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Post Your Van Gas Mileage Here

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Comments

  • fred222fred222 Member Posts: 200
    I noticed when I was filling up the other day that the station that I usually buy my gas from has "10% Ethanol" stickers on every gas pump. I also recently read that engines that run on ethanol get significantly less gas mileage. So my thought is this:
    - If the gas stations start adding 10% ethanol to their gas, should we not expect to all see a drop in MPG across the board (probably a noticeable drop at that)?
    - Based on the article I read it should be somewhere close to a 4-5% drop overall MPG.
    - I would expect someone that normally gets 24mpg to get 1-2MPG less...

    Has anyone noticed a recent drop? Thoughts?


    Each fuel has a different energy content per unit mass. Diesel is higher than gasoline and ethanol is lower. For those who are interested, hydrogen has the lowest energy content of any and the natural gasses are close behind. The energy content increases with the number of C-C bonds vs C-H bonds. That is why diesel (C12 avg) is higher than gasoline (C8 Avg). Hydrogen has only H-H bonds and methane (CH4) has only C-H bonds.

    We should be buying fuels based on energy content and not mass. That would change the relative costs significantly.
  • sc00bssc00bs Member Posts: 87
    did a deal on this. They also tested some other online claims. Myth busted was the result.
  • sc00bssc00bs Member Posts: 87
    did a deal on this. They also tested some other online claims. Myth busted was the result.
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    "A lot of people are saying that, but if they are testing it in a auto, where is all this energy coming from to power it? I think only time will tell."

    If it REALLY worked, then why stop with powering a car? Why not a giant power plant run on water?

    What is being described breaks down to a perpetual motion machine. They are claiming to get more energy OUT of the system than is being put INTO the system.

    Again, the laws of physics and the laws of chemistry DICTATE that electrolysis (the act of passing an electrical current through water to break down the molecular bonds between hydrogen and oxygen) will consume more energy than can be gained.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    <<<If it REALLY worked, then why stop with powering a car? Why not a giant power plant run on water?>>>

    They do make power plants tht run on water. They're called hydroeletric plants.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    LOL. However, the Sierra Club wants to demolish all power plants so the rivers can frow freely as they did in the dark ages.
    There would probably also be those opposed to minivans that run on water. :shades:
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    "They do make power plants tht run on water. They're called hydroeletric plants."

    No, actually hydroelectric plants are run on gravity. Water is just the medium being used to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy.

    Actually, I suppose cars could run on the same thing. Unfortunately, the dealerships would all have to be located at the tops of hills; and you'd have to trade in the car when it got to the bottom......
  • cljnmajcljnmaj Member Posts: 3
    I own a 2002 T & C I purchased in February. I was told at the time that it should get around 18 mpg city/25 hwy. Since that time I have consistantly gotten around 11mpg. I drive almost all in-town. I took it back to the dealer who has tried several things to fix the problem-cleaning the fuel injectors, spark plugs, oxygen sensor to no avail. Initially, everyone seemed in agreement that this was a problem, but now they have decided that they are washing their hands of it. Since the vehicle is throwing no codes, they won't try anything else. They now say the mileage isn't that bad. Has anyone else had this poor of fuel mileage? Any suggestions on what might be wrong? Please let me know. Thank You.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    My 2002 T&C LX had an OVERALL average of 22.3 MPG and the LOWEST it got was 16 MPG in the winter in city driving only.
    It got 26.6 on one 1400 mile round trip and 28.2 on another 1400 mile round trip last summer.
    Your T&C reminds me of a friend's Volkswagen bus that got 11.1 MPG on a 200 mile round trip when driving at 55 MPH. He had to refuel 3 times during that trip and the VW dealer told him there was nothing wrong. :sick:
    There WAS something wrong with it: a defective cylinder head temperature sensor and air flow control box. After another VW dealer fixed it, he got over 26 MPG on road trips.
    Something is wrong with your T&C but I would have no idea what to do in addition to that which has been done. I think some vehicles of any brand are just a :lemon: .
  • cljnmajcljnmaj Member Posts: 3
    I just got back from picking up my T & C this afternoon. The only good thing is that the Sales Manager said that he wasn't done yet. He wants me to drive it for a couple of tanks of gas and see if it is improved at all. He thinks that there may be a leak in one or more of the fuel injectors, but once again, since it is not "throwing a code", he says he can't do anything. :confuse: He is hoping that the problem will progress, and a code will be triggered. I guess I should feel a little lucky, some dealerships would tell you that your out of luck. Doesn't help too much though with these gas prices. You know it's bad when your V8 4WD p/u gets better mileage. :cry:
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    Are you taking your mileage off the overhead computer or doing it by hand? If doing it by hand or hand held computer and you know it's right, there are a number of things you can do to help bring up your mileage in city driving.

    It's a fact, stop and go driving kills mileage. You can help by looking ahead at the traffic lights and trying to time them by adjusting your speed, so that you can make the light. It may mean speeding up a little, or slowing down a bit. That can be especially important with pressure activated lights. One where as soon as the last car goes through, the light will turn red. If your hanging back a few seconds, you'll never make it.

    Taking off from a dead stop uses a lot of fuel. If you take off slower, you'll burn a lot less fuel. If you take your foot off the peddle a half block away from a light you know you can't make and coast up, you'll also save on gas. Try and keep your RPM's under 2,000 and you'll get better mileage. Keep a couple of pounds more of air in your tires will help. I don't do that traveling on the highway, but it shouldn't hurt in the city.

    Try using your a/c less will help a lot. Let your fan bring in outside air as much as possible. Keeping the back vent windows open will move the air or a/c better through out your van
  • cljnmajcljnmaj Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for your input. I have checked the milege by hand and it is correct. I will try some of the things you have suggested, although I do live in Bakersfield, Ca, so no A/C is out of the question. :)
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Just finished the first leg of a road trip with our new 06 Honda Odyssey EX-L (3 weeks old). We averaged 24.4MPG in about 70highway/30city driving. We had quite a bit of stop and go traffic, had a fully loaded minivan with three people and a lot of stuff, and the A/C was on the whole way..

    Very happy. I was not able to utilize the cruise control as much as I would have liked, and the van is not broken-in yet.. I think the highway EPA numbers are realistic with cruise on most of the way....

    We love this van...
  • duperduper Member Posts: 127
    Just finished a 1100 miles trip to Vegas and back from the Bay Area and average about 23-25mph on freeway at 70-75mph hitting 80+ once in a while.

    The van only has 2255 miles now so hopefully it'll get better as it ages :)
  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    Good to hear about your good MPG. Lots of people need to see your real numbers on MPG.
  • zebra5zebra5 Member Posts: 47
    First 5 tank refills over first six weeks (1369 miles total), we are averaging a whopping 16.0 miles per gallon. Almost all city driving with two preschoolers in the back, A/C running constantly (this is Dallas).

    Not impressed.
  • ontopontop Member Posts: 279
    Move. Dallas is harsh. I doubt any vehicle gets decent mileage in those conditions.
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Actual mileage driving on an open road is the ONLY situation where an honest, fair comparison can be made between vehicles....and then the mileage must be computed on a round trip. ;)
    My Chrysler T&C LX gets 35 to 36 MPG between Salt Lake City, Utah and Mesquite Nevada but will get 23 or 24 MPG between Mesquite and SLC. (Downhill with a tail wind vs uphill with a head wind). The difference between Mesquite Nevada and Anaheim California and the return trip does not vary so greatly but the overall average for the round trip Salt Lake City to Anaheim and return can be as high as 28.2 MPG on one trip or as low as 26.6 MPG on another trip. :shades:
  • veritasusaveritasusa Member Posts: 72
    My latest issue (July 2006) of Car & Driver has an interesting article about ethanol fuel.

    According to the facts presented in this issue and figures they got when they tested the same vahicles on both gasoline and E-85 fuel, the brave new world of energy independence will not only NOT be the utopia that the champions of ethanol fuel would have us believe, but fuel economy will be about 28% less with E-85.

    Oh goody . . . Three dollar per gallon ehtanol and more of it to buy to cover the same distance. I can hardly wait!
  • rolojroloj Member Posts: 12
    You a and I are one of the few people that are getting lower mileage per gallon. I am getting 14 with normal driving and 13 with a bit hard driving. Seeing all those messages I am wandering whether something needs to be done to my vehicle or if all of those people knows how to calculate the mileage per gallon. Maybe we don't. What do you think :confuse:
  • hansiennahansienna Member Posts: 2,312
    Gas mileage depends more on the type driving than any other factor.
    I compute my gas mileage by dividing the miles driven by the amount of gasoline used to fill the tank.
    City driving, stop and go, winter conditions, and HOT weather running A/C when vehicle is not moving have a most adverse effect on gas mileage. :cry:
    My Sienna will get 30 MPG on a round trip when it is cool and the A/C is not used much but it can drop to 22.4 MPG in the winter when there is more city driving than highway driving.
    My T&C got 28.2 MPG on a 1400 mile round trip but has also got as low as 16.0 MPG in the winter when the driving was almost all city driving. Overall average for my T&C was 22.3 MPG and so far the Sienna is 26.0 MPG. ;)
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,433
    16 is about right, if you do lots of short hop, stop/start on/off sit in traffic driving. That's what we do in ours, and also get about 16-17 this time of the year.

    But, on a trip, we can pull 26 in mixed high speed and local driving.

    Weight kills mileage around town, since you spend a lot of energy getting all that mass moving. Not as much of a factor on the highway.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • zebra5zebra5 Member Posts: 47
    Honestly, I don't believe there is a mechanical issue with my car. Consumer Reports tried to warn me: this car gets significantly lower mileage in real world tests than the "theoretical" EPA numbers. Honestly, regardless of what they advertise, I'd have expected worse mileage relative to Sienna and other minivans based on ithe Ody's weight and horsepower.

    No, I think I'll follow the advice in message #1568: move from my hometown (maybe to the Polar Cap, where I shouldn't need the A/C much), and while I'm at it, get rid of my two preschoolers to reduce cargo weight. Thanks for your advice, ontop.

    We've got a road trip coming up on which we'll get a chance at some real highway miles. I'll reserve complete judgement until we're back.
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Consumer reports testing stated that almost ALL vehicles (not just the Odyssey) did not get the advertised city EPA using their real-world testing procedure. They found the highway EPA to be closer.. At any rate, the EPA testing is changing very soon to reflect more real world driving conditions..

    I do not disagree. We have been babying our EX-L and are getting 18-19mpg city, and close to 25mpg highway. I would expect with summer fast approaching (and the A/C cranking even more) and us driving the van a little harder to see the MPG drop 1-2 easily.. However, if we coasted more between stop lights, drove a little easier, and used cruise control more (VCM automatically kicks in with cruise), I believe we could get close to both the city and highway EPA's.

    I was a little scared that we would get worse gas mileage with this van than we are getting. At 18/25MPG I am very happy. I would love to get 20/28, but I like to open the engine up every once and awhile.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    In mostly city driving, I try and time the lights as much as possible. If I catch a light, when taking off, I try and keep my RPM's at 2,000 or below. I find I can increase mileage by keeping the RPM's under 2,000 as much as possible.
  • jgodambejgodambe Member Posts: 4
    My oddyssey is a little over a month old
    It gives me 17 in the city and 26mpg when I did a trip from IL to MI with AC running
  • fx35awdfx35awd Member Posts: 218
    Do you receive negative feed back from other drivers like dirty looks on the road when you keep your rpm at 2000 and below when you are starting out at a stop light? I get a lot of them even when I keep slightly below 3000 rpm in my Infiniti FX35 AWD, despite of being on the slower lane too. I time the traffic light as well and ever since I started driving. I just think it is more of smoother drive and ride, versus breaking at the last minute and starting again at a faster pace in the 4000-5000 rpm range.
  • leefarmleefarm Member Posts: 14
    Well , we just passed the 10,000 mile mark on our 2 1/2 month old kia sedona and the average mpg is around 23 we drive on mostly highway. .on highway alone it ranges from 20 mph to 27 mpg depending on conditions and vehicle load . In the city we have gotten 10 mpg to 23 mpg(I can't help but stamp on it sometimes..) and yes i have gotten dirty looks from people when i start out very slowly at a red light.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    I think you should avoid jack rabbit starts esp. in city driving but you also have to be conscious that you are not the only person the road. timing lights is nice to avoid braking but sometimes not practical. Moving so slowly off the line forces others behind you to constanly brake which slows up traffic and waste gas.

    A nice smooth acceleration is the miidle ground esp. if you have a series of traffic lights. The transmission will shift when it needs to.

    BTW, that FX35 needs to be "worked out" every once in a while. lol
  • vipinguptavipingupta Member Posts: 21
    My Sienna now has 12,000 miles on it. I have been getting around 21.5 mpg in city driving and around 23-24 mpg on Highways. My City driving involves morning commute on busy state highway and some back roads.
  • fx35awdfx35awd Member Posts: 218
    I like your sense of humor. :D Yes, it does get a work out now and then, especially, when I need to get on the freeway to maintain the same speed with the flow of traffic.

    I tend to travel at speed limit to save gas, instead of flowing with traffic since a majority of people here in Southern California do not follow the speed limits. Also, I don't slow down to time the traffic lights to the point where I am crawling and I do not tab the break constantly. I notice people that tailgate usually tab on the break a lot more frequently than others that apply the 3-second rule. I find that people who tailgate is very annoying and they are just begging for a rear end collision.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Thanks.

    I drive much differently in town then i do on the highway. In town, I rarely go over the speed limit but also try to keep up with traffic safely. I live in South Centrla PA. Many of our roads in town have either houses or small businesses on it. Traffic is not near as congested as in Southern Cali. I'm always watching out for people jutting out into traffic or the kid who follows the ball outinto the street.

    I do not tailgate. seen too many instances of road rage and stupid drivers during my daily commute. I have better things to do in life.
  • rorrrorr Member Posts: 3,630
    Just got back from a vacation from Texas to Colorado and back. Over the duration of the trip we averaged 25.5mpg over the roughly 2500 miles we put on the van. Best tank was a smidge under 27 (it had a fair amount of highway miles at speeds between 65-70). I don't have the patience to see if 28mpg is possible (it probably is but I've got a heavy right foot; trying to keep my speed under 70 was pure torture. :) )

    AC was on 100% of the time and the van has around 25k on the odo. Van was 'loaded' with 2 adults/2 kids, and a weeks worth of junk which simply COULDN'T be left at home..... :blush:
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Just got back from a trip to Montana (from South Dakota)in our 2006 Sienna. Just under 600 miles each way.

    On the way out we averaged 24.5 mpg and the way back 25.6 mpg. Considering we stopped and did quite a bit of city driving on the way there, and had the cruise set at 80 for most of the trip (all but about 100 miles each way - where the cruise was at about 70), drove in some very hilly parts of Wyoming (bighorns), had the A/C on 90% of the time, had 5 people and luggage in the vehicle (about 900 lbs) - I think that is pretty impressive. Our old Odyssey (the 4-cylinder model) would have struggled to get 22 mpg on the same trip.
  • fx35awdfx35awd Member Posts: 218
    Wow! That is pretty impressive.
  • petras2petras2 Member Posts: 104
    on a recent 1700 mi. roundtrip, average hwy mileage was 24mpg...van had only 2700mi on odometer, heavily loaded, a/c on, cruise control mostly off so speed was not constant, speed varied between 65-80...
  • k9vetk9vet Member Posts: 2
    Our Odyssey just went over 3,000 miles during a trip from Omaha to St. Louis. We had 4 adults, two toddlers (with seats of course), and 2 small teenagers. As you can imagine with teenagers the back was full. The AC was on all the time and traveled between 70-75 mph. We got 23mpg with some in town driving and 26.3 with all interstate driving. I was really quite pleased. Just kept watching that ECO Light. A LOT better then the Tahoe we traded in.
  • dardson1dardson1 Member Posts: 696
    but do watch my milage carefully. Since this is a group who cares about such things, has anyone noticed a drop in milage since the switch to ethanol additives? My milage seems to be down almost 10%.
  • heliashelias Member Posts: 4
    First tank (free from dealer): 21 mpg with 120 miles pure freeway drive.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    how did you measure this mileage?????
  • dsrtrat2dsrtrat2 Member Posts: 223
    July issue of "Car and Driver" has an article about E-85 which is 85% ethanol. The gist is that to break even economically, E-85 must be priced less than 75% of 87 octane regular gasoline. My experience in the midwest with gasohol is that I got poorer mileage.
  • djm2djm2 Member Posts: 712
    The "first tank of fuel" was not "free"! --- You paid for it in the price of the vehicle. That is not great mileage! :(
  • chirpchirp Member Posts: 194
    2 month old Touring is now averaging 22-23 in town with light foot. Taking it on a 3,000 mile road trip in week or so and we'll see how it does. Our 1998 Sienna was lucky to achieve 18mpg in town. So far I'm quite impressed with this van and it's ability to haul all that weight around at a relatively economical pace. :)
  • vipinguptavipingupta Member Posts: 21
    We just returned yesterday after a 1100 miles trip to Canada, on our 2005 Sienna LE. Our car computer showed 24.3 mpg for the entire trip, which included 80% hwy + 20% city (stop and go) driving. On pure hwy driving, I got as high as 27 mpg. I usually drive with a light foot on accelrator.
  • geogeo Member Posts: 23
    Our 2006 Kia Sedona is loaded with about 400 pounds of accessories, trailer hitch etc. We just went over 5K miles with the mileage improving over that period, partially from break-in and also from weather getting warmer. Now getting up to 25 on road with mostly 22-24 at 75 mph. Town mileage is 14-18 but my wife only has a 3/4 mile drive one way to work skewing the results. Seems that I average at least 1 mpg better than wife who will not use the cruise control and often brakes late and hard in town. George in Wisconsin
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    We have a 99 Sienna with 90.000 on it. We get 14 or 15 in the city with A>C On and about 19 or 20 on the highway. What can i do. It is at 90,000 on the spot and usually every 30,000, we do a tune up so i guess its that time. The Sienna that I have has one of the smallest V6 in the minivan class. But we love it, in 90,000 the only thing ever wrong with it was a starter. Now the fuel pump is getting loud but a fuel filter should fix that. We luv our Sienna, but I need better MPG with gas at 3.00 a gal.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Drive slower, put more air in the tires and use synthetic oil. That van should be able to get 25 mpg on the highway unless your are in too big of a hurry.
  • ahujasuahujasu Member Posts: 15
    You should be able to get better mileage but it will take a lot of effort on your part to retrain your driving habits. We have a 98 sienna with 124,000 miles. We used to get 19 mpg combined. Then we bought a hybrid. In maximaizing the civic's mileage we applied those tricks to the sienna and were able to get up to 21 mpg combined 50:50 driving. Highway, I have achieved 25 mpg. THe new driving techniques do require a lot of patience and a thick skin. You have to accelerate extremely slowly. Keep speed at speed limit or lower. On the highway don't go past 60. Anticipate traffic ahead and try to coast to the next light. TO be fair to other drivers always be vigilant to move to the slow lane and try and stay out of the way. Try if for a couple of tanks I found it to be an intriguing challenge. As a comparison we get up to 49 mpg in the civic.
  • penizzlepenizzle Member Posts: 104
    Our driving habits are not bad. We drive the speed limit and by no means do we accelerate fast. I think its time for a tune up. 8 months ago we were getting 20 and 24 mpg but now its crap and driving habits are the same.
  • marine2marine2 Member Posts: 1,155
    Went to San Diego from Phoenix and back. Got 23.939 MPG. Overhead computer said 23.5 so it was pretty close. That was done with two people in van, luggage and a/c on in the front and in the back. Hope I can get a chance to take another long trip without a/c and see if it get's better.
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