i saw some threads on poor mpg about tls tsx and mdx. i figure i should be getting around the same mpg as the tls but i just want feedback from base auto tl owners to get the closest numbers.

so i got a 06 base a/t tl with almost 42k. for the past 3 months or so i have been getting really shitty city milage. i avg about 25/26 highway so im okay with that but im averaging about 13/14 mpg city. i know short trips and stop/go at redlights/stop signs hurt your mpg but 13/14 seems a little too low. i only use my car to go to school and back which is about 6 miles a day just local no highway at all. i tried driving with a light foot and braking early for 2 full tanks and i only get 200 plus/minus 10 miles a tank. i dont have a cai or aftermarket exhaust. i dont keep anything heavy in the car. only things extra is aspec front and rear lip. my stock tires with 10k miles left with psi kept at 35/36.

any reason why my city mpg is so shitty? any tips to improve it? gas at state college is 3.89 for premium and im thinking about not driving at all if if my mpg doesnt improve and gas continues to rise.

 

6 miles on a cold engine certainly isn't the optimum driving range for the best fuel mileage, and it shows. The EPA has 18 city, but that is a combination city/highway and derived from an engine up to temp. The next few fill-ups, log the mileage and gallons used and with the warmer weather the mileage will rise.

 

would it help to wait for the engine to warm up before driving? i read somewhere 10 seconds is enough wait time before driving. anymore time would just be wasting gas. i am getting a CAI soon how much mpg improvement should i see with that?

 

1-2. but wont be noticeable since you'll enjoy the sound of vtec more, thus burying your foot into the skinny pedal.

 

None, just a lot of noise.

 

Dude I am from NYC also, live in Brooklyn. I have a 2005 TL. I am averaging the same as you. 13-14 mpg strictly local (city). And about 26-29 on highway ONLY (but it's rare that I do mostly highway only on a tank).

Combined I get 17-19 mpg. I thought maybe there is something wrong with my engine/transmission/tires/driving style.. but I guess not.

I guess I just have to suck it up. I've been trying to drive less nowadays since gas prices has surpassed $4/gal.

 

Have you checked your spark plugs and/or your air filter? I know that is not a lot of miles on your car, but one way or another, you are burning more gas than you should be. Do you ever feel like the car just doesn't have a lot of power if you ever punch the accelerator?

I have an '07 type s that I drive like I stole and I live in MN. I average about 23 mpg, with about 60 city/40 hwy split...this includes my fast acceleration and need for speed. I would suggest getting it checked out as my car should get a tiny bit worse gas mileage than yours.

Let me know what you find out on this as I am interested to know.

 

Plugs and air filter won't change the fuel mileage as long as there isn't a dead missfire which there isn't in this thread.

 

There are very big numbers for fuel economy in just the right clean air filter,and if you have old crappy sparkplugs you may not have any misfire.But you will not be at the peak of clean power.Their in you will get BAD fuel economey.

 

Thanks Acuraman101...That is what i was trying to get at. I know spark plugs don't make a huge difference, and the air intake won't do a tone, but getting new plugs in if the old ones are bad and changing out the air filter could easily boost mpg by 3-5 miles/gal.

 

^only performance is lost, not MPG with a dirty air filter.

 

how do i check if my spark plugs are no good? i still feel power when i floor it to hear the vtec

 

The ECU controls the Air/Fuel ratio and it will always be constant, therefore a dirty air filter has no effect on fuel efficiency.

 

just got a 07 tl s and MPG sucks baddly! I get only 200 on a tank compared too 300 plus on my 04 TL with the same set up as tl!

What the HELL!

 

6 miles each way in the cold is what is killing your mileage. Engine probably isn't warmed up until at least halfway to your destination. Letting your car sit and idle until warm won't help either, it warms up faster when you actually drive it.

Making sure your plugs and air filter are good will help maximize your mileage, also check the air pressure in the tires. If it was warm last time it was done, they might be down several pounds now that it is cold.

 

i think u will get better mpg with 60miles each way on highway than 6 miles each way in local.....

 

I thought I was the only one...I live in NYC i get about 13mpg local. its like the gas idle just keeps droppign n dropping n i dnt even drive the car hard like tht

 

I hope nobody is buying your krabbie patties.

 

^okay, sir.

 

I get 20 mpg city when I drive slow in SS mode 13 mile drive in urban areas to work. I also speed doing 50 60 mph on all roads lol maybe you need to drive faster.

 

I lost 3-5 City MPG switching from OEM 17s to 19s

 

With reduced performance comes reduced fuel mileage.
Less power, more work. Kinda like BMW M# vs Toyota Prius on Top Gear. BMW M# got better mileage than the Prius. Less power, more work. Yes, the car will adjust AF ratios to adapt to a dirty filter but that will reduce power which in turn reduces mileage.

 

^nope.

 

^ what ever you say boy o.. there is a point at which a dirty filter hurts mileage. Let me make myself a little clearer because I fear that I may be getting misunderstood. The dirty air filter is compensated for by the fuel injection system and has little effect on mileage. Yes, I agree with this. The issue is poor fuel mileage caused by the driver's right foot when faced with a reduction of performance caused by a dirty air filter. So, does a dirty air filter directly cause poor mileage?? . Does a dirty air filter indirectly cause poor mileage?? . All I can say is that a lab will prove over and over that the dirty filter does not effect mileage but it won't replicate real world driving. When my filter gets black and plugged and I replace it I always get a bump in mileage.

 

Yup.

 

From the EPA site:
"NEW INFORMATION: Replacing a Clogged Air Filter on Modern Cars Improves Performance but Not MPG
A new study shows that replacing a clogged air filter on cars with fuel-injected, computer-controlled gasoline engines does not improve fuel economy but it can improve acceleration time by around 6 to 11 percent. This kind of engine is prevalent on most gasoline cars manufactured from the early 1980s onward.
Tests suggest that replacing a clogged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine may improve fuel economy 2 to 6 percent under normal replacement conditions or up to 14 percent if the filter is so clogged that it significantly affects drivability".

As we know, the A/F ratio is maintained by the ecu thru the feedback system, so no matter what you do with your right foot it won't dump uncontrolled fuel into the cylinders, no air no more fuel. You may try to get more fuel in by depressing the accelerator, but the electronics will still control the mixture, less air, less fuel, therefore poor acceleration but no difference in fuel mileage.

 

I agree..i think these 3.5L motor are just gas sucking turds!
I had a 03 Grand am 3.4 gt it got 23.5 mpg city all day long and had more Zip then the TL S I currently own! The S is getting 200 on a tank and my old 3.2 04 Tl got 300-320 easy in city!. Also, I think my 04 had more power!

 

People who disagreed about the filter not effecting MPG must feel stupid now...

 

Got to love these fuel mileage threads! I get sucked in all the time.

Well, here's the fuel mileage comparisons, assuming all A/T:
'07 TLS 17 city 26 hwy
'04 TL 18 city 26 hwy
'03 G.A. 18 city 27 hwy

Let's be realistic, if you saw 23.5 on the V-6 Grand Am all day long in city driving it must have been an early hybrid and if the 175hp powerhouse in the Pontiac gave you more acceleration than the TLS, then maybe the Acura is running on 4 cyl. The 8 sec 0-60 time is a far from the TL let alone a TLS. Guess you should have kept the Grand Am.

 

Not one bit. I stand by what I said. You guys are all reading articles on the internet that comment on tests performed in lab studies. When a driver feels a lack of performance they will tend to drive the car harder which will cause the poor fuel mileage. So, going back to what I said earlier>>>Does a dirty filter DIRECTLY effect mileage?? No.. Does a dirty filter INDIRECTLY effect mileage?? YES because of the reduction in performance which ultimately results in the driver driving the car harder than normal.

 

Grand AMs are going to go down in history as one of the greatest engineering feats of our time! hahahaha

 

I used to preach that all the time, even posted the link from time to time but these threads just keep coming back over and over no many how many times you try and educate people.

 

To take it even further, I can tell people that mpg is directly based on average mph. Compare your mpg in the mpg vs mph thread and you'll see your TL is normal. No one gets this. Mine will knock down 32-34 on the freeway but when I do a month worth of pure city driving, the 1.5 miles each way to work and back it's normal to see 9mpg and 7mph. It's just the way it is when you spend so much time sitting at redlights and accelerating to 50mph only to have every closely spaced light turn red on you.

"City" does not describe the driving type. Some city driving could have an average mph of 45mph and 26mpg. Some city driving like mine has an average mph of 7 and mpg of 9. Only mph is useful in comparing car to car.

It takes a certain hp to accelerate a certain weight at a certain rate. With similar driving styles, there's not going to be a huge difference between similar cars, not until you're at freeway speeds where aerodynamics and friction come into play.