Becoming discouraged

[davidlewallen]

Im located about an hour and a half north of Syracuse, NY. Far far up in NY

[Blacktree]

Like the guys mentioned already, a 27% improvement on snow tires is pretty darn good.

You're doing better than me, and I'm in Florida (no snow tires, and no winter gas).

[Tupelo]

That far north, you've probably seen single digit temperatures (Fahrenheit) on many nights. In addition to winter blends of gas, there are lots of other winter effects that bring down the mileage. Cold starts are colder, which has a huge effect on the amount of gas an engine uses until it warms up. Cold air is denser, which increases air drag. A cold drivetrain is a little less efficient than a warm one. Running the heater will pull heat from the engine, making it a bit less efficient. Using a radiator or grill block while monitoring the engine temperature can help conserve heat. A block heater can also make a big difference. As others have said, 27% is great for snow tires in winter driving.

Try describing your driving routes. There might be other things we can suggest. How long, how hilly, how many stops, what speeds?

[Old Mechanic]

Originally Posted by davidlewallen

Im located about an hour and a half north of Syracuse, NY. Far far up in NY

David, look at my CBR250 motorcycle in my fuel log. Last summer I was getting 84 MPG. Now it is down to 73MPG, and I live in Virgina, which is a lot warmer average temperatures than Syracuse NY.

You will probably see a 15% increase in mileage this summer, even higher if you stick around and develop your techniques, with some fairly easy mods even higher.

Why give up or get discouraged? It's not a competition, it's money in your pocket. Things I had to learn to do, now come almost subconsciously. Heck even my 86 year old mother hypermiles her Cadillac Eldorado and gets 30 MPG on the highway.

regards
Mech

[California98Civic]

I agree with the comments about weather and that 27% is significant. FE will be higher in the warmer months. Watch tire pressure. As for driving... I have a 1998 Civic, which is quite different from yours, but my load target is 75-80%. 85% sounds a little high. I could be wrong. Also, I shift at 2200 rpm. You might also cut the engine while waiting at longer lights (30 seconds or longer). And you might learn to do some bump starting or at least cut the engine for coasting to red lights. Those are my easiest free suggestions.

Onward!

[bestclimb]

in my 95 civic, I shoot for about 2500 rpm shifts. If going down hill I shift a bit earlier, uphill a bit later.

Really though when to upshift to me has less to do than when to down shift or coast. As long as you are not lugging it up to speed or getting to 55 in first then second you will do well ok. Not using the brakes is pretty much the biggest thing. Leave yourself space and coast or down shift earlier to slow down.

Run a block heater for 30 min before you depart and that will help quite a bit. My experimentation shows that on the 25mph drive of 1 mile from the house to the highway, I can go from 40something to 60something mpg (it is mostly down hill).

[Fat Charlie]

Relax, it's winter. My record tank was over 34, but I haven't been able to even hit 30 in ages. When the sun finally comes out we'll all be a lot happier.

[freakshoww]

An MPGuino would help to improve your habits further.. you might think you're doing everything right, but instrumentation will tell you for sure.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Tupelo

Cold air is denser, which increases air drag.

Tell me about it !
I rode home in 0° C and I finally saw 60 mpg and better being indicated again on the dash (instant consumption).
A lot better than when we had -13°C (9°F) weather !

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by davidlewallen

Most of my tanks lie above 35mpg with my most recent tank being 38 yes this is a 27% increase but I feel that for the effort I should be getting more

You'll do fine when spring comes around.