Should I be getting better gas mileage with my VX?
 

Hi all.

I recently bought a 1995 honda civic hatchback VX. It is the california edition not federal so it doesn't come with the lean burn function. Online it says the CA edition gets 37 mpg city/45 highway and the federal edition 39 city/50 highway. I have read other stats saying (federal) is 44 city/51 highway. I have also seen people say that they get 55, 60, even 70 mpg + with VX's.

My first several tanks I was only getting an average of 28 mpg city which left me very disappointed and I began researching why this could be. I found that the tires were heavily deflated to 25 psi and lower, one being at 10 psi. I inflated the tires to 35 psi and got 35 mpg city on my last tank. Much better than 28 mpg.

Being that the CA edition VX rating is at 37 mpg city online and 45 highway. I am wondering if 35 mpg city is about right, being that it is an old car with over 300,000 miles on it. Is 35 miles per gallon city correct for a CA edition VX or should I be seeing higher?

I also replaced the fuel filter, have a new O2 sensor, and the engine is in fact a stock D15Z1 Vtech-E and there are no mods on the car.

You driving conditions will determine if you get the EPA numbers or not. The amount of time you spend stopped with the engine on has a big impact on city mileage as does accelerating from the stop. Short trips will also kill your mileage. Tell us about your commute or normal drive.

I live in a suburban area. At times there can be moderate traffic but definitely not anything like NYC or a heavily populated stop and go area. I have been driving all street traffic to test the city mpg - non highway. I am going on a road trip soon so am going to test the highway mpg then. I am not a fast or heavy footed driver at all. More often than not someone is passing me verses me passing someone. On a spectrum I would say I drive mellow and cautious to average. Not often going over the speed limit and not in a rush to get places. I don't drive SUPER SLOW, I drive what is comfortable to me which I would say is average in speed to slightly less than average.

I think you are doing pretty good. My VX (49 state) had a year round average of 48MPG (very very little city driving mostly flat land). In the summer I would hover around 51MPG. It was a lot of work averaging even the revised EPA standards. My car was in good shape low mileage and had a complete tune-up performed on it. For me I felt like they cut the VX mileage rating very close. It was doable but just barely and only in the best conditions and with me always paying attention. A lot of time the huge numbers you see are about location location location. Open country with no stoplights, or using hills to maximum advantage or cars modified for maximum drag reduction. For your conditions I think you are doing good....you can do more, if you want to go down that rabbit hole Alice.

Haha right on. Thanks for the feedback.

If you haven't already take a look at 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com tips 26 -33 deal with "Sub/urban driving".

My Insight is rated 49/61 with the new EPA numbers, and 61/70 with the old numbers. On the highway at ~60mph and without A/C, I see 70-80mpg typically (my best tank was 78mpg). Running the A/C can drop it as much as 10mpg. Driving on backroads with a low speed limit and no stops (40-50), 100+ mpg is not abnormal. Recently I was sick for over a week and was using my car to drive to school each day, only about 3 miles. The weather was cold, and I was seeing <45mpg typically, even using my best techniques. My wife has even had a few 35mpg trips from heavy traffic.

Cooler weather lowers MPG. Stop and go lowers it. Short trips lowers it. High speeds lowers it.

The more time you can spend driving without accelerating or decelerating, at low speeds, in warm weather but without A/C, the better your MPG averages will be.