jmwelch

Ok, can you help me with this one. I purchased a 2001 "Certified" Acura CL with less than 36,000 miles on it. I know the transmission has been replaced in the past, I'm hoping it's with an "improved one" I really like the car, the problem I am having is gas mileage. I filled up less than 70 miles ago and I'm already at half a tank. What gives? I do live in San Francisco and take some pretty steap hills to work? That shouldn't run my gas down that quickly? I'm getting about 8 miles to the gallon, any suggestions on what I could check?

Thanks much,

JW

melopats

My mileage is not quite that bad but it aint what I thought. I'm getting like 15-16 MPG.

Vlad B.

iTrader: (1)

Due to 95% city driving and an occasional lead foot (gotta get to the next red light faster than the beemer) I get about 10-12 mpg.

If you're driving is similar to mine - then it's normal.

BTW - Wrong forum

NSX-Tuner

The worst gas mileage I ever got in my 01 CLS was about 20 MPG. My 03 CLS 6MT (S/C'd) worst was about 19 MPG.

GEB

I once got 18 MPG (first take of gas ... I really pushed it hard!) but I usually get about 21 MPG (city stop and go).

BEETROOT

you must drive like a grandmother


the best gas mileage I have ever had in my 01 cls was under 20mpg

Chaptorial

I'm getting 17mpg with my CL. But i've got a heavy foot.

Red-CL

Tell the dealer to check your Air Idle Control Valve.

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...or+gas+mileage

NSX-Tuner

Not really. My average driving is 60% freeway (70-80 MPH cruising), 30% city (easy on the gas) and 10% on it. I'm just not on it all the time like some folks.

pimpscls

once i got about 80 miles for a full tank first three days of my liscense lets just say i was going a bit fast

jmwelch

Thanks for the suggestion Red-CL hope that does the trick.

Chaptorial

Got a little over 18mpg today.

ysr72champ

wow all you guys need to check yourselves i get 500 miles to a tank of gas my best tank was 550 miles on 1 tank now in some defense thats all highway driving but thats about all i do i judge my mileage if its going to be a good tank or not at the half tank mark if ive gotten 250 to 300 miles its gonna be a good tank thats like 28 miles to 30 miles a tank i think definetly have your car checked for something wrong but ive always said that i probably have the best cl acura ever made gas milaege wise my .02

shogunz

..check your TIRE PRESSURES.. I noticed gas was bein guzzled when i was drivin on 2 flats.

njtls2

i average 15mpg city while trying to get good gas milage =/

Chaptorial

What are your driving habits like? My mods dictate mine.

ball4lyfe

From a full tank of gas, I've driven just about 330km (206 miles) and it's now almost empty although the fuel check light hasn't come on yet.
Somehow, it seems like the car takes almost the same gas as my previous 97 Caddy Seville STS. ;-(

I don't drive like crazy so I wonder what I should ask the service guys when I bring my car in for a 48000km major service.
(I'm in Canada)

Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks.

m33f

330 km just before the fuel light comes on? wow you drive hard. I get usually 415-430km before the light comes on... though admittedly i dont' spend too much time above 2500rpm (aside from the occasional [2-3 times per tank] hammer it down to redline on acceleration from zero)

AZMerf

Man, that is pretty bad. I average about 26 MPG. The best I ever got was 31.1 MPG but that was driving between Phoenix and Tucson.

labmeister

The heavier weight of 18 or 19 inch wheels (versus stock 17s) plus the higher rolling resistance of ultra high performance tires will also negatively affect your mpg.

jruss9819

17 or so in mine. The heavier wheels along with much bigger larger rubber haven't affected my mpg.

By the way it went from the stock 215/ 50 17'' to 235/40 18'' that are a bit heavier.

Jimmbbo

I think the biggest contributors to mileage (good or bad) are highway/city driving, tire pressure and acceleration/deceleration habits.

My '03 CL-S 6M gets 21 MPG city, 30+ on the highway IF.... the tire pressure is correct AND I stay out of VTEC. I have seen my mileage drop SIGNIFICANTLY when I put my foot in it...

Also, while I cannot quantify this, when slowing for a stop, I get off the gas as soon as I see the need to stop coming up, and using as little braking as possible... Fuel consumption is greatest when accelerating, so if I can keep some speed on the car, less acceleration means better fuel economy...

I average 330 - 400 miles on a tank, depending mostly on whether it's city or highway driving. Personal best is 425 on a highway trip... Headers and CAI have to help, but can't say how much...

Cheers!

Jim

jruss9819

Do you guys w/ the 6 speeds down shift when coming up to a light? I do, maybe that is helping cause the lower mpg.

jmwelch

Well, my car is at the dealer because I get about 140miles per tank. They told me the computer has found no error codes, so they are keeping it to drive it. What could the problem be? Could the fact I live in SF with steep hills with a stop and go commute lower my gas mileage from 21MPG to under 10MPG?
I dont slam down the peddle either, wish I could...

I told them to check the idle control valve, but no rough idle problems like other people mentioned they have had.

Any other suggestions?

AZMerf

I have notice that small deviations in driving habits makes a big difference in gas mileage. For example, I lose anywhere from 2 to 5 MPG in the summer (Phoenix) because of the A/C being on constantly. Also, if am driving the car hard, I notice a drop. I would think because it's all stop and go traffic and the hills, it might have a substantial impact on your MPG.

You need to get in touch with more CL owners in SFO.

NSX-Tuner

Wow... only 140miles/tank. Something has to been defective with you car. The worst I've ever gotten is about 300miles on a tank and that's a S/C'd 6MT CLS driven hard for most of the tank full.

Did you notice if your exhaust was excessively blackened or if the spark plugs indicated an overly rich condition? The dealer should be able to look at the A/F ratio and CO levels to see if there's something wrong.

Jimmbbo

Yep...

Jimmbbo

Climbing hills will kill mileage, especially if you get into the VTEC range, but 140 miles a tank seems pretty rough

iisylentii

i think it might be your tire pressure or maybe the mods that you have on your car or the waight thats in your car

djtrancetastic

I dont have any problem with gas milage. I get about 180-190 on a half of tank, and were I live and gas is 2.54 a gallon thats a plus.

rezurex

there's a tapeworm in your engine. lol... 140 miles a tank?? with gas prices as it is these days.. you must be spending a fortune to get around...

DeVin_B

yes i do downshift and yes it does burn alot more of gas.. but i dont burn that much.. i get at least 14mpg.. and i drive only in the city and i do drive hard ....<<

LouSFO

I live in SF as well, I get 15-17mpg in the city, 29 highway in my CLP. City mileage fluctuates depending on my driving habits, cruising vs racing around town.

Joe5.0

Why do you 6 speeders downshift when coming to a light? What benefit, other than a slight decrease in braking force needed does it provide? Would you rather wear out your clutch or your brake pads?

I NEVER downshift when coming to a light and I usually skip 5th gear if I'm getting up to the normal 50-65mph cruising speed. I very very rarely run the AC, but the car sees redline nearly every time its driven. Over the 1st year of operation I've never gotten less than 320 miles to a tank, never less than 24mpg, and recently I've been getting 26-28mpg even with 50%city/50% highway driving.

sgmotoring

I don't think is gas mileage problem. We have problem with the fuel sending unit. Maybe you have 3/4 tank but the fuel sending unit is reading it as 1/2 tank. Is this your first tank of gas? If so, maybe you should fill it up and see how many gallons of fuel is needed.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I'm getting anywhere from 14-17 mpg driving in NYC, and lately a lot of that is sitting idle, (TRAFFIC SUCKS) so I know why my milage is shot. But on the highway I've gotton 29-31 doing between 80 and 95 mph. I actually get better milage with my 95 Maxima with 180K miles on in and the "Check Engine" light on.

6speedctrlfreak

The CL-S really loves the highway crusing as most of you know....city driving will reduce our MPG's alot ...but ...not to the pint of 140 miles to a full tank of gas (17 gallons???)
Some of the tech guys here should know of a simple test to see if you are within the "normal" range of fuel consumption

off topic - Soopa thanks for the 6 speed smiley !!!!!!!!!

dfreder371

Please go see my post in the other shitty gas mileage thread. Your timing relationship between the cam and crank may have changed. This happened to me with a dodge daytona. The car ran just fine because of FI's remarkable ability for self correction. I could only get 75 miles to a 13 gallon tank. And I don't think this is tire pressure, unless you are running around with zero psi.