Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mpg

Low Mileage on a New Honda Civic?

entropicamericana — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:37:10 -0800

Unexpectedly low MPG for a brand new Honda Civic? The wife and I bought a 2010 Honda Civic LX last month and we are getting much lower MPG than I expected. We both drive the car (different days), and our commutes are short (about 4 miles of city driving each way).

Our first tank of gas came out to 19.3 MPG. (I topped off the tank after picking up the vehicle to ensure an accurate result.)

This seems way, way too low. Are my expectations out of whack?

Please help me get rid of audio and add a time code in mpg files.

HSWilson — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:02:28 -0800

I am looking for software that is able to take out the audio and add a time code to .mpg files I get from my camcorder. I know there are lots of programs that can add the time code, but I'm hoping someone knows a free/low cost program that can easily do both.

Deinterlacing MPEG2 files.

pompomtom — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:19:25 -0800

How can I deinterlace the MPEG files I have from my PVR? I use mpeg streamclip to grab MPEG2 transport streams from my PVR box and trim and demux them. Then I use mplex to remux them, into a nice MPEG that XBMC (and just about everything else) can play.

The problem I have is that the files remain interlaced, and gives that icky sawtooth look on any serious horizontal motion. 2.6Mb example file here. Mostly it's ignorable, but surely this is fixable. Can anyone suggest a way to do this - ideally with free (as in beer) software, or software I already have, I have macOS and linux machines available - but if this'll take any significant processing power a mac option would be preferred.

Find me an inexpensive, reliable, good mileage 4wd hiking vehicle

dithered — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:22:14 -0800

As an avid hiker, I'm looking for a (much) more capable trailhead vehicle than my current 98 Ford Escort. Requirements are inexpensive, good mpg, 4wd (preferably on demand and with 4low), good clearance, reliable and inexpensive to maintain. For reasons I can't fathom, I've been thinking about importing a Suzuki Jimny from Japan and have some questions about that too. I live in Canada (Vancouver). I use my car almost exclusively as a trailhead vehicle. Almost every weekend from April to November, I will drive 2-4hrs on well-maintained highway followed by 0.5-2hrs on logging roads. These roads range from decent gravel roads thru potholed and washboard-y dirt roads to decommissioned roads plagued by washouts, waterbars, ruts, fords, etc. The road surface can range from hard-packed conglomerate to dust which turns into a sticky gumbo after a rain.

What I need is a true 4wd with clearance and torque. Pure power isn't as necessary as far as I can see. I don't drive fast and can deal with something that isn't going to be able to maintain 70mph up a steep hill. Vast amounts of storage are also not required. I want something that I know I can trust and maintain economically for at least a decade (preferably a few). Manual or automatic doesn't matter (I can learn manual if I have to). And I know nothing about vehicle maintenance so that can't be too specialized and / or expensive. Good mileage is important - I'd rather not go below 25mpg highway and would prefer something comfortably in the 30s. Finally, I will be buying used so let me know if there is a particular model year of a given car I should look at.

Living in Canada, I can import a car from Japan if it is older than 15 years old. This isn't bad because most used cars in Japan have low mileage (it isn't hard to find a car with <60K miles on it) and are in good condition. This would cost me between $9-12K CDN. The Suzuki Jimny appeals to me. Something about it's off-road reputation and small size (I'm a sucker for small). But I can't find out much else about it. Specifically:
1. What type of mileage should I expect? I've seen quotes of 45mpg for a 1990 era 660cc engine but don't know if I can trust that.
2. How reliable are they and can I get parts easily for it in Canada?
3. How much space is behind those rear seats? I usually go hiking by myself or with 1 or 2 others. How many 60 liter packs would fit back there? Would fitting 4 people with packs be out of the question for a short while (bearing in mind that I've fit 7 people with packs and snowshoes in a Jeep Wrangler before)?
4. Are there particular options / models I would need to avoid and why?
5. I'm a slender 6ft tall. Will I fit?
6. Or is this just a bad idea and there are alternatives that are less expensive in the long run and just as capable?

Are these Volvos good?

Korou — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 10:51:45 -0800

This question is for my friend. He's looking to buy a more fuel efficient car (he gets 10-12 mpg from his Suburban—wants more like 20-25). He is looking at Volvo cars, specifically the 2000-2002 S60's, S70's, and C70's. Evidently the convertible models from the early 2000's weren't that safe. Looking to spend $11 grand or less. What information do you have about these Volvo models? What should he look out for? Are their similar convertibles to the C70 with similar MPG and better safety/maintenance records?

My PT Cruiser will help us reach peak oil...

mccarty.tim — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:27:49 -0800

Is there a way I can cost-effectively add more horsepower and/or fuel efficiency to my non-turbo PT Cruiser? My mom just helped me buy a non-turbo automatic 2007 PT Cruiser through a car auction proxy (it's got 28,000 miles). It's my first car, and I got it for $9,000 when it sells for $15,000 new (Way more money than that $3 gas deal would save me), so I have to say I'm pretty happy. However, the fuel efficiency hasn't been so great. I get around 20 MPG doing my suburban driving with some highway driving peppered in. I typically go around 45-50 MPH. I used to drive my mom's Prius, so I'm a bit spoiled, milagewise. Also, I'm liking that there's more pickup to begin with on my car compared to the Prius, but I find that I sometimes have to floor it when I go uphill to get the car back to speed. I guess the Prius, with two engines and the battery, has more inertia. I should note that I tend to drive without heat/air conditioning, but I might open the windows a crack if they start fog up.

In the car reviews, I'm reading that the turbo version has great acceleration and slightly better fuel efficiency. Could I add a turbo at a price low enough that it'd be cost effective? (I'm thinking under $300?) And is it expensive to have a mechanic install it? Or is it easy enough for me to do it myself? I'm a pre-engineering education student (read:shop teacher) who just completed his freshman year, so I have some basic technical knowledge.

Or is there another tweak that could help me out? I'm debating taking out the rear seats when I drive alone (They slide out tool-lessly) and the spare tire (I have Triple A, so I'd assume they'd be equipped to deal with a flat).

Are my ideas any good? Am I overlooking any really simple option to get better milage?

Does this waste gas?

yellowbkpk — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:57:57 -0800

When I push the gas pedal on my manual car down beyond where it accelerates, am I wasting gas? If I shift early and end up on the lower end of my engine's power curve, sometimes I instinctively push the gas pedal down -- even if it isn't providing any more power to the wheels. When this happens, I imagine that the throttle actuator is squirting more fuel into the cylindars than is actually being burned, thus wasting some gas and dropping my gas mileage.

Is this true?

For what it's worth, I have a 2005 Jetta.

90 vs 60 and Bugatti vs Nissan

revmitcz — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:26:35 -0800

Help me solve two MPG (and car) related arguments (quick side-note, neither of these are serious "OMG UR SO DUMB!" arguments - more like random musing. Though, the first argument has very practical applications)

Argument 1 :
I read this article stating that peak fuel efficiency is at 55-60MPH - and that you lose 5-7% efficiency per 5MPH over that. Using cruise control, obviously, increases that even more. My current car won't let me use CC above 90MPH.

But, my argument (really more of a question) is that if I drove my car from, say, LA to Phoenix (375 Miles, est) at 90MPH vs 60MPH, I'd ultimately help the environment because I'd be on the road for about an hour and 40 mins less time.

Does that make up for decrease in fuel efficiency, or no?

Argument 2 :
I was laughing at the MPG estimates on the Bugatti Veyron - which are 6MPG city and 10MPG highway. Going it's top speed, it would run out of fuel in just under 13 minutes. Of course, one would have traveled roughly 55 miles.

This lead to me saying "that means my piddly 6-speed 2.5L Altima could probably take a Bugatti Veyron on a race to Phoenix from LA" to my friend, who's got a hard-on for that Bugatti.

The best math I had to support it (and I suck at math) is this :

LA to Phoenix = 375 miles.
Bugatti Veyron @ 253 MPH = 1.5 hours
Nissan Altima @ 140 MPG = 2.6 hours.
Bugatti makes 7 stops for gas = add about 70 mins
Altima makes (maybe) 1 stop for gas = add about 10 mins.

Totals :
Bugatti = 2.7 hours
Altima = 2.65 hours

This, obviously, assumes both cars could actually go their top speed the whole way. While the road is mostly straightaways (and let's suppose cops weren't a factor in this theoretical race), I still think one would have a much harder time maintaining 253MPH vs 140MPH.

My friend figures the Bugatti would win, hands-down, regardless.

So - which one would win?

Best economical 4WD car?

lalochezia — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:36:22 -0800

What's the best 1-2 yr old 4WD-capable car? Best for us means: fuel economy, reliability, non-behemoth-SUV-ness, aesthetic and reasonable cost (<$25k). Also: any knowledge about Subaru Outbacks and SoCal 4WD dealers. We're interested in getting a 4WD car to go to the mountains in winter and some minor desert-offroading in summer, but can also act as a daily driver in southern california. We don't need a huge (or medium!) SUV, and would like something that is economical and reliable as possible. I would think that having a selectable 2WD vs 4WD would improve fuel economy, yes?

Current frontrunner is a Subaru Outback: if you know anything about pros/cons/what to look for in these cars, please comment. If you have suggestions for other alternatives, those are welcome too. Things to look out for in general in 4WD welcome.

Suggestions for places to buy/avoid in SoCal a bonus....

Tricks to get better MPG

raikkohamilonso — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:21:09 -0800

Simple tricks to improve MPG? For instance, I've thought about removing the rear seats/internal molding to lighten my car. I've also thought about aero-improvements, such as moon-disc wheel covers, or even somehow making a cover over my rear wheel wells. I'll be removing my rear wing this weekend, but what other tweaks could I do? Other things: sealing off the "styling" holes in the front fascia, slightly over inflating tires, etc...

Gas prices change but cars don't. What gives?

Dec One — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:19:17 -0800

Gas has been getting more and more expensive, yet cars have not been getting more fuel efficient. Why not? So in case you haven't heard, gas is more expensive than it used to be. If you don't believe me, look at this chart. In the first eight months of 2005, we saw higher prices than ever before, and also more volatility than ever before. Prices were bouncing all over the place, and nobody knew what to expect for the future. Then Katrina and Rita kicked gas prices into the stratosphere, and I remember the following (please correct me if I'm wrong):

Surveys showed that people were no longer uncertain about whether high gas prices were here to stay; they were.

News articles quoted industry experts saying that car manufacturers were going to build more fuel-efficient cars.

Car advertisements, which used to say "Buy the new Canyonero!" now said "Buy the new 14 mpg Canyonero!". As if they were hoping customers who hadn't thought about fuel efficiency since 1991 would forget that 14 mpg is not good. Eventually, of course, customers would catch on, and these mpg-touting ads would have to be backed by an actual fuel-efficient car. Or so I thought.

Two and a half years later, I have heard no news of the new generation of fuel-efficient cars, either on the market or in the pipeline (I'm not counting the Chevrolet Volt, which is a niche product that may or may not ever be for sale). In automotive engineering, there is a tradeoff between horsepower and fuel efficiency. As technology advances, carmakers can choose to add mpg or add horsepower, or add a little to each. Or, I suppose (again, correct me if I'm wrong), they could choose to take away horsepower and add a whole bunch of miles per gallon.

Given the increase in gas prices, you'd think fuel efficiency would be getting the attention in new car designs. But it seems like new cars have continued to emphasize horsepower. The 2009 redesigned Toyota Corolla is advertised as more powerful and more fuel efficient, but the fuel efficiency gains are slight. The 2008 redesigned Honda Accord is actually less fuel efficient than its predecessor.

I know it takes a few years to design and build a new car. Where is the new generation of fuel-efficient cars? Is it going to exist? Are there any new cars in manufacturers' pipelines that will cater to the segment of the cutomer base that doesn't care about horsepower too much, but wants a car that's really good on gas, and doesn't want to pay $5,000 extra for a hybrid? If so, when will I be able to buy one?

Need a Car, High MPG, low cost

DetonatedManiac — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:10:34 -0800

What is the best low maintenance, high gas mileage, low cost car I can buy (new or used) on a limited budget. I just wrecked my old car, it was 11 years old and I didn't have comp or collision. My work is driving intensive so I MUST get a new car quick, but I am on a very limited budget. MUST BE AUTOMATIC, can't drive manual.

My paycheck is not reliable yet (new sales job) so I would like to buy the new car outright or at least finance to get a very small monthly payment.

I can basically afford $5,000-7,000 now and perhaps $200 a month.

I don't know if it matters but I live near Raleigh NC.

Is there a better way (for Mac) to convert DVDs into a movie files than how I am doing it?

Hypnic jerk — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 15:33:51 -0800

Am I using the best process/set of applications for converting DVDs into Movies? Here's what I am using: Mac the Ripper to rip the DVD to hard drive, Cinematize to turn the DVD into a large .mov. I usally encode to a high resolution MPEG format, which usually turns it into a a 25-35GB file. Then I use MPEG Streamclip to encode to MP4 and reduce it in size, which results in a file ranging from 800MB to 1.5GB in size. Is this the best way to do it?

A drawback is that the whole process will take almost two days to complete. Is there a software package that can reduce steps? I'm hoping to rip my entire collection in this way, so I can share out my movies on iTunes to other machines in my home network, and don't want to embark on this massive project in this manner if there is an easier way to do it.

The peachtrees are killing my gas mileage!

wondercow — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 10:30:04 -0800

How can I maximize fuel economy in a car with an automatic transmission? I know the general tricks about reducing weight, keeping tires inflated, being light on the gas and brakes, etc. (as discussed previously), so this question is targeted specifically at how the automatic transmission could factor into gas mileage. This is my first car with an automatic transmission (having driven manuals my whole life until now) and I am curious about what transmission setting I should use to maximize gas mileage. In case it matters, I have an 04 Honda Civic (not hybrid).

Having moved recently to Atlanta, I find myself in a lot of stop-and-go traffic and constantly driving up and down hills. This leads to a lot of up- and down-shifting when I leave the car in "D". It occured to me that perhaps I would be a bit better off by leaving the car in "D3" (one notch below "D") so it wouldn't shift so much. Is it better for gas mileage to keep the RPMs in the low-to-mid-range all the time rather than to be pivoting between low and high-ish RPMs? Is gas consumption directly proportional to engine RPMs?

2008 Cars with great gas mileage.

Telf — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 09:56:14 -0800

My parents are looking for a new car with great gas mileage. They don't want a Hybrid. What are their options? Here's the problem, a Honda civic is out of the picture. My parents dislike Hondas, they believe Hondas feel cheap and have crappy interiors. I don't drive a car so I have no opinion on this. They have looked at the newest Hondas and they stand by this opinion.

I've been looking into diesel options but there is no usable information out there. VW is supposed to have TDIs, but their site is devoid of any info. Furthermore, I've checked out http://www.fueleconomy.gov and there is no info on the diesel models from VW or Audi.

Basically my parents would like a 30+ mpg car with a nicer German or European feel.

Is there a model you recommend? Is it feasible to get cars directly from Europe? It seems that just like with bicycles they get all the really cool useful models that never get marketed to Americans.

The best freeware DVD -> .avi or MPG ripper? Please?

beaucoupkevin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 08:04:29 -0800

What's the best freeware DVD -> .avi or .mpg ripper for Windows XP? I've got a stack of DVDs provided by a coworker who's long gone with the original files. Checked out Handbrake. I'm on a work machine, so I can't upgrade the .net framework without having to get IT involved and they're busy enough. I want to keep the resolution that's embedded on the DVDs high (they'll be displayed at a trade show.) Since it's one title of 3-5 minutes per DVD, I'd like to convert the entire thing over to a single .avi or .mpg file for burning.

(Yes, I've looked in the other threads; no joy, really, as every product checked seemed interested in downsizing.)

How to get the most mpg out of a 5-speed?

ramenopres — Sun, 20 May 2007 09:39:25 -0800

How do you drive a 5-speed for better gas mileage? When I tell people that I am buying a car with a manual transmission, they often say something like, "Oh, that'll get great gas mileage - as long as you drive it right." These conversations are usually brief enough that I don't think to ask, "Hey, wait. How, exactly?"

How, exactly?

DYC into something useful?

LGCNo6 — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 23:35:18 -0800

Mission Impossible? Converting ICUII video to AVI or MPG or MOV? Got a bunch of video files of video messages from conference delegates from an online consortium earlier this month. BUT, here's the kicker: they're all saved in ICUII's DYC format. I need to convert the video files into something viewable by people who don't have ICUII. What tool can I use to do this? I've been searching and have found absolutely zilch.

low mpg

spork — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 08:46:21 -0800

I seem to be getting horrible mpg after changing my own disk brakes. After I replaced the front brake pads on my 1999 Honda motorcycle, my mpg dropped by 25% and sometimes after braking I’ll hear a mild “whizzz” coming from the front wheel, which I’m guessing is the sound of the pad still making slight contact with the rotor. After a couple of months (I waited this long because I’ve heard that new brakes will sometimes make noise until they’re broken-in) I took a look at the pads and they didn’t seem to be wearing funny. I’m a city rider, so I’m not too worried about my brakes over-heating during my short trips.

Is there an obvious reason for this? Is there a mechanism that should be spreading the calipers apart after breaking? I’m planning on taking it in unless someone points me to the solution.

Conversion: ppt to mpg.

ハッカー — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 06:19:52 -0800

ppt -> mpg ?? I have a bunch of military briefings in PowerPoint. These are all the boring ones that nobody wants to be stuck briefing, but that still need to be done annually. My Commander has asked me if it is viable to put them all on a DVD so that we can have them in one place.

Except...

He wants the briefings to be "performed." This means he doesn't want a .ppt file, but an mpeg-2 file that can be burned to a DVD playable on a TV. The slides need to transition automatically in the movie, and have full audio recorded to accompany the video. This is essentially an effort to create a one-stop shop so that once a year we can pop in the dvd and just sit back for a few hours as the briefings do themselves.

How the hell do I do it?

Secure free/cheap video hosting site

traderjoefan — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:46:01 -0800

Is there a secure, free video hosting service for my .mpg home movies? I would like to sign up for a service that is definitely secure (only people I give password to can view the movies) and preferable free or really cheap.

I hate cars but...

serazin — Tue, 16 May 2006 09:14:07 -0800

I want a car that carries more than 5 passengers AND gets good fuel economy! I did see some similar recent posts on this question, but not explicitly including the more than 5 seating issue! Right now I drive a tiny civic hatch back. I don't care about having a BIG car, I just want a car that can carry more people than the members of my immediate family. I hate to switch from 35 mpg to the 18 that even the most efficient minivan provides. Any creative seating solutions (Optional rear bench? Back facing station wagon seating?) will be considered!

wing on the back of a car increasing MPG? Color me dubious.

Wild_Eep — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:12:20 -0800

Last night on ABC news there was a guy with a VW beetle (silver) who put a wicked-huge wing on the back and claimed some ridiculously-high MPG figure. Alas, my google fu fails me. Why would this wing possibly work? They guy wasn't a tuner, AFAICT.

Why are some YouTube videos so much better quality than others? What video specs and file format (AVI, MOV, MPG) produce the best results?

JudgeBork — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 17:56:13 -0800

Why are some YouTube videos so much better quality than others? What video specs and file format (AVI, MOV, MPG) produce the best results?

Why doesn't iMovie import my mpg?

shaneflyer — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 19:30:17 -0800

iMovie question: I have not used iMovie much, but I'd like to play around. I have a Sony DSC-P100 digital point-and-shoot camera that records video, which I can save to my computer as mpg. However, I can't seem to use these files in iMovie. Does that sound right, or is there something wrong with my copy of iMovie, or what? I can find nothing in the iMovie help that describes what file formats may be imported.