I thought during winter, we're suppose to have better fuel economy ( I love in New Jersey, cold weather here) since the car runs in cooler temperature. My 04 TL currently has 5500 miles and been averaging bout 23mpg around september and october, but in stating december... i've been averaging 17mph... any inputs?

 

In the northeast there is a percentage of ethnol added to the fuel for environmental reasons (at least in NY). This may also be the case for NJ. Also are you letting your Tl idle longer to warm up? These could be some contributing factors to lower gas mileage.

 

I hope you meant 17mpg and not 17mph although that'd be a good average speed in NYC during rush hour.

I can't comment on my TL's mileage as I haven't owned it through the summer but I did notice a 1mpg drop since buying it and the weather being colder. This is in line with my other cars with respect to winter mileage.

 

No, you're supposed to have worse gas mileage in colder weather. The engine is at its most efficient at its normal operating temperature, and the colder the surrounding air is, the longer it takes to reach that optimum temperature.

 

You will get better gas mileage the longer your have your vehicle from new. If you car is brand new, your gas mileage will be less than best. Once everything is worked out and ... worked in, then you should get some better fuel economy.

As for better gas mileage in the winter?... I'm not too sure why you would get more... just in my rational, you would get less because you are using more of the features in the car... ie the heater all the time, the heated seats, the traction control... ?

 

also realize that the colder, denser the air, the more gas the ecu can put into the charge to make more HP to keep the fuel/air ratio in order.

Cars feel so much faster in the cold air because they can make more efficient HP and more of it.

 

I used to get 21/22MPG in the summer, and that would vary on how I drove the car. Did I leave the AC on polar, or was it nice enough outside to roll down the windows.

Now in the winter, I am getting like 19MPG. I might get lucky and hit 20MPG if I drove downhill with the wind.

Yes, I leave the car to idle on cold mornings and let it warm up.

I drive mostly on expressways and large roads, but Chicago expressways aren't exactly the model for the nation There is one particular expressway, the Eisenhower Expressway...I call it the Eisenmonster. Its the worst ever. I think I've deviated from the topic.

 

i loathe chicago traffic

 

Yes, your car is suppose(d) to use more fuel in colder climates. That is because richer mixtures are needed when the engine is cold, it takes longer for the engine to warm up, and parasitic losses to viscous fluids and the rolling resistance of the tires are higher. Even air density is higher.

In the NYC metro areas, winter "reformulated" fuel has high amounts of alcohols in it, which have less energy per unit of measure. So even if the weather were the same, your mileage would drop. A'int govt great?!

 

Sherlock and Road Rage hit it.

Engines are designed to maintain roughly a 15:1 air/fuel ratio. In colder weather, each cubic foot of air drawn into an engine's cylinders contains a greater concentration of oxygen. The ECU receives readings from various sensors, especially the oxygen sensor, that tells it the mixture is too lean because of this greater amount of oxygen in the mix. So it instructs the fuel injectors to increase fuel delivery to try to offset the oxygen imbalance and to maintain the desired 15:1 ratio, and the timing gets bumped a little to start the burn earlier in the cycle.

This is why your mileage in the colder months is less than the warmer months, along with the fact that the engine feels more "torquey" and powerful.. which it actually is.

 

Oh, by the way. Last Saturday, I filled up and took a 100+ mile trip on two-lane Virginia country roads. Then Sunday, I drove into Manassas to do a little looking around. Tuesday, I took the car to work and filled up on the way home.. at the same pump in the same station and the same position.

My mileage for this period was 28.25 MPG.

 

today i drove about 200 miles round trip to scranton, pa. it was about 40 degrees and i reached 27 mpg.

 

The stuff we get around here in the winter is only 95% gasoline and the other 5% is a mixture of ethanol and some deadly poisons the morons in Washington think is better for us than normal car exhaust.

 

did a lot of research and found that, alas, it does use more fuel!!! to put what i found on canadiandriver.com to a summary, Batteries lose their cranking power, charging systems are overworked, and every part is stiff to move.Getting into that frozen block of metal we call a vehicle is only the first challenge. Then comes the chore of starting it. Starting fuel injected engines is much different compared to older carburetor-equipped vehicles. Don't touch the throttle - just turn the key until it starts. Older throttle body injected engines may start faster if the throttle is opened slightly to allow fuel past the throttle plates, but leave the throttle closed on port injected engines.

sooo... be take caution when driving in cold, u may be spending a fortune!!!

______________
tip the scales!!!
Anthricite Acura TL w/navi 5AT
03 suburban z71
96 toyo landcrusier

 

In warm weather I get 30 mpg on long trips. I just completed a long trip and my mileage dropped to 29 mpg - not very significant.

 

I am amazed by the 30MPG.. you doing like 55 in 5th/6th gear....

I got 28 when I was on the highway (75MPH)

26 in mixed

25 mixed in winter...

round town was always 22-23

 

I averaged just a hair under 24 mpg (~23.75) during the warmer months. During the colder months the fuel consumption has drop by about 1.5 - 2 mpg. I have kept detailed mpg records of my last few cars (Acura MDX, Mitsubishi Evolution, Honda S2000 & Chevy Blazer) and every single one has dropped almost exactly 2 mpg during thw winter. My '04 TL appears to be the least effected by a very small margin compared to my other cars.

 

I usually go 70 - 75 mph but always use cruise control

 

22 mpg day in day out

 

DC Metro area
Mileage: ~5K
Up until now: 24mpg
After winter/cold weather started I have gotten 23mpg, hopefully it won't continue to decrease.

 

1) Optimum ambient temp for best power/mileage is 68-70degF
2) Cold weather requires richer fuel mixture, way more offsetting than the denser air charge
3) Winter re-formulated fuel uses alcohols, which have less thermal energy when burned than gasoline
4) Cold air is denser, so aero load increases
5) All fluids are more viscous when cold

 

Ahhhh. Nothing like stop and go in the Northeast during the winter months. I have average 15 MPG in the past 3 weeks here in Boston with about 90% city driving. Averge MPH is about 17. I got about 17-18 MPG last fall with the same mix of miles.

dsc888

 

28 MPG.
39 mile trip each way - mostly non-stop, some stop and go - all depends if the grannies are on the road