2009 Civic Hybrid

[alek]

I sold my 2004 5 speed hybrid to upgrade to a newer 2009 civic hybrid.

Very pleased with interior quality, have the optional leather and navi, and having an auto is nice with such a weak car.

My 2004 averaged 48-52mpg on average in the summer, first tank on my 2009 i averaged a tad over 46.1mpg, this is well worth the trade-off to me for the luxury compared to my 2004 however i was wondering if there is anything specific to these cars that i could do to slightly improve the average and maybe get closer to 50mpg.

Only had the car for 5 days now so far just got tints done and debadged. Will take off mudflaps today as well as up the PSI in the tires.

for some reason cannot add pictures

[Cobb]

All the eco mods apply. After market wheels and tires can really hurt a hybrids mpg. With hondas when the engine and cvt approaches its end of service life you can see mpg suffer. Honda likes 0w20 synthentic oil. Some dealers use 5w20 or even over fill it. Weak starter battery can also cause low ima performance.

Was it a private sale or dealer? Maybe a good idea to disconnect the starter battery, wait 15 minutes, reconnect, let it idle for 15 minutes to learn your new habits and forgot the previous owners.

[alek]

It was from a dealer. Under warranty till 2016 /100k miles
Has stock wheels (horrendously ugly) and decent thread on tires.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by alek

It was from a dealer. Under warranty till 2016 /100k miles
Has stock wheels (horrendously ugly) and decent thread on tires.

That's a nice car, man. Congrats. It has a CVT, of course. How many RPMs does it turn at 60mph? My 1993 Civic CX/VX transmission does about 2050 at 60mph. Would be fun to compare. I bet you're well under 2000 rpms.

It these wheels you no like? I love 'em... very aero too. Wish I could get 'em for my ride but they are a totally different bolt pattern. Grrr...

[user removed]

I wonder if those wheels fit a Fiesta. I could always glue a blue oval over the stylized H.

regards
Mech

[Cobb]

Try increasing the tire psi, blocking part of the grill, reducing ac use and coasting as much as you can.

Old Mechanic, cant see the lugs, maybe a 5 lug. Most honda 4 lug are 4x100.

[bombloader]

Definitely check tire pressure, mine does well with pressure at sidewall max. I've had no temperature issues with upper grill block year round including over 100 degree temps. Stop and go traffic with the AC on will reduce mileage significantly in these cars.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

I wonder if those wheels fit a Fiesta. I could always glue a blue oval over the stylized H.

regards
Mech

Me too... for the heck of it I went and got the deets, and it seems the answer is "no":

Civic Hybrid (2008-2012) ALLOY WHEEL, 15 X 6, 5 LUG, 115MM BOLT, OFFSET 45MM

Fiesta (2012-2014) ALLOY WHEEL; 16 X 6; 37.5 MM OFFSET; 4 LUG; 4.25 INCH BP

[alek]

Mine looks exactly like that picture haha

Black on light tan leather.

Mudflaps i am in the process of removing right now, tire pressure will be upped i want to see if it will make any difference on this tank. Im well aware of staying away from AC in stop and go situations.

Yes wheels are 5 lug, personally think they are horrendous but i know they help out with the fuel economy and i drive 200-300 miles a day mon-fri.

For those that have done the grill block did it make a difference and was it lower or upper grill block?

Even if i only manage to average 45ish to me it is a fair trade off for how much more this car offers in terms of creature comforts compared to my 04

also at 60mph cruising on a flat plan the trans keeps it at about 1500-1700 rpm. at 70 its right around 2k. love it as i am used to my previous car (2007 6 speed corvette) always being able to stay at low rpm.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by alek

...and i drive 200-300 miles a day mon-fri....

A great ecomod for you would be to move closer to work! ...but seriously, if it were possible to cut that to just 50 miles a day, you'd save like $15-$20 a day in gas alone. I imagine you've thought of that... ?