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Donahue · 09-01-2015, 01:34 PM

Hello all, I recently bought a 2004 Civic HX. My last car was wrecked (2008 Sentra) and I never concerned myself with its mpg (29 average). But when I started looking into a new vehicle I decided that i should start paying attention, especially since we might be buying a house soon, and my daily commute will likely become longer. I settled on a civic of some kind and I preferred to find one with a 5 speed, AC, and cruise. I picked up the HX with 137k miles for pretty cheap, it has a rebuilt title but is in good shape otherwise. The car needed a primary O2 sensor right away, and needs some other preventive maintenance (I'm going to be changing the timing belt this next weekend), plus some tires. All in all I think I got a great deal, and its way more fun to drive than my old Sentra. Shortly after I bought the car I had filled the tank. yesterday my new sensor came in and I installed it. I then went to fill it again to see what my mpg had been with the other sensor disconnected. The trip was 214 miles and it took 5.8 gallons so about 37 mpg. My daily commute is about 35 miles round trip, pretty much flat, and 2/3rd highway at 65. Since I've started paying attention to economy, I started driving the speed limit everywhere instead of the usual 5 to 10 over like I used to. Now I will generally set the cruise right at the speed limit, and just drive in the far right lane. Most of the time I might have to occasionally pass a semi (3 lanes each way), but most of the time that lane is clear for long stretches.

Some observations: I've noticed that the people that speed past me tend to be waiting at the off ramp light when I get up to it. I never noticed that before and it makes me wonder how much money I have wasted all these years. I also like the peace of mind knowing that I don't have to watch out for the cops because I was speeding. I have also seen my speedometer seems to be a couple of mph off. I have not yet had a chance to check the odometer against the mile posts, but according to my GPS, I'm about 2 mph slower than what the gauge says. It could be the worn out tires, but its still about 2 mph at several speeds including 30, 40, and 65. I am thinking that if the odometer checks out ok, someone must have taken the needle off at some point and put it back on slightly off. If the odometer is off too, then my logic says its in the tires. They are stock size.

Maybe I can convince the wife to let me get a ultragauge for christmas or something, that might be nice to have. In the mean time, I might try and rig up a LED or use a vacuum gauge to tell when the car goes into lean burn mode. So far I cannot tell by feel. It could also be that the car had not been using the lean burn mode with no primary O2 sensor connected.

09-01-2015, 01:34 PM	#1 (permalink)
Donahue EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Keizer, OR Posts: 87 White Lightning - '04 Honda Civic HX Team Honda 90 day: 40.5 mpg (US) Thanks: 17 Thanked 9 Times in 6 Posts	New from Oregon Hello all, I recently bought a 2004 Civic HX. My last car was wrecked (2008 Sentra) and I never concerned myself with its mpg (29 average). But when I started looking into a new vehicle I decided that i should start paying attention, especially since we might be buying a house soon, and my daily commute will likely become longer. I settled on a civic of some kind and I preferred to find one with a 5 speed, AC, and cruise. I picked up the HX with 137k miles for pretty cheap, it has a rebuilt title but is in good shape otherwise. The car needed a primary O2 sensor right away, and needs some other preventive maintenance (I'm going to be changing the timing belt this next weekend), plus some tires. All in all I think I got a great deal, and its way more fun to drive than my old Sentra. Shortly after I bought the car I had filled the tank. yesterday my new sensor came in and I installed it. I then went to fill it again to see what my mpg had been with the other sensor disconnected. The trip was 214 miles and it took 5.8 gallons so about 37 mpg. My daily commute is about 35 miles round trip, pretty much flat, and 2/3rd highway at 65. Since I've started paying attention to economy, I started driving the speed limit everywhere instead of the usual 5 to 10 over like I used to. Now I will generally set the cruise right at the speed limit, and just drive in the far right lane. Most of the time I might have to occasionally pass a semi (3 lanes each way), but most of the time that lane is clear for long stretches. Some observations: I've noticed that the people that speed past me tend to be waiting at the off ramp light when I get up to it. I never noticed that before and it makes me wonder how much money I have wasted all these years. I also like the peace of mind knowing that I don't have to watch out for the cops because I was speeding. I have also seen my speedometer seems to be a couple of mph off. I have not yet had a chance to check the odometer against the mile posts, but according to my GPS, I'm about 2 mph slower than what the gauge says. It could be the worn out tires, but its still about 2 mph at several speeds including 30, 40, and 65. I am thinking that if the odometer checks out ok, someone must have taken the needle off at some point and put it back on slightly off. If the odometer is off too, then my logic says its in the tires. They are stock size. Maybe I can convince the wife to let me get a ultragauge for christmas or something, that might be nice to have. In the mean time, I might try and rig up a LED or use a vacuum gauge to tell when the car goes into lean burn mode. So far I cannot tell by feel. It could also be that the car had not been using the lean burn mode with no primary O2 sensor connected.