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I posted this last night but it doesn't seem like the post worked.
So I'll try again.

Hi All,
I've been lurking here for about 4 weeks and this is my first post.
I'm wondering about the gas mileage that you're all getting.

I've used the search function and many of you are getting phenomenal mileage.
anywhere from like 32 to 40 miles per gallon.

I have a new 2003 civic LX sedan manual trans that has about 1500 miles on it.
I'm getting a consistent 26 or 27 miles per gallon even on long highway trips.
I do have an aftermarket Yakima roof rack, But I also have the full fairing to aid the aerodynamics.
I also use my a/c consistently b/c it's hot and humid in Detroit, Michigan.

I usually shift at 2500rpm or so and I rarely hit 3500rpm. I'd like to get amazing mileage
out of the car (one of the primary reasons for buying it) but it's just not happening.
I'm using Sunoco gas and usually use 87 octane. Could the roof rack be ruining it that much
even when there is nothing on it?

I just took a 530 mile road trip which was almost pure highway and I'm still getting 26.8 mpg?
Should I be worried? Will the mileage improve as the engine gets more used?
Thanks for all of your comments and help.

BTW, these forums and this website are the greatest!

 
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From what I've heard and experienced from having roof-carriers, yep, that'd be your problem. If you look in your manual, you'll see that our cars are made to haul about 800 lbs. If you're roof-carrier has anything in it, especially heavy items, that will hurt your mileage. Secondly, it doesn't matter how aerodynamic the carrier is, it's still a drag on the car. When you have a drag on the car, it takes more fuel and power to acheive a comfortable cruising speed.

I would say that you should try taking off the carrier for a couple tanks, and see if you're mileage improves. I would hazard a guess and say that it will.

Hope that helps.

 
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Thanks for the reply.
There is actually no carrier on the car. It's just a bare bones roof rack.
I understand that the mileage will go down b/c of the rack.
What bothers me is that before the rack was on there, I was getting 28 mpg.
(for about 2 tankfulls). Now with the rack, I'm getting 26.8 or 27.
What happened to the 32/38 that I'm supposed to be getting, especially
with the calm type of shifting/driving that I'm trying to do.
Could the empty rack really ruin the mpg that much?

 
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in my old em2 (coupe civic ex) i was only getting 26-28mpg which was half highway half city.. now with my ep3 (hb si) im getting 24mpg

 
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i get low milege on the tank, but that is because i have an auto and always let the engine go upto 4 or 5, when i drive calmly, i get good millege, i think u sjould get ride of the rack, see if it helps, if not just take it to the dealership, there must be something wrong with the airflow or something

 
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I got 01 ex and get around 400+ on single tank, always

 
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Hmmmmm...... then I'd say to look at some less obvious reasons for poor mileage. Check you're tire pressure. I have 30psi front and rear, if you're running lower pressure, that could hinder you're mileage. Also check the air filter in the air-box. It could be plugged up already (I doubt it, but possibly) and I know that when mine was pretty dirty, my mileage dropped significantly. A/C does reduce your mileage a bit, but I've been running mine pretty much constantly as well, for about a month and a half, and I still get about 30/city, 34/highway. Now, I drive an auto, and you drive a stick, but from what I've heard, sticks are better for mileage.

That's all I can think of for now. If I come up with any more, I'll post them.

 
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Thanks for everyones help.
I'll try all of those things.
I'll do some expirementing w/o the yak rack,
but that makes my life difficult, as I use the rack to carry my bikes around.

I understand that when the bikes are on there it introduces tons of drag into the equation.
I was just upset about the low mileage for those times when there's nothing on there,
i.e. the trip I took yesterday for 530 miles and got sucky mileage.

I welcome any other thoughts, suggestions. Thanks.

 
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Your engine has not been broken into yet. Also, go to a different gas station and see if that helps. I know from experience that using 87 octane for some reason, have poor mileage. Try using 89 for 2 full tanks and see if that helps. I used to get 25MPG when using 87. Now with 89, I get about 29-30MPG 100% cty.

 
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Well this is interesting....
Last time I filled up, the pump stopped automatically as usual.
But I perservered and managed to slowly pump in another THREE GALLONS without spilling a drop!
This is the first time I've actually tried this hard to fill it to the last drop.
Even the owners manual recommends against it so the fuel can have someplace to expand to if necessary.

Now I've gone over 100 miles and the needle hasn't moved from the full mark even one iota!
Dang, this is frustrating.
I wish I had an extremely accurate gas guage so I wouldn't have to wonder what the heck is going on.

 
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Ditch the rack , you will see a difference. My 01 coupe M/T gets 37-39 mph, I use A/C and drive it around 125 miles a day.

 
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W/o the rack to support my biking hobby, the car has very limited use to me.
I knew I would sacrifice some performance for the rack, but I didn't think it would be this drastic.

 
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What speed do you normally drive at when you're on the highway. I used to drive an average of 80 mph on the highway. I'm not sure what my mpg was when I drove 80. Now, after getting a speeding ticket, I drive around 60 mph on the highway, and get around 36 mpg. I have an automatic '02 lx sedan

 
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What speed do you normally drive at when you're on the highway? I used to drive an average of 80 mph on the highway. I'm not sure what my mpg was when I drove 80. Now, after getting a speeding ticket, I drive around 60 mph on the highway, and get around 36 mpg. I have an automatic '02 lx sedan

 
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Give it 4000-5000 miles then see what happens. The car need a little time to break in and get going before the milage will pick up. Take the rack off when you're not using it, its just extra drag, and set the tires to 31 or 32 PSI, that helps a little too.

 
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The fuel gauge in our cars suck ****. Don't go by how far the needle goes down to estimate how much gas you've used. If you want real accurate mileage, use your trip odometer... i.e., reset it each time you fill up, and use the number of gallons you just pumped in to get the mileage.