ragingSPAM

iTrader: (8)

shift early and dont go over 65 on freeways...bam u save a ton of gas

nick95673

iTrader: (13)

ok so i attempted to f off my gas milage i made all the small trips to the store for a single soda and ice cream bars. i only drove 80 on the freeway. i took the route with the most traffic home and i threw about 300 lbs of tools in the trunk and i got 33 mpg which when you consider the f-100 i traded it for was getting 15mpg at its best is freakin awesome. we shouldnt trip off of getting an extra 3mpg in a car that does 33+

stl01civic

iTrader: (12)

shift at 6.5 and redline it every gear.

nick95673

iTrader: (13)

LA to Sacramento, 466 miles in 6 hours exactly, average speed 77.6, 13.617gal 34.22mpg. I drove it like i stole it. redlined it on to the on-ramp, dropped it in to 3rd to pass on the freeway. doin over 100mph for over 40 min goin 90 up the grapevine. I didnt check my air pressure, my a/c was on, i had the windows cracked and i was loaded up with over 400 lbs of crap in my car. So if you figure 30mpg is accepted as the standard for good highway gas milage which they test at michigan international speedway with no traffic, and i got 34.22 driving like a jack ***. on I-5

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

haha nice!

pr0vidence

yup, did this over this weekend drove down to long island with the gf from CT. drove down at 65 mph on cruise control, drove aorund a bit, and back up on cruise. Used only half a tank of gas but traveled 300 miles. Filled up 6.99 gallons. Average: 44 MPG. (mileage is approximate because I can't remember what it was exactly, it was really more like 310, if you are checking my math)

clownprince

iTrader: (5)

I do this pretty much on a daily basis............got three tickets to prove it

i need to slow down

djy

civic ex 2004 2dr manual

mean time between refuel 10.5 days
mean cost spent per fillup is $17.71
mean cost per gallon is $1.853
mean miles per gallon is 29.82

i had experience driving with a manual gearbox in things like forklifts and frontloaders but never a car. i needed a way to quantify the effects of driving a car, to determine what rpm range for shifting was most efficient. so i keep all the fuel receipts, always top off the tank, and record the trip and odom.

i smoke so the sunroof or driver window is always cracked but the ac is never on. there is also 100 pounds of stereo equip in the boot. i shift between 2 and 3 thousand, although experiments indicate mileage increases around 3 (i prefer a smoother ride and my coffee in the cup). also, i always shift into neutral when rolling to a long stop. i figure it takes the stress off both the drivetrain and the clutch.

the first few weeks were horrible because i had to learn how to drive the thing. the next high hump is a result of going 80 nonstop for a whole tank, while considerably weighted down with luggage. the rest of the low spikes are caused by the winter. i hate getting into a cold car so i'll turn it on and leave it on and go back inside for awhile. it's the 0 miles/time that kills the mpg average.

someone made a comment about running synthetics to improve effeciency. it is my understanding that synthetic oils swell more than and oil with stock from hydrocarbons. i believe they don't make much of a difference until around 40-50k miles, or if you beat on the car everyday...at that point, the piston seals are not as good. synthetics can offset this inevitable shortcoming of mechanical and thermal wear. there are other benefits like increased lubricity and longevity, but after all we are only driving hondas. a car the british believe is best suited for old people.

my car has been taking in water on the driver's side floor, during heavy rains. i took the seat out, tore up the rug, shop-vac'd the water out, hosed the car down (above and below). no apparent leaks. i also blew the sunroof drains out with compressed air and tested them. i suspect it might only come in during a certain speed, like water flinging off the tires at the same angle, into a tiny hole. i don't know and this sucks. any suggestions before i drag it to a dealer? if your car has ever had water soak the floor, please reply to this message. other than this and the abs idiot light coming on, the car has been a champ. i punched a hole in the bumper by sliding into a truck hitch during the winter. fyi, you can buy a new one unpainted, black, and it looks damn good with magnesium paint. you can install it yourself for a fraction of the cost in about an hour and it's not worth painting. also, for you easterners, i put blizzaks on the stock rims during winter and the traction/handling increases by 10 fold. definately worth the money, the stock tires blow.

i hope my poorman's fuel study provided some sort of benchmark or insight.

HondCivc91

iTrader: (1)

wow djy, awesome reply. I have an '05 EX 5spd with about 10.5k on the odometer now, and I don't record the fuel economy, but I check on my cell phone calculator everytime I fill up. I seem to average 32-34mpg mostly highway, with the cruise control set to 70-80mph. I did average almost 39mpg once .. but it was an odd situaiton. I was driving my friend back to her house during a snowstorm, so needless to say I traveled about 70 miles round trip, but I averaged maybe 40mph and 98% of that was in 5th gear.

But in a nutshell, I average 32-34 most highway, a few redlines, but mostly shifting at or about 3k. I also use Mobil 1 5w-20 changed every 5k miles, and the first change at about 1,500 miles.