Can You Daily Drive A Kei Car?

[@zonkers_garage]

Good MPG in a Kei car has to do with driving style, weight of the car/truck, carbureted or fuel injected, NA or boosted, automatic or manual trans, 2 or 4wd, and gearing with tire diameters. Those differences can mean the difference between a 20mpg Kei and a 40mpg Kei.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Never 40MPG. Unless you never go over 60klm which at that point your not even treating it like a car

[@seancoxe1094]

When I first got my '95 Suzuki Carry, the mileage was so shocking, I thought someone was stealing my gas at night (which made no sense 'cause Suzuki Carrys have a locking gas cap). Because the speed limits even on the secondary roads in Arizona are 45-55 mph, I generally average about 27 mpg (5spd helps). I was telling someone about the mileage at a local car meet. He listened, said, "It probably needs a serious tune-up," turned and walked away. That little 660cc engine turns @4700 rpm at 50 mph in 5th gear, and that doesn't help the mileage. Thanks for emphasizing the reality of gas consumption with these little kei vehicles, Nick.

[@Waybeforethefame]

That sounds about right I’m okay with people saying even low 30s but the 40+ comments need to stop. Unless you’re driving very slow then mmm and not far lol

[@Mr.Ramirez95]

Do a video on MPG to finally bust the myth. Top off the tank, Do a 100 mile loop, come back to the same pump and refill. Do the math. Myth busted. 🔥

[@Waybeforethefame]

Its been 24 hours since the video and im not even joking i had to refill the car again after driving 175miles so im getting 25mpg which im okay with

[@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq]

Bought my first Subaru sambar. And love it. Always wanted one. Orange / white with VW front end, 5 speed supercharged.

[@LarryNgetich]

I'm in Kenya, and here we get the newer kei cars. My 8 year old Honda N WGN gets an average of 45 MPG, so I guess the older ones are not so good on gas. Another not so kei car I'd like to see on your channel is the Atrai 7. They were a hit here in Kenya around early 2010s, and they are a more daily driveable van because they are the size of a kei car but with twice the engine capacity and 7 seats.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Yeah i can see the newer kei cars get closer to 40 because the advances in technology. But here in the USA with our old 1994 kei cars + american highways i find it very hard to believe anyone is getting 40 unless they drive like a grandma lol

[@Liberty4Ever]

I had to charge the battery in my 4Runner last night because I haven't been driving it for the last month and a half since I started daily driving my 1996 4WD Hijet mini truck. I love it. So fun to drive, park it anywhere, very practical and so many smiles per mile. Everyone loves the mini truck. A guy at a stop light today wanted me to sell it to him. I get 30+ MPG driving around town, even though it has a carburetor and distributor.

[@Waybeforethefame]

If you stay local to around town rarely get on the highway I can see low 30s MPG

[@Liberty4Ever]

@@Waybeforethefame - I never highway my Hijet. I drive major secondary roads. These are the roads that people used before interstate highways. I drive those roads at 60 and sometimes 70 MPH, and yes, mileage is much less at that speed. Keitora are not aerodynamic. I probably get best mileage at 35 MPH in town, in 5th gear.

[@darrinpeery389]

Being real and I’m here for it. I love everything about my van. KEI IS THE WAY!

[@Waybeforethefame]

YESSSIRRR

[@LemieuxPA]

I love my daily-driven 1997 Daihatsu Atrai (5 speed manual, 2WD, turbo, Twin Cosmic roof). I have Watanabe wheels, Momo corse steering wheel, etc. The smiles per gallon is amazing. People are just amazed to see it. And I love seeing their reaction. You can come check it out on your next trip to Montreal.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Im planning a trip to montreal soon lets make it happen!

[@Justmyluckxd]

Daily driven the kei truck. Tank will last about 2 weeks. 30 miles daily. Usually around 50 55 mph. Average 35-40 mpg. But non ethanol/93 used and its fl with not much stopping and going. Used to have a g37 coupe that would get 15 mpg in nyc and 21 mpg in fl. The constant stop and go in nyc kills gas constantly accelerating. But you are not getting above 40 and getting close to 40 is on the rarer side

[@Waybeforethefame]

Extremely hard to believe you drive 30 miles a day and it last 2 weeks

[@11antpile]

The gas mileage can be considered good depending on what your needs are/what you're comparing it to. For example, I love going off-road, and most 4x4 SUVs in the US are gas hogs getting like 16mpg at best, whereas my Jimny typically gets 24mpg even with bigger mud tires.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Im not complaining about the MPG, its a 25+ year old little kei car if i get 20mpg im cool with it. i just dont want the lies to continue to be spread lol

[@muffin4600]

Right, I haven't started tracking my fuel economy yet on my Mira, I haven't been through a full tank yet since I've gotten it. But so far it doesn't seem great, you could probably get good mileage if you were just cruising at like 30 mph, but any highway use or trying to accelerate at more than a snails pace means that the tiny engine is working very hard. And I'd agree, there isn't really anything wrong with an auto in a car such as the Life. I'd want a manual in a sportier car, and maaaaaybe a jimmy/Pajero if I actually thought I might go off-roading with it. But as a means of transportation it's fine.

[@Waybeforethefame]

I hope you get the Mia straight such a rare kei car you never see those around. And yah your MPG isn't going to be good but you'll have all the smiles per gallon lol

[@reikofujiko991]

Well, I own a Subaru 360, the car not the truck. And when new, which of course it ain't no more, was advertised as getting about 66 mpg. It may have lost a few mpgs by now but the upper 50s can still be expected. True, it's only got a 356 cc displacement and it's a two stroke powerplant but it does clear 55 mpg.

[@Waybeforethefame]

No way it would get 55mpg if actually driven like a real car and not stay under 35mph

[@TonyYuuki]

Had a Honda today and dailied a Beat and somtimes a 5spd acty... Can say i never really got below 45mpg, unless i was gunning it on the freeway, I dont hammer the car, drive it conservatively, and its usually city/town driving. I could last weeks on a tank that way.. If i took it on a trip or anything highway, Id get garbage mpg because id be redlining keep up with traffic. Its all how you drive my friend.

[@Waybeforethefame]

I drive it like a car so always on the freeway, always going 60mpg when i can which = Accurate MPG which is probably high 20s. If i purposely drive slow and avoid doing those things to me thats not an accurate MPG rating

[@fhe1079]

Auto fuel injection van.... probably near 26-30mpg at least on mine. Carbs are fuel suckers in general. I had a 86 Nissan pulsar for 3 years... was nice to pay $10 to fill in the late 90s but the mpg was so-so. My 87 Chrysler 5th Ave was another story.

[@Waybeforethefame]

26-30is still very solid

[@AnythingWheeled]

I've always gotten about 25mpg on my Suzuki Carry DC51T 2wd. My Cara does low 30s typically best was 38. I am a frequent visitor of 9000rpm for funsies tho. 😅

[@Waybeforethefame]

That sounds about right 😂

[@martykauffman]

Yeah, if you want good gas mileage, get a Ford maverick hybrid those actually do get 40 mpg

[@Waybeforethefame]

Yeah exactly or a Prius

[@jossuesanabria2151]

I wonder if any drastic change in mpg's when upgrading wheels/tires

[@Waybeforethefame]

Tires definitely can help or hurt the situation thats very true

[@servicerifle16]

As of now there's a Pajero Mini in my area I've been looking at getting.

[@Waybeforethefame]

DO IT

[@servicerifle16]

@@Waybeforethefame then I can brand match the wife's Mirage and get to mildly confuse my neighbor who has an early 00s Jeep Liberty that's the same green the Pejaro is.

[@frankdemith3849]

Hey Honda Guy, nice video. 🤣🤣Looking forward to the waffle. It will be interesting to see what the winner picks. You know how I feel but I might actually have to take the cash so I can get the stuff done to the Crown although I am really liking the Life.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Cash is always king!

[@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq]

Thanks for ur awesome videos keep up the awesome work

[@Waybeforethefame]

Thanks for watching!

[@OrganicFoxes]

surprised you don't get at least 40mpg, i mean you can floor a carbureted geo metro around and get a low of 40 (pre obd2 tho)

[@Waybeforethefame]

Never even 30mpg. Geo metro has almost double the size motor

[@joshwass7634]

Give me all the automatics!! But you can keep those belt parkway bumps. 😂

[@Waybeforethefame]

Automatics are cool im sure ill be getting another one soon lol

[@dontdoxmebro]

Technically can’t in my state; Florida doesn’t legally allow kei trucks on any road that exceeds 35mph

[@Waybeforethefame]

Not true lol

[@dontdoxmebro]

@@Waybeforethefame Florida statue 316.2122 Kei trucks are illegal on most public roads.

[@Waybeforethefame]

@@dontdoxmebro Im telling you as a kei truck content creator its not true, join any kei truck group and you will see hundreds of people in florida who own and drive kei trucks over 35mph. Theres literally one called flordai kei's on facebook

[@obscurerides]

He’s honest. My Sambar gets 22 mpg

[@Waybeforethefame]

Thank you 🙏

[@csorgb05]

I'm not against automatics, but I am against CVT type of automatic transmissions. Real automatic transmissions are just as reliable as a manual. My main beef with automatics is that they tend to have less gears than a manual, thus making them slower. If the life had a 5 speed automatic the performance would be much better, and it would probably get better gas mileage.

[@Liberty4Ever]

New automatics (not kei cars) have 8 or 10 speeds and shift more often than manual transmission vehicles to improve fuel economy by keeping the engine in the peak efficiency RPM. Some of the new automatic transmissions work like computer controlled manual transmissions.

[@Waybeforethefame]

I stay far away from the Subaru ECVT kei cars, that’s a auto I want nothing to do with

[@tylerbarg9293]

The fact that the 97 Lifes have real live climate control in a kei car is absolutely bonkers. I'm getting mine repainted but expect on dailying it unless I get an offer.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Been actually enjoying the life a lot as a daily

[@Odd_Redneck]

im getting 30+ in my 2wd honda acty truck. its a 4speed and fastest highway speed limit is 55mph and i have oversized street tires on it to keep the rpm down. if i had a 5 speed id prob get close to 35. my average speed on back roads is 45-50. curvy roads in southern indiana. granted i dont daily it but corrected mpg is 31.2 mpg. most ive gotten is 33. id really like that tall 5th gear. lol the beat freaks like it 🤣 6:10 the honda auto are sadly a 3 speed and not very good for american roads that go above 60mph. it has no overdrive unlike the 5 speed manuals. so its a good sit in traffic city car 😅 12:10 heck my daily 12 ford focus hatch gets an avarge of 30 city and 40 highway. 45 on fresh oil and im selling it for 5k. great auto daily with room, trunkspace, and only 55k mi on it. lol dont get a kei car just for mpg.

[@Waybeforethefame]

I’m doing a 1000 mile roadtrip and I just got 29mpg all highway and I’m pretty hype on it lol

[@Odd_Redneck]

@@Waybeforethefame yeah. thats good i feel sorry for the bearings having to turn those rpms. mobile 5w50 for highway use ull get pumping loss in power but the bearings are more protected. also zinc addative, half a bottle should do it. the bearings should be loose enough that the 5w50 or 10w40 should be and issue with too much psi. its what im running in my acty right now. suprising how quick the oil goes black. i got 180+ psi in all holes. granted stock was 210. so if ur feeling froggy, half can of restore, half bottle of lucas zinc addtive and 2.5qts of 5w50 or 10w40. should net you that 30mpg 🤣

[@roycestricker]

Who did u import threw?

[@Waybeforethefame]

Stateside

[@Dojinshiii]

I win that waffle, that life is mine. >:^)

[@Waybeforethefame]

👀👀

[@Biggja22]

Kei is the way sounds like a decent shirt logo. As long as it's not made by T Spring. They suck

[@Waybeforethefame]

Working on merch as we speak

[@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq]

Bought my first Subaru sambar. And love it. Always wanted one. Orange / white with VW front end, 5 speed supercharged.

[@Waybeforethefame]

Oh nice the one from JDM HAWAII?????

[@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq]

Yes

[@Waybeforethefame]

@@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq niceeeee thats an amazing kei van maybe the best one ive ever seen in my life. Congrats!

[@GuyFigueroa-dm1fq]

Thanks