MPG varies with ambient temp

2015tlx12015tlx1 Member Posts: 3
edited January 2016 in Acura
My MPG for each trip as indicated by the TLX trip computer seems to vary by each trip directly proportional to the outdoor temperature. My daily commute to and from work is very consistent with little traffic and only one traffic light. I can predict my trip MPG fairly accurately based on what the current temp is. When the outdoor temp is 80-90 deg F I get 30 or more MPG. The other morning when it was 10 deg F I got 22 MPG. Take the outdoor temp divided by 10 and add 21 fairly accurately predicts my mpg to or from work. My commute is about 20 minutes/17 miles. This variation seems excessive but the car runs fine. Does anyone else experience similar?
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Comments

  • texasestexases Member Posts: 10,955
    Sounds about right. How long is your commute one way?
  • 2015tlx12015tlx1 Member Posts: 3
    It's about 17 miles one way.
  • cmhj2000cmhj2000 Member Posts: 381
    ya all FI vehicles do this to some extent
  • 2015tlx12015tlx1 Member Posts: 3
    my previous car was a '98 Maxima. It didn't have a trip computer but I tracked my gas mileage regularly and only noticed a 2 mpg difference between summer and winter driving. It was also a 6 cyl so it seems like a pretty fair comparison
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    That's a little lower than I would have expected. Most estimates from the government websites are 10-12% fewer MPG at 20F, so maybe at 10F it's even worse? I saw one website that claimed up to 28% fewer MPG but gave no data to support that.

    I think this cold weather effect will vary make to make, so I'm inclined to say your MPG at 10F could be regarded as the low end of "normal".

    There are so many factors at play here---fuel blend in winter, cold weather warm ups, electrical demands, tire pressure, engine running temperatures, aero drag (cold air is denser), oil viscosity.
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