bgriffin

I have an '04 5spd and I am averaging about 26mpg on my commute (about 60-70% hwy at about 70mph). Today I used a road with a speed limit of 50mph (I know its really slow). Its relatively flat, surrounded on both sides by trees, and it has almost no traffic, and I got 42.6mpg. I expected to get low 30's, but I was surprised at 40+.

club_euro2

I have an 08 TSX Auto Navi, i have seen as low as 14.5 mpg. I have just reached 2000 miles. I think city driving kills the mileage. I drive about 7 miles a day. I noticed mileage improved when i started using the BP Ultimate Gas.

davidspalding

Consumer Reports busted a myth about driving with windows open versus with the a/c going. They found during tests that, on average, the a/c only cost 1mpg, and driving with windows open didn't improve or impede mileage noticeably. Summing up, they recommended just using a/c in hot weather, as the comfort will make a driver more alert, and thereby improve safety.

1Louder

^^ I've read that too. I tracked in great detail my Civic Hybrid mileage for 5 years and 60K miles. There are a LOT of things that can make a +/- 1-3 MPG difference any given tank. Weather and traffic are huge factors in that variability. So it's amost impossible to establish the environmental controls necessary to rule out everything except the thing you're testing (I expect CR can, as they did with the A/C vs. Windows. But the average person cannot conduct such a test). So any discussion about what can make a 1 MPG difference either way is almost impossible for the average person to test, because we can't isolate the other big variables like weather and traffic. And really, +1 MPG amounts to what - an additional 13 (or so) miles per tank? That's half a gallon of gas - or about $1.50 per tank. I spend three times that on a coffee at Starbucks.

The point of the story is before folks get crazy about risky techniques, think about what you are really saving. Focus on the big stuff, and just enjoy the ride.

MrGame

I've been getting between 20-23 mpg in my car? It's so weird haha, I must be doing something wrong..or maybe it's those new Hankooks the dealer put on my car when I bought it..

davidspalding

Try driving like a chaffeur for a couple of weeks. Slow, steady starts, smooth coasting deceleration, conservative cruising. Pretend you're driving a load of soft tofu in the back.

bhamsan

The mileage variance between city and highway is pretty huge. When I drive it to work, the MPG is below 20, whereas when my gf drives it (mostly freeway), she brings it back around 28 (would be more if not for traffic spots). I just drove up to LA and brought it from 25mpg to 30.2 mpg in 220 miles, and this was after sitting in traffic due to an accident.

I say just watch how you drive. You don't think how much gas is being used when you accelerate. I'm constantly on cruise mode to save, and its almost become a game to see how high I can get my MPG. I'm past the time in my life where I need to get a "thrill" out of driving...

ATsxMan8305

...from another 24 yr old

Simba91102

Wow! I'd kill for 7 miles a day (but I'd also be riding my bicycle).

bhamsan

I've already got a 100mph speeding ticket under my belt from 6 years ago amongst other things, and theres no way in hell I can afford to pay for any tickets, increased insurance rates, etc. The car's MPG was a huge factor that decided which car to get. Right now I'm sitting at 26.0 MPG.

tftimm

Just a follow up, we've reached about 1000 miles. The MID read 23.3 MPG and that's about 1/3 of the way through the tank. I would say it's probably an 80/20 city/highway driving.
As everyone says, I'm sure it will improve with time and the first oil change.

Also, last weekend, my wife called me and said that TPMS notified her that one of the tires was low. They were at 28, 26, 28, 28. That was probably a contributing factor to the bad gas mileage. I went and had them put them at 32 PSI, cold. After driving for a bit, there up to 34 PSI. The ride is a little stiffer, but definitly bearable.

Thanks for your comments, and I will keep you posted!

TSXlp

Hi, newbie here, how do you check your mpg with your trip button?
Ive just got a 05 and it has no owners manuel. The one here on the forum, doesnt work.

miner

You check your mpg with the MID buttons on the steering wheel. Once you have Trip A or B visible you hit the i button for information on mileage.

TSXlp

I dont have a button that says mid???

bhamsan

Not an option on 05s. If you don't have a GPS, you won't be able to access that info and you'll just have to hear about it.

TSXlp

thanx....dont have a owners manuel, and just trying to find stuff about the car.

davidspalding

Fill up your tank and reset the trip odo. Drive until the next fill up. When you fill up again, divide the miles on the trip odo by the gallons you put in. Ta-da!

E.g. 428 miles / 14.7 gallons = 29.1 MPG.

Check the FAQs for the online owner's manual sticky -- you have the entire manual available to you.

bhamsan

There's always the old school analog way of doing that, and it does yield some accurate results. My buddy with a Mazda 3 keeps a spreadsheet and also has the trip computer hacked, so he compares both numbers and they come out fairly accurate.

1Louder

^^ Most folks observe the MID calculations are off by ~ +2 MPG than actual. Mine is about +1.8 over the last 7,000 miles but can vary from as little as .2 off to 3 MPG off. So the old analog way is actually more accurate.

TSXlp

[QUOTE=

Check the FAQs for the online owner's manual sticky -- you have the entire manual available to you. [/QUOTE]


I tried the online manual, I could only get the first page to come up.