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SUVs Honda Pilot Honda Pilot Real World MPG
981 messages, Last post on Oct 23, 2009 at 12:54 PM
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Replying to: justaveragejoe (May 07, 2009 12:00 pm) There are 225 TSB's on my 03' Pilot. One of them deals with Engine not reaching operating temperature. http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/recalltsb.html?styleId=100076605&engCode=6VNA- - G3.5&transCode=AUTOMATIC&mileage=36%2C000&zip=30215&type=tsb&serviceType=#48 I still believe that it possible, some of the Pilots are not reaching proper operating temp, This could be something as simple as a faulty thermostat. If it doesn't reach proper temp, it may not lean out like it should and fuel mileage suffer. Don't know if any error code would be registered. Very possible no codes would register because all sensors are dealing with a "cool" engine. So they may not sense a rich condition as a fault, because the temp is still calling for "rich". The Scan Gauge II is the handiest gadget I've found in a long time. It shows lots of engine data as well as various fuel mileage configurations. I've found that even though the temp gauge in the dash shows the engine to be warm, the actual temp may be in the 165 range. Once fully warm the temp goes to 181-182. Sometimes as high as 190 in heavy traffic. The SG has helped me improve mileage an additional 1-2 mpg over and above the mileage it was already getting. My Pilot, has been averaging 17-19 in local driving. I gave enough throttle to allow the tranny to shift at 2000 rpm without lifting my foot. Surprise to me that allowing the shifts to take place at 2200 rpm, without lifting the foot, seems to have helped the MPG by about 1 mpg local. Much over 2200 and the mileage drops back off again. A couple of other things have allowed the local driving to creep up to 19-21 average. On the "X-way" there is very little difference between 60 and 65 mph. But 70 mph drops mileage about 5 mpg. 80 mph is awful!  In local driving, does anyone "KNOW" if the car gets better mileage at 45 while the torque converter is still unlocked, or at 50 when the TC has locked up? Asked that question because most of my commute route has a 45 mph speed limit. So that question "Bugged" me. Now I actually know. This gauge has more than paid for itself as entertainment. Getting better mileage is a wonderful side effect. Kip
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Replying to: kipk (May 08, 2009 3:45 am) # 41 (on above link) states a code P-0128 associated with thermostat insufficient temperature. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the computer will pick up on it. "Little things mean a lot".  Kip |
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Hi Just bought 08 pre-owned and getting 13.5 MPG. Very disappointed. Vehicle has 13000 miles on it. Thinking is this the reason why earlier owner traded-in the vehicle. it is Honda certified, can I expect any help form the dealer to improve mileage?
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Replying to: pnara09 (May 19, 2009 9:57 pm) City, back road, X-ways How long is the typical drive? Example: My commute to work is 6.5--7.5 miles, in light traffic. There are 3 + traffic lights- depending on which route I take. Can usually run the 35-45 posted speed limits and often able to time the lights to my advantage. Most trips are similar to the work commute, but shorter. The heavier the traffic the worse the mileage. One frequent commute is 4 miles. With a cold engine on cold days the mileage is in the low teens. With a warn engine on mild days, (without AC) the mileage can be 21+. If not careful with the throttle, those can easily drop 2-3 mpg. Recently got stopped on the X-Way. Crept along between stopped and low gear for a couple of miles for about a half hour. Mileage was horrible! So, what type driving, what type traffic, what type terrain, what type load is normal for you? Kip |
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Replying to: pnara09 (May 19, 2009 9:57 pm) . I was getting about 13 mpg around town and about 15 on the highway. I took it in to the dealer who looked it over and said the vehicle was operating perfectly. A few things I found out which made a big difference was: 1) Gas mileage is worse in winter than warmer moths. I live in CT where we can have very cold weather, but never experienced a noteiceable difference in mileage with any other car. 2) You need to drive the car (especially starting from lights, stop signs ect) like a grandmother would drive. Try to keep the RPMs to under 3 when starting from a stop. 3) When the car reached about 18,000 miles my mileage improved to 17 around town and 21 on the highway. I found using cruise control on the highway and keeping the speed to 70 when using AC I still got about 21 mpg. Hopefully you will have the same expeience. Good luck! |
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Kip, That looks like a cool little gadget. I just took a look at their website and I had to walk away, because if I keep looking, I'll probably have to buy one. Joe
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I just returned from a trip to Nashville TN. Interstate all the way, drove the posted speed limit on cruse control, 23.5 mpg. Honda Pilot Touring, 2009 AWD with 5800 miles. |
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Replying to: justaveragejoe (May 28, 2009 10:22 am) The thing is addictive. Most help is that you can reset the "Current "Trip" (average) mileage at will to measure the MPG for any stretch of road. Recently my neighbor and I took a trip of about 40 miles one way. It was all back roads going and the posted speed was 45-55. Mileage going was in the 28 mpg range for the entire trip. When the engine is turned of for 5 minutes or so, the "Current Trip" re sets itself, and considers we are taking a new trip. Coming back we drove a few miles of back roads and got on the the X-Way. There was construction and the traffic was moving at a pretty constant 55-58 mph. I used cruise as much as possible and stayed up with traffic. The terrain was gently rolling hills. Outside temp was about 68 degrees. Front windows were cracked about 2 inches and the AC was off. After about 20 miles of driving, the display said we had gotten 32.1 mpg "Average" so far for that 20 +/- miles of the trip. Just after that the construction ended. At 70 mpg the mileage drops into the 21 mpg range For that tank of gas I drove a total of 379 miles. I knew when I was filling it up that the car was leaning a little more to the right than when I normally fill it, but was in a hurry, so didn't reposition the car. The gauge said I used 15.7 gallons and the pump said 16.2 gallons. The gauge said I got 24.1 mpg. Hand calculations said 23.39 mpg. Gauge said I drove 380 miles. Odometer said 379 miles. That is close enough, as I figured it would take a little more fuel because of the way the car was sitting. I expect this next tank to get a bit better than the gauge indicates because I put in more gas than it thought I would. A tank before that, the gauge said I drove 334 miles, used 16.5 gallons, and averaged 20.1 mpg. Hand calculations and odometer said 333.3 miles, 16.42 gallons and 20.29 mpg. Almost every tank has figured extremely close to what the gauge registers. The few that may have been off by 1or2 MPG were mostly contributed to the way I filled the tank. On some tanks, the gauge is a bit high and on others a bit low. But usually within a couple of tenths. One discrepancy could be because the gauge also measures movement and mpg while backing up. I don't think the odometer measures movement when backing. Point is I have no reason to believe the gauge is not accurate measuring mpg. A Pilot is capable of achieving decent mileage if the driver is willing to do his share. I took a trip today of about 49 miles each way. Going over, I did not run the AC. Coming back I did run the AC and dropped nearly 2 mpg. For some reason the AC seems to affect mileage more on back roads than on the X-Way. Get yourself a gauge and have some fun.  Kip
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Replying to: kipk (May 28, 2009 6:09 pm) I have a few questions. At what speed do you get the best mpg, and have you tried to use the horsepower gauge and other special gauges, and did they work for the Pilot?
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Replying to: justaveragejoe (May 29, 2009 7:42 am) The Scan Gauge II is the only one I have used. Most of the time it is on the "Current" setting which is showing the constant average for the particular trip I'm on at the time. As stated earlier, that can be reset at any time, even while moving, and that is considered a new trip to the gauge. When the engine is shut off for 5 minutes or so, it re sets itself and considers the next driving time a new "trip". That trip can be a few feet or hundreds of miles. If the car sits for 10 or more hours, the gauge will start a new day. A button press will bring up the "Previous Day", and another press will bring up all the info for that "Tank", since the last fillup. And those screens can be analyzed. If it's been reset several times during the day, and you want to know how you are doing for the entire day, pressing the button will bring up the "Today" screen. That one has been keeping track of the "Current" averages all day, and displays them as one average. And that screen can be analyzed. The other screen I use a lot is the "Gauge" screen. There are several options for that. My favorite is the one that shows instant mpg, rpm, water temp, and speed. As with most screens that one can be scanned for more info with a single button. It will show maximum rpm, max mph, average mph, avg rpm, max water temp, Etc.. You would be amazed at how very slight grade changes can affect mileage. Also amazing, to me, how a stretch of road that appears to be flat isn't. Overall the best mileage speed seems to be around 58 mph. That is for the rolling hills in my ares. They are not steep. They just seem to be continuous and long. Seem to be always going up or down, with very few flat roads.. On what appears to be flat ground 52 mph seems to work best. However on these hills the tranny seems to shift down more often. Hills that may not cause a downshift at 58, will likely cause a down shift at 52. Of course once it has down shifted, it stays there until cresting the hill. However not unusual to see the mileage dropping as the hill get steeper, then when the downshift takes place the mileage actually go up 1 or more mpg. Increase or decrease in "instant" mpg show the grade changes to often times be somewhat different than what the eye thinks it sees. And Contrary to my years of preaching, I'm actually getting best mileage with the Cruise Control ON. The mileage will drop for a few seconds when an 18 wheeler passes from the opposite direction, probably from the air pressure it is creating in front of it. When they pass from behind, mileage goes up. Head winds, tail winds, and even cross winds have their effects. Best mileage for local driving seems to be, when starting from a stopped condition, to use just enough throttle to allow the tranny to shift, without lifting the foot, at around 2000 rpm on flat found or down hill. However when starting off up hill, shifting at 2200-2300 seems to be more economical. Of course coasting instead of braking, timing traffic lights and stop signs, not tail gating and so forth all contribute to better mileage. The absolute best mileage I've gotten in the Pilot, other than down hill stretches, was a run of about 6 miles on I-20. Rolling hills and all. It was a little over 34 mpg. Speed was 58 mph, No AC, calm winds, driver only, That was brought to an abrupt halt by a traffic jam due to an accident. Worst X-Way mileage was 18 MPG. Rain, driver and 3 passengers, 75-80 mph, AC on, Cruise used little. That was the total average for a trip of about 350 miles. Return trip the next day had the same number of people, temperature was the same. It was not raining, AC was used only when needed, Speed was 60-65. That tank averaged right at 27 mpg. That is a good indicator of what speed and use of AC can do to mileage. But the fact that 2 different gas pumps were involved, could have also made a difference. I could have "Crammed" more gas in when we reached Myrtle beach , which could have contributed to the poor mileage. And with that extra gas in the tank , refilling in Atlanta would not have taken as much at my Favorite pump and would have contributed to great mileage as calculated. Once the Gauge is set up properly, it kind of takes differences in re fueling procedures out of the picture. Yeah, I know. Too much information. Kip |
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