31mpg for the Element

Yeah, I thought along those lines after I posted. I'm used to people seeing
me and then finding out my actual age. Still have friends say I haven't
really changed much from high school. Still get carded in a restaurant
sometimes if I get a glass of wine or beer with dinner. Not sure to take
that as a compliment or insult!

I digress. Now, how did the topic get changed the mpg of an Element to this
conversation??? lol

 

Let me know when you find your cane so I can grab my walker....

 

Excellent - Thank you Dave Kelsen and Tegger!

I've still got my mpg tracking for my past cars, except my '89 Prelude Si.
Gave that away when I got rid of the car. Now I really wish I kept it.
This Accord is the first new car I bought so I've got to fill out the
spreadsheet too - except the cost. Never tracked it.

Thanks again,
-Dave

 

I'm playing with your Excel spreadsheet right now. So far it's fascinating.
I've only got 24 entries for 1991 in there so far, and it's already a real
eye-opener.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/mileage-teg-test.xls

I'm up to 4,419 miles at the moment. Maximum mileage (so far about 25mpg)
was achieved at approx 1,500 miles. It's been very stable from 1,500 to
4,400.

It will be interesting to see what happens as it nears my current 28mpg at
267,000 miles.

Hey people, do you see what can be revealed if you keep detailed records?

 

I just recently returned from a 5 day road in my 2003 Element and I was
getting a consistent 28MPG on the long flat highway stretches with the
cruise control/AC on, tire pressure about 36psi, doing 58-65mph. That was
only on the days I was on the highway 95% of the time. Otherwise, I normally
get from from 20 to 24mpg depending on my highway/city mix. These figures
are based on the acutual miles driven after a fill divided by the exact
gallons used during the fill up. Maybe if I turned off the AC and cruised at
50MPH I "might" gain an extra 1-3MPG, but don't plan on me to experiment
doing this.
Mike

 

LOL! It happens.

 

You probably get better gas mileage with the AC on and the windows closed
than the AC off and the windows open.

My '90 4Runner gets 20 mpg in the city and 25 on the highway. Of course
that is with a 22R-E 4 cylinder. Very very rugged but only puts out 116hp.
Takes about 2 miles to get up to highway speed.

 

IIRC, the EPA ratings were something like 28/35 city/hwy. In my defense,
I'm driving the car mostly in a small town (pop. 14k) and have an easy
8-mile commute to work (have to watch out for deer/turkeys rather than
traffic jams). I also tend to keep my revs below 3krpm. I'm not a frugal
driver, but there are enough slow people on the road that I try not to get
into too big of a hurry - the high gas prices don't seem to be reducing
highway traffic at all. Those 850-mile trips are also on pretty level
ground (from TX to South Dakota). One thing is for sure, the car will get
better mpg driving with the A/C on in 90-degree heat, than it will driving
along in 20- to 30-degree temps. One last caveat: I've gotten the higher
mpg with Goodyear TripleTreads with a few extra psi over recommended. Seems
like the highest I've gotten with the original tires (Bridgestone, IIRC) was
only 38 or 39mpg

That's certainly a possibility. OTOH, I drove my '92 Dakota V8 to low-fuel
light constantly, always using the cheapest gas I could find, and the
engine, injectors and original fuel pump were still running like new when I
sold the truck with 167k miles on it. As an aside, with my Accord, there is
still 4 gallons left in the 18-gallon tank when the low-fuel light comes
on - the most I've ever put in is 15 gallons, and I was getting pretty
nervous when I waited that long.

 

I believe the '05 is rated at 26/34 so it's not too far off. I'm not a
frugal driver either but also don't race the engine. As you've shown, the
driver does have a big impact on gas mileage.

I've only driven a few times when my gas light came on. It was normally
from long trips, mainly highway driving. The Accord does have a good sized
tank. My '05 has a 17.1 gallon tank. Most I've ever put in was around 15
too. I know what you mean about getting nervous - driving on the highway
with the light glowing.... looking for a gas station!

-Dave