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Comments
This weekend, we drove our Odyssey around 1450km (around 900miles), and averaged 24mpg, with a tank yesterday of 27.3mpg (and yes I am using US gallons)! This was with the A/C on, cruise control set to just below 120 kph (around 75mph). So far, I am very pleased with this mileage.
make sure your tires are properly inflated and your engine air filter clean.
in town stop and go driving, be gentle with the throttle and try to avoid racing to red lights.
as for the HWY, try this test: take a long drive at an approximately constant 55-60 mph on a full tank. don't go 70-80, that's almost twice as fast as the speed to which the tests are conducted.
estimate your consumption rate based on miles driven divided by gallons pumped when re-filling. see if your hwy number improves appreciably. i bet they do.
EPA estimates are done under controlled conditions we typically don't replicate in our normal driving environment (like who drives 40-45MPH on a hwy in a metropolitan area) and real-world consumption rates are the cause of much dissapointment for many owners, regardless of who manufactures the vehicle.
if your numbers don't improve, it's always possible you have a problem with fuel air delivery (maybe a bad oxygen sensor, or a stuck injector causing you to run rich (more gas than necessary)) or maybe even an exhaust system issue (clogged / inefficient catalytic convertor - perhaps damaged by a bad 02 sensor or stuck injector). i suppose there are other sources for poor mileage including incorrectly adjusted belts or bad pulleys or something like that.
it's not a bad idea to baseline your vehicle and periodically check it's rate of consumption, which may be a sign something is amiss.
good luck to you.
Guess I should ask the dealer to check my Sedona.
Also, I drove a rental 2005 Sedona LX recently. It had 20,000 miles on it. It felt much peppier and steered and cornered better than my '04 EX. Did not drive it enough to check the '05's mileage though.
I very carefully check every tank of gas for fuel economy with a calculator.
On my Sedona (as well as my XG), I was very gentle during the first 1000 miles. I wonder now if I should have raced it during break-in. The rental was no doubt driven very hard from the beginning. And the rental felt much sportier.
Also, I'm wondering if I now disconnected my battery and then drove the Sedona in a racy manner, if I would retrain the transmission to shift at a higher rpm and make the van feel faster.
Does anyone know if the '05 LX got revalved shock absorbers or different springs and/or sway bars compared to the '04 EX ?
first thought: the vehicles you are comparing are quite different. the hyundai XG weighs what, 1200# less than your kia sedona, and has a completely different frontal area and contour, which has to affect wind resistance differently right?
also - you realize the vehicles are even EPA rated with the XG comming out ahead on the highway.
so, it doesn't surprise me in the least that when you are speeding along on the highway, the rate of MPG drop per MPH will tend to be more rapid in the kia than the hyundai.
try the experiment of driving your kia on a long stretch at some constant speed 55-60 vs. constant speed 70-80 and see what the MPG difference is. you're pushing lots of air out of your path with the kia.
i'm not a mechanic so i don't know what sort of testing they can do to check for a stuck fuel injector, a bad O2 sensor, clogged CAT, etc. i'd research these angles before having the mechanic look it over.
disconnecting the battery - maybe it might impact your idle, and maybe the parameters in the engine control / transmission control for shift points...don't know...just guessing...the systems are getting complex and to "smart" for us to understand easily. while that would be an angle to research as well, i'm thinking these would tend to affect your CITY numbers moreso than HWY numbers if there is any parameter re-learning involved. does that make sense? i'm just thinking out loud.
please excuse the dumb question: is the transmission shifting up the proper number of times and the torque convertor locking up when it should? also - you aren't driving with over-drive off or something silly like that? sorry - had to ask.
another thing i guess I'd check is to see if there were any problem with the wheels spinning freely (axle/bearing, or brake caliper issue). you could do a (closed road) coast-down test if you have a friend with a kia: bring them to some set speed and see how long it takes them to coast down to some lower-speed while the trans is in neutral. or-maybe with the vehicle on a lift in neutral with brakes off, verify each wheel can be spun checking for unexpected resistance.
A great article about ways to increase your MPG. I just returned from a 2500 mile trip from Daytona to Cincinnati to Mackinaw, MI to Cincinnati to Annapolis, Md to Daytona. Gas prices were Between $2.35 and $3.39 with most about $2.99. The best MPG I got on the entire trip was 24.5. Most was about 21.5. Traveling at the speed limit, with cruise control and A/C all the time. I followed a lot of the recommendations in the article except I didn't remove the roof rack off my Sedona EX. (too involved) I still would like to get around 30 mpg, but don't think this van will ever see that!
Boxwrench
Driving around Holland/Saugatuck area....24mpg
6 weeks old, 4500 miles on it.
Mix Hwy/City: 10-13 MPG. With and W/O AC Running.
Tire Properly inflated.
At the first maintenance (OIL CHANGE) found that it was running exactly the same. No change.
MPG is really bad.
Currently have about 3,500 Miles on the vehicle.
Looks Great but it is also expensive. Most mileage on tank full has been about 260 miles.
THIS IS BAD!
AL :confuse:
My 2002 T&C LX does NOT get gas mileage this good.
About 50% of highway, 50% of frequent stop and go, up and down hills. Each trip is about 3 miles.
Comments?
Your Ody EX-L is doing very well and I am sure you could exceed 30 MPG on highway driving only...IF you did not exceed 65 MPH, no wind is blowing, no rain or snow is falling, and the temperature is below 70 degrees F.
Thanks.
NO MATTER IF I PUT THE PROPER AIR PRESSURE, OR DRIVE UNDER 70 MPH, THE PURCHASE STICKER SAYS 28 MPG :confuse: AND I'M FALLING FAR SHORT.
Should I consult a Honda tech?
Starting, idling, stop and go, KILLS gas mileage. :sick:
With my 2002 T&C LX, I can go on a 1300 mile round trip, the trip computer will read 28.2 MPG average for the trip and while waiting at a stop light with a long wait, the average will drop to 28.1 MPG.
My friend Carl with the 2006 Sienna LE told me his Sienna trip computer read 33.2 MPG after a round trip of over 200 miles. He had 2 lights that had a long wait and 2 stop signs for the last 2 miles and the average dropped from 33.2 MPG to only 32.9 MPG. The next day it dropped to 32.5 MPG after starting it and driving it less than 2 miles to the gas station with 2 long stop lights enroute.
I love trip computers because they show accurately how much fuel is used in starting, getting engine up to operating temperature, and waiting at stop lights.
Fill up your Odyssey, immediately go on a non stop 200 mile round trip and then refuel. Your Odyssey will get AT LEAST 30 MPG if there is no wind, the temperature does not require heavy usage of air conditioner, and you keep the speed close to 65 MPH.
If you perform this little, accurate test and your Odyssey does not get at least 30 MPG, you should see the Honda technicians.
this guy should top off, go on a 250-300 mile HWY-only trip at 60-65 relatively constant speed, exit the highway, fillup, and divide the gallons pumped into miles actually driven.
i don't understand the fascination with trip computers and all those rapidly changing digits.
I do. It's a video game; something to keep the driver occupied when they get bored. It's REALLY distracting when I drive my dad's Prius watching the fuel economy numbers bouncing around.
The trip computer is valuable. It accurately shows that highway mileage is high and overall mileage drops quickly while waiting at stop lights or just running the vehicle so the air conditioner keeps it cool inside (and the heater keeps it warm in the winter).
I too think the conventional method of gallons into Miles driven is best. The sticking point is: Are you sure you are filling the tank as full as the last time! I know you are not supposed to "top-off" your fuel tank, but when I am computing MPG as on a trip, I always fill up till the gas is at the very top of the filler neck. Then do the same the next time, and then I have a reasonably accurate calculation. I have put as much at 2 gallons into a "full tank" such as when the fuel nozzle clicks off!! That alone can make your calculations very inaccurate!
As for trip computers, the only one I found that was extremely accurate was on a Lincoln Town Car I drove from Ohio to Fla for a Driveaway Co. Believe it or not it got 32 mpg strickly highway at 75mph. That's with a V8 engine too. It's the 10mpg around town that kills you.
One of the best guages for conserving fuel, and getting the most out of every tank is a VACUUM Guage! Not to mention it is also one of the best diagnostic tools for your engine to Boot! Many good old mechanics, before the days of fuel injection, computers and electronic Ignition, could pinpoint most engine problems with a Vacuum guage. Ahh, but those days are gone forever. You can't fix a car nowadays without a computer to tell you what's wrong. Just like the cashiers today can't figure out your change when you give them a few odd cents to even out your change for a 20 without the help of the computer/calculator on the register. People don't use their brain anymore, they let the machine do it for them. We are becoming a GADGET society.
As I have said before -- it's a good time to be getting old.
Just MHO
Boxwrench
Only problem with your approach is that you are introducing as much pollution as driving the entire tank.
Simply using the full tank for mileage checks, and slowing down when the tank is about 3/4 full will allow you to fill it fairly completely, and to the same level. Using the entire tank will minimize any fill error.
We keep a mileage log of every tank on our Quest, and have had partial tank fills all over the map. But if you keep a log for three or four tankfulls any filling error is further minimized.
Our Quest has an EPA highway figure of 25 mpg. The Honda has 28, but I don't know a single Honda owner that gets better mileage than the Quest - most get less. The EPA mileage test is not at all realistic and some manufacturers seem better at hacking it than others, or other manufacturers prefer to show more realistic numbers, who knows.
and besides the accuracy / precision and heads-down angles of the problem...what are you using the metric for? me- i just periodically use to compare to base, specially on long trips, as an indicator of a potential maintenance problem. i don't need anything to be sub-gallon precise or even accurate for that matter. just consistent. i'm looking at the general trend.
At the first refill 300 miles from home on my round trips, the manual computation is ALWAYS higher than the trip computer going on the trip but ALWAYS lower from that station to home. That shows me that the pumps at that station shut off before the gas tank is full. I do NOT top off except before and after a long trip.
Wind has a very substantial effect on gas mileage...a tail wind will greatly increase and the head wind greatly decrease the mileage.
i think it you've found good correlation between the two methods, but it's also true, the scenario that is going to give you the best correlation is the one you're testing.
hans, you like to look at the numbers during stop and go / city and other scenarios, which is just fine by me, but the take-away for other people is do the correlation test during a highway scenario. for about any other scenario, use the MPG estimate from a trip computer with caution.
IMHO, i seriously doubt there is significant enough variation in how I pump fuel at various stations to negatively effect (in a significant manner) the MPG estimate that I'm computing on a infrequent basis. me? i tend to run the vehicle down till the low-fuel indicator illuminates which from experience in my vehicles means 3.5 - 4.5 gallons remaining, then I top off.
The trip computer has caused me to be more careful in driving habits. I have visually seen the amount of fuel used when a cold engine is started vs starting the engine after it has been driven and warmed up. It is wise to consolidate shopping into one trip instead of making many little trips and having to start a cold engine. For short distances (less than a mile or 2), I do not run the air conditioner.
DaimlerChrysler stupid, cheap policy of removing nice features is one reason I have been looking more seriously at the Odyssey and Sienna. Since the trip computer and separately controlled temperature for driver and front passenger are each important to me, the choice between the Ody EX and Sienna LE is made very difficult. The Ody LX and Sienna CE have neither which eliminates them. The GC SXT looks and feels cheap inside after looking at Ody EX and Sienna LE. The Sienna XLE has both but costs more than I am willing to pay for a depreciating asset.
If you think that is a great idea, people around you might think you are CXXXP
Local dealer says, he never heard of this and use regilar gas with octane of 87.
Gas is expensive now and hate to buy 91?
Any comments????
The web site stating that 2006 Sienna's REQUIRE a minimum octane level of 91 is INCORRECT.
The Toyota web site which says "For improved vehicle performance, the use of premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended." is correct.
Please note the difference between REQUIRED and RECOMMENDED (for improved vehicle performance).
If you go to Toyota's website and do a search of 'octane' under FAQ's, you can find a list of the minimum octane recommendations for all their vehicles.
http://toyota.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/toyota.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=hoRzkxSh&p_lva- =&p_faqid=5195&p_created=1120236647&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTMmcF9zZ- WFyY2hfdGV4dD1vY3RhbmUmcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT00JnBfcHJvZF9sdmwxPX5hbnl_JnBfcHJvZF9sdmwyPX5hbnl- _JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=
All Toyota V6 and V8 models have a minimum octane recommendation of 87. All Toyota V6 and V8 models recommended 91 for improved performance. I do not know if the hp and torque ratings published for Toyota vehicles are using 87 or 91 octane fuel. I DO know that you can run 87 octane with no problems whatsoever.
There are several different octane rating methods in use around the world. The most common type of octane rating is the Research Octane Number (RON). Another type of rating is the Motor Octane Number (MON).
The exact same fuel will have different octane ratings depending on the test method (RON or MON). In most cases, the MON typically runs about 8 to 10 points lower than the RON. In Europe and Australia, the octane number posted at the pump (and included in the 'requirements' section of the owner's manual) is the RON octane. However, in the United States, the octane rating posted on the pump is actually the average between the RON rating and the MON rating (calculated as (RON+MON)/2). Due to the 8 to 10 point difference between the RON and the MON, the octane rating for fuel sold in the US will be about 4 to 5 points lower than the EXACT SAME fuel sold elsewhere: therefore, 87 octane fuel sold in the US and Canada is actually 91 octane fuel sold in Europe.
Is it possible that some of the other websites which list fuel requirements for the Sienna are based in Europe?
Check this from article for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating
Thanks for the great explantion.
Is it true for only Toyota 6 & 8 cyl or all other makes with 6 & 8 cyl, like Ody 6 also recommend 91 octane?