- #2074 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [markm124]
by jhinsc
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Mar 26, 2009 (3:25 am)
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Replying to: markm124 (Mar 25, 2009 1:58 pm)
On my 08 V6, I have just over 10,000 miles and mileage is consistenty higher now. Mileage is now slightly better than my previous 06 V6. My last 2 fillups returned 27.1 and 26.4 mpg, with 50/50 driving. Steady throttle inputs, even in city driving helps. I also dont' have a lot of hills where I live - I'm sure that's a factor. I found that getting up to speed and then holding it steady is best for good mpg's.
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- #2075 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [jhinsc]
by markm124
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Mar 27, 2009 (9:59 am)
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Replying to: jhinsc (Mar 26, 2009 3:25 am)
Thanks for the information. I don't have much over 2,000 miles. I have usually done fairly well, mileage wise, on most of my past cars. I regularly got 30+ mpg highway on my 2001 Saab 9-5. That was much higher than the government rating.
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- #2076 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [markm124]
by jbhansen
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Mar 27, 2009 (1:09 pm)
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Replying to: markm124 (Mar 25, 2009 1:58 pm)
16-18mpg does seem unusually low, even for around town driving. As a comparison to your road trip, I drove a 300 mile round trip last weekend and got better than 27mpg. I've been getting 22-24mpg with mostly around town driving.
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- #2078 of 2183
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Wish I saw this sooner
by ron_211
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Mar 31, 2009 (9:39 am)
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I just traded my 2001 Passat V6 for a new 2009 Accord V6. Everyone told me how great Hondas were and after a short test drive I moved quickly to buy this new car. The Passat has a really smooth ride, always had to watch to be sure I wasn't speeding. On my first drive to work (50 miles of mostly highway) in the new Accord was a real disappointment. Vibration and a feeling of the engine missing are quite annoying. At a steady speed on a flat road it’s not bad, but who gets to drive like that. I only have a little over 100 miles on the car and I can already see I made a big mistake.
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- #2080 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [markm124]
by jmillerjmiller
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Mar 31, 2009 (8:53 pm)
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Replying to: markm124 (Mar 25, 2009 1:58 pm)
Just to add another 2008 Accord V6 navi mileage (just about 5000 miles on the car) to the list:
Around town local driving with my lead foot I get around 17MPG - about the same as my prior Subaru Outback Turbo four cylinder which was rated that year at 250 horsepower. On the highway only trips, using cruise it is about 24MPG in western PA on the turnpike (hilly terrain), but rises up to about 26MPG on the Ohio flatland. Cruising speed is about 73 if traffic is good, unless in WV, then 78. This is about what I expected - this is a much bigger, heavier, and powerful car compared to my first 1993 Honda Accord EX 5spd that turned in 29 in mixed driving (that was the 150HP Vtec four). The only way to truly get good fuel mileage for my heavy foot driving style would be to buy a small car with a small engine and a manual.
VCM seems least obtrusive when the cruise is in use, otherwise you can find yourself adding more throttle than needed and provoking the mini-downshift like feel to the six cylinder mode (kinda like when dropping overdrive on the old style transmissions).
I haven't seen any company offer a performance program for the engine computer - they could shutdown the VCM mode etc and not have to worry about the gov't. I suspect Honda cannot offer a disable for the system without running foul of federal regulations regarding the emissions cert of which the engine computer is an important component.
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- #2081 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [jhinsc]
by yuka
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Apr 01, 2009 (8:06 am)
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Replying to: jhinsc (Mar 26, 2009 3:25 am)
I am still conscious of the shifting into and out of ECO - regardless of the stupid light. It is not seamless and unnoticeable as Honda had touted it to be in its advertising, and there is nothing that can be done about it - some cars are worse than others, and some drivers more sensitive than others - sensitive driver and bad car = years of misery. IMHO. Gas mileage? Mine gets about 30 MPG on the NY Thruway between Albany and NY at 75-80 MPH - pretty flat going up the Hudson River Valley as it does. I have found that the hillier the terrain the worse the mileage and this engine seems to be more adversely affected by that than other cars I have driven - because it is going into and out of 3-4-6 cylinder operation all the time? And IMO, having it on cruise does nothing to help things - still noticeable. Just my own personal experience. Overall - in the 22-24 range, 50/50 city /highway. My car has about 10,000 miles on it and is an '08 EXL V-6.
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- #2082 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [jhinsc]
by jhinsc
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Apr 01, 2009 (9:53 am)
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Replying to: jhinsc (Mar 26, 2009 3:25 am)
My recent fill up yielded 25.2 mpg and I estimate I did about 60/40 city hwy. I have now have a longer commute with more stop lights and traffic, plus I do a lot of mini-stops during the day where I leave it idling for a minute or so as I put stuff in and out of the trunk. I was only expecting about 22 mpg so I was pleasantly surprised. As far as how the VCM operates, I agree it's not seamless, but to me it's not unpleasant. To me it feels like it's shifting into another gear when the transition occurs. To make it even better, my wish list would include an idle-stop feature (as long as the a/c still works!) for even better mileage in city driving.
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- #2083 of 2183
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Re: VCM discussion [yuka]
by thegraduate
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Apr 01, 2009 (7:24 pm)
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Replying to: yuka (Apr 01, 2009 8:06 am)
Sorry to hear you're car seems to be one of the more problematic ones, but for what its worth, your mileage is right on target; a little better than EPA estimates, actually. It calls for a combined average of 22 MPH (you're getting 22-24 MPG) and for 29 Highway (you're getting 30 while going at above normal Highway speeds, impressive!). Usually, EPA highway estimates are more likely to be achieved at or below 70 MPH.
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