bclion999

I live in Kamloops, B.C., Canada and I have a 2009 Honda Civic.
It has 100,000 kilometres on it (62,000 miles).
The gas tank takes about 39 litres (about 10 gallons?) of fuel.
I have read other posts where people say they are getting anywhere from 380 to 500 km on a tank of gas in a 2009 Civic, but I am getting nowhere near that.
Yes, I live in a hilly city and drive up and down hills to get to work and to do a bit of this and that, but my mileage is so low it is freaking me out.
The gas gauge has those bars and I believe there are 20.
When I fill it up, the bars light up to the top.
By the time I drive 10 kilometres (six miles), I lose one or two bars — and they start dropping like flies.
Today, I left the Y and started the car and I had driven 202 kilometres (125 miles).
I was down to 8 bars from the 20 that showed when I filled up 202 kilometres ago.
I drove home exactly 10 kilometres (uphill) and when I pulled into my garage, I was down to six bars.
So, I have six bars or a quarter of a tank at 202 kilometres (125 miles).
I just know the bars will quickly drop to three and the red light will come on, prompting me to obsess over running empty,
The last time I filled up and tracked the numbers, I got 330 kilometres on a tank with 39 litres. This time, I am going to be lucky to hit 300 kilometres (186 miles).
That cannot be normal.
I keep the car tuned up and I might need to add some air to the tires, but is there any explanation for such ****-poor mileage?
Does anybody else get so little distance from a full tank in a 2009 Honda while living in a hilly city?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks;
Chris

ezone

Air the tires up, that eats gas mileage.
Cold weather eats gas mileage.
Really cold weather eats the hell out of gas mileage
Letting the engine warm up before driving really ruins gas mileage.
Winter fuel blends eat gas mileage.
Driving habits eat gas mileage.
Stops and starts and hills eat up gas mileage.



Your BEST gas mileage will happen at rock steady speed, 50-55 MPH (what's that, like 80-90 KMH?) in the summer.

Everything else makes mileage numbers drop.

The car is probably doing the best it can do, given the driving situations you put it in.


Use real liters or gallons, not bars on the gas gauge.

Track it in a log every time you get fuel, Keep a notebook in the glovebox with a pen.... write down the odometer reading and exact gallons or liters to fill it up, and fill it to the same place each time. Do this EVERY TIME you get fuel. Calculate every time you get fuel. Eventually you will accumulate enough data to track trends.

jordan1794

My 2006 even driving on the highway it'd be a stretch to hit much over 300 miles(482 km) on a tank, in the summer.

In the winter, driving to and from work(50/50 city highway) I'd usually get about 250-275 miles (400-450 km) before the light would come on.

That's without warming up, and in only semi-cold weather.
(Lowest it USUALLY gets here is in the 20's, maybe the teens(Fahrenheit))

Sounds like you are right on target for bitter cold, and hills.
Especially if you drive on snow, that super kills mileage.

Proofs(Didn't track long on my 2006, but I have tracked every fill up on my 2014)

https://www.fuelly.com/driver/jordan1794

mikey1

says who?

bclion999

Thanks for the input. It helps.
I guess the 400+ km per tank is based on warm climates while doing mostly highway driving.
I guess going up and down these hills, combined with the colder weather, does indeed make for 300-km tanks.
Thanks again;
cjf

ezone

I know people that are getting MPGs in the low 20s from 9th gens in dense city stop and go traffic, and that's in warm weather.







My car was rated at 28/39 MPG on the window sticker (or maybe it was 29/38? *shrug*).

I know I've gotten over 50 MPG on the highway out of my own car.

I JUST made a 150 mile trip Monday AM that netted me 29.4 MPG on the highway, and I will make the return trip tomorrow morning (soaking up a company paid hotel room right now).

I also know how I achieved both of those figures on the highway, and they are both very real. One is very high for a reason, the other is very low for a reason.

mikey1

both of those things kill fuel economy

sthpawil

Start gently, stop gently, drive the speed limit, and keep your tires aired up...you will be amazed at what those things will do for your fuel mileage.