Pretty good MPG with the Badlands!

[Mark S.]

And when you start leaning: you’ll gain some power back. So you’re gaining back some power and burning less fuel by leaning the mixture to accommodate the less dense air.

Yes, you've explained how to correct the mixture for altitude. You haven't explained how the engine can be more efficient at altitude. You're burning less fuel because you're making less power, not because the engine is more efficient. Climbing to altitude is really no different than closing the throttle. You have to reduce the amount of fuel injected into the engine as you close the throttle to keep the mixture correct. If you don't, the mixture gets too rich and you lose power, the same way it gets too rich as you climb.

Do you know what altitude Cessna says the late model Skyhawks can be leaned at? It’s a lot lower than most pilots think.

If you have the proper instrumentation you can lean the engine at any altitude.

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[13MikeH]

So the Badlands engine is the 2.0 ?
I would have never guessed it could beat the 1.5L in a mpg fight !!!
The 2.0 engine guys I’ve talked to mostly get 24 mpg,,,
Makes me wonder what’s going on.
I do well to hold 26 mpg with my base model..

I'd guess your hills don't help you. Driving my 2 mile work commute I probably pull 20-22. Open highway cruising 75ish on eco I usually hit 28-29. I'm in an area of relatively flat roads. Overpass climbs are the big hills I'd say 26 on your end is solid.

 

[cgparsons1983]

So the Badlands engine is the 2.0 ?
I would have never guessed it could beat the 1.5L in a mpg fight !!!
The 2.0 engine guys I’ve talked to mostly get 24 mpg,,,
Makes me wonder what’s going on.
I do well to hold 26 mpg with my base model..

Yep I am at about 900 miles total on the badlands and I'm getting between 23-24 mpg, but it's been mostly city driving in normal mode, I think it's more a testament to the effectiveness of the eco mode.

 

[RiotfunK]

The 2.0 probs gets better fuel mileage on highway or with any weight added etc since it doesn’t have to work as hard. The 1.5 has to work harder to maintain same speed and shift more frequently or stay higher in rev range to stay in sweet spot. Perfect city motor. Why I ordered a badlands. Plus my Harley makes about the same power as the 1.5L. But across the board/manufacturers with these small turbos aren’t really that fuel efficient. Is a 3700lb vehicle. A lot of weight for a small turbo motor. Especially the 3 cyl. That’s front drive mostly all the time. My RDX with its full time sh awd system and 400lbs more gets roughly the same fuel mileage in sport + mode and is driven sporty. I’m wondering what my BL will get once it’s lifted some and has 30/31s on it. The city mpg I’ve seen for both motors isn’t really that good. My Tacoma with E rated 33s, 3” lift and armor gets 17 city and weighs almost 4800lbs.

 

[Mark S.]

The 2.0 probs gets better fuel mileage on highway or with any weight added etc since it doesn’t have to work as hard.

Hmmm. This doesn't jibe with owner reports here. It seems like most are seeing very close to EPA estimates, with 1.5L owners reporting closer to 30 MPG on the highway, and 2.0L owners reporting closer to 25 MPG. I've been tracking my fuel mileage on my Badlands by hand since new and I'm seeing just shy of 26 MPG for combined city/highway (30/70), which is pretty close to the EPA estimate.

 

[DMEARC]

Yes, you've explained how to correct the mixture for altitude. You haven't explained how the engine can be more efficient at altitude. You're burning less fuel because you're making less power, not because the engine is more efficient. Climbing to altitude is really no different than closing the throttle. You have to reduce the amount of fuel injected into the engine as you close the throttle to keep the mixture correct. If you don't, the mixture gets too rich and you lose power, the same way it gets too rich as you climb.


If you have the proper instrumentation you can lean the engine at any altitude.

Re-read my comments. I never said the engine is more efficient at altitude. My comment was how you’ll burn less fuel. And you will.

Leaning at altitude can be accomplished without fancy instrumentation.

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