Becoming discouraged
 

Hi,

So after stumbling onto this website I took a radical change to my driving habits. I saw how .much I was spending and wanted to change. I did countless amount of reading and thought I got it. Even though it's still a learning in progress. I do everything I can possibly do for MPG and hardly getting over EPA ratings. Granted it's cold out and having snow tires but I feel like I should be getting more. I drive a Honda civic ex mt 07
EPA is 26/34 most of my commuting is about 50/50 So I figured it should be about 30mpg combined.

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

I pulse and glide. I have torque for my phone where I watch everything. I don't accelerate over 85 lod and try to keep it at that. I shift under 2k and always. In neutral. If anyone could share some knowledge on why my MPG isn't higher that would be wonderful

I'd try shifting higher.

Your 27% FE improvement is a major achievement. :thumbup:

Don't forget to pump up your tires. Up to the max pressure
as shown on the tire sidewall should not be a safety issue.

Also, FE in colder months is reduced due "winter gas" with
ethanol.

You're on the right track, reprogramming how you drive has
the greatest potential for long term FE improvements. It takes
considerable time and effort to incorporate/internalize the many
little tricks and use them effectively in the dynamics of everyday
driving. I think that you've reached a FE plateau from picking
the "low hanging fruit."

Keep up the good work

It's a 27% increse, if it was summer it would be closer to 40%

I'm at the same point, 27-30% over epa, and am just now started looking at other things I can do to bring it up more. Keep up the good work and start looking at the smaller things, like pan heaters, wheels, tires and such.

27% over epa is nothing to sneeze at, but it takes a lot more work to achieve what some of these guys do.

Stick with it through summer and then tell us what you think. The cold really hinders things.

Psychologically speaking, people tend to remember the points that they want to remember (be they positive or negative) and dwell on those to the exclusion of other, pertinent data. I would suggest keeping a fuel log (this site has a great tool for that). That way you can track what is going on in an unbiased way and see where to go from here.

27% is a heckuva gain.

I didn't see comments about the reduction of total miles. That is, having combined small errands into one longer trip (and used MAPQUEST or other "routing" software) to achieve the same results in fewer miles, thus fewer gallons.

If this is being done, then the 27% savings and fewer miles traveled is adding up nicely.

As above, it really is about records. I've always driven for economy to the majority of years driven, but only with this truck did I become more serious. And yet again after joining here, and, then again. Records show this. A nice change over the past nearly five years.

I would suggest learning how a cents-per-mile calculation is done, and once fuel is understood, then entering all other pertinent data to a complete understanding of what it takes to operate the vehicle every mile. My fuel cpm is currently estimated at 16-cpm, but the actual is nearly 50-cpm.

You will want to have both time and miles understood to do this: how long will you keep the vehicle, and how many miles will it accumulate?

With this sort of context those pennies saved really add up.

.

What kind of mods are you using? Grill blocks? Smooth wheel covers? A block heater to keep he engine warm in the winter? If you haven't done any of these, they are relatively easy and will net you some gains.

I don't know where you are located but Im sure that if you are near anybody they would be willing to take you out on a drive. Where are you located?

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

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).

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?

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

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!

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).

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.

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

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 !

You'll do fine when spring comes around.