| About gas mileage??
- Click HERE for Original Thread
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| FrozenHeart |
| Hi, I bought a 2004 MDX recently. This car is running average of 12 in the city and 17 on the freeway. The window sticker show it suppose to run 17 in city and 23 on freeway. Is this consider as normal? Does any one have the same problem? |
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| EXCALIBUR |
FrozenHeart,
Greetings and salutations. Welcome aboard. I would not say the gas mileage you are experiencing is a problem per se. Your MDX is still new and needs breaking in. Your gas mileage will also depend on road and weather conditions, and your driving style, etc. Remember, the MDX is a mid-size SUV. YMMV, and enjoy your MDX.:29: |
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| FrozenHeart |
thx Excaliber, I really appreciate your help
I understand the driving habbit will cause the difference, but the car is already 2k, and last weeken I went to Las Vagas from LA. It run 260m with 80m/ph about 2000rpm but on the way back with the same rate of speed and rpm, no traffic too it only run 210m.........
Do you have any idea what maybe wrong? |
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| Blackura |
Hi FrozenHeart... congrats on your new X!
Gas mileage is not great early on, but it will improve. I live in a rather congested area and get about 13mpg in stop sign-to-stop sign driving, 16 or so in normal "combined" driving, and 24+ on the highway.
One thing you should do is on your next fill-up, reset the trip computer to 0 mpg. (Hold in the reset button a few seconds until it resets.) If you don't do this, you'll be looking at a running total mpg which will be averaging your early days' poor mileage with today's [hopefully better] numbers. Personally, I reset on every fill-up so that I can get average mileage for that tank of gas.
I've taken a tip from others on this board, and I've found that it makes a BIG difference in mpg if you accelerate briskly from red lights or if you accelerate as if there's an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. That's true on any car I suppose, but especially true with the MDX. It's a relative sports car one way, and a relative gas miser (at least for an SUV of its size) the other way.
Good luck! |
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| EXCALIBUR |
FrozenHeart,
Blackura's post is right on. Not to worry.:4: |
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| XStatic |
quote:
Originally posted by EXCALIBUR
FrozenHeart,
Blackura's post is right on. Not to worry.:4:
Our 2003 MDX has almost 30K and still gets and average of 15-17Mpg regardless of how careful I am, where we drive, long trips, cruise control, Mid or Premium gas, etc. Just last week at fill up with 140 miles on the tank it reported 13Mpg.
Most driving is typical commuter by my wife, about 10 miles in traffic and about 15 on the interstate, each way, daily.
Right after I fill up at a certain gas station near the interstate, sometimes I can tweak the MPG up to 24 by driving VERY VERY carefully for about 15 miles. Eventually every tank always seems to average around 17.
This is as reported by the Navigation trip computer.... |
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| KC188 |
The best I've done on my previous 01 is about 16 but no higher than 17mpg.
Gotta take Blackura's advice and start accelerating as if there is an egg between my foot and the gas pedal :27: |
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| XStatic |
quote:
Originally posted by Blackura
I've taken a tip from others on this board, and I've found that it makes a BIG difference in mpg if you accelerate briskly from red lights or if you accelerate as if there's an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. That's true on any car I suppose, but especially true with the MDX. It's a relative sports car one way, and a relative gas miser (at least for an SUV of its size) the other way.
Good luck!
By reducing the acceleration of the vehicle, you reduce the amount of torque delivered to the rear wheels. This results in lower friction losses and higher MPG.
I suppose you could just disconnect the rear differential electromagnet coils to keep them from engaging. There are 2 disconnects, one is a 6position (right) the other is a 2 position (left) located above the rear differential.
Note that the right side connector also includes the differential oil sensor as well as a local ground. |
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| FrozenHeart |
I have been so dissappointed with the gas mileage but now I feel so much better now.
Thx for all your help. ^^ |
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| niall |
| Yes, I figured out for myself the driving style makes a big difference. My X is up to 1800 miles, I've noticed that the gas mileage has been getting alittle better. I've also been watching the trip computer as I drive to help me adjust my style for better fuel economy. I figured by christmas I should be driving like my granny without thinking about it. |
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| niall |
| On my Accord, I changed the airfilter to a K&N filter and got better fuel mileage. Wonder if I replace the stock x filter with a K&N if it would make a difference. Man, I keep forgeting I bought a SUV. |
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| KC188 |
Just let that baby cooooaaast and you'll get better gas mileage.
Not to mention all the looks you get driving that spanking new "X" around....:roadtrip: |
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| tttt4 |
| 13-14 mpg after 1800 miles on my 2 month old 04' mdx. not what was advertised. very disapointed but still like the car. |
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| HARDROCK |
quote:
Originally posted by tttt4
13-14 mpg after 1800 miles on my 2 month old 04' mdx. not what was advertised. very disapointed but still like the car.
That's what I get on my '02 Tour/Nav with 37K miles. Best I ever got was 19 mpg, but that was on the highway driving downhill. It would be great to get better mileage but that wasn't a major factor for why I brought the X. |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by tttt4
13-14 mpg after 1800 miles on my 2 month old 04' mdx. not what was advertised. very disapointed but still like the car.
I average just around 15 mpg with lots of city driving. I'm good with that keeping in mind the MDX is a mid-sized SUV.:roadtrip: |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by HARDROCK
That's what I get on my '02 Tour/Nav with 37K miles. Best I ever got was 19 mpg, but that was on the highway driving downhill. It would be great to get better mileage but that wasn't a major factor for why I brought the X.
:hmmm: That sounds somewhat low for an MDX that has been broken-in.
On my '01 MDX with 37K mi, I consistently get between 16 and 17mpg around town, and between 20 and 24mpg on the highway. The best mileage that I ever got was 29mpg, on a trip back from Lake Tahoe to Bay Area (lots of downhill) with the best instant mileage readout of 36mpg on the same trip. |
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| erictiger |
| I am on my first tank of gas with 04 MDX, and my gas milage around town is 18, which I thank is pretty good. |
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| mgrattan |
I have a brand new 05 Touring Pkg with DVD & NAV; approx. 400 miles so far on the odometer. Right now I'm averaging about 14.8 MPG in mixed driving. Haven't yet seen better than 16 average on my way back to Monterey from Oakland when I bought the vehicle.
How about other factors such as tire pressure and aerodynamics? That luggage rack can't be helping; Acura probably came up with those figures on an optimally tuned vehicle with no luggage rack......
Opinions on tire pressure and removing the luggage rack??? |
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| shootist |
I have 750 miles on an 05. I averaged 20.4 on my last 115 mile drive, and 19.6 on my first two 300 mile drives at limit plus 10.
You need to calculate the mileage manually for a tank or two to see if the trip computer is giving you good figures. Mine was telling me 19.2 when I got 20.4. I think you can adjust the "flow" rate for mileage if the trip comp isn't accurate. |
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| Ceenit |
One other aspect that I have noticed has made a big difference in my highway mileage is my average speed. When I'm really taking it easy going 55-60 mph, I have averaged about 25-26 mpg over several hundred miles. If I increase my speed to 70, my mileage goes down to about 21 mpg over a 100 mile stretch. When going 75-80 mph, I dorp down to the high teens.
This probably has a lot to do with efficiency at certain RPM's combined with wind resistance factors which get exponentially worse at higher speeds. |
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| Lance Crowley |
| Drove from Las Vegas to Albuqurque, about 500 miles, most of it at 80-85. Actual mpg was 22.1. I've got just over 29,000 miles on my '03. Around town I average between 15 and 17. |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by Lance Crowley
Drove from Las Vegas to Albuqurque, about 500 miles, most of it at 80-85. Actual mph was 22.1.
Wow, your speedometer must really be off. :D If you drove at 80-85 but actual mph was 22.1, I guess it took you about 23 hours to get there. That's a lot of driving. :roadtrip: You must have been tired by the time you reached your destination. :23:
:2: |
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| URIRx98 |
Well just to shed somemore light ont he millage subject. I have a 03 MDX with @19thou miles and drive on a average of 5 miles back and forth a day, so roughly 10 miles a day. I usually have to fill up once a week and get a average of 14 miles a gallon, which is 3 less then advertised. I too am dissapointed, and although i put 87 octane in, and have 20inch rims and tires, I have found that diff octanes didnt help much in local driving, espeically when its stop and go. I did have a trip back and forth to Miami right after a fillup of 89, and on the entire trip, which was over 100 miles, i almost got 20 miles per gallon, but thats the highest and the furthest long distance traveling I have gone. Maybe a trip to Orlando or Tampa ( roughly 3 to 4 hours respectively) is in order.
Wg |
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| wludwig |
| On my '01 Touring and navi, I turn off the "full auto" climate comtrol as much as possible. That saves 1-3 mpg. At 53,000 miles I am getting aroung 17 city (with some highway-about 10 miles a day to work) and 23-24 all highway. |
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| diverman |
| I had about 300 miles on my 05 when I took it on a 450 mile trip from San Diego to Santa Barbara and back. I got about 22.5 mpg for the 220 miles trip there (forgot to check the way back). |
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| all1cat |
| I'm on my fourth tank of gas and at over 1200 miles, after only 2.5 weeks. (No, I don't plan to keep driving at this pace!) I do mostly short trip driving, mixed between freeway and surface roads. Have yet to average less than 19 miles per gallon. However, am careful to monitor the fuel consumption as I drive, so I can get a sense of how to drive more efficiently. If I see the MPG go down, I alter my foot position on the pedal, which does not necessarily equate to slowing down. Sometimes I'll be at 25-30 MPG, and traveling up to 80 MPH, while others I'll be at 15 at 55-60--both on relatively flat surfaces. It'll take a while to figure that out! |
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| blah |
quote:
Originally posted by all1cat
Sometimes I'll be at 25-30 MPG, and traveling up to 80 MPH, while others I'll be at 15 at 55-60--both on relatively flat surfaces. It'll take a while to figure that out!
Lots of it takes away by the wind direction. I drive a truck and sometimes I get 6.5 with 80k load, sometimes 5.5 depending on wind direction. So it is all relatively OK, it is an SUV, not a sedan. It made to do the job right, not to save gas, although it does comparing to a weaker 230HP V8 Lexus.
Be happy with what you have. I think if you would need a gas saving machine, you would not consider an SUV. So complaining about 40K+ auto's gas mileage is not a bright idea. My wife is getting about 14-15MPGz around town on 2005 with 800+ miles, and that is what I expected when I got the thing for her. The main thing is that it is the most safest mid size SUV you can get these days, and I am glad it is possible, even though I don't like the thing. |
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| all1cat |
| No complaints, here, Blah! I actually think the mileage is good all things considered. I've had small sedans that don't fare that well! :p |
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| diverman |
The main thing is that it is the most safest mid size SUV you can get these days, and I am glad it is possible, even though I don't like the thing.
Blah,
Just curious why you don't like the X and why you decided to join this forum? Also, what vehicle would you rather have? |
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| blah |
Well, I was not clear enough, I got it for my wife and kids, not for myself. For her 130 pounds it is just right, for my 210 I would like to have sit to go lower, so I can feel not jammed to the sealing and looking like a parrot on the top branch, right elbow slips from the console, caz it made downhill, hand hangs without support, so I have to hold the gear shifter, whoever designed steering wheel is a dumbass leaving stitches so rough that when I turn it cuts into fingers, etc. It drives nice, I am not saying that it is bad, no it is an awesome automobile, but some little things that I prefer to live without are bugging me sometimes to extreme.
Like I took it twice to a dealer to "fix" the rattling outside of the sub area (it is really embarrassing to turn the music on when some of my friends are outside of it, I feel so cheap!), they "fixed" it, and when I brought it back and SHOWED that rattling is outside and not inside, which they were "fixing", the manager said "Oh! It is outside? Ah, well, here is the number, call Customer's Relations at Acura and complain to them, we can do nothing about it, caz it is inside the body frame". So I am still in waits. Anyway, my wife likes it better than her Avalon caz it is taller and has bigger trunk for shopping and kids' things. She's still getting used to it.
PS: I joined caz here I can find some of my questions answered by the folks that drove it before and know a little more about it, so I can save myself a little head banging when something "comes up" like this shameful rattling, XM radio suddenly switching to CD player, and things like that ;O)
PSS: Drives well, comfort needs improving (especially for the money) |
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| Renron |
Hey group!
Did you know that the "factory" MPG rating is done by the "Feds"? kinda.
Yep, your friends at the EPA, and its done at 48 MPH for freeway driving! INSIDE a closed door building on a dynamometer with NO wind resistance! All accesories turned off and no electricals running, ie. radio, lights, A/C. Its not even an actual MPG rating, it is an alogrythim by testing the exhaust hydrocarbons. UH-Huh.
This "testing" was developed 25+ years ago and is still used today to Bull$hit the public.
For example: The freeway "average" mpg is calculated at 48.3 MPH average with the top speed never above 60 MPH!!!
Don't expect anywhere near the advertised ratings, maybe 33% less MPG on average.
Upon further searching, I found this and ripped it straight from their website,
[B]"Manufacturers test their own vehicles—usually pre-production prototypes—and report the results to EPA."[B] no wonder we don't get the advertised MPG. @!#$%$#@
<WWW.fueleconomy.gov>
Be happy we even get what we get. Its a 4wd fer cryin out loud.
P.S. I get the same mileage with my diesel 2000 F250 Xtra cab longbed pickup, go figure.
Renron |
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| hockeyplayer |
| I average 19.5-21.5 mpg. I do not drive hard nor do I drive like a "Grandpa":) (sorry if I affended someone:D ) I have attained these figures from day one. |
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| Renron |
Hockeyplayer,
Thats the best I've ever heard for the MDX. way to go!
Let me guess, freeway / parkway / hiway miles.
No stop and go traffic. ( or rush hour)
No mountain or foothill driving
Solo or maybe 1 other passanger
Speedlimit or less
Not trying to be a smart a$$ but if I drive @70mph on a flat freeway with cruise control I'm at 18~19 best ever.
Renron |
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| blah |
quote:
Originally posted by Renron
Not trying to be a smart a$$ but if I drive @70mph on a flat freeway with cruise control I'm at 18~19 best ever.
Renron
I duno bout you all out there, but on 2005 with 1000+ miles on it my wife gets 14 MPGz in strict city driving, and my lighter foot gets about 15-16. So you are right about Crandpa driving on highway to get ~20+. On highway I get between 19 and 22, which is close to what it should do. 92 fuel only. |
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| hockeyplayer |
Not trying to be a smart a$$ myself.... My X is a commuter with average 27-35 mile one way trips. My average speed is usually 45-60 mph off the interstates and 65-80 on the interstates. I mostly drive alone. (Have to drag the wife once in awhile:mad: )
BTW...Looks like I was a little heavy on the throttle a couple weeks ago huh?
My single most important advice..... "Take off slow to save some dough!!"
I live in in the metro Atlanta area. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by blah
I duno bout you all out there, but on 2005 with 1000+ miles on it my wife gets 14 MPGz in strict city driving, and my lighter foot gets about 15-16. So you are right about Crandpa driving on highway to get ~20+. On highway I get between 19 and 22, which is close to what it should do. 92 fuel only.
It was always a challenge for me to get the magic 23 at a steady 70 mph. Now I routinely get 24-25. I have 33K miles. Should be broken in soon! :) |
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| eurohazard |
Just returned from Seattle for Thanksgiving. This was my second trip up that way. The MDX is so awesome. It really is the best vehicle for my family.
I never got less than 18.4 MPG.....even on the tank that I got pulled over doing 83 MPH. After that "warning" in Oregon, I brought it to a more reasonable 5 MPH over. And mileage went to 20.1.
On the way home, my last tank was 22 MPG and that was at 75 locked in the cruise control. My X has almost 9,000 miles now. |
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| Renron |
Damn...
I really thought I had a light foot. I'll have to try that egg thing and not make it scrambled. Its my wife's car and I rarely drive it. So far just one long trip where I drove it the whole time.
It just rolled over to 11,000 mi. 2003 non-nav. model
Renron |
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| blah |
quote:
Originally posted by Renron
2003 non-nav. model
Hehe, I have one too, don't like those "Agree" buttens. Wify never gets out of city, and when we do, heh, I drove semi for 3+ years, talk about directions, hehehe. |
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| loa3 |
Trip from Delaware to Louisiana (1100 miles each way) -- got actual 22.4 mpg each way, at 70mph, up and down hills, air conditioning on, with the car loaded down with cargo.
Driving in lower Delaware (flat land) at 60+ mph, air conditioner compressor off, 25.5 mpg (actual).
Around town, usually get 17 mpg, but when the traffic really gets maddening, goes down a little.
Can't complain, considering the thing weighs 4400 lbs empty.
By the way, all of this is with 87 octane gas. Also, the trip computer mpg calculation is almost exactly the same as my actual calculation. |
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| peter97 |
| About 2 weeks ago, we picked up our 05 MDX with 12 miles on it , and the following day left to go to Lake Tahoe. Through various segments of the trip we averaged at worst, 19mpg and at best 23 mpg. I didn't use the trip computer, as I'm used to computing & resetting on each refill. The average speed on the flats was 80-85 mph, and uphill probably 65-70mph. The car handles the grades with ease and with plenty of power in reserve. My only regret was that it doesn't have adjustable headlights as part of the trip in the mountains was in the evening. |
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| blah |
| what do you mean 12 miles, did we get screwed with 36 on ours, what is the mileage suppose to be to consider car used when I buy it? |
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| shootist |
quote:
I didn't use the trip computer, as I'm used to computing & resetting on each refill
Have you found the calculator built into the Navi AC/ Info screen yet? I hate doing long division in my head. |
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| pisay87 |
quote:
Originally posted by peter97
About 2 weeks ago, we picked up our 05 MDX with 12 miles on it , and the following day left to go to Lake Tahoe. Through various segments of the trip we averaged at worst, 19mpg and at best 23 mpg. I didn't use the trip computer, as I'm used to computing & resetting on each refill. The average speed on the flats was 80-85 mph, and uphill probably 65-70mph. The car handles the grades with ease and with plenty of power in reserve. My only regret was that it doesn't have adjustable headlights as part of the trip in the mountains was in the evening.
Why don't you use the automatic reset on refill feature? |
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| xcel |
Hi All:
___Not that I can be of any help but the MDX is a rather efficient large SUV when taken to its FE (Fuel Economy) limits … Besides what some here describe as driving with an “egg between your foot and the accelerator”, there are a few other pieces to the puzzle. One is to simply pretend that you are driving w/out brakes! This is the fastest way for one to change poor habits and can improve ones FE in whatever you happen to drive today. The X is a serious FE performer if all the tools in the toolbox are used in concert. High pressure tires (I am running her at 35 #’s now w/ a thought to go to 40 #’s in the near future), low kinematic viscosity synthetic between the High and Low marks (I am about to switch to 0W-20 Mobil1 from 5W-30 Mobil1 on the next change), “Drive w/ Load” (this technique has been previously described in detail), as well as a ton of smaller items that add up for some serious FE in our X’s when used properly. Some of these minor tips and tricks can be found in the following thread entitled “The Horror, the absolute Horror …”.
___The MDX is good for an easy 25 + around town in warmer weather if town consists of the suburbs with a ton of lights. Out on the highway, an easy 30 + mpg when driven reasonably. The pics have been posted and the discussion has carried on to its practical limits so there is no reason to bring it up again. I drove the X to work about 6 weeks ago and nailed a nice 31.x on the way out and 30.x on the way home in high 50 degree temps … This was I-94 to I-294 to I-55 to south of Joliet and back again in and around Chicago. I drove the family over to a friends of my wife’s for a pre-Thanksgiving get together across 5 suburban towns (Gurnee, Grayslake, Mundelein, Vernon Hills, and Lake Zurich) and we received a decent but not spectacular 24.1 mpg there and 23.9 mpg back with temps in the mid 40’s there and high 30’s on the way back. There are no highways in this nightmare of lights and signs and their subdivision had 5 stop signs before finally arriving at their home and leaving on the way out :(
___Are these techniques easy to use? Of course they are. It takes a bit of practice, patience, motivation, and forethought but once you begin to use them, they become second nature and driving like everyone used to is actually quite hard. Especially for those of us with game gauges (all X’s have them) in that we can see how the X as well as ourselves are performing in terms of FE in real time.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| blah |
quote:
Originally posted by shootist
I hate doing long division in my head.
gg, what kind of divisions your talking about, divide 300 by 15? If so I am strugling with it too ;o) |
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| Renron |
XCL
Your the lucky one, I suppose, to be living where your fuel actually allows you to achieve such wonderful F/E. Out here in the Republic of California where it shines every day, (not really) we are special and have the doubious honor of having things like some of the worst roads in our great country, along with higher restrictions on our engines exhaust output. Now if you add something extra like MTBE which actually LOWERS the mileage and performance you are beginning to understand the reality of our mileage (less).
If you have ever been to the Bay Area you will understand the lack of driving mentality that forces us all to drive at 75-80 mph then hammer the brakes hard because some idiot just took the 1.5 car lengths you left for safety space.
Point is, reality for one is not necessarily the same for all. Mine or Yours.
18 mpg average, average.
Renron |
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| xcel |
Hi Renron:
___Your X is no different then our 03 X sold here in regards to emissions except that you have lower sulfur fuel available to you. That is where the CA, NY., VT., ME., and MA. decrease in emissions usually come from. Sometimes there is a difference in HW but in this case, there is no difference.
___In regards to MTBE, we here in the Midwest are forced to use a 10% ethanol blend which is also FE drag. We not only take a FE hit because of 10% ethanol year round, we also take another higher FE hit with EPA mandated winter blends (even higher Oxygenated fuel) of ~ 2% between Oct. 1 and April 1 :(
___Here is something that might be of particular interest to you? We rented a Buick LeSabre out of Phoenix near the end of July and drove into and around the Bay area for a few days of sightseeing. I tend to disagree with some of your Bay area discussion except for the downtown stop and go and I specifically mentioned suburban type lights, not inner city. You don’t stand a chance in that kind of environment (inner city) and if anyone has read my previous posts on the subject, I have stated the same.
quote:
We just got back from Phoenix, AZ. 2 days ago and while we where there, we rented a Buick Le Sabre Custom w/ the 205 HP 3.8 L V6 and received what I would call decent mileage from this large of a beast. It had a rudimentary game gauge which helped me get a feel for her in its first few miles but we didn’t have a tire pressure gauge nor could I find a local gas station with a fill station. The oil level was 50% above the full mark so this thing was not setup for high fuel economy in the least. A/C was on MAX all day/night everyday/night with highway speeds of 55 - 70 mph on the freeways between Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and back to Phoenix as well as quite a bit of driving around town between Glendale and Sun City proper. I used both driving w/ load as well as some drafting as the 18-wheelers in California truly did follow the limits within 5 mph or so. This fact was actually amazing to me as well!
___Here are some fuel economy stats I received in this the car with at least 2 to 3 gallons burned off (60 - 90 miles worth) on its first tank as the fuel gauge was only at the Full mark instead of beyond by another 1/8 of an inch as seen when I filled her the 3X’s afterwards. On this shorted first tank, I reset the FCD after 141 miles of pure city with a 26.9 mpg showing. We then drove 388.6 miles on the highway to our first fuel stop in Vegas. This first tank will be skewed because of the Avis fillup and city/hwy mixed but since the FCD was just a bit optimistic on the last 3 full tanks, you can see what this monster was truly worth without even being setup properly.
Tank #1 on 07/25/2004:
Tank Average: 529.6 miles/17.9 gallons = 29.58 mpg
FCD: 141 miles 100% City: 26.9 mpg ** 388.6 miles 100% Highway: 36.9 mpg
Tank #2 on 07/27/2004:
Tank Average: 584.4 miles/17.933 gallons = 32.588 mpg
FCD: 35.7
Tank #3 on 07/30/2004:
Tank Average: 615.9 miles/17.775 gallons = 34.65 mpg
FCD: 36.9
Tank #4 on 07/31/2004:
Tank Average: 539.3 miles/14.630 gallons = 36.86 mpg
FCD: 39.0
___Overall, the car had great size as my 12 year old son was sprawled out across the back seat in sleep mode for much of the itinerary. It had a very Camry like ride and road feel but larger size. Given its looks, it fit in quite nicely with the Sun City folks if you know what I mean ;)
___A bit more detail … This Buick’s A/C was running full blast most of the time given us Chicagoan’s can’t take Arizona and California desert heat in late July. It is also EPA rated at just 20/29 City/Highway. During that trip, we cruised the Vegas strip (a parking lot for over an hour), climbed into and out of both of Yosemite’s overlook scenic areas, climbed over and back multiple times the mountains between California’s coast and desert, drove into and out of downtown San Francisco (within 2 blocks of the wharf) as well as crossed the Golden Gate and received a free pass on the way back because we had 3 in the car all during a mid-week rush, and drove through LA’s outer ring of Interstate highways at ~ 6:00 PM on a weekday. As you can tell, high FE can come from even the worst of circumstances as long as you are willing to abandon old driving habits in favor of new and much more efficient ones.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| Renron |
XCEL,
In regards to "old driving habits" I sold a ford F250 with the original front and rear brakes and clutch that had over 115,000 miles on them. I know how to drive without riding the brake or burning the tires at every green light. This experience comes from driving a Semi for Pepsi-Cola for 5 years. MDX's are NOT all the same. They may have the same parts but they are not all the same. Some engines are tighter than others, some trannies are smoother than others. Sounds to me like you got the Wendsndsay model of MDX. I'm happy with mine being more average.
Renron |
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| xcel |
Hi Renron:
___No, MDX’s are not the same …
___Neither are 03 Toyota Corolla’s w/ Auto (personal best 751 miles @ 51.8 mpg).
___Rented 04 Buick LeSabre (~ 33.25 mpg/2269 miles in both City/Hwy as shown above).
___Our 03 Acura MDX (personal best 33.1 mpg over 181 miles with a high of 35 mpg).
___My 03 Ford Ranger XLT P/U (personal best 39.9 mpg over 673.3 miles just last month).
___My 00 Honda Insight (personal best 1,523 miles on a single tank of fuel at 109.0 mpg/117.2 mpg over a 96 mile segment).
___An 04 Honda Accord EX-L w/ NAVI (a test drive per the NAVI Trip Computer of 44.3 mpg with 15 miles city/13 miles highway).
___I guess all of those vehicles are different then what everyone else purchases and drives as well?
___Just so you know …
03 Toyota Corolla LE w/ Auto: EPA rated 29/38 city/hwy
04 Buick LeSabre Custom: EPA rated 21/29 city/hwy
03 Acura MDX Touring w/ RES: EPA rated 17/23 city/hwy
03 Ford Ranger XLT 5-speed: EPA rated 24/29 city/hwy
00 Honda Insight 5-speed: EPA rated 61/70 city/hwy
04 Honda Accord EX-L w/ Auto: EPA rated 24/34 city/hwy
___Like I said above:quote:
… high FE can come from even the worst of circumstances as long as you are willing to abandon old driving habits in favor of new and much more efficient ones.
___You can achieve extremely high FE in whatever you drive but making excuses is not a means to that end.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| peter97 |
Blah..in regards to the 12 miles, we were lucky the dealer found one with low miles. MY RL had only 6 miles on it, I actually saw them unloading it off the trailer. The MDX we ordered originally was supposed to be "fresh off the trailer" also, but apparently got recalled/diverted to get refitted for a fuel tank problem. I wanted the cars with little miles on it because sometimes people test drive the cars pretty hard.
BTW, I neglected to say that we put 1100 miles on it the 1st weekend.
Pisay87..I checked the trip computer screen once in a while, but the screen was usually set to XM satellite info. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Renron
Out here in the Republic of California where it shines every day, (not really) we are special and have the doubious honor of having things like some of the worst roads in our great country, along with higher restrictions on our engines exhaust output. ....
I thought in more recent years, vehicles are '50 state' certified for emssions.
I also think our roads are pretty damn good compared to some other states I've been in, except in cases where you can't see the road surface for all the cars covering it.....:4:
MTBE is to become a thing of the past, but not soon enough! |
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| mwdelta |
| Just drove from KS to MN, about 500 miles at an average of 75...somewhat disappointed that the computer says my MPG was 14.9 for the trip. I expected better for highway driving. My regular average MPG is 16.3 in mixed driving. |
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| komondor |
| Do they have "winter fule where you are? Mileage goes down usually but not that bad I average a little over 20 usually doing 75 in Denver |
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| CTPYHA |
peter97,
wait a minute, you say that people test drive cars hard sometimes and then you buy a new car and go 80-85 MPH on it on the first weekend? Am I missing something here?
:rolleyes:
Blah,
For whatever it’s worth my car had 36 miles on it when I bought it. So, I think it's Ok!
:) |
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| erictiger |
| My 2004 X (2000 miles) has a very good city gas mile (17.8mpg), but the highway is only 20 mpg. I would expect a lot higher highway mpg based on my excelleny city mgp. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by erictiger
My 2004 X (2000 miles) has a very good city gas mile (17.8mpg), but the highway is only 20 mpg. I would expect a lot higher highway mpg based on my excelleny city mgp.
17.8 in town seems higher than usual. And not going over 20 is not good but with only 2K miles on your vehilcle it's probably normal.
But your'overall average' is certainly good if not better than average.
You can expect better mpg as the miles pile up. At least that has been my experience. |
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| peter97 |
| ctpyha, 80-85mph was cruising at highway speeds. "Hard driving" to me would've been a lot of pushing the pedal to the floor just for the thrill of it. This could be at lower speeds or top end. |
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| CTPYHA |
| Anyway, all this talk made me check my fuel "economy". And I want to thank someone who suggested reseting trip computer with every tank of fuel. I was at about 16 before reset. Now, on this particular tank, I am at about 20. I realize, that it's too early to make an statements, but at least it makes me feel better... ;) |
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| renov8r |
I was kinda surprised when I first learned about it:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml
It does help to explain the gearing of most vehicles. I know that both my MDX and Bravada will lock into top gear above 45 MPH if you let them. That drops the rev to just a hair above idle. Basically the only thing that the motor & tranny are set up for.
I know that wind resistance increases as the SQUARE of speed, so that at nearly double the speed of the EPA highway test you are fighting far more drag. It is a tribute to the Honda designers that your fuel economy was not less...
While I can't quibble with your definition f "hard driving" I do know that by using a light touch, driving they way a bicyclist races in the Tour de France (i.e. saving power down the hills so that you can maintain pace on the hill climb, drafting, coasting, getting to top gear quick and staying there), and generally dialing down speed a couple of clicks I can see dramatic improvements in MPG.
Don't get me wrong, there are times when I don't really care how much fuel I use, I just want to open 'er up, but for 95% of my driving the difference between picking a pace that lets me draft off of others doesn't effect my ETA by more than a minute or two AND it saves me a helluva fuel costs.
quote:
Originally posted by peter97
ctpyha, 80-85mph was cruising at highway speeds. "Hard driving" to me would've been a lot of pushing the pedal to the floor just for the thrill of it. This could be at lower speeds or top end.
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| xcel |
Hi Renov8r:
___Nicely said …
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| peter97 |
renopv8r,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. In regards to the definition, that was an eye opener. Those avg highway speeds would get someone run off the road or encourage road rage in CA! Pretty unrealistic. |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by mwdelta
Just drove from KS to MN, about 500 miles at an average of 75...somewhat disappointed that the computer says my MPG was 14.9 for the trip. I expected better for highway driving. My regular average MPG is 16.3 in mixed driving.
I just completed a round trip between Houston and Memphis; ~1500 miles total and averaged 21 mpg for the trip. We were loaded with 5 adults and stuff. The average MPG includes a one hour delay on the interstate (closed to clear a wreck) and many miles on snow and ice (thus a real slow speed). Average speed for the total trip was about 60mph; however we had several tanks at an average of 70+ and still had ~21mpg. Our worst single tank average was 20.8 and the best was 21.6 :cool: |
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| mwdelta |
| Just made the return trip (MN to KS). With the exact same load, I got 20.2MPG at around 75MPH. The only thing I can think of is there was very little wind on the way back. I'm happy. |
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| phild_mason |
Over the holidays we did around 3000 miles mostly interstate with 2 adults, 2 kids and loaded rear end.
My overall analysis is that the MDX really gets nailed when there is a head/side wind at high speeds. I was getting 18 or 19 in those conditions.
My best mileage was by myself on 2 lane roads at about 63mph. I got 23-24mpg with the engine puttering along at 1800 rpm.
Loaded up, with little wind on the interstate at 75ish, it was around 21.
I also did not see much difference with octane variations. Although I am beginning to wonder about a penalty for running gas with 10% ethanol. |
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| MDX05FAN |
Does the 05 get better gas mileage that the past MDX's ? I thought they revamped the gas system in the 05, made it cleaner, more mpg ?
Anyone with an 05 complain about the gas mileage ? |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by MDX05FAN
Does the 05 get better gas mileage that the past MDX's ? I thought they revamped the gas system in the 05, made it cleaner, more mpg ?
Anyone with an 05 complain about the gas mileage ?
I am not complaining about the mileage in our '04; however it does NOT get as good of mileage our old '01 had. |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by MDX05FAN
Anyone with an 05 complain about the gas mileage ?
No complaining here. I got 20-22 carefully calculated mpg in the 2003, and I get 20-22 carefully calculated mpg on the same trip in the 2005.
I am complaining about the freaking gas prices, however. It costs me $40 to fill the tank. $40! I don't think I paid that much for my first car. |
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| CTPYHA |
I started off with 87 but switched to 93 quickly and after 3000 mi.
still get 17-18 mpg with about 75% highway, 25% city. And while I am not in grandmother mode driving yet, I am watching my right foot...
:confused: |
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| darekd |
| Yesterday, I took my X for the first long distance drive to Washington, DC. - 500 miles both ways. On my way to DC I got 24.7 mpg. With some delays on I-66 I averaged 24 mpg for the whole trip. I was driving alone at 70mph. |
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| mdxx3 |
Man..... 24.7?!! Need to congratulate you.
How do you guys drive actually? Is your foot on the gas pedal in a "constant" manner or do you "pulse" this gas pedal? (I do the "constant" way but got a friend that "pulses" his.) |
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| shootist |
quote:
Originally posted by mdxx3
Man..... 24.7?!! Need to congratulate you.
How do you guys drive actually?
Slow startups from dead stops. Cruise control on the highway. Fairly aggresive driving on the highway when not in cruise. (Yes, that was me zooming around you the other day.) |
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| anjan |
quote:
Originally posted by mdxx3
Man..... 24.7?!! Need to congratulate you.
How do you guys drive actually? Is your foot on the gas pedal in a "constant" manner or do you "pulse" this gas pedal? (I do the "constant" way but got a friend that "pulses" his.)
And if you push the car part of the way, you might even hit 26! :2: |
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| CTPYHA |
| Would it significantly effect MPG, if I warm up my car for 10-15 minutes before I go? And overall I wonder if cold winter weather effects MPG in bad way? I still can get over 17, even with 93 octane... |
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| MDX05FAN |
| I don't understand how some people can get 22-23 mpg consistantly, while others only get 17? Surely the way you drive couldn't affect it that much could it ? |
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| xcel |
Hi MDX05Fan:
quote:
Originally posted by MDX05FAN
I don't understand how some people can get 22-23 mpg consistantly, while others only get 17? Surely the way you drive couldn't affect it that much could it ?
___Does it ever … Proper setup and technique and 22-23 mpg will be your around town FE in the early winter/spring let alone 25 + in the late spring/summer/fall. Out on the highway in summer temps? Oh boy, don’t even ask :D
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| renov8r |
The first HUGE hit it exactly what you are doing -- the warm-up. The motor is running and the wheels are not turning so you are getting ZERO miles to the gallon. If you sit in the car long enough you can actually see that eating away your AVG MPG, of course how fast it eats it away is a factor of how may miles you accumulated your avergae for (if you get what I'm saying...)
The other huge MPG killer is the cold itself. When it is really cold your motor takes such a soaking of temperatures that it actually takes longer for fort the proper operating temp tp be reached. That means more gas is used simply overcoming the "thermal inertia" of your oil, radiator, et cetera.
Other factors are loss of air pressure/increased rolling resitence of the tires, increased viscosity of lubricants, denser air, increased likelihood of ice/slippage, increased electrical load form rear defog/seat heaters.
Technically extreme heat would also likely have you using the A/C and running the cooling fan more, but that is partially ofset by quicker warm-up time and reduced viscosity of lubes.
I think that EtOH hurts MPG, but it is so common that I doubt that you can find fuel w/o in most parts of the US. Typically the say it hurts less than 10%, but I suspect that due to its hygroscopci nature the fuel blend is actually around 90% petrol, 9.5% EtOH, and .5% H2O -- and since water doesn't combust your "fuel economy" is being effected by that too.
I am consistently amazed how big a difference I can get when I consciously decide to maximize my coasting & drafting -- it can easily take an 18 MPG trip and make it 22 MPG, so that is over a 20% improvement. It | | | | | |
