just curious from 1st to 6th what rpm before you shift to 2nd 3rd and so........depending on how people drive that might cause the mpg..

 

It's this common misconception about torque and hp again. Sigh!

If both cars are travelling 60mph, the car at 6000rpm must have a much lower gearing (better mechanical advantage) than the car running 2000rpm. This means that after gear ratio multiplication, you're really comparing hp instead of torque to accelerate the car. In this case it means that:

125lb-ft at 6000rpm = 125 x 6000 / 5252 = 142.8hp

vs

275lb-ft at 2000rpm = 275 x 2000 / 5252 = 104.7hp

Simple as that.

 

...but not as bad as other manufacturers like Mazda. We have 2 2.3L Mazda 3s in the family. EPA rating is 25 city but they are getting more like 20. Driving style is not in the question as my older brother drives in "fuel save" mode most of the time. Edmunds observed mpg on the civic is very close to EPA's but on the Mazda 3 it's a different story.

 

Let me just say this... the zo6 vette ownzzzzz haha, i dunno about this test, but it is one sweet vette, id take it in a heartbeat. btw im getting about 23.5 mpg mixed city/hwy, but i vtec a lot, especially now that i have the invidia

 

My brother has the top-end Mazda3 GT and he always gets well over 26 MPG in the city.

I think it all has to do with driving style... I don't get anywhere close to the estimated mileage in either of my cars, and I don't think its a big deal. Might cost me an extra $200 at the end of the year, if that

 

On my last tank I drove like grandma (VTEC=NO!) in an attempt to see how high the MPG could get on my 04. I hit 30 MPG exactly, and that was with a 75% city/25% highway mix, with about a 50/50 top down/up ratio.

It wasn't much fun... but I did eek out some good mileage.

 

No matter how hard I drive, after a full tank my avg is at least 25mpg.

Highways are always in the 28-30 range.

When just cruising/putting around I 1-3-5-6 shift pattern or 2-4-6 shift pattern. There are lots of downward hills on my daily route so I frequently do a rolling 2nd gear start.

I've had an 2003 Millenium Yellow Z06 and i never disabled CAGS. Always got great mileage

As for the comment on "handles like a stuck pig"... Having owned both cars the S2000 can't touch the Z06 version of the vette. Given equal drivers, cars stock for stock, the Z06 will obliterate the S to a pulp.

The Z can outhandle the S2000 stock for stock. Not only can the Z out G and out corner but it can further sustain It's corner sticking attitude with extra power.

The S is a great car no doubt, thats why I own one now. However, it is def. not a replacement for the power and handling my Z06 had. In fact, I'm still in withdrawl.

As for suspension technology, just because it has a leaf spring doesn't mean it handles bad in any way. On the road course I consider it King.

Look at the #5 stang in GT. It's using a 3 link solid rear and is killing the field. Look at all the Z06s on the road courses.

I chose the 3 link for my new FactoryFive over an IRS. ;-)

You've never drivin fast unless you've been in a Z06 with a road course instructor driving in it....

The only reason why I bought an S2000 was price. I'm done spending a lot of money on cars. My factory five build up will be the cheapest car I've ever bought.

For the record a base vette's handling is way too soft and weak on a road course. I think it's junk.

 

After running the Dragon 2 weeks ago, I noticed a large increase in milage, I am still trying to figure it out. On my MY00 I averaged 24-25 mpg for 60k miles.
On my MY04 I've been averaging 22-23 for the first 13K. After putting 4000 miles on the car in 2 weeks, including a LOT of 7000+ RPM sustained driving. I am now getting 26-27 mpg. My GF actually got 32 mpg for 2 consecutive tankfulls on the HWY in cruise.
So I am in agreement with Wisconsin on the break in thing.

 

Despite the fact that the Corvette would be making less hp, there's still more torque being produced by the wheels, therefore faster accerlation than the S2000.

Here's a more familiar example - AP1 S2000 in 1st gear at 7300rpm makes 150 lb-ft and 208 hp. The same car in 2nd gear at 9000rpm makes 130 lb-ft and 222 hp. There's a whole lot more power being produced in 2nd, but because of the gearing the 1st gear acceleration is much greater.

Similarly, use some math to go from crank torque * gearing -> wheel torque * wheel dimensions -> linear thrust / car mass -> acceleration, and you'll find the Corvette most likely out-accelerates an S2000 even when both are in 6th gear. (I say "likely" because I don't have exact numbers so have only been able to approximate the calculation.)

 

i remeber hearing that the vette z06 motor gets good mileage cause of the fact that when not pushed, it uses only 4 of the cylinders to get better gas economy