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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic Real World MPG
2058 messages, Last post on Aug 26, 2009 at 6:19 PM
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Replying to: sebring95 (Oct 29, 2008 9:07 am) |
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| heck, our 93 chrysler minivan had an excellent trip computer: instant mpg, ave mpg, miles to empty, compass....... dumped it at 120k miles, the computer was about the only thing that hadn't been replaced under extended waranty. | |
New tires will crash mpg anywhere from 1-6 mpg. I have new tires and alignment and swag I will lose 1-2 mpg (or from 38-42 mpg) , so the range will now be between 36-41 mpg for a while.
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Replying to: targettuning (Oct 28, 2008 4:42 am) Somewhat contrite 
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Replying to: targettuning (Oct 30, 2008 9:00 am) The truth is the range of 38-42 was with no fuel miser concerns. AND we are doing it with one less gear and an older model. It is strictly, fill the tank, write down the figures, do the math- report!! It is a no brainer to start to implement some fuel miser techniques. It is truly NOT rocket science, other than we don't do so bad NOT taking any measures. We are impressed that we cut the actual commute miles (for 2 persons) literally in half by sharing the commute.
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I believe a scan gauge would help, if we use it properly. For example: Most of the local speed limits in our area are 45 mph. Our Pilot AT won't shift into 5th and OD until 50 mpg. So should I speed up and allow the shift for slower engine RPM with more air resistance and the engine possibly not really in a "sweet spot"? Or stay at the 45mph speed in 4th gear with less air drag and possibly a bit less stress on the engine, etc.? Same would be true with a MT car, especially on hills. Is it better to keep it in a higher gear with the throttle closer to the floor, or drop down a gear and use less throttle although the injectors are firing more frequently but with less volume? On the road, we have, at times, experienced about the same or better mileage at a slightly higher speed. Is it because the tranny downshifted less on the hills? Or the engine had a bit more power to deal with some other condition(s). What we don't know is: How the road surface, elevation, prevailing wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, humidity, load, and so forth were affecting the mileage on that particular day and trip. We also don't know where the engines "Sweet Spot" is. Is it 1800 rpm, 1900 rpm, or more or less? I fill the tank the same way every time. Put the nozzle in as far as it will go and set it on the slowest setting. When it clicks off , wait a few seconds and gently squeeze until it clicks off a second time and stop. I try to use the same pump every time, although that is not an option on the road. Problem is that the tilt of the car will dictate how much fuel the tank will take. Also, how well is the pump calibrated. 8 gallons to drive 300 miles is 37.5 mph. But 9 gallons for the same distance is 33.3 mpg. If we were driving in a vacuum on flat smooth roads all the time, we could quickly figure the best way. But we have the real world to deal with. We can develop our own Hypothesis, but the Scan Gauge will instantly reveal which speed and gear actually gets the better mileage, under present conditions.  Kip
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Replying to: kipk (Oct 31, 2008 2:50 am)
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at 20k miles/yr; $3/gal; the annual savings of 38mpg over 35 mpg is $135. at $2.50/g it's a whopping $112/year savings. I hope the scangage costs less than that.
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Replying to: kenlw (Oct 31, 2008 6:41 am) |
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Replying to: ruking1 (Oct 31, 2008 6:05 am) Kip
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