When I fill up my 2012 Acura TL SH-AWD I allow the fuel pump to go until it stops. Sometimes My travel range is 312 and sometimes its 287 miles. What would cause this? Anyone else out there have this issue? Just feels good when the display says 300+ mile range on a full tank.

I've tried to keep clicking after the fuel tank automatically shuts off, but depending on the gas station, i get varying mile ranges. This is so incredibly frustrating. Any information would be awesome.

Thanks in advance guys.

 

It's completely a guesstimate.

From my experience it loosely bases its number off of your MPG from your most recent tank and the amount of fuel in the tank. So 15gal @ ~24MPG = 360miles

You're far better off calculating your own MPG using the trip meter and the gallons you fill the car with. You really should only be filling it to the first click of the pump.

 

if pump isnt zeroed out, could be giving incorrect value
pumps need to be calibrated often.
try sticking to one station and one pump!

tons of different variables!

 

Awesome, you guys rock!

 

the fuel tank capacity is 18.5gallons for the 2012 acura tl sh-awd advanced right?"

 

Pumps don't always stop at the same level, even if you use the exact same pump all the time. That is why calculating MPG by "hand" is less exact than taking the MPG readings off the car's computer. You can never be sure that the tank is filled up to the exact same spot every time.

 

So what are you saying? What do you suggest I do?

 

he's saying the guesstimates that your MID and hand calculations are as close as it ever will be.

 

its not affecting anything butt your OCD.(the joy of getting past 300.)

 

Of course you can't, but I'd absolutely argue my averaging MPG with the trip meter and gallons to the first click over the course of a year is vastly more accurate than the car's guesstimate.

The pumps themselves are regulated by state agencies so their numbers are correct, and mileage reset at each fill up is going to be as accurate as it can be. So the only variable is the fill amount which is going to be fairly close (definitely within half a gallon or you'd see discrepancy on the fuel gauge).

Here is my vehicle after ~50k miles and a year and a half of fillups

Acura TL SH-AWD (Acura TL) | Fuelly

 

^how often are they calibrated?

not often and will fall out of range.

 

Believe in Virginia it's done every year by the Dept of Weights and Measures.

Weights & Measures

Code of Virginia Code - Chapter 12. Motor Fuels and Lubricating Oils

 

I'll add, we're arguing a moot point.

The car's average MPG based on the trip meter (ignoring the instant) is approximately the same as my calculations.

The OP specifically asked about the estimated miles remaining on the tank, which is absolutely a guesstimate. So when you fill up and it says "380 miles to go" and then next week it says "340 miles" it's a guess.

I brought up calculating your MPG since it's going to give you a better idea of MPG especially since I've recorded it since day #1 @ 13k miles.

 

The OP is talking about the car's RANGE not MPG. Still, there are many variables here so one fill-up may not be the same as another in terms of how much RANGE the car's computer initially calculates. On my 2010 TL-SHAWD, I generally start out with a RANGE of around 400 mils but that quickly drops as I drive around town. As soon as I get on the highway for any distance, the reading can easily go up by 75-100 miles and then back down again when there is some stop-n-go driving.

 

Range and MPG go hand in hand...the one calculates the other. You know this. And there aren't "many variables"...there are precisely two; average MPG and actual litres of fuel. You're first sentence treats "range" and "MPG" like they're independent variables, but then you seem to acknowledge by the end of your post that they're interdependent.

At the end of the day, what's the point of all this? Is OP really concerned that the range (and estimate) on fill-up varies? Isn't the more relevant question, how much variation is he getting per tank (not estimating the next tank, but looking at hard numbers on the last tank)?

 

Sockpuppet, you misunderstood my post. The "variables" I was referring to are not the ones used in the calculations but rather the differences when comparing the MPG and RANGE from one fill-up to another. The variables of the differences between how full the tank was after each fill-up, driving patterns for each tank, etc.) The MPG and RANGE calculations are certainly related with the "Ave. MPG" being more exact, i.e. how many miles driven divided by how much fuel used vs. the RANGE using an estimated future MPG times amount of fuel remaining. The OP was just trying to figure out why his experience at each fill-up resulted in varying initial RANGE figures when he felt each fill-up was similar in the amount of fuel in his tank after filling.

 

So, I'd like to add my most recent fillup.

The computer reported 22.4 MPG for the Trip A, Fuelly is reporting 22.5

I'll keep tabs on it to see what it looks like the next few

 

How did you get this info and stats on your car? Id like to start keeping track with such detail. Is it simple? This can tell me a lot about my driving as well fuel stats as my car ages.

And I also wanna thank everyone for chiming in, even with the techy talk, it makes all the difference. And again What is that fuel consumption thing you posted.

 

With the vehicle's calculator/trip meter I do the following:

Trip A - reset every time I go to the gas station (record the number before resetting it though)

Trip B - reset every oil change (so I know how many miles I've gone between changes)

If you scroll through the MID (Multi Informational Display) in the cluster using the Up/Down arrows on the right of the steering wheel you get to the MPG screen.

If you press the middle button (SEL/RESET) between the arrows and flip between Trip A, Trip B, Odometer, Oil Life you'll see the MPG number displayed change.

It shows Trip A's average MPG if it's Trip A, Odometer, or Oil Life and Trip B's MPG if it's on Trip B.


What I'm doing for calculating it is using that Trip A number (miles) and dividing it by the amount of gas (in gallons) I fill the tank with to the first click.

Trip A (Miles) / Gas (Gallons) = MPG

Then I'm using Fuelly to keep track of MPG and amount spent.

Acura TL SH-AWD (Acura TL) | Fuelly

 

I keep track by jotting down the mileage on the gas receipt after each time I put gas in the car and then transfer that to a speadsheet that calculates the MPGs automatically. I can keep track of the last tank's MPD, the overall MPG, the MP G for an extended trip, etc. I also use this file to jeep track of when and what service was done.

 

Just an another update, the car reported 21.4 and Fuelly is reporting 21.55

So I may have to retract my statement of the car being less reliable. Each spot check I've done it's been within .5 MPG

 

While the vehicle computer makes a range prediction based on past driving pattern, I have found that in my experience Honda vehicles are optimistic in calculating MPG with the trip computer. I provide evidence based on the last 3 vehicles I have owned as well as my wife driving 4 different Odyssey vans since 2009 but not keeping a spreadsheet.
First is a 2005 Lexus LS430 (Jan 2009 - Nov 2014). Second is a 2014 Honda Accord (Nov 2014 - May 2016). The last is my recently purchased 2009 Acura TL (May 2016 - present).
You can see that the Lexus calculation was both higher and lower than the trip computer was showing when reset after each refuel. The Accord was almost always reporting better MPG than actual calculation. And the Acura seems to be repeating the pattern of always reporting better MPG.
It seems that Honda wants you to feel like you are getting better MPG than you are really getting based on a calculated average over the course of many fill-ups

 

I've only had 3-4 fills in my 2012 SH-AWD, but from what I have calculated, the computer was a bit off. It was showing 11.2L-11.3L/100km and I've been calculting about 10.5L/100km or so.

Edit: for you guys in the US, showing about 21MPG and I'm getting about 22MPG.