How to increase my mpg?? (98 civic LX 5-speed, AC always on)

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by mattrich67

Just making sure indid this correct
So all I have to do is enter in my fuel tank capacity 11.9 gallons and my 1.60 liter size of engine and then that's it??

What is your guys iat reading? Mine I think is like 90 I think it was something like that.
I also went back to 12* on my timing ( red line ) not 14* so we will see how we go from here

WAI effects on IAT depend a lot on the heat of the engine--beyond just coolant temps rising to the point of the fan coming on--real heat build-up. IAT also depends on the grill block. My WAI pulls air from directly over the exhaust manifold, and all the grilling is blocked in that area. The hottest summer IAT readings I see are 140s, but 130s is more common. In this cooler weather 120s is probably more common... at least I have seen 120s a couple times when I thought to really check.

[Gealii]

Originally Posted by mattrich67

Just making sure indid this correct
So all I have to do is enter in my fuel tank capacity 11.9 gallons and my 1.60 liter size of engine and then that's it??

What is your guys iat reading? Mine I think is like 90 I think it was something like that.
I also went back to 12* on my timing ( red line ) not 14* so we will see how we go from here

the tank capacity is so it can measure its distance til empty the engine size does matter. Remember to calculate it with your fill ups chances are if its averaging 50 and ur avg mpg is 30 it needs to be calibrated. If you have lean burn your mpg number will probably be wrong anyway

[darrylrobida]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

First: consider more active use of the a/c - shut it off on grades or other times when the added load would otherwise make a downshift necessary. Turn it back on when cruising or when you have to decelerate in gear (DFCO).

Second: going by the fuel gauge is a lousy way to estimate your current fuel economy. It's not accurate enough. You really need a digital MPG gauge - ScanGauge or equivalent if you want to know fuel consumption use in-between fill-ups.

Third: in my opinion, focusing on how to use the accelerator is not where you should be spending your efforts (at least in city driving). Get in the highest gear you can, then worry about the brake pedal - It's the enemy of good city MPG. You should be driving without brakes as much as possible, looking far ahead in traffic, planning & anticipating, and coasting as long as possible in neutral when approaching stops/turns (without impeding traffic!). Every time you hit the brakes, give yourself a dope slap.

Fourth: how realistic are your expectations? 25 mpg to 32 mpg is a pretty big improvement already. That's a 28% increase! And you're apparently beating your highway MPG rating now.

When you ask "How are you guys getting such awesome mpg?", which guys are you talking about?

The Civic owners getting extreme MPG are not using the A/C, they're definitely not cruising at 65 mph on the highway, and they're definitely not driving like Grandma ever did! They're using advanced techniques that may not be appropriate for you or your driving environment. 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com

I live in Maricopa, CA where it is damn HOT! This is how I have adapted:
Cut 500lbs of dead weight off of the vehicle, open the back up for more air flow and throw a wet towel around your neck. I routinely get a cool 40 MPG
while carrying loads.

[bestclimb]

Originally Posted by mattrich67

Just making sure indid this correct
So all I have to do is enter in my fuel tank capacity 11.9 gallons and my 1.60 liter size of engine and then that's it??

What is your guys iat reading? Mine I think is like 90 I think it was something like that.
I also went back to 12* on my timing ( red line ) not 14* so we will see how we go from here

Yes, though the MPG is likely slightly off.

When you fill your tank, reset the Average mpg and distance. tell the guage you filled the tank. Drive a whole tank, then fill again and do the calibration. (the procedure is in the very comprehensive PDF instructions on their website)

[mattrich67]

Hey California98

What did you have to do to calibrate your ultragauge to your civic?
I installed mine entered the engine size 1.60 liters and 11.9 gallons.

Then I topped the fuel tank off and did a full reset of the gauges to zero.

Is there anything else you did?

[mattrich67]

I have noticed one big problem of my bad FE of driving city.

When I would drive 40-45 I would keep it in 4th gear sometimes because it seemed like it was bogging down or lugging the engine. Now with this ultragauge I see exactly what's going on and I see that being in 4th gear and going 40-45 I can only max out at 60-70 mpg by feathering the peddle. Now same street I'm in 5th gear and I can coast and glide or feather the pedal and it will range from 39-200+ depending on the incline and how far I can hold the glide. And feather the peddle

My average mpg is steady 41 with 70% city and 30% highway.

When I turn my a/c on my load goes from idle with no accessories on 25% load to a/c on 41 42% load. Crazy how much load this a/c takes

My IAT has only gone to 85-90 so I will have to experiment with that.

[mattrich67]

Oh! One other thing my fiancé hates this new expermentation a/c on off shift before 2k all these new gauges

it makes it even better now she hates it hah

[mattrich67]

Just got 38.9 mpg on this last tank. This is my first 1/2 tank with the ultra-gauge
The gauge read 41 average mpg

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by mattrich67

Just got 38.9 mpg on this last tank. This is my first 1/2 tank with the ultra-gauge
The gauge read 41 average mpg

A 14% improvement and an extra 5 mpg from your previous high. Pretty good for the first post-gauge tank. That's a rate of about an extra 50-60 miles per tank, or maybe $5-$6 per tank. At this rate, in ten or twelve tanks, the UG pays for itself. But chances are you'll do even better in future.

Make sure to calibrate the fuel usage when you fill up. Just go into calibration fuel and set the fuel usage to what is shown on the pump. Once calibrated, if you keep returning to the same pump for fill-ups, you'll get less noise in the UG's data compared to the pump.

j

[mattrich67]

Cool thanks. My trip and the ultra gauge are dead on now I'm watching my fuel used.

I was going to calibrate it last tank but I accidentally not knowing that of you hold the up button it resets. So it was 3 miles off so this time we will see how accurate it is.