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SUVs Honda Element Honda Element Real World MPG
117 messages, Last post on Aug 10, 2009 at 4:17 PM
You are in the Honda Element Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: leinahtan (Jun 05, 2008 7:18 am) |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 11, 2006 1:38 pm) Mileage - consistently 23 in town (hilly town) and 26 on the highway at 75 mph. I've done 27 mpg a few times when the road system is flatter than Huntsville. When the mileage slips I've learned to grab a new air filter; mileage shoots right back up. Once in a while the engine gets sluggish, which I've attributed to a bad tank of gas, and a bottle or two or injector cleaner gets things back to normal pretty quickly. At 6'5" I love the head room and leg room in the Element. One tip I'll offer buyers/owners related to tires; the original equipment tires are more expensive to replace than wider tires with a slightly shorter aspect ratio (sidewall height). When the original set wore out at 30K miles I replaced them with 225/60R16 (not a perfect alternative but it works fine), I saved $100 on the set of tires and, since the car was much less likely to sway with the shorter aspect ratio, I got 45K miles out of the second set of tires. That's a huge savings for such a minor change.
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Replying to: kilo57 (Jun 11, 2008 4:31 am) How many miles did that used '94 Element have? Just kidding, I assume you mean '04! 
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Replying to: manchester1 (May 30, 2008 11:16 am) Hi, can you please post details about these fuel reduction plates, and where you got them? Thanks! Craig |
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I've been reading through all the posts here, I have to say I am cautiously optimistic about the fuel economy on my Element. Just made the deal today, picking it tomorrow.  I will be tracking my fuel from the first tank, and I will post here frequently. My plans: Immediately: K&N air filter; drive with "slow & steady wins the race" style; use Sunoco fuel, 87 octane; minimal AC usage. Future: Switch to Castrol Syntec oil. I've heard that the combination of using synthetic oil and the K&N filter will consistently yield about 10% better mileage. Remains to be seen, but that is my plan. The only catch is, Honda recommends NOT using synthetic oil until the car hits 10K miles, at the earliest. I will hit that mark in about 5 months (I drive a lot..). Any other thoughts or recommendations on when to begin using synthetic oil? Thanks- Craig
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Replying to: ccirelli (Jul 24, 2008 10:46 am) Edmunds didn't find any measurable difference in mpg testing AC vs no AC. They didn't test driving with no AC and the windows up though. More here: We Test the Tips We Test the Tips Part II Aggressive driving seems to be the real gas mileage killer.
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 24, 2008 10:55 am) Thanks for the info & links, makes sense. I will take your suggestion and run the oem air filter through the first 10K miles, and switch to synthetic oil and the k&n together. I'm not approaching it very scientifically, but I will have a good base to compare against as you suggest. One thing I have noticed in my Civic is a solid 10% increase in mpg when I use Sunoco fuel. I've compared it against Sheetz, Citgo, and a few others. Again nothing scientific - but it happens consistently enough to keep me going back Sunoco. Take care, craig |
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Replying to: ccirelli (Jul 24, 2008 7:46 pm) Is there a difference in mileage when using 10% ethanol vs. regular gasoline? Sunoco is a Top Tier, but some say that's just a marketing designation. Please report back as you enjoy your new ride! |
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Replying to: steve_ (Jul 24, 2008 9:52 pm) For example in my Civic, between April and October I would average 36mpg. Once October hits, I'm lucky if I get 32 or 33. And it's not a sharp drop in temperature, because literally one week it's high and the next week it drops... even if it's in the 50's... until mid-April again. So whether my theory is accurate or not, I'm not sure. But I've always heard that Ethanol is widely known to cost us about 10% in fuel economy. Picking up my Element TODAY.  Hey, should I pick up one of these Scan Guage devices? Thinking about it, wondering if it will pay for itself over time. Thanks- |
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Replying to: ragets (May 05, 2007 1:14 pm) See the NY Times article of 26 Jul 08 page B1 "Ethanol Stirs Up A Mutiny" on the effect of mpg. I noticed on a recent drive through South Dakota that mpg dropped off on a clocked tank full of "corn pone." (My moniker for ethanol.)
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