New car new member can't exceed epa

[Daox]

Originally Posted by mcrews

so the epa is lying????

or are the car companies lying and the epa doesnt care????

The EPA doesn't do the testing. The car companies do the testing and I believe the EPA polices it here and there.

There have been complaints by Hyundai owners that their vehicles do not get EPA rated numbers:
Consumer Watchdog To EPA: Re-Test Hyundai Elantra Gas Mileage | Consumer Watchdog

I don't think anything has come of it though.

[jousai7]

I spoke to a sales rep at a dealer and he explained to me that the MPG tests are skewed. I know every Honda I've ever owned destroyed the numbers. My 2011 fit I cant get below 36. EPA 30. Domestics are allowed to be tested on a conveyor belt that doesn't add any kind of aerodynamics resistance for their posted numbers. Where as imports have to be road tested with all variable included for there's. But a Hyundai is an import..so i'm unsure. But I know better than to believe the EPA numbers. Havent confirmed this information but from my experiences it makes sense.

[Daox]

Sales folk will say anything...

From How Vehicles Are Tested

Fuel economy is measured under controlled conditions in a laboratory using a standardized test procedure specified by federal law. Manufacturers test their own vehicles—usually pre-production prototypes—and report the results to EPA. EPA reviews the results and confirms about 10-15 percent of them through their own tests at the National Vehicles and Fuel Emissions Laboratory.

[jousai7]

Sales guys will say anything. But when there away from the job and arn't selling you a car you can learn some tricks.

[Thymeclock]

Fuel economy is measured under controlled conditions in a laboratory using a standardized test procedure specified by federal law. Manufacturers test their own vehicles—usually pre-production prototypes—and report the results to EPA. EPA reviews the results and confirms about 10-15 percent of them through their own tests at the National Vehicles and Fuel Emissions Laboratory.

That would explain it. In past years, in every car I've even bought new (which were all Toyotas and Mitsubishis) the EPA figures were right on the money. The Chevy Aveo however is accurate for the highway figure, but not for the city figure which is inflated. Of course now that GM is Government Motors there might be an incentive in fudging the stats a bit...

"Your mileage may vary". That's always the escape clause. But it's too late after you've bought the car and you can't determine whether the EPA figure is accurate beforehand.

[Fat Charlie]

If your driving conditions match the conditions of the test and your driving style matches the style of the test driver, then the numbers are going to be accurate. Later this summer when I ditch this job and get something that doesn't have me driving 90 miles a day, my MPG is going to plummet. I'm not going to be any less of a hypermiler, even if my sig stops calling me one.

The EPA rating is just a benchmark. That's all.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by 1812rob

Thanks I've read the hypermile tips.. I didn't see it in there but another members signature suggested diving without a shoe on for the gas pedal and so far that seems to help substantially since i typically wear boots to work.

That tip is in there all right

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

I've heard this said by some, but I don't see how the FE is magically going to improve any as the car gets older. There is no logic to it, and I've never experienced it on the many cars I've owned over the years. All have stayed consistent in MPG since new, whether at 1000 miles or 100,000 miles.

The moving parts bed in, the driver gets better used to the vehicle, and the tyres lose their new-ness (improves RR).

It's happened on all cars I've ever had from new, which is 4 out of 5
(Make that 5 out of 6 with the company car included.)
It hasn't happened when I used my parents' cars - which were already run in.
(And didn't happen on the company pool car I got before getting my own company car.)

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by mcrews

Change the oil 3-4 times in the first 10k.

That's a bit excessive.
But flushing out the first oil rather quickly - say after 1000 miles - definitely never hurt any engine.

Any residue left from manufacturing and the first results of wear as the parts bed in, will be flushed out along with this first oil.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by euromodder

The moving parts bed in, the driver gets better used to the vehicle, and the tyres lose their new-ness (improves RR).

Break-in periods are not as crucial as what they used to be decades ago. Any car that has over 1000 miles on it is already as broken in as it is ever going to be.

The driver getting "used to the vehicle" is nonsensical, unless you are a really disoriented driver.

If the tire supposition were true, then we should notice a drop in MPG every time we buy new tires.

I don't believe any of those things have any effect.