[SentraSE-R]

Hi ChazinMT,

Your education is about to start, and you're going to think my answers are extreme. They may or may not be extreme, but they're what will give you the best mpg.

First, forget about going over the speed limit. 5 mph over to 5 mph under is if you want your average speed to be slightly less than the speed limit. If you want best mpg, use the posted speed limit as your upper delta point, and 10-15 mph under the PSL as your bottom delta point. On a highway with PSL >55 mph, I use 60-62 mph as my upper pulse speed when there are cars around, and sometimes only 55 mph. When I set my cruise control for a highway cruise, it's at 50-55 mph. My SE-R gets 26 mpg at 72 mph, and 38 mpg at 55 mph. My xB gets 32 mpg at 70 mph, and over 40 mpg at 55 mph. Your Civic will behave similarly.

Then there's how much throttle and which rpm range to use. 75% throttle doesn't mean that. It means 75 LOD on your Scangauge, and it's moderately brisk in my SE-R, but pretty light on my Scion and your Civic. Your best acceleration for fuel consumed comes from your Brake Specific Fuel Consumption curve, but for most 1.5 to 2.0 liter I-4 engines, you start your pulse at 1500 rpm, and end it around 2000 to 2200 rpm - well below your variable valve actuation.

For hills, lightfoot your way up them, drop speed at the top, and enjoy the free coasting down them. When they're steep enough that you need to scrub off speed, DFCO down them in gear, and you won't use any gas.