ck123

first trip thats all freeway in the tsx, so lets see how it does MPG wise. plus if anyones driven to LA from I-5s knows theres this humongo hill that is 4000 feet above sea level. my dad's sienna struggled up that hill, lets see how the tsx does.

pictures to come monday

PWPTSX

for me at least (auto), the transmission automatically shifted to 3 gear while i was going around 60 mph on highway climbing up the mountain, as for 5th gear, it will def. struggle.

evo_to_tsx

sup ck.. my trips to LA from the bay area (in a 6spd) yields 32MPG or better usually
you will be able to hit the 500 miles club (on a single tank)

and when you are down in LA (or highway 5) I highly recommend using Mobil Gasoline.. good luck and have fun!

TSX2345

I drove from LA to SF a month ago. It was a fun little cruise, that was the longest road trip for me in the TSX.

I actually enjoyed it

Tsx536

Yeah, I've done the same drive. Was rollin on my stock 17's. The TSX rode great though including going through the Grapevine. Have fun!

waTSX

^^

The Grapevine is a gas-mileage killer. I recently did this trip with my g/f in her '05 Civic (me driving and from Davis, not SF) and the Grapevine was a tough go for her car in that it was always hunting through the gears. I really missed my TSX, 'cause I know it'd kick butt up that hill. Civics get phenomenal gas mileage, BTW, but it begs for a MT.

The I-5 route is actually kind of boring, but you can definitely haul ass. Just watch out for CHP!

waTSX

If you take it easy, you should be able to get ~35 mpg

montebello13

i've done LA to SF a few times

downshifted for downhill, the only time i get to see the TSX auto downshift for downhill acceleration control. it takes a few seconds for it to recognize though.

fun in my TSX, boring in my girl's Prius

take your time, tickets suck

edit: i have a 5AT, just in case some people get confused by the auto downshift

ATsxMan8305

I'm looking forward to the pics, ck. I would say 31-36 mpg would be your target range, depending on how fast you go. Have a nice trip and enjoy it.

wickedk24

The TSX takes that hill on Grapevine like a champ, does'nt even feel like a struggle. I've done that drive plenty of times in the TSX.

mrgold35

The TSX is great on the hwy, the downshift to 4th is smooth and the car maintains its speed consistently up and down hills (5AT model). You can get very good passing speed in SS mode in 3rd gear. I don't like to spend too much time beside an 18 wheeler on the hwy.

I was able to hit i-VTEC for the first time in SS mode in 3rd gear when traveling several weeks ago. I was doing about +95 mph uphill when felt the i-VTEC kick in (“kick” is strong of a word, more like a slight bump in 3rd gear).

kaliraver69

I've done that trip about 2 times and it has no problems what so ever with the the uphill grapevine. BTW keep an eye out for CHP since sometimes they like to hide on the on ramps, drive safe.

gvtsx

Don't forget the nose plugs for Harris ranch.

yeefuchew

I do this trip a couple times a year. I use to hate it until I got my TSX. Now I look forward to it. I love it when, zooming up the grapvine, cars in the far left lane where I am have to part right to make way for my barreling car. For all the complaints about a power vaccum, the TSX still smokes most everyday, blue-collar rides.

Hopefully, you've discovered the same.

TSX2345

The Grapevine and any other hills are actually fun for me - HyTech conquers those hills

poltergeist

It'd be a lot more fun if you took Highway 1. 'course it'll take you twice as long but a much better road for the TSX IMHO.

waTSX

jlukja

+1

Hwy 101 is also more scenic, and not just a straight arrow blast through the farmland.

evo_to_tsx

depending on the time of the day, it is pretty impossible to stay within the speed limit on highway 5... the speed limit is 70.. but its a 2 lane hwy
people in fast lane go 90+ and if you decide to stay in the right (slow) lane you will be following 18 wheelers at about 45mph. Just a little 411 for you to know what to anticipate. good luck

nj2pa2nc

when we did our 6,177 mile road trip thru 20 states. the tsx did extremely well on all kinds of roads including the mountains of the grand tetons (10,000+ above sea level) I give my 06 tsx a work-out every few weeks. I drive from NC to NJ stay a few days and then return to NC (1,500+miles each time).

mrgold35

I took hwy 1 to SF a few years back and got stuck behind a very slow moving motorhome for several miles. The back up was 1/2 mile long. I jumped on I-5 because it was taking too long. Make sure you have that kind of time for hwy 1.

jsiu

Just made the opposite trip (SF to LA) a few days ago in my brand new 07 6MT (I've done this drive at least a dozen times now). MID said I averaged about 32-33 mpg during the trip, usually cruising at about 85 mph (give or take a few mph) and with a little traffic in the bay area. You should easily make it in one full tank (I had between a quarter and a third of a tank remaining).

Honestly, I was expecting a little better mileage (in the 35-37 mpg range), but I attributed it to the car being so new. I passed the 600 break-in mile point during this trip. Does the mileage get better after a few thousand miles?

waTSX

32-33 mpg is pretty good, but I'd expect it to increase for your car as the engine runs in more. I'll get about that in my car (22K miles) but I have a hard time keeping my foot out of it with the TSX.

I've read of TSX owners getting as much as 40 mpg on freeway trips by being careful with how they drive. Search for some of Sauceman's posts for details.

TSX2345

When I did my trip I made if from LA to SF with a little more then a 1/4 tank to spare. On the return trip for some reason it appeared to use more gas. Odd!

mav3556

I'm thinking about doing the samething for this summer-SF to LA, But I still need get the car washed and waxed. I can't wait to go but should I bring a friend along hmm...?? I'm only go down to LA to check out the Westwood area and UCLA. I'm also thinking about driving up north to Canada next summer before I transfer to a 4yr UC school. Damn, it's going to be a fun drive.

TSX2345

I did my roundtrip solo!

danslvpt

I've drove down to the universal studio during the Fourth of July...and the temperature was like 108F degrees outside. With a car load with 4 people and the luggage compartment was filled. I turned on the AC on...and was enjoyed the cool air...my mpg was at 30 mpg, considering i was doing 80 mph to 95 miles per hour...how's that for a 05 TSX with a 38000 miles on it......

DVS-TSXER

I drove down from San Mateo (SF Bay Area) to Santa Monica 4 month ago. I made it down there with a full tank of gas going taking highway 5, my gas light came on btw i have an automatic

Mokos23

riding down the 101?

that phantom planet song is in my head now

isn't that like 6 hrs from SF to LA? i would need lots of music and caffeine to keep me awake.

Roffles

I drove from San Ramon to LA and back. Each way took 3/4 tank of gas. I averaged 33mpg at 78mph. All said, I spent ~$75 on gas. And yeah, that mountain area you have to pass over will kill your gas tank but then it returns back to normal on the way down...3rd and 4th gear in the automatic takes the uphill climb with ease.

75-80mph is the comfort zone for the TSX on the I-5. If you go slower than that, if feels like you aren't moving and you get impatient. If you go faster, the bumps on the road feel more rigid.

The TSX is a good road trip car. You can make the whole trip without stopping and have a quarter tank left when you arrive...but you will be a little worn out.

ASIMO

San Diego to SF via the 5 in mid 2005, my TSX only a few months old, I averaged 35 mpg by the time I arrived at SFO to pick up my cousin and his wife visiting from Paris. Mind you, I sort of drove like a madman from SD on through and clear away from Los Angeles so that I could make up lost time due to waking up late. I refilled halfway through the drive and cruised at 72 mph from that point onward, watching my trip mpg since SD climb from just under 30 mpg to end at a bit better than 35 mpg for the trip according to the computer. I'm sure I would've approached 40 had I had another few more hundred miles of the 5.

After a few days stay in SF, I drove the newlyweds back to SD on the PCH. The TSX is simply an awesome sedan on that road. So awesome that I made my cousin excuse himself by the side of the road as we passed Big Sur; he doesn't do roller coaster rides that well. Understandably, the mpg was not that great on the way back down nor was it a priority.

Have fun, guy.

PsychoInDenial

I loved doing the drive the couple times I've done it, just be careful in Kern county, those CHP officers have no mercy!

waTSX

Nice. That drive is on my short list.

ck123

hey guys and gals, got back yesterday. first of all had a great time at LA/Disneyland. took me and my buddy 6 hours to get from sf to La with a half hour break to meet up with my 3 other friends who were already there. Went from 80-90 the entire way averaging 33.7 MPG!!!! I am very impressed with the gas mileage considering i was going that fast and i had to pass slow people all the time. By the way, i believe the AC was on the entire time. i press "AUTO" button. it was blowing ice cold air the entire time. the TSX was awesomely smooth on the highway. Of course, 5th gear was only enough to keep me at a steady speed going up those mountains, it downshifted into 4th when i needed speed or i was loosing speed. 4th gear had tons of power especially from 3.5k to 4k rpms. i think thats where the torque kicks it.

On the way back, it also took 6 hours, but this time i average 34 mpg, going the same speed. On the way back, underneath my thighs began to ache like crazy, i had to stretch my legs every 20 minutes or so to ease the pain. ...anyone know why under my thighs would ache? going to la wasn't a problem tho

pictures:
starting...3.52 for 91 gas station @ 19th avenue and taravel.

mileage @ 5648...i know i need to drive this car more.

in and out burger truck

saw the truck, couldnt resist so....

we stopped at the in and out burger in KettleMan City

approaching the humongo hill

just hit the first hill

oh no.....

somebody's car caught on fire a mile or two from the start of the mountain

i dont know what this is but it was picture worthy

MAGIC MOUNTAIN! NOOO ITS CLOSING, SO GET THERE SOON. Planning on going in AUGUST, got a free ticket

Entering LA

parked the tsx infront of my cousins house

pumping gas before driving another 30 miles to Disneyland

Arrived at Ramada Inn. of course always park in the corner and further away from the divider line to prevent door dings.

forgive me bug lovers

disney california

ESPN center restaurant..must eat here, really good food, doesnt cost money to get in the park to eat here

Honda Asimo, the most advance robot

picture of Madahorn+ this new Nemo ride

firework show

another shot of disney california

hollywood tower of terror ride....great ride. similar to drop zone, but it pulls you down instead of gravity

sooooo many unsold ballooons, poor lady

day shot of madahorn and nemo ride

driving back on the bay bridge


finally..shot of the cluster...total of 846 miles. thats how much gas was left when i got home from LA

ck123

lol......didnt even smell it, i pressed the button to prevent outside air from coming i :-)

same here! range was 90 when i got to LA and range was 86 when i got home :P


40mpg is very see able, got 34 going 80-90 and my car has 6k on it...not even done breaking in yet , did not even use cruise control

amazing..400 is enough for me

i saw a few of them, but my car had plenty of gas! 500 is possible if i drive slowly, but the tsx seeem so slow at ~60mph because of its smoothness

i looked my info screen and the mpg bar was under 20 going up the mountain

mav3556

Damn... I can't wait to go on my road trip from SF to LA. I still need to wash my car and wax it . Really need to break-in my new Spoon calipers. I find it quite funny it's an American car that broke down right at the sight of an incline.. LOL !!!

TSX2345

You did your trip solo?

One thing I hate about road trips is the bugs that get splattered on the front end

Sclass88

AWESOME pictures! What kind of camera do you have? My Sony Cybershot just crapped out on me and I'm in the market for a new digital camera...

I did a 6 hour road trip about 2 months ago. Though my TSX was a joy to drive, doing a trip for that long by yourself is not fun at all. I did, however, aveage 35 MPG which was AWESOME. My friend who was driving behind me in a '99 E55 ( ) averaged about 22 MPG; no way in hell I would want to fill that tank up!

kennungesser

Dude, thanks for sharing. I love to see the palms. I only get to see them once a year when my wife and I go to the Carribean. Just cant get the dam n things to grow in Ohio. The pics of the park were nice too, may have to get out there sometime. But I think I'll fly, lol.

Ken

ck123

thank you! it is a Nikon d50 d-slr camera with a 18-70mm lens. its an awesome slr camera. look into d-slrs when your in the market for a new camera, they are soooooo much better than your point and shoot cameras.

no, i picked up a friend and we drove there to meet up three other buddies who were already there
thanks...i dont see palms tree too often myself! my cousin's place has a huge one infront of their house: