Civic fuel consumption, again

Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006 model
Civic?

My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that much
worse than advertised.

Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.

Anyway, just want to compare notes.

Steve

 

A) yeah, city traffic can be brutal to mileage, especially if you punch it
when the light turns green.

B) do you have enough miles on it to start being concerned with mileage?
Typically it's not fully broken in till around 10K.

 

Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006

http://users.eastlink.ca/~smackie/fuel_consumption_20061006.pdf

 

EPA mileage estimates are determined through dynamometer testing in a
laboratory, and among the factors reducing actual gas mileage that are not
considered in these tests are rolling resistance of unpowered wheels/tires,
aerodynamic drag, non-productive operation (engine running with no forward
progress, as occurs at traffic controls or in stop-and-go traffic), ambient
temperature (affecting intake air density), and altitude (also affecting
intake air density). City and Highway mileage ratings determined in the
laboratory are adjusted downward by 10 and 22 percent, respectively, in an
attempt to compensate for these and other factors, but Consumer Reports have
consistently determined, using their own mileage testing protocol, that the
EPA mileage estimates posted by automakers for new vehicles are optimistic,
sometimes by as much as 30-40 percent.

 

And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
highway. Go figure.

 

This may seem like an asinine question, but what is your process for
calculating actual fuel mileage? Also, what is the elevation and range of
mean daytime temperatures where you live? I ask the latter because lower
elevations and lower mean ambient temperatures, in comparison to the
location of the automaker's test facility, will result in comparative
mileage improvements, ceteris paribus, due to more dense fuel/air mixtures
prior to combustion.

 

I calculate my mileage the old-fashioned way. Start with a full tank (not
overfilled), drive the trip, fill up again, take note of how much gas I put
in at the end of the trip and how far I travelled, and do the calculations.

I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where spring and fall temperatures
range anywhere from 5-15 Celsius (41-59 Fahrenheit) and summer temperatures
range from 20-30 Celsius (68-86 Fahrenheit). The elevation is somewhat flat
with moderate hills in places.

EPA rated the '93 Accord automatic at 28mpg on the highway. My car
consistently averaged 32-34mpg on the highway under normal conditions. In
fact, it even got 36mpg on one occasion a few years ago. And BTW, those are
U.S. gallons in my mileage figures, not Imperial gallons.

 

I have an Si, and it is pretty close. I get an average of about 27,
overall driving. The EPA rating is 23/31, so this is about right. When I
drive mostly highway, I sometimes do better than 31...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 10/7/2006 2:21:48 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in
his mouth. -- Anonymous

 

I drive in also in a similar condition (Southern Ontario, Canada) and
got the average 1 year mileage (Winter+ Summer) as 35mpg (fuel logbook
available at ontariogasprices.com). During Summer mileage was average
40mpg with maximum of 50mpg. I was suspicious, obviously. But that was
a trip from Waterloo to Toronto and back to Waterloo.

What is overfilling, by the way. I fill the tank until the nozle stops
automatically.

 

With my 1996 civic.

 

That is proper filling; overfilling happens when more gas is squeezed in by
waiting a minute and trying to get some more to trickle in or (even worse)
by pulling the nozzle partway out of the neck and "topping up" the tank that
way. It can get liquid gasoline in the charcoal canister through the vapor
line to the tank, which saturates the charcoal.

Mike

 

Sorry, Steve, you should have bought a ~13 year old Accord!
(92 5-spd wagon, averaging over 33 overall since purchase in Feb. 36+
tootling along two lane roads at 50~60)

You might try a new O2 sensor in your Civic. I suppose it's possible
that your unit is not working quite right. Check the O2 wiring
connectors and harness - maybe a connection itn't quite snug. Have you
looked at the plugs? They might indicate an out-of-spec mixture or
other problem. Apart from that, I duunow.... Cam timing belt off a
notch? Ignition timing wrong? Nerfed exhaust gasket blocking airflow?
Dead squirrel in airbox?

Looking at your spreadsheet, you seem to do OK on the big road trips.
What sort of highway speeds to you cuise at? If you have the time, try
cutting your speed by 10KPH on your next big trip and see what happens.

As for city, just try to anticipate traffic and don't be afraid to ease
off early when you see slow traffic ahead. Every time you use the
brakes, you are burning gas. When accelerating, the consensus seems to
be that moderate acceleration at low RPM is probably ideal. The engine
will burn fuel more efficiently near 75% throttle than when tiptoeing
about at 30%. (An automatic transmission may complicate things by
downshifting unneccessarily.)

-Greg

 

You might try a new O2 sensor in your Civic. I suppose it's possible

I hope none of those things are wrong with my 5 month old Civic.

Steve

 

That's probably the answer. Civics have gained weight since 1992...

JT

 

And they have bigger engines, without options.

Used to be that the DX would have a tiny engine, and each level up got you
into more options and a bigger motor. Now they all have the 1.6 liter,
except for the Si.

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 10/9/2006 1:01:31 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

"Man, the creature who knows he must die, who has dreams larger than his
destiny, who is forever working a confidence trick on himself, needs an
ally. Mine has been tobacco. "

-John Boynton Priestley

 

You're not getting the mileage others are. Either you drive like a
maniac, or there IS somthing wrong/different about your car. 5 months
or 5 years, it matters not.

-Greg

 

He's getting similar mileage to what I am getting on the Si, which isn't
good, but that could be due to a large amount of city driving or driving
like a maniac.

The mileage isn't THAT far off that I would expect it to be caused by
malfunction, but it is hard to tell...

Any trips that were predominately highway? At around 50-60 MPH?

The closest you'll get to EPA is usually in that range...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne

http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 10/9/2006 2:25:07 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

Scarecrow (Ray Bolger): I haven't got a brain... only straw.
Dorothy (Judy Garland): How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
Scarecrow: I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot
of talking... don't they?
Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.
~ "Wizard of Oz "

 

And they have bigger engines, without options.

1.8.

 

You're not getting the mileage others are. Either you drive like a

I'll adjust my driving habits for a week, see what happens.

Steve

 

Actually, the current non-Si Civic engine is 1.8 liters; the Si engine is
2.0 liters.

The non-Si hatch engines in the 7th-gen (2001-05) Civic were 1.7 liters.