I just found out what a difference it can make to get out of town and take even a small road trip. In the year I've had the Blazer, I've been getting about 16-17.5 mpg around town with some freeway thrown in on each trip into town. The other day, I took an 80 or 90 mile trip on freeways and country roads with no stop and go traffic to speak of. That was only 80 or 90 out of my total 250 miles between fill-ups, but the overall mileage jumped up to 20 mpg!

Tomorrow, I'm taking a 140 mile freeway trip to Seattle and back, so I unless I run into some traffic jams, I should do even better on this next tankful.

Anne
'91 S-10 Blazer
2 door, 4.3L, 4X4

 

Around town I get about 16-17, driving like an old lady. Highway I get on average 22, best I have done on the highway is 24 (catching the draft off 18-wheelers).

 

I drive like an old lady, too, probably because I am one, compared to some of you, at least. I don't have a heavy foot! But most of my vehicles have been small Japanese ones with manual transmissions, so I'm sure it has been a learning experience to drive an automatic V-6 Blazer as efficiently as possible. The literature I got with the Blazer says I should get 17 around town and 24 on the freeway, so that will be my goal.

Anne
'91 S10 Blazer
2dr, 4.3L, 4X4, automatic

 

Your gas mileage can also depend on what brand of gas you get. In Seattle you will get gasoline that will have a mix of ethanol or another additive that will decrease your mileage by about 2mpg???

I found out that gas that is refined west of the cascades has additives to reduce pollution and it is delivered to stations east of the cascades too, eg Chevron, Costco, Texaco, Shell. I use Conocco/Phillips I was amazed that I would get a jump in MPG, but I did. So that is the gas I use, it does not contain those additives for pollution since it is refined in area not needing those additives.

Also MPG is reflective of the health/age of your vehicle. And the computer sensors are telling the computer to deliver the correct air/fuel ratio.

And don't believe the numbers in the manual they are only to be used to compare vehicles of the same type for fuel economy, read the fine print eg your gas mileage may vary depending on weather conditions etc.....

 

Amen on that. They (SAE) are changing the way horse power is measured by including the power steering pump in their tests. It's about time they show real world EPA fuel mileage and true engine power.

 

That is very interesting! I just started buying gas at a 76 station, which is Conocco/Phillips according to the credit card, after mainly buying Chevron previously. So maybe that accounts for some of my improved mileage. Thanks very much for that information!

My round trip to Seattle yesterday was about 150 miles, and I used under 1/2 a tank, according to the gauge, which is admittedly unreliable, but it would read much lower with my usual local driving routine. So I'll get some idea next time I fill up. The traffic wasn't perfect (it never is in Seattle) but it wasn't too bad.

Yes, my Blazer is old, but it seems like I am close to the ball park according to the literature and am getting better mileage than some folks. So I guess it's in pretty good shape for its age. I was never really complaining about the mileage, just noticing the dramatic difference with trips out of town, and looking forward to more such trips!

Anne
'91 S-10 Blazer
2 dr, 4.3L, 4X4, automatic w/OD
149,200 miles

 

And where exactly is west of the cascades? You mean NY?

Damn, I'm in FL.

 

Cascades run from California up to British Columbia. I would think you are pretty safe in FL from getting gas from west of the Cascades. It sure would be a very long haul to get that gas to FL.

 

Just for people's additional information, Mt. St. Helens (you've all heard of that, right?) is part of the Cascade mountain range, along with other volcanoes in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Several of these are still considered active and could erupt in our lifetimes!

 

I finally got to check the 95 Blazer adn was somewhat surprised. I checked the MPG over 3 tanks of gas and it is averaging 16.5 MPG, which is fair in my mind, a lot better than my 93. That is generally filling it up with 88 Octane. The 95 runs 100% smoother at idle and just off idle than the 93, but it also doesn't feel as spunky.

I'm in the processes of installing my some what rebuilt motor in my 97 Bravada. I was playing with the trip computer in it last night and noticed that it is claiming 17.8 MPG over a total of 498 gallons of gas with an average speed of 35.1 MPH. I hope it can continue that kind of mileage with the new engine.