Ok guys, I ran out of solutions, I really need your help

[AndrzejM]

Originally Posted by pete c

There is one solution to getting great mileage when all your trips are under 5 miles.

It's called a bicycle.

No vehicle out there will get good mileage when it is running in closed loop the majority of the time.

I agree! ;-)

But I think you've meant open loop

[pete c]

Yeah, that's it, open loop.

I have a 12+ mile commute to work. In the nicer weather, I sometimes bike commute. If I had a <5 mile commute, I'd do it a hell of a lot more.

[AndrzejM]

I have ~4.5 mile commute to work and the same back home. And I'm riding a bicycle (regardless weather in -25C too) I can't imagine such short commute's FE in -25C

[pete c]

-25C? What's that in real degrees?

A bit below zero, if my math is right. That's awesome.

If I had that short a ride, I'd certainly be less of a weather wussy.

[AndrzejM]

It's -13F

[jayliu1984]

Originally Posted by jayliu1984

Thanks for all the replies guys. Can you please, when you suggest what to check, include what I should look for.

How do I check a O2 sensor? I can take it out and then what? I am sure it won't be shiny but how do I know if it is affecting my mileage.

Or spark plugs, what do I even look for?

For practical reasons I can not ride a bike. If you must know, I drive my wife to work as well that's just on the other side of the block. So even if I bike, she will drive.

We live in a small apartment so there is no room to even park 1 bike, let alone 2.

And it is rainy in Vancouver during winter, nor does the road here have bike lanes.

Saving money on fuel is onething, driving a car that has defect is another. I am merely trying to determine if there is a problem with the car.

[MetroMPG]

With respect, I think you're on a wild goose chase.

I think the odds are that you're just not going to get the rated city mileage in hilly Vancouver urban driving from a cold start over that short a distance. It's not the car. It's the way the car is being used.

Someone else asked a good question: were you able to get the rated city mileage in your previous vehicle on the exact same commute? Did you track it?

[kwijibo]

I'm new here, but would like to put in my 2 cents worth. I also have a short commute of under 5 miles, but I drive a 04 explorer with 4wd and 4.0 liter engine and will average about 16 in the winter. Thank goodness winter in MN is almost over and I can start biking to work. It looks like you bought it last fall which means it has only seen a winter blend of gas since you have owned it. I would like to know what the summer blend will give you. I have been tracking my mileage on fuelly for the last couple of years and have paid close attention to what brand of gas I use. So I know in my area which one will give me the best mileage, just something you might want to think about. On this web site (Fuelly) you can also compare what other people are getting on different models of cars. So I did a comparison for a car like yours and someone from the southern US who drives mainly in the city is currently getting low 20's for this time of year. So considering it's a lot warmer there and probably a different blend of gas you may not be that far off for your car.

[jayliu1984]

Hello guys, I would like give everyone an update. I had a road trip this weekend so I took this opportunity to test my 2009 accord's highway fuel consumption.

I drove a total of 260km back and forth, of which about 200km are regular highway that I maintained 90-105 km/h; 60 of them are city/suburb driving ranging from 50-80km/h.

I have 3 passengers and some snowboard equipment. I guessed about 580lb of human and 80lb of cargo.

I ran AC for about half hour and had fan on low the whole time. Tire pressure are 40psi and I didn't use much cruise control.

The result is 7.8L/100km or 30mpg, which is exactly what the EPA rating is.

So... I not sure how EPA highway rating is obtained, but I think that it can only get better if I drove pure highway and only have 1 passenger?

All in all, I now incline to think that there is nothing wrong with the car.

One unrelated observation though, I cleaned my rims about 2 months ago, and now my rear wheels are coated with break dust, but I can still see metal on the front wheels.

[MetroMPG]

I think that it can only get better if I drove pure highway and only have 1 passenger?

Definitely. Sounds to me like you've got your answer to this problem.

One unrelated observation though, I cleaned my rims about 2 months ago, and now my rear wheels are coated with break dust, but I can still see metal on the front wheels.

It's unusual to see more brake dust on the rear than the front. But maybe it's not brake dust at all ... it could just be road grime. The rears would get more of that than the front on a long trip especially if the roads were wet and dirty.