.

Chris

[nonsequitur]

You can only vote once but that chart is only to give everyone a sense of the statistics of gas mileage in these cars. The category winners are determined by the posts and the details in each post. You can definitely post your results more than once.

[edlfrey]

As defending Cooper Champ (or is that chump) from last year I should have paid more attention to the rules about one way and 60 mph.
However, on todays Tahoe Run I did a loop trip from Reno through Carson City to South Lake Tahoe then around Lake Tahoe clockwise to Mt Rose Highway and return to Reno.

This was 147 miles at an OBC average of 36mph and 42.7 mpg!

[nonsequitur]

Last week of this year's Poll. It closes on July 31st.
Thanks to all who particpate.

[nonsequitur]

We did not have near the participation as in 2003, and posted comments did not become lively or controversial as some were in 2003. Results and Winners from this year's contest are posted in each thread:

### MINI Cooper S
wobert123 (Chester UK) @ 27.82mpg US (Black/Black; May/2003)

Mugami (Richmond, VA) @ 42.08mpg US (Honorable Mention because of non-compliant technique, but recognized here as a spirited supporter of MINI2.com and all things MINI)


### MINI Cooper
n0uk (Minneapolis, MN) @ 39.2mpg US (Indi Blue/White)

edlfrey (Reno, NV) @ 42.7mpg US (Honorable Mention because of non-compliant technique, but recognized here as the 2003 past winner)


### MINI One D
No records for 2004

### MINI One
No records for 2004