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We live on Whidbey Island in Washington State where the max speed limit is 55 MPH on our two lane roads.
Recently we did a round trip run to Vancouver BC (about 75 miles each way on Hwy 5) and got 33 MPG on that tank. Looks like the car is very susceptible to highway vs rural or city driving. We're building a "low mileage, easily used car" since we just passed 18K miles. BTW, my 2001 Dodge Dakota just passed 43K.
You must make a lot of short trips though because I'd think that with the mild weather and lack of heavy traffic you'd do fairly well. 18k probably confirms that.
My 06 EX-L has 62k. :surprise: But I don't live on an island.
Thanks.
Kip
Double whammy when it comes to warming up and short trips. I just start it and go. The only time I warm the car up is to get the cabin warm and that's only when my nephew will be riding with, he's only 5 so he can't warm himself up that well.
A lot of this I learned from my dad, who is a penny-pincher in the extreme, he won't even fix his car if he can avoid. I'm not that bad, but I just see wasted gas if I let it warm-up. With my short trips I'm already not getting optimum mileage out of my 03 Accord I4.
Anyway sorry for the bloated post. I agree it is counterproductive to let the car warm up if it doesn't have a carb, most don't anyway.
08 EX-L V6
zero towing........
.....last 30 days on my 2005 6M calcs out at 27.9 MPG around the state capital...
all the best, ez....
Typical mpg to date (14K miles) is 22. Some of that is time spent warming up car during sub-freezing weather. Pretty happy with mileage. Trip to Myrtle Beach in March will give me a longer trip to track mpg.
I'll post back when I get gas again, this tank seems to be doing better than average for me for this time of year. I'm sitting at just over 3/4 tank and have gone 65 miles. I could be hallucinating the shifts at lower rpm, but I think that the new fluid is helping some.
I thought I was going to get an automatic 21\22 city because it was a Honda boy was I mislead, my 04 Malibu V6 got the same mileage in the winter. When the lease is up in two years I'm out of there.
finally broke the 40 MPG barrier between Gila Monster Bend and Yuma and then again between Gorman and Lodi.................it sure took a lot of odometer miles. (65k)
This is a really decent auto. I want an MX-5 to fit when my old sailboat/trailer once slept...................but that will be strictly for around town..............the 6M for long distance (please note above) is hard to beat. 2200 rpm/6th gear/no ac/cruise equals pure linear efficiency (IMHO).......
all the best from our left coast, ez............
I believe you are the first V6 owner to join the 40 mpg club.
2200 rpm/6th gear/no ac/cruise equals pure linear efficiency (IMHO)... Speed?
And, heated garage means nothing. Your engine is headed for 200 degrees. 30 degrees or 60, its still going to take a while for your car to get to normal temp.
The 6M transmission isn't perfect (TSB for 3rd gear synchro issue) however with the top two gears being overdrives......well let's just say it loves the Interstate!!
best, ez,,,,
but who's keeping score. The main theme is that the 6M combines performance AND economy!!!!!!
I rest my case (as it were)
Also consider that epa ratings are now lower than they were several years ago. So, the 21/30 is supposed to reflect real world driving more closely.
I have a 98 accord also that gets 25 around town and over 30 hwy and it has 150,000 miles. That's using the same roads. So how can a 10 year old Accord do so much better?
Therefore, 08 Accord SUCKS for gas mileage.
06 Accord EX-L w/navi I4 manual
I agree something may be wrong. I believe I have issues with tires and/or struts as the car is absolutely jarring on every road surface. The car literally bottoms out going over man holes, etc. Going over a speed bump at low speeds, the back end bottoms out and you can hear the bang as the car comes down.
I have to take it in for state inspection next week, and will have them look at everything from tires to shocks to engine tuning and hope for the best. I'd love nothing more than to find out there is a problem that may be related to all my issues and a solution that would make my Accord ride better and improve mileage. I'll be sure to post back with what they find, if anything.........
One of the main reasons I switched to a Japanese car for the first time in my life was because of there known mpg's. Most of my driving is city and I didn't want to lease a new Malibu because of my experience with the 04 V6 Malibu I leased, it got 15winter\17mpgs (sometimes) in the summer, however, which was weird, I got 37mpg pure high way driving. I can't even hit 28 with this four banger.
I also told them that I want them to inspect the tires, shocks/struts, and the engine, while explaining the problems I'm experiencing with noise/vibration/mpg.
Did I mention that when I start my 1998 Accord and 2008 Accord side by side in the driveway that the 2008 Accord is approxmiately 300% LOUDER than my 1998? My 1998 is very quiet with little vibration, but makes lots of little clicking sounds. However, the 2008 is noisier than any car I've ever owned. We have a 2005 Odyssey that is very quiet also. But the 2008 is just the roughest sounding engine I've ever come across. I sure hope that there is something wrong with it that can be fixed and this isn't just the kind of Piece of Crap they are producing these days, because if the best they can do in 2008 is a noisy, rough riding, piss-poor gas mileage vehicle, then it may just be the last Honda (certainly the last Accord) that I'll ever own.
Can't wait until next Friday!!
Current 10 tank rolling average is 35.6 mpg calculated. (stayed above 30 this winter as my low was 30.1)
Lifetime average is moving back up with the temps and is currently at 33.72 over 57,300 miles.
Recent trip from SD to the UP of Michigan. Weather between 30 and 60 with some light winds and little rain. Mostly rural highways with speeds of 55 to 60 mph.
Tank 1 591.0 miles 13.01 gallons 45.4 mpg (43.8 scangauge)
Tank 2 611.3 miles 14.30 gallons 42.7 mpg (43.3 scangauge)
Tank 3 362.7 miles 9.43 gallons 38.5 mpg (40.8 scangauge) cooler - bit of rain
Congrats on 40 EZ - twice at that. I recently did a graph (exponential regression) of my 10 tanks averages and they show an increase in mpg over the two years I have owned the vehicle, so it was just a matter of time for you. In my experience mpg improves with age for the life of the vehicle, assuming the engine maintains compression. Gains taper off as the car gets older though.
I would guess that you see the same gain over 10 times the mileage. In other words if you gain 1 mpg after 1,000 miles you may see another mpg after 10,000 miles and yet another at 100,000 miles. At that point you would need a million miles to get much improvement so not too likely.
i think 40 psi is overkilled...The rolling resistance may be decreased, but you get less traction and extra center wear on the tire.
07 Accord V6 auto average about 18mpg with 90% city/10%highway this winter (5W-20 Synthetic, X-ice winter tires 215/60R16 @ 32PSI all around).
....Congrats on 40 EZ - twice at that. I recently did a graph (exponential regression) of my 10 tanks averages and they show an increase in mpg over the two years I have owned the vehicle, so it was just a matter of time for you. In my experience mpg improves with age for the life of the vehicle, assuming the engine maintains compression. Gains taper off as the car gets older though.
........appreciate your words/insightful base 10 forecasts.....
The first 40+ tank was so high - - - I just had to try and re-validate. Anyway one looks at it, these cars put to rest the concept that performance AND economy are mutually exclusive.
I feel some what the traitor when I consider replacing the space soon to be vacated by my small sloop/trailer - - - - with a Miata. I reckon what I'm really saying is that my 6M perception sets the bar big time high.
hang in there, senor............
best, ez....
Heat is a major contributor to tire wear, and heat is caused by the tire flexing as it rolls. More pressure means less flex and less heat. More pressure sometimes means that the sides wear more slowly than the center, but the center can still wear longer than lower pressure tires.
In my personal experience with the Accord - my tires wear evenly and I still have my original tires (about 30k on the bridgestone summers and a little less on the michelin x-ice winters) All 8 of my tires are at half wear or less so I expect to get about 120,000 miles total or about 60,000 miles per set.
As far as traction goes, greater pressure results in a stiffer sidewall, so the tire acts like it is a lower profile and does not roll over in turns and maintains its contact patch. One easy way to tell if a tire is underinflated is all the squeeling in turns because of the tire rolling on its side slightly.
Personal experience - the car handles more crisply with 40 psi and squeels less around turns. The body roll gets annoying way before tire grip is a problem.
The only real drawback to higher pressure (at least in the range I use) is a harsher ride, but the ride is still way smoother than my Integra so it is not a problem to me.
If you have never tried 40 psi give it a whirl - you can always go back if you don't like it, and it does help with mpg. Also remember to only check tire pressure when the tires are cold. Best way is to pump em up a little high and then drop the pressure to what you want the next morning after the car has sat all night.
btw - love the x-ice tires I have no problems with blizzards in the Dakotas and they are wearing extremely well - better than my summer tires. I have used blizzaks and yokohamas and the previous michelin (arctic alpin) and these are the best of the lot.
Maybe you should aware that over-inflated tires make your car harder to stop. It's caused by less contact area and the front tires bounce.
Interesting that yours came with Bridestones. Mine did as well. I know we've discussed that on Edmunds before but I can't remember if there was any particular reason. We both have manuals though... and great mileage. Hmmmm
It also sounds like those who have Michelins aren't too happy with them. Mine are at 65k and doing fine.
Load: 2 people plus some light luggage
Tires: Yokohama W4S, 32/34 psi
Mileage: 78k
During Valentines Day weekend my GF and I went to a little B&B just south of Morro Bay, CA. The round trip was 430 miles (95% highway, 5% city) on one tank of regular Costco gas (14.932 gallons).
We took I-101 to route 1 all the way down which was relatively slow and scenic. There were some sections where the road was clear and we could get some speed. Route 1 overlooks the Pacific coast so it has a lot of twists and elevation changes and we weren't going that fast (<50 mph max). Coming back we crossovered to I-101 via 41-E and then took 46-E to I-5 north where traffic was moving briskly (as usual). There was a lot of traffic (Sunday evening) so there was a lot of passing and darting in and around traffic. I'd say the average speed on the return was around 75 mph.
The entire trip, though mostly the return, had a lot of heavy sustained acceleration (love the V6 power for passing!) and braking. We put 430 miles on the odometer and averaged an astounding 28.8 MPG!
My last several tanks, post november, when winter hit have been sub 26. Hoping once the winter blend is out of the picture again my mileage will improve.
Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.02-$0.04/gallon
No mention of synthetic vs conventional.
I also remember this one older guy putting a good un measured shot of Marvel Mystery oil in his gas tank before filling up, he swore by the stuff car never burnt any oil and it idled like a charm after ten years, the car was a Pinto.