My SE use too much gas?

[niceguy]

My SE is running at 19.6 - 20 mpg within city, mostly flat road. Is that normal? I am thinking this 20 mpg is too low. I expect something 22 mpg or better.

I am using 90 octane fuel. What is the advantage of using higher octane than 87 octane?
1. more fuel efficiency, thus higher milage?
2. more clean for the engine?
3. engine will last longer in long run?

[Netforcer]

seeing as you are in Canada... i'm guessing it's really cold up there... cold air eats up more gas... so your mileage should improve as the weather gets warmer...

As for octane, higher octane burns faster and hotter, thus better for engine... not sure about mileage... some say it increases, some say it decreases, I say it depends on your driving habits

[niceguy]

Wrong calculation. Actually, my SE was doing only 17.66 mpg last time. Is it because it is still in breaking period? My car has only 780 miles on the ODO.

[centennialman]

I'm averaging around 22-23 MPG in my daily going to work driving home commute. The best I've gotten out of my tank was 450 miles on 18 gallons from Denver to Las Vegas last summer (pretty impressive considering that the drive consists of going up some mountainous roads and uneven elevation).

Netforcer's probably right. Cold weather's probably affecting your milege more than the octane of your gas. Canadian cold is something else. I frove my ass off up there quite a few times and I'm from Colorado.

[niceguy]

Originally Posted by Netforcer

seeing as you are in Canada... i'm guessing it's really cold up there... cold air eats up more gas... so your mileage should improve as the weather gets warmer...

As for octane, higher octane burns faster and hotter, thus better for engine... not sure about mileage... some say it increases, some say it decreases, I say it depends on your driving habits

I am in Vancouver, about 3 hrs from Seattle. It is not cold at all, about 50 F now. No snow, but rain in winter time. I do not carry heavy stuff, and not racing my car.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by Netforcer

seeing as you are in Canada... i'm guessing it's really cold up there... cold air eats up more gas... so your mileage should improve as the weather gets warmer...

As for octane, higher octane burns faster and hotter, thus better for engine... not sure about mileage... some say it increases, some say it decreases, I say it depends on your driving habits

WRONG! Higher octane fuel burns SLOWER. Because of that it will have a tendency to leave more combustion chamber and exhaust deposits also.

As stated above though, the cooler air will hurt your fuel mileage. You'll also make more power though. You're mileage seems correct under the circumstances

Your car has no need for the higher octane, so don't use it.

Fuel mileage does usually seem to get a little better after the car is loosened up a little bit.

[Wayward_Traveller]

Niceguy, I can't give you a lot of accurate data because I too don't have it.
My SE has even less miles then yours, I am at 494 miles.
But I know when I filled up last weekend I got 23mpg on my first tank.
And that is assuming they totally topped off my car when it was new.
Mostly commuting to work, short commute though 9 miles each way and driving around town a little.

[CamrySExxx]

jus get regular gas. Your just wasting money $. Gas prices here are ridiculous! i think the prices in Vancouver are much higher than ontario. And its predicted that it will be up near $1.40/L here in toronto.

[niceguy]

At Husky, 90 octane is the same price as 87 octane at Esso, that is why I am using 90 octane gas. My last fill is 15.852 gal (60 liters) for 280 miles, so that is about 17.66 mpg. That is way too low of mpg. Maybe I should try a few tank of 87 octane fuel for testing.

[gdanaher]

Originally Posted by niceguy

My SE is running at 19.6 - 20 mpg within city, mostly flat road. Is that normal? I am thinking this 20 mpg is too low. I expect something 22 mpg or better.

I am using 90 octane fuel. What is the advantage of using higher octane than 87 octane?
1. more fuel efficiency, thus higher milage?
2. more clean for the engine?
3. engine will last longer in long run?

Is it a 4 or 6? For in-city, a V6 will get about 18-20, depending upon how you drive and how long it sits at lights. Traffic kills mileage. As for your questions:
1. It isn't more efficient. 93 octane might net you 3 extra horsepower as noted in the Lexus version, but really now, are you going to notice 3 horsepower? In any event, the mileage is pretty much the same. Air temperature and altitude above sea level are much greater factors in determining mileage.
2. Higher octane fuels burn more slowly, thus have greater opportunities for leaving crap behind. This is mitigated somewhat by additives that tend to clean better than 87-85 octane fuels, but again, you aren't going to notice much of a difference.
3. Engine longevity is more dependent upon the lubricants used, although long ago in Mexico I had to use some 76 octane gas and pretty well figured it was going to drop all of its valves before I ran the gas through and got some better fuel (they don't sell that stuff any more.) The engine won't last any longer, but you will have the pleasure of spending 10-20 cents more per gallon to learn this.

[centennialman]

Originally Posted by niceguy

At Husky, 90 octane is the same price as 87 octane at Esso, that is why I am using 90 octane gas. My last fill is 15.852 gal (60 liters) for 280 miles, so that is about 17.66 mpg. That is way too low of mpg. Maybe I should try a few tank of 87 octane fuel for testing.

You can try but I doubt your choice in fuel has to to with anything. You're still under a thousand miles. When I broke my car in I did exactly what the manufacturer recommends. No sudden acceleration, easy braking, etc.

I'll bet after your initial couple of thosand miles or so it'll average out. FYI the 2008 EPA ratings for the Camry changed here in the states. Previously I believe it was 22 city 31 highway (25 combined) but now it's 19 city 28 highway (23 combined).

[marc780]

Is it because it is still in breaking period? My car has only 780 miles on the ODO.

That could be a factor, a new engine is a little tighter and the wear-in cycle isnt totally complete until about 10,000 miles. (The proof of this is Car and driver magazine used to test new vehicles and then test them again when they had 10,000 miles on them, the performance and MPG figures almost always showed an improvement over brand new.)
But im guessing your engine should start seeing better mileage once you have 5 or 10 000 miles on it -
And yeah the other people are right about your other questions: No need to use high octane, the only difference is a slight increase in performance and slight decrease in your wallet compared to buying the cheaper stuff.

And the cold could have a lot of effect on mileage, winter miles are hard miles and mostly short trip (snow). Probably the engine is not fully warming up most of the time and this combined with short trips (less than about 20 miles non stop) can cause a major decrease in mpg.

For in-city, a V6 will get about 18-20, depending upon how you drive and how long it sits at lights. Traffic kills mileage.

My V6 gets about 25 mpg in LA traffic which of course is literally the worst traffic in the world.

[Netforcer]

Originally Posted by TRD VVTi

WRONG! Higher octane fuel burns SLOWER. Because of that it will have a tendency to leave more combustion chamber and exhaust deposits also.

As stated above though, the cooler air will hurt your fuel mileage. You'll also make more power though. You're mileage seems correct under the circumstances

Your car has no need for the higher octane, so don't use it.

Fuel mileage does usually seem to get a little better after the car is loosened up a little bit.

Oops.. hahah was thinking of ethanol... dang no need for the bold coupled with the exclamation mark... hahaha

[Netforcer]

Originally Posted by centennialman

I'm averaging around 22-23 MPG in my daily going to work driving home commute. The best I've gotten out of my tank was 450 miles on 18 gallons from Denver to Las Vegas last summer (pretty impressive considering that the drive consists of going up some mountainous roads and uneven elevation).

Netforcer's probably right. Cold weather's probably affecting your milege more than the octane of your gas. Canadian cold is something else. I frove my ass off up there quite a few times and I'm from Colorado.

450 on 18 gallons still equates to 25mpg... I get that on average...

[centennialman]

Originally Posted by Netforcer

450 on 18 gallons still equates to 25mpg... I get that on average...

Colorado drivers who can't drive worth the pubs on my balls is why I can't get the 25 mpg in the city that I think I should. Overall I'm pretty happy with my 22.5 average. Can't complain really. The Camry isn't exactly a featherweight of a car.

I have yet to cruise on the highway in a sufficient manner to get past 25 mpg. Maybe I should take a long drive down I70 toward Kansas. I hear the terrain there is pretty flat.