Darknesss_TL

when i first got the car a year ago, i was getting like 325+ miles for each fill up...now i'm only getting like 275-/+.....i've had two oil changes and i'm still under 10k miles....would it be a good idea to change out the air filter? i know some people say its good for 15k miles or something but i'm used to changing the oil and air filter at the same time with my other car and i'm not sure if acura only changes the oil filter when i have then do the oil change...any idea's anyone?

clsdave

Has your state changed the fuel blend? Adding up to 10% alcohol to the fuel? There is also E85 at 85% alcohol but you certainly would have mentioned that if that was your fuel. I've found the 10% MTBE that used to be used in my area would account for a 10% loss in mileage. Now we have 10% alcohol blend which is about the same 10% loss compared to regular gasoline. Using your airconditioning will also drop your mileage but not that much.

You shouldn't need an airfilter yet. 10,000 miles is very low, even for very dirty areas. I'm not sure of the exact recommended replacement but probably 30,000 for normal and 20,000 for very dusty/dirty environments.

As for the oil and oil filter they have little effect on the mileage. Change the oil using the MID numbers or earlier. Do a search for more info and you will find a wide range of answers but probably few people going past the MID when it's down to 0%. Acura says change the filter every other oil change. My feeling is the filter is to cheap not to change at every oil change. I also change my oil at every 3,000 miles even though it does not need it that often. It also is cheap compared to repairs later on. Not to mention the headaches from ware/failures.

Papaman677

Yeah, I thought it was just me but I now have 35K on my 05TL and it feels like my MPG's and range have dropped. I use to fill up and it would say >375, now i can fill it and it'll say >274 or so. It seems this happened after my last oil change and air filter change. If anything I think I'd be getting better fuel economy. My MPG's have dropped also. On average I was at 24MPG, now I'm at about 21/22 MPG. I'm still driving my car the same way and the same places.

ifrisbee

I think it's the fuel, I observed the same drop when Maryland switched from the MBTE to Ethonol blend during the summer.

Nykor

Unless you are talking about E85+, ethanol is not negatively impacting your milage.

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/gener...a102100a_2.htm


I'ts very likely that something else is coming into play if you are noting large changes in mpg. Based on the wild variation your noting above, it almost looks like your comparing highway milage to city driving.

ifrisbee

From the latest
Consumer Reports
This article was discussing E85, but if you read down, it talks about the energy content of ethonol.


"You could expect a similar decrease in gas mileage in any current FFV. That’s because ethanol has a lower energy content than gasoline: 75,670 British thermal units per gallon instead of 115,400, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration"

This should be about 96.5% efficient of pure gasoline. Which doesn't account for all the mpg loss. However I do belive, but have no proof that the car is compensating, in a similar manor as if we use lower octane fuel, and is causing the decrease in mileage.

This belief comes from both my drop in mileage of 360 a tank to 290-300, but also my co-workers who at the same time experienced a similar drop. One is a G35 Coupe, the other a Lexus SC430. I would find it quite a co-incidence that we would all suffer a performance degrading condition at the same time.

Nykor

^^ Do you believe your Acura is a FFV vehicle?

ifrisbee

No of course not. All I'm saying is that after Maryland switched from MBTE to E10 Fuel this summer. (90% gas, 10% ethonol) I encountered a large drop off in fuel economy. Others in my office with similar performance cars, also experienced this decline.

The one constant being the new gas formulation. I could belive that their could be a problem with my car. But not that all 3 of us would have a similar problem with different cars at the same time.

The drop off in mileage is more than just the simple math of less engery/vol. but I suspect the computer is compensating for the change and is adding to the decrease in mileage. In a similar mannor as others have documented with lower octane fuel.

ttliang

I actually picked up about 1mpg recently from 24 to 25~26 after reinflated my tires (a 3psi loss/tire). check your alignment too. i use 5w-20 synthetic.

binTL

On the long trip > 2200 miles, i got a 29mpg on every fill up. Avg speed was 59mph per the MDI which doesnt mean anything. I did some spirited driving and I felt bad that the engine was running only 5W30 synthetic ( felt the oil was too light for the stress i was putting on the engine ).
City and Highway ( usual driving ) gives us 20 - 24mpg which has been constant.

pettydw

Running the AC while in stop (mostly) and go traffic makes a large difference. The difference on the highway is small, but the power to run the A/C is huge compared the idle output of the engine. I have checked the MID with and without A/C leaving work (normally traffic is backed up), and the difference is significant. Without the A/C on I might lose a mpg sitting for 10 minutes at idle. With the A//C on, I can lose 5 mpg in the same time.

Darknesss_TL

I've noticed that too but I hardly run the A/C (I use the windows) and it doesn't improve

acurallac

Have you noticed if your mpg's drop off in the warmer weather? It may have something to do with "hot" fuel. The Kansas City Star ran an in-depth article about that a few weeks ago. Here's a link:

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/15370193.htm

Maybe this has something to do with it. Hope this helps.

Darknesss_TL

I dunno...i live in Ct...although there were a few abnormally hot days here this summer, i can't say that it happened specifically on those days....

jdb8805

My TL (now with 17,500 miles) has been steadily increasing in mileage. Texas recently switched to 10% ethanol and, if anything, I've noticed an increase. I get 26 mpg mixed driving and 35+ hwy (calculated not MID).

~315 miles to ~12 gallons weekly driving to work
last trip 350 miles 10 gallons.

I drive gently, drive the speed limit, and normally set the cruise on 65 when on hwy

Darknesss_TL

I don't even accelerate downhill...if I can avoid stepping on the accelerator i will 9i.e. I coast down most hills in town) and still no improvement

Nykor

If you look at the original numbers you put up, 275 miles per tank is in the neighborhood of 16 mpg. If you aren't driving your TL like a hot rod, that is almost reason enough to be taking it in for service.

Midnight_TL

hmm...i seem to be getting better gas mileage. i used to shift below 3k all the time to conserve gas...but ever since i got the "g35 sound" mod for the exhaust, i've been shifting past 4k because the sound is too sexy. my mpg has increased by 3-4. i'm driving a little harder and mpg's has increased...wonder what'll happen if i hit vtec with every shift...haah jk

Darknesss_TL

Does acceleration uphill account for anything you think?
there are a lot of steep hills here..... maybe i'll have them take a look at the car when i have the a-spec body kit installed

TLjames

I got a 2006 AT TL late july, light came on at 185 miles and I couldn't believe it. Thinking it might have been a fluke, I filled up and my mpg was pretty much the same. I haven't done anything to the car since getting it, drive mostly around the neighborhood so I would accept 20 mpg, but 185 miles with one tank is awful. Any thoughts?

Midnight_TL

wow...185??? i would go get it checked out. i would have to say that i like to have fun when i drive, but i'm getting at least 350 miles per tank. i know you can manually pump another 2 or 3 gallons of gas into the tank, but i don't do that. probably doesn't make a HUGE difference, but do you drive AT? or 6MT?

TLjames

It's AT, but maybe with the summer heat the AC caused my mpg to go down. I'll mention that to the dealer when I call, but I seriously doubt that it causes as much of a difference as I'm encountering.

Darknesss_TL

problem fixed? ok so i'l lbe honest here, i've been using one of the lower grade fuels for a little while (not my idea, my parents just don't know too much about cars and didn't see the difference...)but yesterday i filled up with premium because i had to commute to school.... put on 82 miles yesterday, the needle on the fuel gauge didn't even pass the "full" marker and the computer says i can go another 358/358 miles before my next fill up(granted its due to my commute that helped the computer get to that number but hey I noticed a positive increase in MPG and a def. increase in power/performance...GO premium! :-D

p.s. i will never go to a lower grade fuel ever again

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

Well since putting the 20's on myMPG has slipped to about 14/15 city and 26/27 highway

zootjeff

The trip computer sucks for miles left. It computes it based on a short term running average. When I'm coasting down the highway on 1/4 tank it says I have 300 miles to go because I'm getting >50 MPG (I'm coasting!!). As soon as I go up the hill again, Oh, 50 miles left. Not very useful unless your always driving around flat. I reset my Trip A on every fill up. I get about 230- 270 miles per tank and I average 19 miles per gallon per tank. Short term MPG measurments don't mean anything.

zootjeff

How do you figure? Is someone really sucking fumes before they fill up? I typically put in ~13 gallons when I hit 275 miles with my light on for 10 miles. Do you drive another 60 miles with your empty light on?

headroll

most of my mileage come from freeway driving but i regularly get 380 miles per tank or even 400 sometimes if i dont get stuck in traffic too often. i always calculate mpg at gas stations and it averages at 26,27.
switching to K&N air filter boosted me up a lot. and prolly changing engine oil (full syn) and oil filter every 4k helps too.

JetJock

Recently, I changed the air filter on my 04TL. The car had less than 10K miles, but the filter was pretty dirty. Also, Blackstone Labs suggested I might have a dirty filter because of the oil analysis I had done recently. I live in a rural area...so go figure??? I've been avg. 25MPG city/hwy driving. 6mt btw.

TLjames

Well what are some possible reasons for getting 185 miles on my first tank? I don't know that much about cars (i mean, i know when to change oil, rotate tires, etc), and don't want to find out i got 185 miles b/c of A/C, which is worth it b/c it's really hot in august in nashville. Anyone have any experience with that? I would love to be able to go 300 miles b/w fill ups...

clsdave

Your low range on the first tank of gas is caused by quite a few things. The order of significance of each reason may not be correct for your situation but here's what comes to mind:

First or second on the list is how you drove it. If your foot was often on the floor you wont get near the advertised gas mileage.

The next reason is the engine, transmission and wheel bearings are far from being broken in and are tight, using extra fuel. The engine will probably take 5,000 to 10,000 miles before it's completely broken in continually giving better range/gas mileage until it is.

On your first tank you didn't put gas in the car so it might not have been completely full from the dealer. Your second tank when you fill again will be more reliable.

Using air-conditioning will also drop your range and gas mileage. In the range of 1-2 miles per gallon when broken in but likely more until then.

There are probably some other reasons but less significant.


Good luck with your new car!

TLjames

Yeah I called the dealership and talked to the guy who sold it to me (really great guy), and he said that the mpg should continually improve as the engine breaks in (like you said). I hope that is the main cause of my lower than rated mpg, as i don't drive the car that hard, just around town and two or three highway trips (~400 miles in two months of ownership). My main concern was the car, not simply that i have to fill up more often than the TL advertises. Other than that the car is great and once i graduate from college, start making money, i'll probably get another one (unless i'm making SERIOUS money, then hello Porsche). Thanks guys

markjrenna

What you should do:

1. A different Gas Station and Brand
2. Check that your Tires are inflated properly
3. Check Tire wear, balding, and uneven wear.

Then, what Acura will need to do:

3. Replace Tires, Balance, inflate properly, or possibly just Rotate.
4. Check Alignment
5. Check and possibly replace Air Filter
6. Check and possibly replace Fuel Filter
7. Addition Fuel related checks.

Weather does play a role but your drop off is too significant. Oil and Oil Filter should always be changed at the same time. Follow your MID. Oil should be changed in any event at no greater than 6 Months or 5,000 miles.

Let us know.

TL Dude

I would strongly agree with the tire pressure comment. This plus the air filter would be likely candidates for minor decreases.

Of course my car always runs better after I wash and wax it.

mu1980

Wow.. I'm quite impressed with your mileage reports. On my 2004 4-cyl. Accord I got approximately 300-330 miles out of 75-80% of the tank (gauge position estimate). Now with the TL I know the mileage is going to be worse, especially in the city, and who knows how much of an impact the new Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires it came with are going to impact the MPG (positively or negatively).

I also don't know if the dealer, when they filled it up before I took delivery, used premium gas.

jeffries1984

im sure they did, I asked abot the gas with my dealer and he just looked at me like i was an inslt to acura for even asking if i could put lower octane in it.