Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
Mine doesn't have the VCM like the new Pilots or the higher gearing like Kip's Pilot.
There are 225 TSB's on my 03' Pilot.
One of them deals with Engine not reaching operating temperature.
http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/recalltsb.html?styleId=100076605&engCode=6VNA- - G3.5&transCode=AUTOMATIC&mileage=36%2C000&zip=30215&type=tsb&serviceType=#48
I still believe that it possible, some of the Pilots are not reaching proper operating temp, This could be something as simple as a faulty thermostat.
If it doesn't reach proper temp, it may not lean out like it should and fuel mileage suffer. Don't know if any error code would be registered. Very possible no codes would register because all sensors are dealing with a "cool" engine. So they may not sense a rich condition as a fault, because the temp is still calling for "rich".
The Scan Gauge II is the handiest gadget I've found in a long time.
It shows lots of engine data as well as various fuel mileage configurations.
I've found that even though the temp gauge in the dash shows the engine to be warm, the actual temp may be in the 165 range. Once fully warm the temp goes to 181-182. Sometimes as high as 190 in heavy traffic.
The SG has helped me improve mileage an additional 1-2 mpg over and above the mileage it was already getting. My Pilot, has been averaging 17-19 in local driving. I gave enough throttle to allow the tranny to shift at 2000 rpm without lifting my foot. Surprise to me that allowing the shifts to take place at 2200 rpm, without lifting the foot, seems to have helped the MPG by about 1 mpg local. Much over 2200 and the mileage drops back off again. A couple of other things have allowed the local driving to creep up to 19-21 average.
On the "X-way" there is very little difference between 60 and 65 mph. But 70 mph drops mileage about 5 mpg. 80 mph is awful! :sick:
In local driving, does anyone "KNOW" if the car gets better mileage at 45 while the torque converter is still unlocked, or at 50 when the TC has locked up?
Asked that question because most of my commute route has a 45 mph speed limit. So that question "Bugged" me. Now I actually know.
This gauge has more than paid for itself as entertainment. Getting better mileage is a wonderful side effect.
Kip
# 41 (on above link) states a code P-0128 associated with thermostat insufficient temperature. However, that doesn't necessarily mean the computer will pick up on it. "Little things mean a lot".
Kip
Just bought 08 pre-owned and getting 13.5 MPG.
Very disappointed. Vehicle has 13000 miles on it.
Thinking is this the reason why earlier owner traded-in the vehicle.
it is Honda certified, can I expect any help form the dealer to improve mileage?
City, back road, X-ways
How long is the typical drive?
Example: My commute to work is 6.5--7.5 miles, in light traffic. There are 3 + traffic lights- depending on which route I take. Can usually run the 35-45 posted speed limits and often able to time the lights to my advantage.
Most trips are similar to the work commute, but shorter.
The heavier the traffic the worse the mileage.
One frequent commute is 4 miles. With a cold engine on cold days the mileage is in the low teens. With a warn engine on mild days, (without AC) the mileage can be 21+. If not careful with the throttle, those can easily drop 2-3 mpg.
Recently got stopped on the X-Way. Crept along between stopped and low gear for a couple of miles for about a half hour. Mileage was horrible!
So, what type driving, what type traffic, what type terrain, what type load is normal for you?
Kip
1) Gas mileage is worse in winter than warmer moths. I live in CT where we can have very cold weather, but never experienced a noteiceable difference in mileage with any other car.
2) You need to drive the car (especially starting from lights, stop signs ect) like a grandmother would drive. Try to keep the RPMs to under 3 when starting from a stop.
3) When the car reached about 18,000 miles my mileage improved to 17 around town and 21 on the highway.
I found using cruise control on the highway and keeping the speed to 70 when using AC I still got about 21 mpg. Hopefully you will have the same expeience. Good luck!
That looks like a cool little gadget. I just took a look at their website and I had to walk away, because if I keep looking, I'll probably have to buy one.
Joe
Honda Pilot Touring, 2009 AWD with 5800 miles.
The thing is addictive. Most help is that you can reset the "Current "Trip" (average) mileage at will to measure the MPG for any stretch of road.
Recently my neighbor and I took a trip of about 40 miles one way. It was all back roads going and the posted speed was 45-55. Mileage going was in the 28 mpg range for the entire trip.
When the engine is turned of for 5 minutes or so, the "Current Trip" re sets itself, and considers we are taking a new trip.
Coming back we drove a few miles of back roads and got on the the X-Way. There was construction and the traffic was moving at a pretty constant 55-58 mph. I used cruise as much as possible and stayed up with traffic. The terrain was gently rolling hills. Outside temp was about 68 degrees. Front windows were cracked about 2 inches and the AC was off.
After about 20 miles of driving, the display said we had gotten 32.1 mpg "Average" so far for that 20 +/- miles of the trip. Just after that the construction ended.
At 70 mpg the mileage drops into the 21 mpg range
For that tank of gas I drove a total of 379 miles. I knew when I was filling it up that the car was leaning a little more to the right than when I normally fill it, but was in a hurry, so didn't reposition the car. The gauge said I used 15.7 gallons and the pump said 16.2 gallons. The gauge said I got 24.1 mpg. Hand calculations said 23.39 mpg. Gauge said I drove 380 miles. Odometer said 379 miles. That is close enough, as I figured it would take a little more fuel because of the way the car was sitting. I expect this next tank to get a bit better than the gauge indicates because I put in more gas than it thought I would.
A tank before that, the gauge said I drove 334 miles, used 16.5 gallons, and averaged 20.1 mpg. Hand calculations and odometer said 333.3 miles, 16.42 gallons and 20.29 mpg.
Almost every tank has figured extremely close to what the gauge registers. The few that may have been off by 1or2 MPG were mostly contributed to the way I filled the tank. On some tanks, the gauge is a bit high and on others a bit low. But usually within a couple of tenths.
One discrepancy could be because the gauge also measures movement and mpg while backing up. I don't think the odometer measures movement when backing.
Point is I have no reason to believe the gauge is not accurate measuring mpg.
A Pilot is capable of achieving decent mileage if the driver is willing to do his share. I took a trip today of about 49 miles each way. Going over, I did not run the AC. Coming back I did run the AC and dropped nearly 2 mpg. For some reason the AC seems to affect mileage more on back roads than on the X-Way.
Get yourself a gauge and have some fun.
Kip
I have a few questions. At what speed do you get the best mpg, and have you tried to use the horsepower gauge and other special gauges, and did they work for the Pilot?
The Scan Gauge II is the only one I have used.
Most of the time it is on the "Current" setting which is showing the constant average for the particular trip I'm on at the time. As stated earlier, that can be reset at any time, even while moving, and that is considered a new trip to the gauge. When the engine is shut off for 5 minutes or so, it re sets itself and considers the next driving time a new "trip". That trip can be a few feet or hundreds of miles.
If the car sits for 10 or more hours, the gauge will start a new day. A button press will bring up the "Previous Day", and another press will bring up all the info for that "Tank", since the last fillup. And those screens can be analyzed.
If it's been reset several times during the day, and you want to know how you are doing for the entire day, pressing the button will bring up the "Today" screen. That one has been keeping track of the "Current" averages all day, and displays them as one average. And that screen can be analyzed.
The other screen I use a lot is the "Gauge" screen. There are several options for that. My favorite is the one that shows instant mpg, rpm, water temp, and speed.
As with most screens that one can be scanned for more info with a single button.
It will show maximum rpm, max mph, average mph, avg rpm, max water temp, Etc..
You would be amazed at how very slight grade changes can affect mileage.
Also amazing, to me, how a stretch of road that appears to be flat isn't.
Overall the best mileage speed seems to be around 58 mph. That is for the rolling hills in my ares. They are not steep. They just seem to be continuous and long.
Seem to be always going up or down, with very few flat roads.. On what appears to be flat ground 52 mph seems to work best. However on these hills the tranny seems to shift down more often. Hills that may not cause a downshift at 58, will likely cause a down shift at 52. Of course once it has down shifted, it stays there until cresting the hill. However not unusual to see the mileage dropping as the hill get steeper, then when the downshift takes place the mileage actually go up 1 or more mpg.
Increase or decrease in "instant" mpg show the grade changes to often times be somewhat different than what the eye thinks it sees. And Contrary to my years of preaching, I'm actually getting best mileage with the Cruise Control ON.
The mileage will drop for a few seconds when an 18 wheeler passes from the opposite direction, probably from the air pressure it is creating in front of it. When they pass from behind, mileage goes up. Head winds, tail winds, and even cross winds have their effects.
Best mileage for local driving seems to be, when starting from a stopped condition, to use just enough throttle to allow the tranny to shift, without lifting the foot, at around 2000 rpm on flat found or down hill. However when starting off up hill, shifting at 2200-2300 seems to be more economical.
Of course coasting instead of braking, timing traffic lights and stop signs, not tail gating and so forth all contribute to better mileage.
The absolute best mileage I've gotten in the Pilot, other than down hill stretches, was a run of about 6 miles on I-20. Rolling hills and all. It was a little over 34 mpg.
Speed was 58 mph, No AC, calm winds, driver only, That was brought to an abrupt halt by a traffic jam due to an accident.
Worst X-Way mileage was 18 MPG. Rain, driver and 3 passengers, 75-80 mph, AC on, Cruise used little. That was the total average for a trip of about 350 miles.
Return trip the next day had the same number of people, temperature was the same. It was not raining, AC was used only when needed, Speed was 60-65.
That tank averaged right at 27 mpg. That is a good indicator of what speed and use of AC can do to mileage. But the fact that 2 different gas pumps were involved, could have also made a difference. I could have "Crammed" more gas in when we reached Myrtle beach , which could have contributed to the poor mileage. And with that extra gas in the tank , refilling in Atlanta would not have taken as much at my Favorite pump and would have contributed to great mileage as calculated.
Once the Gauge is set up properly, it kind of takes differences in re fueling procedures out of the picture.
Yeah, I know. Too much information. :sick:
Kip
Replying to: kltron (Jun 08, 2009 8:36 pm)
decent?.....respectable? are hardly terms I'd use for fuel economy in the lower to middle 40's especially in a non-hybrid vehicle. Call it what it is....fabulous!!! We own a 2006 EX automatic sedan equipped with a ScanGage and our most recent trip of about 40 miles on I-81 registered 42.6 mpg on it (the ScanGage). I originally refused to believe such claims BEFORE the ScanGage but now see it is possible.
If the city driving involves lots of traffic and traffic lights, you are doing good to get 15 MPG.
15 mpg seems a bit low, but it might improve with more miles. My mileage kept improving until I had 15,000 miles.
Just an update on the Scan Gauge vs odometer, etc..
From the git go I had to tell the SG that the Pilot is traveling a bit faster (and farther) than it's default. That is a permenant setting until the driver changes it.
With that setting the TANK MPG, miles driven, fuel used, and so forth agree with hand calculations at the pump. Therefore the instant and avg trip mpg are probably also real close.
Now when the speedometer needle is sitting on 50 mph, the gauge says 52 mph.
Got a Garmin 265WT GPS a couple of weeks ago. It agrees with the SC on the speed.
Kip
I haven't checked the Pilot. I used to check them by watching the milepost markers and timing them at 60 mph. We used the neighbor's GPS in the Odyssey the other weekend. That speedo was accurate.
It is allowable (legally, anyway) for the odometer to be off by as much as 5% (or 3 MPH either direction at 60MPH); I assume this would stand for the speedo too. Yea/Nay?
I don't own a Pilot, I typically just lurk and read here, but thought I'd comment.
Happy Hondaing!
TheGrad
Looking forward to replacing it with something that will average 20+ mpg. Still need a considerable amount of space for passengers and cargo, but willing to give up 3rd row and down-size to a crossover, something bigger than the CRV though. Would like more comfort and luxury too. The new RX350 might fit the bill this time around. We shall see.
EPA for this vehicle was 17/22 at the time I got it and was subsequently adjusted to 15/20. The 15/20 is consistent with my personal experience.
Almost no highway driving. No long trips, yet (now have a little over 500 miles on a new Pilot). I'm averaging 14.5 mpg. It goes up immediately to 15 with just one 40-minute trip to the airport. So I see upside.
Used to drive a 1993 Corolla, and with the same driving it averaged about 22 mpg. On the highway on long trips it did 35mpg+.
We have been averaging 18/19 around town and 24/25 HWY. I have even had 400 mile RT on I-95 in the summer where I have gotten 27 MPG HWY. Worse HWY MPG was during holidays in heavy traffic with 6 adults, loaded to the hilt, and I still got 22 MPG. Overall average for us for the 28k miles is around 20.3 as 75% of my driving is around town. We have been quite pleased!
mileage is 21.5 mpg. I drive around town but most of my driving is on the I-40 and I-95.
Great car to drive on the road and in the snow in the mountains of NC
jeffinva, 21.5 mpg is after oil changed?
My first oil change was around 9000 miles. I was surprised that the cost of the oil change at a honda dealer in Nashville TN was only $23.00 and was completed in about thirty min. I hope that my mileage will improve after the oil change.
Great car!
my pilot oil life is 60% .. so I have to drive more.
I drive on the interstate at around 70 mph.
here is an update. my pilot ex-l 4wd have 4200 miles.. I have been using the highest octane on my pilot since I bought it.. motor oil hasn't changed yet.
I am using octane 91 chevron, which is also known as texaco.. today I turn off the fan/AC.. I drove 100 miles. 95 % highway. ( 60-65 mph).. I average 21.9 mpg.
so I really think 2009, 2010 pilot are capable of 24-28 mpg highway driving after 7000 miles.. we should take advantage of VCM.
I read on the forum that other pilot owners are not happy about mpg.. If you drive speed limit, drive carefully, you will get better mpg..
I am using octane 91 chevron,"
Try Shell 87 octane and take a trip with the cruise set at 62-65 mph.
Kip
pilot have 10:1 compression VTEC engine, just like MDX.
I am running chevron octane 91 to produce full power.. bobnc suggest me to use shell. So I am going to test it out and let you guys know the result.
I agree with Joe, and for the reasons he pointed out.. No need to burn 91 octane for most driving conditions.
Under certain conditions, that could result in the combustion chambers getting unusually hot, higher octane could be beneficial. Those are probably covered in the owners manual..
Driving in the mountains with a full load.
Towing a heavy trailer.
High speeds on a really hot day.
Car companies want bragging rights on fuel efficiency. Doesn't it make sense that Honda would recommend "Premium" fuel if it would get better mileage?
Compression isn't the only thing involved with needing Premium fuels. Valve timing and ignition timing play a role also. Your Pilot is "Timed" to run on 87 octane. It doesn't analyze the gas you put in it, so it still runs like there is 87 in the tank.
There would be an advantage with 91 in certain conditions, when the engine might "Knock" and the computer would retard the timing a bit more with 87 than it would with 91.
Kip
(needs reg unleaded)
The 2010 MDX has 11.2:1 compression w/ 3.664 cc displacement and 300 hp
(needs premium unleaded)
Todays standards for gasses are pretty tight, some are a bit better for your engine but none should make a significant difference in mpg.
If you look at 2006 MDX which has 3471 CC 10:1 compression, required 91 or higher.
Of course you can use octane 87 on Acura MDX, but you are going to loose some HP.. for normal drivers wouldn't probably notice.
I do believe Honda Pilot engine really need octane 91 or higher. because of the weight of the car, and engine.
Yet the MDX gets a higher HP rating? I imagine the MDX engine computer was "tuned" to perform better than the Pilot because it is a premium brand of car (Acura vs Honda) and people expect more for the premium price they pay. This performance tuning, things like increasing the maximum ignition timing through programming of the computer, requires premium gas to prevent pre-ignition or "pinging" during hard acceleration. Thats when timing needs to be advanced the most. If an OBDII sensor detects pre-ignition because the octane is too low for the MDX, it will compensate by adjusting some engine controls, such as retarding the timing. Maximum performance would not be achieved.
But I don't think the Pilot can achieve more HP with premium gas because it was deigned and programmed to run on regular. I think the computer has its limits and as long as the gas is letting the computer run everything at optimum, then that's all she's got.
I set the timing in my old truck by manually turning the distributor cap. It also has a vacuum advance and centrifugal advance. These methods are primitive compared to computers but they helped the car run more efficiently. The specs for my truck call for 2 degree advanced. I can advance it up to 6 degrees before I get any pinging. I keep it at 4 degrees to prevent any pre-ignition that I can't hear. I have always run premium in that old thing.
Anyway, people should feel good about whatever they do. A lot of stuff is opinion (including my babbling) and folks should do the things that increase the enjoyment they get when driving their vehicles.
Edit: Hey, check it out. Post number 1000 in this thread.
:shades:
today I fuel up with shell V-power, the miles range show 429. I will let you guys know if shell gas brand give me good mpg.
so far shell v-power is excellent brand. performance is great. no problems going up on the mountains ( 8000 feet ). the car breathe better.
:shades:
I've read several different articles mentioning how the higher resistance to ignition of premium can be a detriment to your mileage. I don't disagree or agree; I'm no engineer.
lets say you drive 15,000 miles a year. 20 mpg. regular vs preminum 91 difference is .20 cents. Using preminum will cost you $150 more.
yea I believe 91 perform better than 87.
I've used 87 in my Honda all of its life with no problems or performance issues at all. I've only got 209k miles on it though, so its not nearly used up.
you mentioned you got 24 hwy. is that 2wd or 4wd? how often you average 24 hwy? I assume 24 mpg only show couple minutes....
please post the prof.. thanks
The best car ever was my 98 Honda Accord. It had a sweet spot at 88 mph. More than once I got 27+ mpg at 88 but when I had to slow down to 70, I only got 22 mpg.
One thing I did notice over the years was that if I used synthetic or synthetic blended oil, the mileage didn't improve after changing oil.
My 4 Hondas run smoother on premium gas, but I can't tell any difference in fuel mileage.
Please show proof....Thanks!