Honda VTEC 3.5L

[dancarne]

I'm new to the site and driving what most of you would consider a gas guzzler. I average 23-24MPG in a Honda Odyssey. I'm hoping that there is a way that we can reach out to the pickup truck/SUV drivers that are going to be in serious trouble as gas prices go up. It was sobering to hear that gas prices will probably hit $6/gallon based on the $135/barrel.

I looked at whether switching to a 36MPG Civic would save me money. At $6/gallon, I could save $1500/year because I drive 20,000mi/year. That's not enough of a savings to change vehicles because I have to pay about that much to license the car in Missouri.

The Honda VTEC 3.5L V6 is an interesting beast. VTEC means it has variable valve timing, which gives it incredible power when needed. Some of these 4600 lb. vans can do 0-60MPH in under 7 seconds.

Some model years do have a defect however. To reduce emissions the engine computer adjusts to an overrich fuel/air mixture. I know this because I have my oil tested by dyson.com and there's fuel dillution, fuel in the oil. It's a known problem.

Also, when it's not hot, I loose 20% of my MPG!!! This hurts. I don't know what to do about this yet.

And lastly, because it's 4600 lbs. there's no way to get good mileage around town. I can coax it to 20MPG. My wife doesn't know how to glide enough in this vehicle, so when she borrows it, the van gets 17MPG.

The best MPG I ever had was when we were in the Rockies with a family of 5 and a full load, no roof rack. I put it on cruise control UP the Rockies going almost 80MPH and the VTEC was at 5000RPMs for about 30 miles. It was pretty amazing. Also amazing was that on that tank we average 27MPG. And, it wasn't a fluke. The next tankfull came in at 26MPG. It doesn't seem to fit with the theories I've read here, but the technology came together to work. Perhaps it was a super long P&G cycle?

Thanks for the forum. I'm learning some things I can use.

Dan

[SVOboy]

Welcome to ecomodder! You're not doing horribly with the van, I must say! Whereabouts are you in MO? My fambly is from the chillicothe area.

[dancarne]

Thanks for providing this forum. My MPG is improving. My wife thought I was the only one who would by a scangauge and obsess over their MPG.

Chillicothe is half a state away. I'm in St. Louis county. I bet it's beautiful out there.

Dan

[88CRX]

Welcome, i know where your coming from regarding gas guzzler... I think your making much better mileage than my friend with a Odyssey.

[dancarne]

Some of the Odyssey's get 13MPG. Truly pathetic. I don't know that anyone has ever figured out what the issue is because the computer diagnostic system says everything is OK.

[Daox]

Welcome to the site. While the van may not be ideal, it can still be hypermiled (as can everything basically). I'd definitly try out driving with load (look it up in the 100+ tips) as your main technique for an automatic. Also driving without brakes is a key technique. Good luck!