Don't believe it. A sampling that small is gaurenteed to be incorrect as there's absolutely no way the two different pumps clicked off at the same point. Said another way, the click-off event on different pumps can vary by more than a gallon.
Even a full tank is a poor indicator. After tracking mileage tank-by-tank for years, and then checking it via a mileage calculator (either an OBC with an AVG mileage display or a ScanGaugeII or some such), it typically takes five or more tanks using the "miles devided by the gallons" methot before you gain any real accuracy.
we can reduce the weight of our cars by ripping out the insulation, and the carpets. Don't carry any passengers, they can drive their own cars. So we can remove all the seats and replace the driver seat with an aluminum folding chair that can be used at the destination.
Radio, CD players, glass, and the starter on MT (park on a hill) aren't really necessary. They are just a convenience. Without glass the AC and heater won't be effective, so chunk both of them. Also the inside door panels, door locks, window motors and all the heavy associated wiring is now obsolete.
How often do we really need/use the air bags or seat belts. They really aren't needed any more than the spare tire. Anti-lock brakes and vehicle stabilization are nice but add weight. Chunk em! We can shave our heads and drive naked with our clothes in a plastic bag and suspended from a balloon filled with helium.
Now the car is so light that we can replace the wheels, tires, and brakes with motorcycle components. And fill those tires with helium. That large gas tank is simply not necessary. Replace it with a 1-2 gallon plastic can and mount it high so gravity can take the place of the fuel pump we just discarded. Why carry 60-100 pounds of fuel around ? A gallon of paint is heavy, sand it off !
Of course this post is ridiculous! But so are some of the other suggestions posted here. Some of us will, but most of us will not keep a car 100K miles. So spending money that requires 100K for "pay back" doesn't make much sense to me.
Everything on modern cars is there for a reason. Including the spare and the lug nuts and all the safety devices, and the seats. . We have the option of buying the entry level of some cars that don't have electric windows, AC, and such but most of us want those things. The one thing that affects mileage more than any other is the driver. Makes no difference, the terrain, traffic conditions, or weather. The driver that is skilled at achieving the best mileage for conditions, will win out every time. The driver with a heavy foot that thinks they can "Buy" their way to great mileage, such as K&N intakes, fuel additives, light weight but expensive components, or remove enough of the car to make a difference is dreaming.
There is one thing they can buy that will help. That would be a Scan Gauge. However they will have to go to some effort to learn and actually practice using it.
I just recently purchased a Civic EX Automatic. When it came off the dealer's lot, I think the fuel indicator was off by 1 bar(or may be 2). I have barely driven about 90 miles right now and the fuel indicator is down to about 50%. I have been driving around in suburban traffic and have been gentle on the breaking and acceleration. I am not sure exactly what my mileage has been as of now, but if I were to use the fuel gauge as any kind of indicator it does seem a bit low. Should I expect better/realistic #s a bit once I have driven the car around a bit more. I have been using the AC at the low setting.
I've never aggregated tanks only because it's rare that I fill one of our cars 2x in a row. (Wife will never save receipts or save mileage numbers).
In any case, this tank didn't prove much. I drove 345.7 and used 8.58 in gas. It's a hair over 40.
But this tank was way different. 100 miles of it was secondary roads, with few lights. About 25 miles of mountain driving with maybe 5 or 6 steep hills, including some errands. 200 miles of interstate at 65 or less. Another 20 miles on interstate at 68 mph. AC was on 30% strength most of the way.
There was lots of traffic and some stopping with more predicted on 87. I chose to get off the highway and do 45-55mph on secondary roads.
So 40 mpg in this tank. Let's pretend that's a legit number. If my 48 was high, this 40 should be low right? I've got to believe if I can do 40 under these conditions, that a test-tube pure 90% highway run could hope to get 48.
I take it the Civic is new. Really, do not worry about it for at least a couple tank fulls. After a while you will see how much fuel is used/left on the app position of the fuel indicator. I would just fill soon after the low fuel lamp/buzzer goes off and estimate from there. Really LEARN how to drive your new Civic. It truly has its own quirks.
Don't really expect things to stablize for the first 1,000 to 5,000 miles. Concentrate more on proper break in: 0-1,000 miles and longer term break in (to 5,000 miles, if you plan to keep the Civic for a LONG time)
Thanks for your advice, my civic is new indeed, I took delivery of it with about 28 miles in it. I will keep your thoughts in mind. I do intend to keep the civic for some time to come. From the manual, I saw the short term break in is to not brake hard and accelerate hard. What are the long term break steps(~5k miles)?
What are the other specific tips to "learn" how to drive a civic? I used to drive a 5 speed before(just sold the car after 100k miles with not much significant wear/tear). I used to drive aggressive, but with the addition of a little one, I am a lot more defensive and calmer in my driving style.
The biggest thing is to let the tires break in by not going over 55 mph for app 500 mile, and of course like you say, not brake or accelerate hard. The steering, suspension (shock and strut) components also benefit from this. Another is to bed in the brake pads correctly.
Next from 500 miles on up, it is good to accelerate to at least 75% of red line and to redline if you are so inclined. To some this might be counter intuitive, but it is one of the keys to extremely long life AND higher mpg.
The owners manual also says to let the oem oil fill go the FULL OCI. In my case it was 10,000 miles. If you have an olm it gives the % of useful life remaining. So as you can see there is a lot going on simultaneously.
Another is getting used to the automatic transmission. I am not sure how to say this technically, but the auto "suffers" from having a hard time figuring what gear it wants to drive you in. I used to just step harder on the throttle, so it would down shift. My best advice is to let it do its own thing.
That won't matter much; the compressor runs whether the fan speed is set to low or high. If you are going to use the A/C, you might as well make yourself comfortable with it and crank it up. It won't affect mileage differently.
...and the A/C comes on with defrost but stays on if you switch to floor--even if the green indicator isn't on (if I understand the owner's manual correctly). So you might be riding around with your A/C compressor on but not know it. This "feature" irks me. I'd prefer it if the A/C could be turned off or on in all modes, as it was in my last 3 cars, come to think of it.
"I'd prefer it if the A/C could be turned off or on in all modes, as it was in my last 3 cars, come to think of it."
Really? Hmmm, the last car I had that didn't engage the A/C when the defroster was selected was my 1979 VW Scirocco, and that car didn't even have A/C.
I have had my Civic Si 2 months and 4200 miles. Lowest milage ever was 28.6 over appx a 280 mile time. Avg mpg is appx 32-33 for a combination of town(4200 pop) and local highway driving: likely 50/50. On a 1900 mile trip from Arkansas to the N Pen of Michigan and back thru Wisconsin we averaged 36.5 and had some city/town driving and mostly interstate driving (65-75 with AC on most of the time). A 282 mile fill-up to fill-up across the N.Pen with no A/C and 55-60 mph(relaxed driving) we got 41.5 mpg. The Si will get excellent mpg if the wonderful 4500-8200 rpm range is kept out of the equation. It is like having an economy car that can change hats(and fuel usage) at the press of the pedal. The quality, economy, comfort of the excellent seats, and performance leaves this 61 year old owner more than satisfied. Our first Civic was a 1975 which was wonderful, for the time, also.
There is a hack you can do to the A/C system on an Accord ('03-'07)that gives you full control of the A/C (like other countries have). Not sure if it works on a Civic, but you could google it.
Here is the sequence for the Accord - no guarantees with the Civic.
1) With vehicle on, push the airflow button for "top vent". 2) Shut car off. 3) Turn temp knob to the coldest setting 4) Turn fan off 5) Hold down both "Air Recirculation" button and "AC" button. With both buttons depressed, turn key to "ON" position. (don't need to actually start the car) Keep holding the buttons down for at least 7 seconds. 6) The AC and Air Recirculation lights will light up and flash at different points during the 7 second hold-down. 7) When the air recirculation light stops flashing, release the two buttons.
Now you have full control over the AC. When you hit the Defog button, the AC light will now illuminate. You can now shut it off if you so desire and get Defog air without AC
I'm not sure if all the different Honda drivers manuals have this, but my '02 CRV manual does show the procedure that allows you to delink the activation of the air conditioner from the defrost button. I'll check my Civic book and see if it has similar instructions. I don't think this process is really a cheat. It's more of a process that is built in, but not always clearly documented.
Consider it isn't documented at ALL in the materials that came with my car, its hard to say that it "isn't clearly documented" when it isn't documented at all. :P
Just spent 10 days driving a tad over 1800 miles in my 2007 EX/AT Sedan. First tankful was 40.8mpg, second was 42.1mpg. Those two were pure highway miles shooting up interstate 81 to Ontario. The return trip down through CT and back to VA was in the range of 38-39mpg (a bit less because of more congested areas so not able to keep as steady a pace). I run cruise control set at 70mph whenever I can, and the A/C was on MAX the whole way (I hate the heat). I keep my tires at 35psi and use a good digital pressure gauge to check them.
May and June I did little highway driving, mostly all short (under 20 mile) stop'n'go city driving, and was getting 27-29mpg.
My experience with my civic is that cruise control at 65-70mph will get me optimal highway mileage - 42mpg is the best I've ever achieved (on several trips now). Above 70mph, my mileage definitely drops rapidly, and below 65 seems less optimal for the 5-speed automatic transmission.
Great info sew2! I am considering an Si myself, and I am thankfully beginning to read more posts like yours online than I did a couple of months ago. I don't expect EX mileage out of the Si all the time, but it is good to see it will obtain mid to high 30's under "reasonable" driving. Thanks
I am considering an Si myself, and I am thankfully beginning to read more posts like yours online than I did a couple of months ago. I don't expect EX mileage out of the Si all the time, but it is good to see it will obtain mid to high 30's under "reasonable" driving.
Hi I also have a 2008 Civic Si sedan and I average 30mpg in mixed driving. I have a high of 31mpg and a low of 28mpg. Mostly sub-urban roads and highway. I keep close track of my fuel. I also use the same gas pump at the same station for 9 out of 10 fill ups. I drive 75-80 on the highway during the day and 70mph at night. The Si is a great car and you can short shift it for better fuel economy. I can drive on our back roads in 6th at like 40mph! That 6th gear makes a huge difference. My back loves the seats and it has VSA which combined with snow tires works really well around here on the hills. No options, it's fully loaded. I'll probably trade it in for the new Honda Hybrid in a couple of years but so far it's a great car and no problems except for a ding my wife put in it from the shopping cart she didn't secure before coming back to the car so it came back to remind her. Between the factory tires and the Nokian snow rated tires they should last the duration of time we will have it and then some. It's great to drive this, we were going to buy a Prius but this car drives so nice and my wife likes it better. I think I could probably squeak 32mpg out of it but I really just drive where I'm going and keep the revs low enough and it's still 30mpg. Hypermiling is not for me.
My mileage varies between 32 and 38, nothing less or higher, It is approachng the 5k mark and from what I read the Honda Techs will perk it to do better. Is the extended warranty worth it or is it a ripoff?
Extended warranty is simply insurance. There are entirely too many things to go wrong with the new cars that cost a lot to fix. Nice to have the extra coverage.
It came in real handy when the compressor on our CR-V self destructed. The extended warranty (Honda Care) paid to have the entire system replaced, including the hoses. Service writer said it would have cost close to $3k without the warranty.
The Si is a great car and you can short shift it for better fuel economy. I can drive on our back roads in 6th at like 40mph!
This might actually be burning more fuel than by driving in a lower gear. Typically, throttle position will determine your fuel usage so if you have to give it more throttle in 6th to maintain speed, it may be better to rev a little higher in 5th but coast along. I've never measured a Civic, but on my Odyssey and Tundra (using a scanguage) the fuel burn is better using that method. I've bumped my mpg by 1mpg on my Tundra and nearly 2mpg on my Odyssey since adjusting what I thought was efficient driving. And these are guzzlers by all means....I imagine the results would be even better with close monitoring on something that gets 30-40mpg anyway.
This might actually be burning more fuel than by driving in a lower gear. Typically, throttle position will determine your fuel usage so if you have to give it more throttle in 6th to maintain speed,
If you don't lug the car and 2,000 rpms is not lugging the car. We have all rural roads here so no stop and go and I get less if I keep it around 3k rpm's. scanguage does not wire into all the cars sensors does it? I don't think with the hills and type of roads we have that I could do much better, I just shift down when i come to a hill. If I was lugging the engine I'd agree with you but I consider 2,000 rpms to not be lugging the car. Most people don't get 30mpg combined in a Civic Si. Too much temptation to wind it out. :shades:
Yes I think if you can see a properly calibrated scan gauge in action on your SI, you will graphically see what is real and be able to make a hand eye brain pathway given most effective (situation, throttle, gear, etc.,) inputs.
Scanguage will give you real time: gallons per hour (gph), mph, mpg, air temp, coolant temp, volts, and a bunch of other stuff except tranny temps...which I'd actually like to see. I have mine setup to constantly show mph, gph, rpm, and mpg. Plus you get various trip measurements....current, previous, day, previous day, tank.
I live in a very hilly area also and was surprised at the situations I found I was burning more fuel (comparing both mpg and gph) depending upon my driving. Right now I'm commuting 70 miles a day of two-lane state routes that are very hilly (get behind a semi and you're going 20mph up the hill until you can pass....). I was getting around 16mpg with my Tundra (V8 crew 4x4) driving my normal style (a tad aggressive). After adjusting shift points and the way I climbed hills, I'm up right around 17mpg and trip time is within a couple minutes +/- depending upon traffic more than my speed. So basically no change in speeds etc. just shift points and throttle position adjustments. Now if I really hypermile (is that an oxymoron on a truck?) I can get 20mpg particularly if I can keep the A/C off. Adds about 5 minutes to my trip. Still sounds crappy but 17mpg vs 20mpg is 20% improvement just by driving style.
Have noticed improved mileage on my '06 LX when I keep the tach at or below 3k...slower acceleration from stop lights and such but a more smoother, controlled ride also. Even getting into the habit of letting off the accelerator when approaching stop lights and using engine braking to help slow the car down. Actively trying to "slow down" my driving style as the few extra minutes saved, if that much, just doesn't seem worth it anymore. At 53, figured what's my rush!
Hi Sandman - what you're doing is pretty much the basics of hypermiling: Watch the stops and starts, drive the speed limit, learn how to shift for economy. The ScanGaugeII helps by giving you instant feedback---and it gives you a kick in the butt when you see the tank MPG calculation going down as you drive! Yeah, I know what you mean---I find I don't need to be in a rush anymore.
My last 3 fills had a 41.72mpg average...I'm not expecting that on the next fill, which should be around 39-40mpg--I did a little less highway than usual and had extra weight in the car (passengers). I find that non-highway driving lowers the tank MPG pretty quickly per the ScanGaugeII. Ouch!
BTW...http://www.ecomodder.com gives you a list of hypermiling hints and a place to track your fill ups (see the "EM Garage"). You'll get a graph of the MPGs, and you'll get an image with your MPG that you can put on your web site if you like.
I drove with AC on and two teenagers running a two-screen DVD player for 7 hours, between northern Alabama and the Gulf Coast. The segment that was all-highway driving got me 42 mpg. My Civic is an LX Automatic.
I kept the speed around 65 mph, and found a couple semi-trucks doing 65 to 70 consistently and so I stayed "behind" (3 or 4 seconds behind) them. Kept the cruise control off when hitting hilly sections.
There was a billboard advertising the Civic's 36 mpg. It's exciting to beat the new EPA as well as the old EPA ratings for my car.
For two weeks, we have had two in the car (rather than one) for the daily commute, and the two switch driving chores (with the attending different driving styles) with 2 fills, each for 41 mpg.
For anyone interested in increasing their MPG by driving a bit slower (and other tips), here is forum committed to achieving the same, including interesting discussions about the law.
Apologies in advance if this has already been given out:
I like the emphasis on safety first, than MPG. Makes sense to me. So no hard and fast rules for me--I assess things like the hwy conditions, the flow, the time of day, the number of lanes etc. and then make a decision as to how slow I go.
Buying a warranty is like betting against yourself, with the odds in the dealer's favor. They will price warranties so that they make more money on them than they spend on covering repairs in the long run and as a whole.
>"Buying a warranty is like betting against yourself, with the odds in the dealer's favor."
Exactly !
But that is the way with "ALL" insurance policies. We pay the premiums and hope we dont need to use them.
Over the years we have about broken even on Extended Warranty cost vs benefits received from them. With today's cars, the parts are expensive as well as the labor. Doesn't take much of a "Problem" to cost more than the EW.
BTW those EW are marked up 30- 50% by the dealer. Deal on them just like you do your car.
Over the years we have about broken even on Extended Warranty cost vs benefits received from them. With today's cars, the parts are expensive as well as the labor. Doesn't take much of a "Problem" to cost more than the EW.
Hmmm, interesting; eight cars ago I was suckered into buying an extended warranty, in return I got maybe 30% value from it. The next seven cars all came with the option of buying an extended warranty, an option I declined, saving myself nearly $12,000, however, that of course meant that I needed to cover my own unscheduled maintenance.
Against that $12,000, I have incurred about $5,500 in maintenance costs that could have been covered, making for a $6,500 savings. Right? No, wrong. Why? Because $3,200 of that maintenance came beyond the extended warranty period (as in well beyond the 100,000 mile mark where each of the warranties I was offered terminated). Said another way, had I spent that $12,000 on the extended warranty, the total cost for keeping my cars running would have been nearly $16,000 (due to the single event "deductables" that the extended policies require), making for a savings of over $10,000. Not too shabby.
It would be hard to calculate the amount of $$ I've spent on life insurance and never made a claim.
Home owners, and auto insurance premiums have certainly cost more than I have received. Yet I will continue to buy them.
Wife's CR-V AC compressor self destructed, after the 3/36 had expired. Honda said the cost would be in the $3K area due to tiny pieces floating through out the system. They replaced all AC related parts including the hoses. Seems it cost me $50. As I have an extended warranty, and paid a small "Co-Payment", chances are good that the EW picked up at least part of that bill.
Easier for me financially to pay for the EW in small monthly notes, figured in with the car purchase, than to cough up all that at one time.
BTW the "Honda Care" 7/70 cost me about $900-$950.
My 04 Civic is pushing 70,000 miles. Other than the stuff the 3year/36,000 miles AND 7/70-aka 4 year/34, does NOT cover (new tires, brake pads, alignments), those warranties would/would have expire/d without CLAIMS. Now an over 100k warranty to say 200k would most likely be a better seller.
We took our CR-V from northern Alabama to Chattanooga (four-lane divided highway with 65 mph speed limit then onto Interstate 24), and then up into the mountains to Ocoee for some whitewater rafting. The day was in the 70s when we drove to and from Ocoee. So I kept the AC off, except for a short stretch hunting for a pit stop.
I was surprised to get 31 mpg for this highway driving; my best had been 27.5, but with the AC on, cruising the interstates.
Wish I'd taken the Civic but my CR-V had a more waterproof set of keys. My Civic has the buttons built into the key itself and I was unsure if our 3-hour cruise would affect it.
That's pretty good mileage for a CR-V! Of course, you always could have used the Civic's valet key, which contains no batteries, switches or active circuits. It still has the built-in passive RFID chip that allows it to work with the engine immobilizer system, but I think it's quite a bit more water-resistant than the regular remote-entry key. Plus, there's always ziploc.
You're right, Dantz. But I never got one from Hertz (from whom I purchased the car) or got one but since misplaced it. Come to find out, the rafting company had a lock box for customer car keys.
Thought about a hide-a-key somewhere underneath the Civic but I don't know where it would be safe or pot-hole-proof.
2007 civic EX AT total miles to date: 33,500 (~25k/year)
ave mpg to date: 29.11mpg, std dev 1.65mpg. fill to stop and squeeze to next highest full $.
fairly aggressive 62 miles RT/day, 20% stop and go surface streets, remainder hwy at stop and go (rare) to 65 median and bursts to 80+ when passing. yeah, it's Houston traffic....A/C appears to make ~ 1.0 mpg hit altho the data is unclear.
Dealer (not factory) tires replaced at ~23k due to bad alignment when HFP kit installed. 225-40-18 (mentioned since these probably affect mileage negatively).
I can't detect any loss of engine power at all when the AC is turned on. It must be extremely efficient. Your ~1.0 mpg observation sounds reasonable to me.
Comments
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Radio, CD players, glass, and the starter on MT (park on a hill) aren't really necessary. They are just a convenience. Without glass the AC and heater won't be effective, so chunk both of them. Also the inside door panels, door locks, window motors and all the heavy associated wiring is now obsolete.
How often do we really need/use the air bags or seat belts. They really aren't needed any more than the spare tire. Anti-lock brakes and vehicle stabilization are nice but add weight. Chunk em! We can shave our heads and drive naked with our clothes in a plastic bag and suspended from a balloon filled with helium.
Now the car is so light that we can replace the wheels, tires, and brakes with motorcycle components. And fill those tires with helium. That large gas tank is simply not necessary. Replace it with a 1-2 gallon plastic can and mount it high so gravity can take the place of the fuel pump we just discarded. Why carry 60-100 pounds of fuel around ? A gallon of paint is heavy, sand it off !
Of course this post is ridiculous! But so are some of the other suggestions posted here. Some of us will, but most of us will not keep a car 100K miles. So spending money that requires 100K for "pay back" doesn't make much sense to me.
Everything on modern cars is there for a reason. Including the spare and the lug nuts and all the safety devices, and the seats. . We have the option of buying the entry level of some cars that don't have electric windows, AC, and such but most of us want those things. The one thing that affects mileage more than any other is the driver. Makes no difference, the terrain, traffic conditions, or weather. The driver that is skilled at achieving the best mileage for conditions, will win out every time. The driver with a heavy foot that thinks they can "Buy" their way to great mileage, such as K&N intakes, fuel additives, light weight but expensive components, or remove enough of the car to make a difference is dreaming.
There is one thing they can buy that will help. That would be a Scan Gauge. However they will have to go to some effort to learn and actually practice using it.
Kip
You get good mileage. Probably without a lot of costly alterations.
You will likely get better mileage than the average person in a "like vehicle", with most anything you drive.
It is a knack that some people naturally have, others can learn it, yet most simply can not.
Kip
I just recently purchased a Civic EX Automatic. When it came off the dealer's lot, I think the fuel indicator was off by 1 bar(or may be 2). I have barely driven about 90 miles right now and the fuel indicator is down to about 50%. I have been driving around in suburban traffic and have been gentle on the breaking and acceleration. I am not sure exactly what my mileage has been as of now, but if I were to use the fuel gauge as any kind of indicator it does seem a bit low. Should I expect better/realistic #s a bit once I have driven the car around a bit more. I have been using the AC at the low setting.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated.
Gundan
I've never aggregated tanks only because it's rare that I fill one of our cars 2x in a row. (Wife will never save receipts or save mileage numbers).
In any case, this tank didn't prove much. I drove 345.7 and used 8.58 in gas. It's a hair over 40.
But this tank was way different. 100 miles of it was secondary roads, with few lights. About 25 miles of mountain driving with maybe 5 or 6 steep hills, including some errands. 200 miles of interstate at 65 or less. Another 20 miles on interstate at 68 mph. AC was on 30% strength most of the way.
There was lots of traffic and some stopping with more predicted on 87. I chose to get off the highway and do 45-55mph on secondary roads.
So 40 mpg in this tank. Let's pretend that's a legit number. If my 48 was high, this 40 should be low right? I've got to believe if I can do 40 under these conditions, that a test-tube pure 90% highway run could hope to get 48.
What do you think?
Don't really expect things to stablize for the first 1,000 to 5,000 miles. Concentrate more on proper break in: 0-1,000 miles and longer term break in (to 5,000 miles, if you plan to keep the Civic for a LONG time)
Thanks for your advice, my civic is new indeed, I took delivery of it with about 28 miles in it. I will keep your thoughts in mind. I do intend to keep the civic for some time to come. From the manual, I saw the short term break in is to not brake hard and accelerate hard. What are the long term break steps(~5k miles)?
What are the other specific tips to "learn" how to drive a civic? I used to drive a 5 speed before(just sold the car after 100k miles with not much significant wear/tear). I used to drive aggressive, but with the addition of a little one, I am a lot more defensive and calmer in my driving style.
Best,
Gundan
Congrats on your new ride!!
Try the Civic Break-In Questions discussion for the tips you're looking for.
Enjoy!
Next from 500 miles on up, it is good to accelerate to at least 75% of red line and to redline if you are so inclined. To some this might be counter intuitive, but it is one of the keys to extremely long life AND higher mpg.
The owners manual also says to let the oem oil fill go the FULL OCI. In my case it was 10,000 miles. If you have an olm it gives the % of useful life remaining. So as you can see there is a lot going on simultaneously.
Another is getting used to the automatic transmission. I am not sure how to say this technically, but the auto "suffers" from having a hard time figuring what gear it wants to drive you in. I used to just step harder on the throttle, so it would down shift. My best advice is to let it do its own thing.
That won't matter much; the compressor runs whether the fan speed is set to low or high. If you are going to use the A/C, you might as well make yourself comfortable with it and crank it up. It won't affect mileage differently.
...kl...
Really? Hmmm, the last car I had that didn't engage the A/C when the defroster was selected was my 1979 VW Scirocco, and that car didn't even have A/C.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Here is the sequence for the Accord - no guarantees with the Civic.
1) With vehicle on, push the airflow button for "top vent".
2) Shut car off.
3) Turn temp knob to the coldest setting
4) Turn fan off
5) Hold down both "Air Recirculation" button and "AC" button. With both buttons depressed, turn key to "ON" position. (don't need to actually start the car) Keep holding the buttons down for at least 7 seconds.
6) The AC and Air Recirculation lights will light up and flash at different points during the 7 second hold-down.
7) When the air recirculation light stops flashing, release the two buttons.
Now you have full control over the AC. When you hit the Defog button, the AC light will now illuminate. You can now shut it off if you so desire and get Defog air without AC
I may have to do it again once my CD Changer is replaced in my Accord this week.
Jack
May and June I did little highway driving, mostly all short (under 20 mile) stop'n'go city driving, and was getting 27-29mpg.
My experience with my civic is that cruise control at 65-70mph will get me optimal highway mileage - 42mpg is the best I've ever achieved (on several trips now). Above 70mph, my mileage definitely drops rapidly, and below 65 seems less optimal for the 5-speed automatic transmission.
Hi I also have a 2008 Civic Si sedan and I average 30mpg in mixed driving. I have a high of 31mpg and a low of 28mpg.
Mostly sub-urban roads and highway.
I keep close track of my fuel. I also use the same gas pump at the same station for 9 out of 10 fill ups.
I drive 75-80 on the highway during the day and 70mph at night. The Si is a great car and you can short shift it for better fuel economy. I can drive on our back roads in 6th at like 40mph!
That 6th gear makes a huge difference. My back loves the seats and it has VSA which combined with snow tires works really well around here on the hills.
No options, it's fully loaded.
I'll probably trade it in for the new Honda Hybrid in a couple of years but so far it's a great car and no problems except for a ding my wife put in it from the shopping cart she didn't secure before coming back to the car so it came back to remind her. Between the factory tires and the Nokian snow rated tires they should last the duration of time we will have it and then some.
It's great to drive this, we were going to buy a Prius but this car drives so nice and my wife likes it better.
I think I could probably squeak 32mpg out of it but I really just drive where I'm going and keep the revs low enough and it's still 30mpg. Hypermiling is not for me.
It came in real handy when the compressor on our CR-V self destructed. The extended warranty (Honda Care) paid to have the entire system replaced, including the hoses. Service writer said it would have cost close to $3k without the warranty.
They also paid for the rental car.
Kip
This might actually be burning more fuel than by driving in a lower gear. Typically, throttle position will determine your fuel usage so if you have to give it more throttle in 6th to maintain speed, it may be better to rev a little higher in 5th but coast along. I've never measured a Civic, but on my Odyssey and Tundra (using a scanguage) the fuel burn is better using that method. I've bumped my mpg by 1mpg on my Tundra and nearly 2mpg on my Odyssey since adjusting what I thought was efficient driving. And these are guzzlers by all means....I imagine the results would be even better with close monitoring on something that gets 30-40mpg anyway.
If you don't lug the car and 2,000 rpms is not lugging the car. We have all rural roads here so no stop and go and I get less if I keep it around 3k rpm's.
scanguage does not wire into all the cars sensors does it?
I don't think with the hills and type of roads we have that I could do much better, I just shift down when i come to a hill.
If I was lugging the engine I'd agree with you but I consider 2,000 rpms to not be lugging the car.
Most people don't get 30mpg combined in a Civic Si. Too much temptation to wind it out. :shades:
I live in a very hilly area also and was surprised at the situations I found I was burning more fuel (comparing both mpg and gph) depending upon my driving. Right now I'm commuting 70 miles a day of two-lane state routes that are very hilly (get behind a semi and you're going 20mph up the hill until you can pass....). I was getting around 16mpg with my Tundra (V8 crew 4x4) driving my normal style (a tad aggressive). After adjusting shift points and the way I climbed hills, I'm up right around 17mpg and trip time is within a couple minutes +/- depending upon traffic more than my speed. So basically no change in speeds etc. just shift points and throttle position adjustments. Now if I really hypermile (is that an oxymoron on a truck?) I can get 20mpg particularly if I can keep the A/C off. Adds about 5 minutes to my trip. Still sounds crappy but 17mpg vs 20mpg is 20% improvement just by driving style.
Average town mileage 25-27 MPG with lot of stop and go
Highway mileage - Lowest 34 MPG at average speed of 80 MPH
Highest 41 MPG at cruise control set at 75 MPH 2 hour run
80 MPH is 2800 RPM or so. Lower RPMs (< 2700) are the best for better mileage IMHO
The Sandman
My last 3 fills had a 41.72mpg average...I'm not expecting that on the next fill, which should be around 39-40mpg--I did a little less highway than usual and had extra weight in the car (passengers). I find that non-highway driving lowers the tank MPG pretty quickly per the ScanGaugeII. Ouch!
BTW...http://www.ecomodder.com gives you a list of hypermiling hints and a place to track your fill ups (see the "EM Garage"). You'll get a graph of the MPGs, and you'll get an image with your MPG that you can put on your web site if you like.
...kl...
I kept the speed around 65 mph, and found a couple semi-trucks doing 65 to 70 consistently and so I stayed "behind" (3 or 4 seconds behind) them. Kept the cruise control off when hitting hilly sections.
There was a billboard advertising the Civic's 36 mpg. It's exciting to beat the new EPA as well as the old EPA ratings for my car.
http://www.preignitioncc.com/usar1/index.htm
I'm glad I found this forum for Civic MPG
For anyone interested in increasing their MPG by driving a bit slower (and other tips), here is forum committed to achieving the same, including interesting discussions about the law.
Apologies in advance if this has already been given out:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9648
I like the emphasis on safety first, than MPG. Makes sense to me.
So no hard and fast rules for me--I assess things like the hwy conditions, the flow, the time of day, the number of lanes etc. and then make a decision as to how slow I go.
Exactly !
But that is the way with "ALL" insurance policies. We pay the premiums and hope we dont need to use them.
Over the years we have about broken even on Extended Warranty cost vs benefits received from them. With today's cars, the parts are expensive as well as the labor. Doesn't take much of a "Problem" to cost more than the EW.
BTW those EW are marked up 30- 50% by the dealer. Deal on them just like you do your car.
Kip
Hmmm, interesting; eight cars ago I was suckered into buying an extended warranty, in return I got maybe 30% value from it. The next seven cars all came with the option of buying an extended warranty, an option I declined, saving myself nearly $12,000, however, that of course meant that I needed to cover my own unscheduled maintenance.
Against that $12,000, I have incurred about $5,500 in maintenance costs that could have been covered, making for a $6,500 savings. Right? No, wrong. Why? Because $3,200 of that maintenance came beyond the extended warranty period (as in well beyond the 100,000 mile mark where each of the warranties I was offered terminated). Said another way, had I spent that $12,000 on the extended warranty, the total cost for keeping my cars running would have been nearly $16,000 (due to the single event "deductables" that the extended policies require), making for a savings of over $10,000. Not too shabby.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Home owners, and auto insurance premiums have certainly cost more than I have received. Yet I will continue to buy them.
Wife's CR-V AC compressor self destructed, after the 3/36 had expired. Honda said the cost would be in the $3K area due to tiny pieces floating through out the system. They replaced all AC related parts including the hoses. Seems it cost me $50. As I have an extended warranty, and paid a small "Co-Payment", chances are good that the EW picked up at least part of that bill.
Easier for me financially to pay for the EW in small monthly notes, figured in with the car purchase, than to cough up all that at one time.
BTW the "Honda Care" 7/70 cost me about $900-$950.
Kip
I was surprised to get 31 mpg for this highway driving; my best had been 27.5, but with the AC on, cruising the interstates.
Wish I'd taken the Civic but my CR-V had a more waterproof set of keys. My Civic has the buttons built into the key itself and I was unsure if our 3-hour cruise would affect it.
Thought about a hide-a-key somewhere underneath the Civic but I don't know where it would be safe or pot-hole-proof.
total miles to date: 33,500 (~25k/year)
ave mpg to date: 29.11mpg, std dev 1.65mpg. fill to stop and squeeze to next highest full $.
fairly aggressive 62 miles RT/day, 20% stop and go surface streets, remainder hwy at stop and go (rare) to 65 median and bursts to 80+ when passing. yeah, it's Houston traffic....A/C appears to make ~ 1.0 mpg hit altho the data is unclear.
Dealer (not factory) tires replaced at ~23k due to bad alignment when HFP kit installed. 225-40-18 (mentioned since these probably affect mileage negatively).