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What economy (MPG) are you getting? MPG POLL ADDED!

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Offline tundrawolf

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What economy (MPG) are you getting? MPG POLL ADDED!
« on: October 17, 2009, 01:56:04 PM »
Hello,

I love offroading and have a 4x4 Chevy LUV (1979) truck which goes anywhere, but gets bad gas mileage because of super low gearing.

Other than that I only have a motorcycle to get around.

I live in the rural hills of the high desert of California, so all around me is 4x4 country.

I want something that will break 35MPG but stil be a reasonably competent offroad vehicle.

The Suzuki Samurai caught my eye and may be my next vehicle.

I was wondering: What sort of Miles per Gallon are you guys getting out of your vehicles?

I am not really sure if I want to go with the huge wheel option as I know it will affect my MPG.


Any replies are appreciated, thank you.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2009, 10:15:39 AM by ebewley »
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Offline zukimoo

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2009, 08:19:08 PM »
I've been running zukes for 10 years and they've never given me over 30mpg. My 413K running 30" tires and 512 gears gets about 20 to 25 mpg. The gearing is low so it doens't help.
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85 SJ413K SUA, 30" BFG muds, 512's, lockers and DOHC soon...
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Offline trackinstile

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2009, 08:37:21 PM »
I have a 2000 Tracker 4 door.  2.0 5 speed, bone stock with 215/75 tires, I've gotten 28 a few times years ago, now about 26 in the warmer weather, it's down to 24 since the weather has gotten cooler.  I don't think you're going to find anything that gets 35. 
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A wise man once said, "Wherever you go...........There you are.............." 2000 Tracker 4 door with the 2.0 liter "Big Block". 5 speed 4WD  2001 XL-7 EX II
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Offline tundrawolf

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2009, 08:41:03 PM »
What about a Sidekick? I hear they get 35 MPG.

What a bummer, I really love the look of the Samurai.
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Offline 95Gstman

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2009, 09:26:12 PM »
Best I ever got when my sidekick was bone stock was 27mpg. It did have a high idle at the time but that probably only would of cost me like 1mpg. Once you put on bigger tires, the milage will just go down. Especially with the sidekick platform because there are almost no gearing options to compensate for those bigger tires. If you like samurai's I say buy one, get it running perfect, give it a tune up, slap some 29" mud tires on it and go. It will get you about as close to what you are looking for as your going to get without driving an atv of some sort.
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Offline Jookycola

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2009, 01:40:49 AM »
Sorry but you heard wrong.
I think the common misconception is due to the "Geo" name.  People automatically associate Geo with fuel sipper which is true if your have a Geo Metro, but for the most part all other Geo products run about the same as any other mid 90's econobox.  Trackers/Sidekicks actually get the worst mpg's in the entire Geo/Suzuki line-up.  They are after all trucks, a segment not known for the best mpg's.  You will get far better mpg's in a zuk, than say an S-10.  But not 35mpg's...barely even break the high 20's range.

Add bigger tires and people, and equipment and it's even less.  Suzuki/Geo trucks actually only really shine on the trail and in local city traffic.  that's where you'll get awesome mpg's.  But the little engine works hard on highways...even more so in areas with hills and mountains so the highway mpg's on these is not so great.  factor in that it has like a 9 gallon tank and you don't really get much range either.

Over all you'll get better mpg's than you will in ANY other 4x4 ever made, but realistically you'll never see 35mpg from a Suzuki or Geo truck.  and if you change it from stock it's pretty much a safe bet you'll barely see anything over 24mpg's
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Offline jaunty

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2009, 08:24:36 AM »
i suppose if you did a VW diesel swap into the samurai you'd get around 35 MPG, and its a pretty common swap. 
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UTAH96

Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2009, 10:30:47 AM »
The only thing I know of that gets that good of mileage and is four wheel drive is a Toyota Trecel or Corolla All-Trac.  Both have real transfer cases (not AWD), but only the Trecel's is two speed.  Both get about the mileage you're hoping for. 
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Offline Cuthulu

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2009, 11:37:43 AM »
I think that Jookycola's answer is about spot on.  I have a low miles 94 Tracker with some minor  air and exhaust work done (geared twords MPG not power) and a 1.5" lift with AT 30's and I get 27MPG. 

One thing to keep in mind though is rolling resistance.  If you have a garage you could run street tires of a smaller size and then AT's when you went wheeling.  I would bet that if I went down to 28x8's with street tread I could hit 30MPG. But I live in an apartment so no second set for me any time soon.
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Offline Drone637

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2009, 01:45:24 PM »
I run a 1" or so lift with 235/75R15 Toyo All Terrains at 23lb, 2" cat back, 1" wheel spacers with the 16v and get close to 27mpg pretty much all the time, doesn't really matter what I am doing.  When I first bought the Tracker it sat stock with some really thing road 235/75R15 tires that where aired up to 30lbs and I could manage 29 or so, but that was the best I was able to squeeze out of the tank.
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Offline captchee

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2009, 06:02:51 PM »
« Last Edit: October 18, 2009, 06:07:55 PM by captchee »
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Offline Jookycola

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2009, 07:05:20 PM »
The Tracker/Sidekick/Samurai is classified as a "light truck".  All of mine have been registered and insured as such in both California and Michigan, I'm assuming those are not the only states and that it's a federal classification of some sort.  Yes an F-150 is a serious truck, but that's a different class of truck.  But a 1-ton & F-150 and Tracker/Sidekick/Samurai are all built the same way. Body over solid frame so structurally they are the same, size wise....that's a different story.

The Geo tracker is the truck of the Geo line-up.

Mine has 235/75/r15 BFG A/T KO's at 40psi, no lift at all.  I have a 16v motor, with the 1990 5-speed (with a lower 5th gear than later models) hooked to that motor is a K&N drop-in filter with a fully open air box mod, and the Calmini muffler on an otherwise bone stock exhaust system.  I average around 25mpg hwy, 27 on a good cool day on completely flat surfaces. doing the speed limit (around 65 to 70 mph)

When i lived in Los Angeles where the freeways go up and down plenty of steep hills, and the average summer temp is 87 to 100 degrees outside I averaged only 23 to 25mpg's  I could go up a hill and try to keep up with traffic and literally watch the gas gauge go down.
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Offline captchee

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2009, 06:00:04 AM »
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Offline LilRed

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #13 on: October 19, 2009, 11:30:14 AM »
Quote from: Jookycola on October 18, 2009, 07:05:20 PM
Mine has 235/75/r15 BFG A/T KO's at 40psi,

40psi????  I would not be able to keep my Tracker on the road, from bouncing out of the potholes at that pressure!
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Offline Dennis .89-

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Re: What economy (MPG) are you getting?
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2009, 01:32:48 PM »
when i had my 1998 sidekick sport 4door
bone stock i was getting 29-30 mpg
but that was driving economically.
now i put some mods on to it and its diving
getting about 19 mpg with
-30" tires (23 psi)
-stock gears
-stock diffs
-cone filter

Dennis.
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