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Car Forum / Honda Cars / April 2006Accord 05 VP Poor Gas Mileage
I bought an Accord '05 Value Package (AT, 5 Speed) in August last year. Since then I've been trying to measure my gas mileage. The sticker on the car showed the EPA estimate as 24(city)/34(hwy) mpg. Now, I've been driving mostly on highways since. I would split it as 70% hwy, 30% city. Yet, I've been consistently getting 22-23.5 mpg from this car. I would also like to add that I rarely drive during rush hours on the highways, meaning I don't brake much once I'm on the highway. I was told by many people that I should check the tire pressure, as it could be a major reason for poor gas mileage. I checked the tires and they all came out to around 26 psi which is way below the 30/32 psi recommended for the car. So I filled the tires and kept monitoring the pressure, always keeping it around 32-33 psi cold since November last year. Still, the mileage hasn't improve at all. When I took the car to the dealer, I was told that they will not inspect my car till I had atleast 5000 miles on it, which according to them is the break-in period (even though my manual says the break-in period is 500 miles). Then, I contacted Honda directly. The customer rep told me that no dealer would inspect the car till 7500 miles as that is the break-in. Then during the conversation he changed the number to 10000 miles. When I told him that my honda dealer told me 5000 miles was the break-in period, he changed the number again to 4000-4500 miles. It seemed to me that the customer rep was just trying to make excuses for not checking my car. Now, I am no expert in cars. So I'm not sure what the typical break-in period should be. But is it normal to get such poor mileage that I am getting from my car? I have tried taking all precautions while driving like slow acceleration, driving at 65 mph on highways and no overspeeding, driving slow till the engine heats up, no idling the engine, etc. Is there something I can do to fix this poor mileage problem? I have driven other cars and never had such a problem so I know that it's not my driving that could be causing this. Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. Could that be attributing to this problem? Thanks, ag >I bought an Accord '05 Value Package (AT, 5 Speed) in August last year. > Since then I've been trying to measure my gas mileage. The sticker on [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would also like to add that I rarely drive during rush hours on the > highways, meaning I don't brake much once I'm on the highway. How are you measuring your mileage? Fill the tank, reset the trip meter, drive for how ever may miles you drive then refil when low, divide gallons poured to fill into miles since odomoter reset? > I was told by many people that I should check the tire pressure, as it > could be a major reason for poor gas mileage. I checked the tires and [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > 4000-4500 miles. It seemed to me that the customer rep was just trying > to make excuses for not checking my car. There are really 2 break-in numbers. The first (typically 500 miles or so) is the "baby" period. Then there is the long term which is typically around 10k. > Now, I am no expert in cars. So I'm not sure what the typical break-in > period should be. But is it normal to get such poor mileage that I am [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. > Could that be attributing to this problem? This could also play a large part. Your car is spending half it's life not warmed up. I am measuring the gas mileage as you have described. Given that how everyone feels that trips 5-8 miles long could be the cause of the poor mileage, is there something I can do for such trips to maximize the mileage? Thank you all so very much for your responses. >I am measuring the gas mileage as you have described. Given that how > everyone feels that trips 5-8 miles long could be the cause of the poor > mileage, is there something I can do for such trips to maximize the > mileage? Work further away so your car spends more time warmed up. But then again, twice the driving at less than twice the mileage wouldn't save you any money. Really, your amount of driving isn't really worth fretting over mileage. See how your car does when it's reached 10k and be happy you are saving money by having such a short commute. Could be worse, you could have my commute. My office is 155 miles round-trip. >I am measuring the gas mileage as you have described. Given that how >everyone feels that trips 5-8 miles long could be the cause of the poor >mileage, is there something I can do for such trips to maximize the >mileage? Combine trips? I.e. do all of the short trips together, so that the first short trip leaves the car still warm for the next one. In your previous car, how did your fuel economy compare to the EPA fuel economy?  Signature------------------------------------------------------------------------ Timothy J. Lee Unsolicited bulk or commercial email is not welcome. No warranty of any kind is provided with this message. > I am measuring the gas mileage as you have described. Given that how > everyone feels that trips 5-8 miles long could be the cause of the poor > mileage, is there something I can do for such trips to maximize the > mileage? not really. another issue might be "reformulated gas" if you live in an area that uses it. mileage on RFG is lower than normal. > Thank you all so very much for your responses. >I am measuring the gas mileage as you have described. Given that how > everyone feels that trips 5-8 miles long could be the cause of the poor > mileage, is there something I can do for such trips to maximize the > mileage? Not really. Installing a coolant heater will make a big difference. > Thank you all so very much for your responses. SignatureThe DervMan www.dervman.com Like you said, my car is spending half its life not warmed up. Does this negatively affect my car besides the low gas mileage? Can this cause problems with my engine? Yes. If the car never reaches operating temperature than there will be nasty carbon deposits inside the cars combustion chambers. The valves themselves will become coated with carbon, as will the spark plugs and injectors. That's one reason why cars that do lots of highway miles instead of short city trips last longer. East- > Like you said, my car is spending half its life not warmed up. Does > this negatively affect my car besides the low gas mileage? Can this > cause problems with my engine? theres a slight possibilty your catalyst and O2 sensors wont last as long as they could. > Like you said, my car is spending half its life not warmed up. Does > this negatively affect my car besides the low gas mileage? Can this > cause problems with my engine? All sorts as the other chap said, but much can be eliminated by regular oil changes and Italian tuning sessions. SignatureThe DervMan www.dervman.com > I bought an Accord '05 Value Package <snip> > Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. > Could that be attributing to this problem? > > Thanks, > ag ----------------------------- I read 38 lines before you explained the real reason. You got it. Short trips suck mileage. Simple. 'Curly' >> Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. >> Could that be attributing to this problem? . You got it. > Short trips suck mileage. Simple. They do. My trips are exactly 10 miles long, translating to two 10 mile in-suburb/city trips each day, 5 days a week; the weekends have short errand drives, and maybe a couple 15 - 20 mile drives. I am typically getting 27-28 mpg in my '04 Accord with 5-speed AT. When the car was new, I was getting about 26 mpg driving this same schedule. Maybe a 10 mile trip is significantly "less sucky" than a 5 - 8 mile trip. :-) >>> Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. >>> Could that be attributing to this problem? [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >about 26 mpg driving this same schedule. Maybe a 10 mile trip is >significantly "less sucky" than a 5 - 8 mile trip. :-) Probably 20 to 50% less sucky. Have to agree with everyone that 5 - 8 mile trips are going to involve a significant amount of the driving in warm-up mode. Also, since Curly indicates that 70% is highway driving he probably isn't getting the full benefit of highway cruising since he has to accelerate up to speed and then only cruises for maybe 4 - 5 miles. Hey Curley, has it been cold where you are? If so, look for some significant improvement with warming weather. Also, you should do a 20 - 30 minute trip at least once a week to prevent condensation from accumulating. That should help your gas milage even though it won't save you money. Where do you live? Do you live in California or other states where gasoline is oxygenated in order to help clean up the air? Or do you live in snow country? Cars don't run as effieciently where there are freezing temperatures. East- I live in North Cali. Not too cold actually. It's usually around 50-65 when I'm driving. I do realize that by having a short commute I'm saving money on gas even though my gas mileage is low. But I really want to know if it is just the distance or something bigger that is causing the problem. Thanks for the input fellas. I will try cruising on some highways for 20-30 minutes everyday for some time. Hopefully I'll see better results. I'll post my results here soon. California gas has the fuel additve "Ethanol" in it in order to make the cars run cleaner. The downside is less gas mileage and slightly less power. Older cars will have their rubber fuel lines corrod and possibly leak from the additive. Parts of NorCal have topography. If you have a 4 cylinder in hill country it will run less efficiently than a more torquier V6 in the same driving situation. Also cars with automatic transmissions naturally get less MPG than a car with a standard 5 speed manual. East- Also cars get less MPG during their break in period. The seal from the pistons rings between the combustion chambers and crank case still needs to break in/strengthen up first. East- > Also cars get less MPG during their break in period. The seal from the > pistons rings between the combustion chambers and crank case still > needs to break in/strengthen up first. *Significantly* less in some cases, rather, after fifty thousand miles of mechanically sympathetic use, my own cars have been "better" for it (lower fuel consumption being the main area). SignatureThe DervMan www.dervman.com > I live in North Cali. Not too cold actually. It's usually around 50-65 > when I'm driving. I do realize that by having a short commute I'm > saving money on gas even though my gas mileage is low. But I really > want to know if it is just the distance or something bigger that is > causing the problem. its perfectly normal, especially considering the car is still breaking in. if theyre using RFG up there thats another factor. > Thanks for the input fellas. I will try cruising on some highways for > 20-30 minutes everyday for some time. Hopefully I'll see better > results. I'll post my results here soon. > I bought an Accord '05 Value Package (AT, 5 Speed) in August last year. > Since then I've been trying to measure my gas mileage. The sticker on [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would also like to add that I rarely drive during rush hours on the > highways, meaning I don't brake much once I'm on the highway. but how fast do you go? the best mileage is going to be given AS SOON AS 5th gear kicks in, with the revs as low as possible. > I was told by many people that I should check the tire pressure, as it > could be a major reason for poor gas mileage. I checked the tires and > they all came out to around 26 psi which is way below the 30/32 psi > recommended for the car. So I filled the tires and kept monitoring the > pressure, always keeping it around 32-33 psi cold since November last > year. Still, the mileage hasn't improve at all. shouldve improved some, but maybe not measurably. > When I took the car to the dealer, I was told that they will not > inspect my car till I had atleast 5000 miles on it, which according to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 4000-4500 miles. It seemed to me that the customer rep was just trying > to make excuses for not checking my car. theyre all right. if the car is babied, it might not be broken in until after 10k miles. or later. google for "EPA estimate test procedure" and youll find how they do it. your mileage may vary, and it is. > Now, I am no expert in cars. So I'm not sure what the typical break-in > period should be. But is it normal to get such poor mileage that I am [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > problem? I have driven other cars and never had such a problem so I > know that it's not my driving that could be causing this. time, and longer trips :) > Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. > Could that be attributing to this problem? yes. the car likely isnt warming up enough to run as lean as it can. > Thanks, > ag >I bought an Accord '05 Value Package (AT, 5 Speed) in August last year. > Since then I've been trying to measure my gas mileage. The sticker on [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > would also like to add that I rarely drive during rush hours on the > highways, meaning I don't brake much once I'm on the highway. Do you use cruise control and stick to a constant speed? Some cars are just plain inefficient when asked to change speeds, for reasons various. > I was told by many people that I should check the tire pressure, as it > could be a major reason for poor gas mileage. I checked the tires and > they all came out to around 26 psi which is way below the 30/32 psi > recommended for the car. So I filled the tires and kept monitoring the > pressure, always keeping it around 32-33 psi cold since November last > year. Still, the mileage hasn't improve at all. Hmm. Your tyre pressures were well low. This makes a big difference to some cars. Our previous car was especially thirsty with the rear tyres low. After extensive experimentation :-) I ran him with slightly above standard pressure at the front, and 5 PSI above at the back - it balanced out the handling and improved (reduced) long haul fuel consumption to the tune of around ten percent. > When I took the car to the dealer, I was told that they will not > inspect my car till I had atleast 5000 miles on it, which according to [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 4000-4500 miles. It seemed to me that the customer rep was just trying > to make excuses for not checking my car. Heh. When new, it's tight. Your donk (engine) won't be working at its best for "many" thousand miles. If you don't stretch its legs (find the red line when properly warmed up, work it hard up hills) from time to time it may well not be run in for a good sixty thousand miles. > Now, I am no expert in cars. So I'm not sure what the typical break-in > period should be. It varies according to use - the initial 500 miles miles may well be critical, after that, many handbooks recommend "gradually increasing performance of the vehicle up to the maximum permitted" or similar wording. > But is it normal to get such poor mileage that I am > getting from my car? I have tried taking all precautions while driving > like slow acceleration, Ding! Slow acceleration does not always compute to lower fuel consumption. It will vary by car, environment, road (etc.) but moderate acceleration tends to get the best results. Hard, red line acceleration just uses lots of fuel. Too gentle acceleration prolongs it over a longer distance, so there's less time cruising. Gentle or timid acceleration with a short cruising period is thirstier than moderate acceleration, your engine will be spending lots of time working relatively hard and a short period of time cruising. Also, where possible, lift off a big distance from your exit. > driving at 65 mph on highways and no > overspeeding, driving slow till the engine heats up, no idling the > engine, etc. Is there something I can do to fix this poor mileage > problem? I have driven other cars and never had such a problem so I > know that it's not my driving that could be causing this. What were t'other cars and how does your mileage compare? > Also, I would like to add that most of my car trips are 5-8 miles long. > Could that be attributing to this problem? Elsewhere, yeah, we've established this as a major cause. :p SignatureThe DervMan www.dervman.com |
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