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Honda Civic GX Fuel Mileage

larams00larams00 Member Posts: 3
edited May 2014 in Honda
Hi I was wondering if anyone else is getting way below the 230 or so miles per tank fill. I drive under normal conditions and at 3600psi tank fill I only get 285 miles tops.At 3000psi im only getting about 165 miles..My car has only 2000 miles on it so its still brand new..Can anyone shed a lilttle light on why im getting about 50 miles less than I should ?? Thanks for any help
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Comments

  • lakewood90712lakewood90712 Member Posts: 108
    Nothing is wrong with your car. Mileage may go up a little as it breaks in .
    CNG fill depends on a lot of things . A lot of stations do not have enough pressure to fill your tank completely. Most of the newer stations do not have a pressure gauge, instead they have a digital readout to hide the fact that the pressure is low. 100% means it has done all it can do at the time, but may be far lower than normal. We are not being cheated on quantity of fuel dispensed, but we all are being cheated when paying a high price for fuel, and not getting full compression service.
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    Before I added my extra tank, I used to put between 170-190 before the low fuel light came on (now it is between 420-460) :D , and I ALWAYS could go 50 or more miles. Once I went 58 (not on purpose!) and was running on fumes as I entered the station. If you need to stretch it for any reason, reduce your speed to 42 mph if you can because that is the best speed for best mileage. So if you add 50 to your 185, then you are where you should be.
    adea
  • larams00larams00 Member Posts: 3
    so what you are telling me is that you went 58 miles after the low fuel light came on ?? Is that after or before you installed the extra tank ?? thanks
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    That was with the one tank, and there was no closer place to go ( I used to drive all over Phoenix, Mesa, etc. with a job I once had). But it won't matter with the two tanks because they act as one, so the 50 extra will still be the same, even though I've never driven it 50 yet with the two tanks...last week it was 44, and by the fuel it took, I still had at least 6-10 miles left.
    adea
  • larams00larams00 Member Posts: 3
    how can that be the owners manual states that you get 20 to 25 miles after the low fuel light come on ???
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    Yours is a 2006? Mine is an '00 and my manual says 50...lol...and my engine is only 1.6L...Right now I'm getting 39-41 mpg by driving conservatively and with my cruise. I didn't know the newer ones only got 20-25...wow!
  • lakewood90712lakewood90712 Member Posts: 108
    Because 20 - 25 miles is a "sure thing". I have gone 50+ miles after in my 01 countless times, but I have also been towed to the station a couple of times :blush:
  • bank1avpbank1avp Member Posts: 78
    For 1998 to 2005 once the fuel light comes on you have exactly 1 GGE left. Getting 40 mpg in an 05 or older is not uncommon. The fuel light will come on at 200 miles and it will go bone dry at 240. I know I've done it just to test it.

    Murphy
  • hondagxsaleshondagxsales Member Posts: 33
    Recent discussions with my Service Dept has led me to come to the conclusion that running the "Low Rolling Resistance" tires supplied on the Hybrid should yield 5-10 more miles per gallon. In addition they should reduce road noise. I was wondering if anyone had tried this tactic to up their mileage?
    Curtis
  • d_linkd_link Member Posts: 17
    We have owned a '98 GX since new in Dec. 1998. We now have 74,000 miles on it and never a problem, but none of the stations in our area offer anything higher than 3,000 psi (a new PG&E 24-hour pump was supposed to open in January 07, but is still sitting unused, waiting for regulatory approval). Installing an additional tank would give us the added range that would reduce the only negative that we have with our car.

    How much did the additional tank cost?
    Where is it installed?
    Did you alter the original tank?
    How many gge are you now able to fill?

    Thanks for your reply.
  • jetboatjohnnyjetboatjohnny Member Posts: 104
    Curtis, 5-10 mpg???
    I dont think so, maybe 5-10% better mileage.
    For 5-10 mpg, everyone would be using those tires!
    J
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    i agree with J-B-J ... that would be a 12.5-25% increase in MPG. given that the GX is no sports car, i would imagine the tires it has are fairly similar, in a rolling resistance sense, to the hybrid. perhaps some gain, but to get 5-10mpg, you'd need tires 1/2 the width. i'd love it if you prove us wrong though :)

    epi
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I've only known one person who put low rolling resistance tires on their hybrid. They do indeed improve your mileage, but the tradeoff is traction and cornering performance. They had them on two weeks and had them taken off because they didn't feel safe with them on.

    Their definition of unsafe probably varies from mine, but I certainly believe there would be a tradeoff since rolling resistance basically IS traction.

    As with everything (pun alert)... your mileage may vary! ;)
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    d_link...I had the extra tank installed in the backseat in Mesa, AZ...they left the back part and just took out the seat bottom and then built a nice carpeted shelf over the extra tank. The original and the extra one are hosed together and act as one tank, so I now I have an actual 13 gallons (including the amount after the light goes on (always at least 50 miles)...12.5 gge is the most so far but it has never been empty...it cost $800 installed + $225 for the carpeted wooden cover...they will also put an extra 5 gge (4 actual) in your trunk for $750 installed. Just so you can get a comparison, there is another guy in Phoenix that puts an extra 2.8 gge in your trunk for $1400 + tax!
    adea
    adea
  • ses_209ses_209 Member Posts: 1
    What area do you live in for PG&E Gas that is limited to only 3000psi??
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    actually, in northern CA, most PG&E are 3000. only two that i know of around here at 3600 are in SF. i spoke to their rep recently, and he said they intend to convert a few here and there to 3600 over the next few years.

    epi
  • d_linkd_link Member Posts: 17
    Currently, the Sacramento Florin Perkins station, Davis station, Vacaville station, and Stockton station are all 3000 psi maximum. A new compressor and 24-hour station is supposed to be open in September at the Florin Perkins location.
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    my wife tells me this morning 'i think you're going to be low on gas' ... i get in to find the fuel light on and just over 20mi to get to my nearest station. boo. well, on a 2006, the fuel light comes on at 2 bars left, and usually means 20-30mi ... so i'm comfortable. within 2mi of starting out, it drops to 1 bar, then another 9mi, 0 bars left! and i still have 9mi to go. well, i'm here to tell you, a 2006 GX will make it 9 miles with 0 bars left (perhaps a little farther) ... conditions - 60 degrees, averaging 65mph, holding breath entire way, very gentle on that accelerator!

    definately my most nerve racking morning commute yet!
    epi
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    65 MPH??...u like to live dangerously huh? LOL...next time, if you are really that nervous, drive around 42-45mph (or 55 if on the freeway) if you can, and you will stretch your reserves.
    Garry
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    yes i knew someone would mention this ... unfortunately, i thought it would be more dangerous to drive 55mph on a Bay Area highway! the options were stop and go in the normal lanes, or keep up with the flow in the carpool lane (aka 65). i agree with you otherwise. if i really wanted to live dangerously, i would have turned the AC on!
    epi
    ps. my wife is taking me out to dinner tonight to reconcile for my near heart attack!
  • jetboatjohnnyjetboatjohnny Member Posts: 104
    The farthest I have gone with the fuel light on (my'99) is 26 miles, and hopefully I will never have to go more than that. Luckily I have a CE station (Moreno Valley) on my way home about 20 miles short of my local Hemet station, so if the light comes on before I pass that offramp, then I will fuel up there.
    I have noticed with the heat that I dont get as good of a fill, and actually had the light come on a couple of times right before I fill at around 150 miles. The pressure left in the tank is about 1,000 psi vs usually about 1,200.
    I am still getting about 35 mpg driving 75-80 mph on about 85% of my drive.
    I fill once a week in Diamond Bar for my overnight stay in OC, today I got about 4250 psi.
    J
  • dejapoohdejapooh Member Posts: 40
    HELLO McFLY!... CNG... Vapors.... HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    dejaooh - good god i hope you're joking. don't think 'vapors' was chosen accidentally :)

    epi
  • xpacificxpacific Member Posts: 16
    Yikes, glad you did not need a tow! How many GGE were you able to put with zero bars showing? (and at what pressure)?
  • dejapoohdejapooh Member Posts: 40
    I was down to zero bars last night about a mile from the Thousand Oaks station. I needed 6.454 gge at 3600 psi to fill up. Price was $2.05 per gge. Just down from $2.20
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    yes, i was very excited to see how much would fit in given i was lower than ever before, and i've had over 6.5 in before. unfortunately, the trillium station 3000psi was the only one working ... think i got just over 6.0 (it actually is about 3200 according to the gauge on the pump)
    b
  • kate_gkate_g Member Posts: 8
    Just a few days ago my '02 went 55 miles with the fuel light on. I wasn't driving it at the time, a dealership employee was. It didn't even actually run out of gas, that's just how far it was to the next station. He said 55 miles with the light on was exactly what he could get with his '98, too. I assume he was driving at highway speed since he was on a highway, but I don't know how fast exactly.
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    The most so far that I had driven with the light on with my '00 was 58 miles, and it took 6.5 gge at 4400 psi!...so if dejapooh put that much in at 3600, then no matter what Honda says, the newer models MUST have a larger tank. I still think mine is only a 7. My additional one in the backseat then is an 8 (one can see it is bigger than the original) because now it could hold 13 gge at 4400. I've also noticed since the tune-up that I could go over 60 miles now with the light on. :D
    G
  • ngvdriversngvdrivers Member Posts: 5
    I bought a 2007 GX last month and want to see what the cost would be to add an additional 3600 psi tank NEW and of the same quality as the factory tank. Do Honda dealers offer this service or do you have to find an aftermarket tank? If anyone knows the cost to add another tank of the same size as the factory one, please include details.

    If you add the 2nd tank to the trunk, does it take up all of the remaining space? If so, I guess I'll need to remove the spare from the trunk.
  • cngusercnguser Member Posts: 59
    Not sure about who best to have add another tank or the cost, but you for darned sure better have it in writing in your American Honda warranty that adding a tank will NOT impact the factory warranty on the car and/or fuel system!
    Maybe add it after you hit the 3yr/36K miles...?

    Let us know what you find out - I hope to order an '08 GX when they come out and may want to think about adding a tank also. (That's after I put in 2 rear speakers!)
  • dejapoohdejapooh Member Posts: 40
    I went out on my first longer range trip this weekend. I was going from Thousand oaks to Beaumont (just west of Palm Springs). I started off with about half a tank and made it to Burbank (WOO HOO, Love that $1.774 price, and it REALLY fills). Burbank filled me to full for the first time (no lighted dots were left unlit). I Popped off the hose (and it seemed to almost explode off the tank), and reset my trip meter. Got out to Beaumont and made a few side trips. By the time I left for home, I was at 180 miles on the trip and just under Half a tank showing. I figured I needed to hit some gas, so I stopped in San Bernadino... Nothing there! On to the next station, I forget, which, Closed to the public (you need an Account to fill). the Covena Station is closed on sunday, so I barely made it into Azusa. 258.7 miles from my last fill (Yellow light on, Fuel lights off). That's by far the best range I've gotten on a tank. What's your highest range on a tank.
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    nice! i love the feeling of gas light on, no bars left! liberating!!

    i consistently get over 250 on a tank in SF bay area driving ... with several in the 265 mi range. i currently average 40 mpg consistently, and usually squeeze in 6.0 - 6.5 GGE when i fill at 3600.

    epi
  • rstrst Member Posts: 73
    I just drove my 06' to San Diego Pacific Honda today. 125 miles per computer print out. I added 3.3 gge and drove back. 37.8 mpg and I was pushing it.
  • adrianradrianr Member Posts: 5
    Hi adea, I just joined this site and found your post from July 07 regarding the addition of an extra CNG tank in your Civc in Mesa, AZ for only $800! I live in Southern California, but would be willing to drive to Mesa to have an extra tank installed at this price. Could you reply with the contact info for the shop? Thanks, Adrian
  • danamandanaman Member Posts: 5
    Hi adrianr. My family and I are traveling to arizona this weekend. Would you share who did the job for you with your extra tank. We might need to replace ours and this seems like a great option.

    Thanks
  • adeaadea Member Posts: 44
    Hi danaman...this is adea...I just talked to the guy a few weeks ago that installs these and did mine a few years ago. He had to temporarily move to Queen Creek. The name of his company is Alt Fuel Systems and his name is Mark. His number is: 480-363-3436. He told me that he may not have any more 'steel' tanks (you can ask him when you call him), but he can install a tank the original size and composition (kevlar/carbon) for somewhere between $1300-1500 which still is a great deal! Good luck! :)
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