Should I be seeing better Avg MPG

[Klicht87]

2022 Willys 3.6 - I average about 18MPGs. Mostly short runs around 20 miles round trip to work and around town. I was expecting more as my previous RAM 1500 with a 5.7 did better not much I can do.

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[CookieSoup]

I feel like the mojaves in general seem to get worse mileage from what I've seen posted on here. I imagine the hood and frame reinforcements make for a heavier vehicle. That said it is winter gas time and I've consistently done 1.5-2 MPG worse this time of year than in the super with similar driving routes.

i almost wondered if the front being alittle taller if they were getting more wind under them instead of over. because i kind of feel like i see the Mojave's getting worse but never really paid that much attention.

 

[DCPHOENIX]

My economy sits around 17mpg on long trips where I’m sitting at 70-80. Fuel economy is trash on the highway. I get better being soft footed around town. Closer to 19

 

[Killroy Was Here]

Am always amazed after reading in a post that guys state they have been driving over 70 MPH, then wonder why their mileage is not as high as they expect.

Speeds over 65 MPH, and accelerating like you stole it from traffic lights all go hand in hand with shitty mileage.

That said, it should improve a little after it gets around 5,000 miles or so on it, but don't expect miracles.

My '21 Mojave has just shy of 19,000 miles on the clock, and it's average MPG (hand calculated) over the last 12 months is at 17.34 MPG. Truck drivetrain is stock with the exception of running larger Toyo Open Country AT 285/75R/17 tires. My location in NW Ohio where I do the majority of driving is also pretty flat elevation wise.

To maximize your results you will have to pay attention to, & adjust how you drive.

I have found that watching the colored arched indicator over the mileage screen on the dash display can be a pretty good training tool for learning how to get the best mileage.
Try to keep it in the green as much as possible w/the instant MPG reading showing 12-14MPG while accelerating.

 

[MojaveMat]

I took this pic yesterday at a red light after a 56 mile trek from my home to Pittsburgh Pa. 46 of these miles was Interstate driving at the cruise set at 74 MPH and the beginning average was at 14.5, Granted at the time of the pic I only have 1001 miles on my stock Mojave Jeep and I took delivery September 1st 2022. The jeep gets driven usually on the weekends mostly rural driving. Or have I not even driven it enough to be concerned of the Avg MPG yet lol.

I have 35” m/t and am around there. Seems tires are the biggest factor. First winter with it too and I’ve notice some mpg drop. Maybe bc the heat is running more and I don’t think ESS is kicking on as much.

 

[ZoMojave]

2022 Willys 3.6 - I average about 18MPGs. Mostly short runs around 20 miles round trip to work and around town. I was expecting more as my previous RAM 1500 with a 5.7 did better not much I can do.

Yup. Came from Ram 1500 Hemi power as well. But the Ram didn't look like this.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I get 17.2 in mine on stock 4.10 gears on 37's. I stay around 70 on the interstate and drive about 5 miles over the speed limit mostly in and around town. Your driving habits may be different than mine. We normally average around 18.4 on trips to beach where it's mostly country driving under 60. I also let the ESS do it's thing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Speed is a big part of it. I’ve never done the math on any of my cars to see if it matches this data from DOE, but I know once I get over 70mph I notice a significant MPG drop.

It's worse on Jeeps like the Gladiator and Wrangler due to the frontage and drag and lack of a closed underside and other factors.
That's for "typical" vehicles. These are far from "typical".
I can tell you that WIND matters - from home to Overland park - a full tank of fuel - said I had 50 miles left when I got there, 15 mpg.
On the way back - 22 mpg, adding remaining range and miles traveled I could have gone 450 miles. I got home with well over 1/2 tank left.
Same highways, same speeds there and back. The difference was the wind direction and speed.

These typically don't do their best mpg until at least 6000 miles on the clock.
Mojaves are heavy and sit high - both big strikes against them for mpg (you don't buy a Mojave gasser for mpg - buy it for many other reasons)
Any time you raise a vehicle, you present it to more wind, but you also expose the rough under-belly which catches wind.
Bigger, heavier, wider tires matter in a huge way as well. Allow wind to get into the front wheel openings- another strike (meaning stubby bumpers or bumpers well below the fender fronts)
Wind resistance increases exponentially with the biggest impact on a typical vehicle above 60 - thus the embargo-era, oil cartel-era 55 mph national speed limit.
Since these are built like 1960s vehicles, no accounting for wind and drag, expect them to behave about the same with increased speed.
I have to laugh at times - drive 70-75 and talk about mpg? It's like talking about acidic drinks and eating candy all day and wondering why your dental bills are so huge.

Face it - we drive bricks.
We want them to sit taller and catch more wind underneath. We want wider tires to add frictional losses and we want taller tires to add weight - and we ask mpg.
Ever wonder why modern pickups have air dams up front - some even retract for off-road or heavy-duty use, but move down for higher speed highway driving? Wonder why the tires don't stick past the fenders? Why windshields slope way back?

 

[Sprinkler-Fitter]

Speed is a big part of it. I’ve never done the math on any of my cars to see if it matches this data from DOE, but I know once I get over 70mph I notice a significant MPG drop.

Man you must really care about mpg’s to have all that info. I have never checked my mileage.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Man you must really care about mpg’s to have all that info. I have never checked my mileage.

I've done the research for decades - to address those who ask why they aren't getting better mpg LOL

 

[Deleted member 53332]

Man you must really care about mpg’s to have all that info. I have never checked my mileage.

That all came from the Dept of Energy, I haven’t verified it. Didn’t buy a Jeep for mileage, but I’ve seen between 17 and 23 on the interstate with speed variations. If I want good mileage, I drive the Miata.

 

[BearFootSam]

Gladiator:
* SFA - drag link, Panhard bar, axle tube, and diff all hanging in the wind vs IFS.
* Overwidth axles - great advantage off-road and looks cool but lacks the significant aero improvement of tucking the wheels inside the body (ie most pickups, all cars).
* High clearance - significant additional drag penalty of under-body turbulence
* External hood latches - vortex generators (lol)?
* High-angle windshield - you have to pay to play with good visibility and the option to drop it.
* Protruding front bumper with spacing from front wheels - poor aero trade-off for winch capability and generous front tire clearance.
* High crawl ratio - good (great) off-road torque and 'snappy' acceleration at the penalty of efficient gearing, mitigated to some degree by the venerable 8-speed.
* Boxy brick shape - more agricultural than aerodynamic.
*Protruding tow hooks - excellent for getting recovery hooked up when the front is buried, now with more turbulence.
* NA full-size port injection V6 - relatively simple and reliable as opposed to a strung-out blown low displacement DI I4.
* 33" AT/MT's stock from the dealer - off the lot capable but with high rolling resistance.
* +5k lb curb weight - sign of reliability(?), penalty of an old school BoF durable construction.

The point is that all of those wonderful, quirky things that make a jeep a jeep are in total contradiction to good aerodynamics and efficiency. The fact that a gladiator can hit 20mpg despite all of these features is pretty darn impressive.

 

[Jab1719]

Where I live (Pittsburgh area) it’s extremely hilly it kills my mpg. I usually see around 15 locally but easily get to 18-20 when I run the highways.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

* SFA - drag link, Panhard bar, axle tube, and diff all hanging in the wind vs IFS.

The list makes sense save for one thing -
IFS vs. solid front axle - It's not really an argument if you have the stock air dam covering all of that. Plus all of those parts on the Jeep are rounded, not flat like IFS parts.

IFS has things hanging down as well.
The evidence of that is that I am usually the only person laying under the front of their car at a car show wiping the bugs off the lower control arms, front cross member, drag link and other parts under the front of my SX4. I don't need to do that with my JT - at least before I removed the air dam.

The lower control arms of IFS hang down low and are parallel to the front of the vehicle, making them worse than the front of a JT with the air dam. The LCAs on my car have flat fronts. The bars under my truck are rounded, not flat.

It's really a wash because the axle of the JT sits higher than the front cross member on my car that holds the lower control arms but it's prevented from catching wind by the air dam (or even a skid plate of similar shape)

I bet the IFS on my car presents more drag than the solid axle on my JT.
I noticed a drop in mpg when I removed the air dam on my truck.

This catches a LOT of stuff - and the bugs I have to wipe off the fronts of the control arms and other parts prove it -

The only saving factor is the skid plate (adding about 40 pounds) but the control arms and outer steering and suspension still catch a lot of bugs and stuff -

The air dam under the front of a Gladiator actually do a good job of routing the air around the front suspension and steering parts, but when we remove them to add weight, we will lower the mpg.

There's a reason that IFS vehicles have plastic air dams and shields that divert air and make the underside smoother - it all catches air under there.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Where I live (Pittsburgh area) it’s extremely hilly it kills my mpg. I usually see around 15 locally but easily get to 18-20 when I run the highways.

MPG here sucks but down in Florida, I saw a 3 mpg hike due to the flat roads.
Once I leave Iowa and hit the flats of IL, my mpg goes up. I've seen that with 3 trucks now.

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