hoffmarp

Hi...first post.

I have a 2004 AT TL w/NAV. I had a question about gas mileage. On average (over the past 1000 miles) I am getting 22mpg according to my computer.

On a recent trip, I reset the odometer and I took a 100 mile highway road trip. For that first 100 miles I was getting 31 mpg. However, by the time that tank was empty (after a mix of city and highway driving)...it was down to 23mpg. If you do the math...my city driving is killing my overall gas mileage. Any explanation? Should I take it in?

JPA3

According to my MID I am averaging 19-20 back and forth to work (approx 10 miles in stop and go traffic) usually with A/C on. On the highway, on a trip, shows mid to high 20s

Converted

I've got the new TL-S, and my city sits right at 19... which is pretty damn surprising, considering that I'm rarely less than 3/4 throttle... lol

csmeance

i get 24 in the city. If you feel tha tyou car is getting bad milage than the other TL's out there, check your engine air filter, check tire pressure and make sure that you care getting gas with less than 10% of ethanol in it. As well, the winter blends of gas also kill gas millage.

FriscoNick

Excellent points you made. Bad mileage can be a symptom of other things wrong.

Converted

Well, I'm sure the TL-S gets less than the regular TL naturally, because of the increased displacement and power... That, and my car is new, so I sure hope it doesn't need an air filter already! lol

simonsez

i can't believe how i avg about 17mpg city/hwy mix driving. my mpg sux

csmeance

very true, but it only has one less MPG rated than the standard 3.2 litre TL.

jupitersolo

You're getting pretty good mileage. If I just drive around my area, 16mpg. I've gotten 32 mpg on the highway, long trips.

01tl4tl

Check your tire pressure

Many of us run 34 to 36 psi instead of 32 ( your model may vary) and find that improves handling and economy-
80 percent of max cold pressure is a good rule
or max minus 10 percent times 2 subtracted from max cold number gives you =

Keeping the revs under 3500 will help, and there are special driving techniques that allow you to coast up to lights then accellerate from a moving- rather than full stop position

Radeonpro

Hoffmarp, I have 06 TL 5AT and I get about the same MPG as you. I think the TL just sucks on city traffic especially on stop n go type. I can get a max 32mpg on freeyway, but once I get into city, it drops to 20-21, and I'll always average out about 22mpg or so with 70% city 30% freeway. I found that even if i am cruising in the city with 40mph, and don't do a lot of stop n go, I can get as high as 25mpg, I think that the TL just eats up a lot of gas because of the torque. So like others said, if you don't accelerate hard and keep your rpm under 3k, you should get better gas mileage. I previosly had 30 psi on my tires, and recently upped it to 33 during an oil change, but i found that it didn't help my gas mileage at all .

Will Y.

The TL sucks [gas, literally] in stop-and-go. Once at speed or on the freeway, mpg rises nicely. My last tankful was 28 mpg due to 80% freeway driving with minimal traffic jams, but it has been at 18/19 mpg in 100% city driving before. I usually get low-to mid-20s with my tires at 37/34 or 36/33.

geekybiker

22-23 is pretty normal in mixed driving.

KB1Spec

iTrader: (4)

Since I added an AEM CAI, I'm averaging about 19-21 on locals. 28-30ish on highway.
But I added this unit:
http://www.sigmaautomotive.com/HVS/hotinazmaeco.jpg

I'm averaging 24-26 local and 34-36 highway. That's with that unit and the CAI

6spMike

What does it do and where is it installed?

leedogg

Interesting. I have their voltage regulator (hyper hot inazma) hooked up that looks tempting though, but it sortof sounds like the opposite of a performance mod...

gammah

Wow nice. How much does it cost and where can I get it? What is is called too? My mileage is killing me since all I do is city driving.


Gammah

Rpappi

how about in english

KB1Spec

iTrader: (4)

I got it for $80. It hook up onto the car battery and that's pretty much it. It's kinda like the ground voltage. It doesn't give you horsepower but does save you gas.

amcl

How does it go about saving you gas while being hooked up to the car battery???

keith6945

for city average i get about 16-18 mpg...

Rpappi

i would like to see a little proof and research on how this works. other than " hook up onto the car battery and that's pretty much it."

Converted

That would equate to a 20% boost in gas mileage...

Sorry, but I'm personally not believing that. Car manufacturers spend 100's of thousands of dollars in research, just to get 5% or better gains. You don't think ALL cars would have that installed if it truly increased it that much? Afterall, it's just a capacitor, in a fancy package.

Or if that's truthful, then maybe it's BAD for your car, or else every manufacturer would have their own version of it.

You need to be careful when installing things like that, especially when it's not in English... lol You see more "power chips" and crap like that on Ebay, but they're really just "tricking" certain sensors, and are VERY VERY VERY bad for the car.

I'll do a little more research on it, and get back to you...

simonsez

^^ 100% agree with you.
$80 for 20% better MPG... if that is really true w/o any harm to your car, that's a billion dollar invention

Converted

Well, a capacitor isn't going to necessarily "hurt" the car... But most cars have voltage regulators incorporated from the factory, if even a tiny capacitor.

Granted, having full voltage does help the electronics, and engine sensors, but NOT to that degree, and I doubt on a new car like the TL.

I think it's the placebo effect more than anything... Unless you can show us your trip meter in a picture with AT LEAST 24-26 on it over more than 1000 miles...

6spMike

How did you determine the mileage? One trip, or average over a long period of time?

A capacitor stores electrical energy (sucks in current) when the voltage across it is higher than it's internal state, and releases electrical energy (outputs current) when the voltage across it is lower than it's internal state. They are used to smooth voltage transients. A battery performs an identical function, with the exception of the frequencies at which the voltage can be smoothed.
A voltage regulator performs a smoothing function too, but by providing a smooth voltage lower than that applied; for a 2-wire regulator, it bypasses the extra 'noisy' voltage to ground. For a 3-wire regulator, it opens or closes an electricity 'valve' to keep the output voltage smooth.
The electronics on a car all have their own systems as a part of the their 'box' to keep the voltage that they use (typically less than 5 volts) smooth. Smoother input voltage doesn't result in any change to the voltages actually used by the electronics.
The only function that uses the whole 12 volts (the whole capacity of the battery) is the starting function.

So I'm having trouble believing the increased mileage claim.
But, I've been wrong before. If you can point us to a controlled study showing greater mileage I'd be very interested.

KB1Spec

iTrader: (4)

I average it out when I did not have the unit. Then I average it out with the unit. On the MID, when I didnt install the unit, I was averaging around 19-22 on regular street. I didn't do any modification except the CAI. I believe when I check on this other website the current on the voltage on the unit makes it smoother than being erratic.

here is the link:
http://www.sun-auto.co.jp/english/en...nazma_eco.html

Converted

I'd like to see a picture of a trip meter of yours, with 25-26MPG average over 1000+ miles... because I'll buy one today!

Converted

Also, just so you know, and in case anybody wants to try it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/UNIVE...QQcmdZViewItem

Same thing, for $25

simonsez

wow compared to 80 dollar one, $25 is a steal! i might wanna try for sure

6spMike

From the web site:
Hyper Voltage System is an innovative new product for harnessing the full potential of your vehicle's electrical system.
Our original design utilizes the latest technology to stabilize the voltage in your vehicle.
The vehicles voltage will drop when electrical components are in use and when the car is under acceleration; Hyper Voltage System stores electricity to provide constant voltage to your electrical system.
Maximizing the efficiency of your cars electrical system will result in a performance increase.
The ignition system and electrical components draw power from the electrical system, resulting in a power loss. Using Hyper Voltage System can release your vehicle's full potential.

'Stores electricity' implies a capacitor. Storing electricity and providing it when necessary is what the battery does. A battery the size of a car battery does this much better than any available capacitor.

'Constant voltage' is not important coming from the battery, since each electronic box, such as the engine control computer, regulates it's own voltage. Anyway, as above, the battery does this much better than any available capacitor.

On gas mileage: the only energy source in your car is the fuel that is burned in the engine. The electrical energy made by the alternator from that fuel is stored in the battery to start the car. The capacitor would store some energy (a whole, whole lot less than the battery), and release it just like the battery would. The energy stored in the capacitor still comes from the fuel in your tank, so there is no change in efficiency.

'Maximizing the efficiency of your cars electrical system' might improve gas mileage, but the article never claims the hyper voltage system does that.

The last claim is just BS. Once the alternator charges the battery and the capacitor to 'full' (the first few minutes of driving), the alternator provides the electricity that the car uses, so there will be no change in alternator output with or without the capacitor. It can't be claimed that the capacitor stores energy to start the car that is saved when you drive, either, because the energy that was stored came from the fuel in the tank the previous time the car was driven.

Sorry if I am ranting, but I think you got suckered in, and I am trying to provide some info so others won't.

Of course, if there is some law of physics I am missing, or some other rationale for why this might work, I'd love to hear it.

Peace.
Mike

gammah

Thanks for replying. I am not looking for more horsepower. I have more than enough as is (no, I do not have any modifications). I still do not understand how hooking this up to a battery would help gas mileage??? Wonder if this would hurt the car in the future???


Gammah

Converted

I have heard of "grounding" modifications that have helped certain cars with poor factory grounding. They sell the kits to better ground the engine block, as well as the rest of the engine sensors to run with less interference, or a better signal. This was a popular mod in the WRX, and seemed to actually help!

Now, it didn't give more HP or better mileage, but the car's idle was noticably smoother, as well as the response time... but we're talking a "small" amount.

gammah

Well, if some people bought it and tried it for a month or so, we should see results right? I would try it, but I am just afraid it might ruin something else.



Gammah

Converted

I most likely wont hurt anything.... and it's most likely not HELPING anything, either...

I'd need to see a dyno chart, or documented MPG increases to even BEGIN to buy into this...

Also, some people will swear by it, because they don't want to look like asses for wasting $80.

U4ICTHEORY

Sorry for beating a dead horse, but i wanted to know more about this product. My friend is in school for smog tech in sacramento. I asked him about this product, and in turn he asked his teacher... according the them... the system improves the ground in your car resulting in a smoother, better electrical system. these guys believe that your electrical system, ignition, and temp is the most important things you need to know about your car, 80% of problems can be diagnosed with smog machines (apparently)... anyway... they say that by improving the elctrical system in your car to run smoother and more efficient could increase HP and MPG... the increase however might not be noticeable... WRX owners will tell you that it is...

jvinhj240

voltage stabilizer or voltage conditioner are the same. i am not sure if it save gas or increase hp : however, i rather believe it does help in gas mileage in a long run. i do think it also helps electric system if it build rights. the product above from oversea, i don't trust them. as far as voltage stabilizer if it build in U.S or Japan or any country appoved by SSA then i would get them because they tested and for sure they dont harm.

jvinhj240

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-ba...onditioner.htm hope this help!

jvinhj240

http://www.honda-acura.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=182301