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| What are you getting? I'm wondering if the advertized 23mpg is being actually realized by anyone. |
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| drove from Birmingham to Huntsville, AL this weekend... 21.4 mpg |
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KenEis,
I have not reset since picking up my MDX at the dealership. I have about 3000 miles under the belt. Showing 18.9 mpg average at present with about a 75% highway / 25% local mix.
Hope this helps.
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quote:
Originally posted by KenEis
What are you getting? I'm wondering if the advertized 23mpg is being actually realized by anyone.
KenEis:
2 weekends ago I took a trip which inlcuded some extended highway driving. At speeds between 75-80+ mph with the cliamte control set to Auto and in temperatures around 32 degrees the trip computer indicated we were getting in excess of 23mpg. Get off the highway or deal with hills and I'm sure that will be reduced. But in answer to your question: Yes, 23 mpg has been realized. |
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After the break-in period (600 miles), I took the MDX on a 1,000 mile (mostly highway) trip (my family happened to come along for the ride :-)). At freeway speeds I averaged 22MPG going 80+MPH. I did notice that at speeds in excess of the legal limit, the MDX revved at >3K even in 5th gear. This might account for suboptimal highway MPGs. If I behaved better I'm certain I could squeeze out another 1 MPG.
The pure city MPG is a different story because it's more dependent on the terrain, traffic patterns, and driver makeup (lead foot). I get only about 15MPG.
BTW, the trip computer always seems to estimate the mileage ~1MPG lower than my manual calculations. hmmm? |
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KenEis, I have been getting consistently over 20+MPG. I drive 70-80 on the highway including some traffic and a bit city. I'm probably 80% highway. I've been driving "lightly" with good results. You have to watch fast starts and hard breaking. I think the "worst" tankful I've seen so far is 18.5 which included much more "off highway" driving.
I even averaged over 23 on a tankful last week.
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When I was on the highway, I got 24 MPG.
When I was on local, I got 17 MPG.
The ratio for highway/local was 6/4.
My average is 19 MPG.
I have a question.
If we are on the highway, what constant speed will make the best MPG? or all the same ? And if set the cruise control, any difference??? |
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| The best gas milage will always be at a constant speed so cruise control is the way to go. As to what speed can't say. Two things to consider: First, the faster you go the more drag you need to overcome with the engine. This is a linear effect so 60 mph is twice the drag on any given car as 30 mph. (there is also a turbulance issue behind the car the the rear deflector should minimize), Second is the efficiency of the motor. With the 5 speed trany the engine is not running at high rpm so its sipping gas at high speeds but the horse power required to overcome friction and the air drag go up with speed. There is a sweet spot between 50-75 mph on most cars where these two effects optimize. Regardless of these effects, a car that is accelerating and braking all the time gets lower milage because the engine must do extra work to come back to speed. Ever notice some people who speed up and slow down all the time when they are on the interstate with no traffic? Those folks complain about their milage. |
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My first tank averaged only around 13mpg on 70/30 local/highway driving.
So far my 2nd tank is averaging around 17mpg on 40/60 local/highway driving.
I'm expecting it to increase as the engine is more broken-in.
I also noticed that the mpg "dial" on the left side of the screen goes to the highest mark(40 or 50 mpg)when you take your foot off the accelerator and just let it cruise. So that may be a way to increase mpg - press on gas, cruise until car slows down significantly and others are honking at you, press on gas again, cruise, repeat, and brake only when absolutely necessary. Not a safe way, but a way. :-)
-t |
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A simple way to maximize mileage is to watch the gear position and the rpm meter. On a highway cruising, adjust the gas pedal such that the trany is at the highest (5th) gear AND the rpm read out is the lowest (for MDX, it is around 1500-2000 rpm, no opposite winds, of course;-)
If you are climbing a hill, same method applies. Try pressing the gas petal to engage in the highest possible gear (3rd or 4th) to get enough torque, then slightly releasing it to reduce rpm making sure the gear does not slip to higher positions.
This way, you probably can out do your cruise control. Let's see....
Remember driving too slow will get a ticket, too ;-). This method usually works at 55-70 mph range. |
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Someone must have fallen asleep in their physics course. Air drag varies not linearly with speed but as the square of speed. Thus the air drag is not twice as much at 60 mph versus 30 mph but 4 times as much (3600/900). This was the original rationale for setting the national speed limit at 55 mph and not 65 mph or 70 mph. I have seen as much as 1 or 2 mph difference on the highway between traveling at 55 versus 80 mph. The former was for the first 500 or so miles recommended in owner's manual for some of my cars (not an MDX). The air drag at 80 mph is twice as much as at 55 mph. I know, I am an over-toilet-trained engineer by bringing this bit of esoterica up but physics are physics!
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quote:
Originally posted by remery
Someone must have fallen asleep in their physics course. Air drag varies not linearly with speed but as the square of speed. Thus the air drag is not twice as much at 60 mph versus 30 mph but 4 times as much (3600/900). This was the original rationale for setting the national speed limit at 55 mph and not 65 mph or 70 mph. I have seen as much as 1 or 2 mph difference on the highway between traveling at 55 versus 80 mph. The former was for the first 500 or so miles recommended in owner's manual for some of my cars (not an MDX). The air drag at 80 mph is twice as much as at 55 mph. I know, I am an over-toilet-trained engineer by bringing this bit of esoterica up but physics are physics!
remery,
The fact that you know all of this is impressive. I admit physics wasn't my "thing" in school. Maybe you can resolve the MDX vs. MB ML center of gravity debate that's going on in another thread |
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| I'm an Engineer too but I say "Screw Physics" how in the freakin' world could anyone drive 55MPH! If I wanted to drive that slow I would have bought a VOLVO! :D |
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dancall,
Physics aside, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I actually drove at 55 mph but my defense is the "owners manual made me do it!" I assure you, other than under these special circumstances, my speedometer reads 55 mph only when a state patrol car is off to the starboard side or the radar detector signals danger.
Barry H,
I have a chemical engineering degree so I know something about fluid mechanics not kinetics. So as far as the MDX versus MB center of gravity debate, I can only offer a layman's opinion - the MB ML320 is overpriced, small and ugly so who cares about its center of gravity! On the other hand, I am also a management consultant, which means I am prone to talk about things I know very little or nothing about! I will check out the thread. |
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quote:
Originally posted by wen
After the break-in period (600 miles), I took the MDX on a 1,000 mile (mostly highway) trip (my family happened to come along for the ride :-))...
The most I've gotten on the highway was 16 mpg, so far I've filled the tank up twice. The 16mpg was from Grand Rapids MIchigan, to Chicago, not heavy traffic, running at about 75-80 mph, I can't figure why it's soo low, but the dealer said that the breaking period will last to about 2500 miles (I' don't know if they're right on that one) and that it'll gradually increase to the supposed MPG. In the city so far I'm getting around 8-10 mpg. I have a semi lead foot, but since the gas mileage has been so bad, I've been really taking it easy, I try not to let the rpm's go over 2k and I still get poor gas mileage, if it doesn't start to increase soon I'm taking it back to the dealer to have them check it out. I have 600 miles on my baby now. Check out the thread on this subject in the general area, there's more info there.
DBastian |
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quote:
Originally posted by KenEis
What are you getting? I'm wondering if the advertized 23mpg is being actually realized by anyone.
Fuel economy is a very real concern for many owners but has more to do with your environment than with the vehicle. The MDX weighs 4300 Lbs and has 240HP!!! An F-150 is substantially lighter and its 5.4L V-8 is of equivalent power but getting 14MPG is acceptable? The Test cycle for fuel economy occurs at an ISA corrected day (59F and <10%RH at Sea Level 29.92HG with the AC off). Another hint is acceleration or lack there of is part of the rating test. How many of us live in these year round conditions???? That is why the range in fine print is to more broadly provide a range for the different environments. In FL we see ~16MPG in mixed with 19-21 on a 80/20 HWY/CTY cycle with the AC set ~70 AUTO. This is not an Acura test, this is a Federal Test. These numbers are used in the CAFE calculations. |
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| No I am a physisist and drag is linear. The car is displacing air at rest and it must overcome the momentum of the air which is equal to mass time velocity. The energy of the vehicle goes up as the square of the velocity. The force times distance is the work done by the motor and force in mass times accelortion when you've got the car accelorating |
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For you "physisists" [sic], Physicists, Aeronautical and Chemical Engineers out there, tell me if this sounds correct (or at least familar.)
From Newton's Second Law of Motion, the aerodynamic forces on a body (lift and drag) are directly related to the change in momentum of the fluid with time. The fluid momentum is equal to the mass times the velocity of the fluid. Since the air moves, defining the mass is a bit tricky. If the mass of fluid were brought to a halt, it would occupy some volume in space. And we could define its density to be the mass divided by the volume. But since the fluid is moving, you must consider, instead, the mass flow rate, which is the amount of mass passing a given point during some time (mass/time). You can relate the mass flow rate to the density mathematically. This yields the relation (mass/time = mass/volume x length/time x area) or mass flow rate = density x velocity x area. Substituting for the mass flow rate and absorbing the flow area into the drag coefficient constant leaves you with an equation that relates the aerodynamic forces to the air density and the square of the velocity.
See also: Bernoulli's Equation |
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Wen and KenEis,
You are both right depending on your assumption about the speed of the vehicle. If the vehicle or the air moving past it is going slow enough, the flow is laminar so drag is linear with the speed. If the vehicle or the air moving past it is going rapidly, then the flow is turbulent and drag is proportional to the square of the velocity.
I am now sure that everyone besides the three of us reading this post is yawning. Just remember: The definition of an engineer is someone who solves a problem you didn't know you had, in a way you don't understand!! ;)
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Caution: for pointy heads only :-)
Laminar flow for an SUV with big tires high profile windshield and non-streamline backend at highway speeds? I'd guess the laminar flow doesn't get past the hood. |
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I am convinced that the type of fuel can change your gas MPG more than many other factors. I drive about 20 miles a day to work and back and have been getting about 17 to 18 MPG for 4 months. I went on a short trip last week and got about 18.5 MPG on the way. I refuelled and got 21 to 22 MPG on the return trip the same day under the same driving conditions. I do not know what type of fuel I bought. I will now try different types of fuel to see what differences there are. Many gas pumps say 92 octane and many say 93 octane. I have not noticed this to be a factor in MPG. I have been using BP and Shell gasoline, but will try others now.
Does anyone else notice this difference in type of gas? I am an Industrial Engineer. |
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Although I am still waiting to take delivery of my MDX, I can still offer a few pearls of wisdom since I used to work for Amoco. I believe I read somewhere that the MDX has an octane sensor that retards the spark when the car is fueled with lower octane gasoline. It is possible, but I am not an automotive engineer, that retarding the spark might result in less efficient burning of gasoline ergo poorer mileage. A more important fuel attribute that would affect mileage is the proportion of oxigenated components in the blend such as ethanol or MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). Both have lower energy content per volume than octane (C8H18). Gasoline is blended on a volumetric basis to an octane standard. If you are in one of the emission attainment areas such as we are here in Chicago, you will have oxigenated components in your gasoline. Also Illinois provides a tax subsidy to ethanol producers so it can be blended in our gasoline. Isn't living in an agricultural state a bite!. So if you don't have a mass spectrometer or gas chomatagraph on the dashboard you will just have to try different brands and octane ratings to see what works best.
I don't know if this helps but it sure makes me feel better that my parents got a little something for the price they paid for my chemical engineering degree!!:D |
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quote:
Originally posted by remery
[deleted] A more important fuel attribute that would affect mileage is the proportion of oxigenated components in the blend such as ethanol or MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). Both have lower energy content per volume than octane (C8H18). Gasoline is blended on a volumetric basis to an octane standard. If you are in one of the emission attainment areas such as we are here in Chicago, you will have oxigenated components in your gasoline. [deleted]
BTW, I believe MTBE is being phased out because of environmental concerns.
quote:
[deleted] I don't know if this helps but it sure makes me feel better that my parents got a little something for the price they paid for my chemical engineering degree!!:D
Public or private ($$$) :-). |
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Wen,
Private dollars of course. Even though I am a staunch republican, I never quite went along with "trickle down economics" nor did my parents! |
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quote:
Originally posted by Steameng8
I am convinced that the type of fuel can change your gas MPG more than many other factors. I drive about 20 miles a day to work and back and have been getting about 17 to 18 MPG for 4 months. I went on a short trip last week and got about 18.5 MPG on the way. I refuelled and got 21 to 22 MPG on the return trip the same day under the same driving conditions. I do not know what type of fuel I bought. I will now try different types of fuel to see what differences there are. Many gas pumps say 92 octane and many say 93 octane. I have not noticed this to be a factor in MPG. I have been using BP and Shell gasoline, but will try others now.
Does anyone else notice this difference in type of gas? I am an Industrial Engineer.
Was your return trip a gradual downslope vs. an upslope outgoing leg. If there are airports at both locations, call for the field elevations...The difference of 92 vs 93 octane at a reasonable cruise mode of driving should be inconsequential to the engine management knock retard system...the only system that could cause an adverse fuel economy effect. Also, was the temp at departure the same as return (day/night, morning/afternoon) and were the methods of filling the tank to verify mileage the same? |
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My lower MPG was in the morning about 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM @ about 63 degress. My return trip with better gas milage was in the afternoon @ about 78 degrees. All in Florida where it is flat.
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remery,
As an industry 'expert' what makes one make of gasoline (Amoco, Shell, Exon, Citgo, BP, etc) any better than any other? Is all gas the same? |
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First of all I am not an industry "expert." I worked for Amoco for 7.5 years which is why I probably know more than most folks in this forum about gasoline. What I do know, I am more than willing to share with anyone who takes the time to ask.
Essentially all gasoline is blended to the same octane spec but refiners can use different components to achieve the spec. Some have less energy per gallon than others such as butane or ethanol. Butane is normally blended in gasoline in the cold months to boost vapor pressure. Otherwise, in cold temperatures, the gasoline won't vaporize properly.
But what most people don't know is that 50% of all gasoline sold is on exchange. For example, here in Chicago, Amoco has a big refinery on Lake Michigan that supplies a good amount of all the gasoline in our area regardless of the brand. However, even though the gasoline may be blended by Amoco, someone like Exxon who does not have a refinery here will exchange raw gasoline in Chicago with Amoco and give it back to them in New Jersey where Amoco does not have a refinery. It is through exchanges that refiners can market gasoline throughout the nation without having to build more refineries. However in the case of Exxon, they would send a tanker truck to Amoco's terminal to pick up the raw gasoline but put in their own additives versus what Amoco might use. So on this basis it is possible that due to the difference in additives that one brand may work better in your car than another even if the gasoline comes from the same refinery.
My advice is to try different brands and octane levels to see what works the best for you. I personally buy Shell, but that's because I get a 5% rebate on credit card purchases. Sometimes money speaks louder than octane! Hope this helps you and others. |
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You're more expert than me!
Do companies like ARCO or CITGO sell gasoline w/ alcohol predominately? They seem to have the lowest prices but the 'word on the street' as always been keep away, you're buying gasahol. Do you have any insight into that? Do you know of any publications that has done a head to head comparo of various gasolines? Thanks! |
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jfp,
The amount of ethanol a refiner can blend I believe is limited to 10% and really is more or less a function of both the tax subsidy provided and if you are in a pollution attainment area such as Chicago where I live. So the word on the street is not correct. Hoewever, if you were in Brazil, this would be close to 100% because those folks have lots of sugar but very little petroleum.
Oil companies would like you to believe that their gasoline is better than the competition but the facts are that branding gasoline is like branding water. It is all pretty much the same which is why when premium prices went over $2.00 this past summer in Chicago, I bought unbranded, Clark, or Citgo gasoline and my car ran fine. The majors found out that people had become price sensitive and drop their prices to compete. When this happened I went back to buying Shell because of the rebate.
The only bad thing about ethanol I am aware of is in the past affected certain components in the fuel system. A good aspect of ethanol is it removes water that may be on the bottom of your gas tank. |
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remery,
If a gasoline molecule combusted and no one was there to hear it, would it make noise? Seriously, thanks for your input!
JP |
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For the most part all gasoline within a region is blended from the same stock. Therefore prior to additives being added there is virtually no difference between brands. This base stock is usually at the regions lowest octane level and varies by season.
However it's those additives that make all the difference in the world, including price. The most important additives are detergents and octane boosters. Each major brand (Shell, Chevron, BP, etc) has their own propritary blend of detergents, octane boosters, etc. Of course detergents are important and typically the "DIFFERENCE" they like to advertise the most.
I for one prefer a national brand of gasoline, because I trust their detergents more than the local no-name brand. I believe that the national brands will be more consistent than no-names. I have used Shell for a long time, because they are convenient where I live, I trust their gas, and they tend to be lower priced (Shell credit cards, thru Chase, offer 5% rebate all Shell gas and 1% one everything else). |
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jfp,
There you have it. Two guys telling you the same thing and we are both Shell customers with Chase credit cars. Pretty effective closing arguments to the jury. So go out and get yourself a Shell Credit card through Chase and save some money and get good petro to boot. |
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Nope, I'm sticking with that WorldPerks Visa for those frequent flier miles, so I can drive myself to the airport. Besides Shell stations are few and far between up here.
But I did see a Sinclair station in Minneapolis this week. When was the last time anyone saw a Sinclair (remember the dinosaur?) |
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ghost,
Its all a marketing ploy. Dinosaurs are in these days and they are just trying to cash in on Dinomania. Kind of like Wrestlemania but maybe you guys are a little sensitive to that since your have an ex-wrestler for gov!! Just funning, I wish he were governor here in Illinois, maybe CDLs wouldn't be as easy to get. |
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Yea, I wish he were your governor too :)
He is entertaining though... |
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| 14mpg in town, 19.5 hwy w/hills in Oregon Hey that's almost like owning a Suburban, idn't it, with a lot less room for stuff. But isn't it comforting to know that you only have to wait 40 miles for the trip computer to update MPG. |
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quote:
Originally posted by kenkneeb
14mpg in town, 19.5 hwy w/hills in Oregon Hey that's almost like owning a Suburban, idn't it, with a lot less room for stuff. But isn't it comforting to know that you only have to wait 40 miles for the trip computer to update MPG.
You must be talking about a different Tahoe than my friends own. They average about 13MPG city/highway. Sure the EPA sticker says Tahoe mileage isn't bad - I've just never ran into anyone whose even come close to either the city or highway numbers in real life driving. There have been MDX owners that have posted they've exceeded the Acura MPG estimates. I've only got 700 miles on mine so it's too early to tell what I can expect long term. Even so, my current average is better than the Isuzu Rodeo the MDX replaced.
As for the trip computer, as you near the end of a tank, even if you got 90MPG it would take a while to influence the historical mileage already achieved. The last 1/8th of a tank used on highway driving isn't going to change the outcome of 7/8ths of a tank previously used in city driving. From what I can tell, the "instant average" number seems to be spot on. |
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quote:
Originally posted by BarryH
You must be talking about a different Tahoe than my friends own. They average about 13MPG city/highway. Sure the EPA sticker says Tahoe mileage isn't bad - I've just never ran into anyone whose even come close to either the city or highway numbers in real life driving. There have been MDX owners that have posted they've exceeded the Acura MPG estimates. I've only got 700 miles on mine so it's too early to tell what I can expect long term. Even so, my current average is better than the Isuzu Rodeo the MDX replaced.
[/B]
I love my MDX so far, and I've posted this before, but I have yet to see 18 mpg average city or highway, so far I'm averaging 13MPG, I don't drive hard and I've been trying to drive without going over 2000 rpm. The highest I had it was 16.8 mpg. If I drive on the highway, flat, not much traffic, with the cruise control set at 70, for about 100 miles I get about 16 mpg. If I drive normal in the city, I get about 8mpg. I've called the dealer and they say wait till you get to 2500 miles and if it still happens, to bring it in. Acura has told me this morning that the EPA estimates are in perfect driving conditions. ANyway, I get bad mileage, but hope it fixes itself soon. Tire pressure is at 32lbs.
DBastian |
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quote:
Originally posted by BarryH
quote:
Originally posted by kenkneeb
14mpg in town, 19.5 hwy w/hills in Oregon Hey that's almost like owning a Suburban, idn't it, with a lot less room for stuff. But isn't it comforting to know that you only have to wait 40 miles for the trip computer to update MPG.
As for the trip computer, as you near the end of a tank, even if you got 90MPG it would take a while to influence the historical mileage already achieved. The last 1/8th of a tank used on highway driving isn't going to change the outcome of 7/8ths of a tank previously used in city driving. From what I can tell, the "instant average" number seems to be spot on.
Actually, I think the average posted on the trip computer is a rolling average based on recent mileage, rather than an absolute average since the last fillup. On a recent long flat highway trip, my MPG climbed up 2 mpg every 15 miles or so, like clockwork, finally leveling out at 20.5 mpg, which was pretty much the instantaneous rate. The mileage under History, on the other hand, seems to be the absolute mpg for that particular tank of gas. |
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| After about twelve tanks of gas I'm averaging about 17 mpg in urban/city driving, very little freeway. I have yet to take a long freeway trip but from my experience so far I would expect somewhere between 20 and 22 mpg freeway driving. |
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You guys forced me to revisit my dusty, 30-year old chemistry books. Check out this web site and I think most of your questions about factors affecting mileage will be answered.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/rfgecon.htm |
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I already put my 2 cents (feelsmore like 20 cents :))
in the gas milage discussion.
Even though my city milage is still dismal (11 mpg and not an ounce more!), I have a good news to report.
The milage I got on I 95-New Jersey Turnpike (I reset the trip computer the moment I got onto Tpke) was 25+ mpg without using cruise control (the break-in period is not over yet). NJ Tpke is straight and flat, and on Saturdays is wide-open.
So, that is not as bad as I thought. |
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| Well, this discussion about gas mileage is certainly interesting. I am getting about 17 mpg around town; on the highway I am getting 25-26. It was considerably worse (14/22) for the first 500 miles or so, however. I have about 1500 miles on it now. I use premium fuel, usually 93 octane since that's what my favorite station sells that's over 91. My tires are at 32 psi. I have noticed that the milage is a little worse when I am driving a lot of hills, but really, the driving is always pretty hilly in Pittsburgh! I know I am repeating myself--but I love my MDX. Enough sitting at the computer! I'm off to drive it! Claire NB/S Touring 2/5/01 |
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quote:
Originally posted by claire1
Well, this discussion about gas mileage is certainly interesting. I am getting about 17 mpg around town; on the highway I am getting 25-26. It was considerably worse (14/22) for the first 500 miles or so, however. I have about 1500 miles on it now. I use premium fuel, usually 93 octane since that's what my favorite station sells that's over 91. My tires are at 32 psi. I have noticed that the milage is a little worse when I am driving a lot of hills, but really, the driving is always pretty hilly in Pittsburgh! I know I am repeating myself--but I love my MDX. Enough sitting at the computer! I'm off to drive it! Claire NB/S Touring 2/5/01
I'm up to anout 1200 miles on my MDX, I use premium gas (92 octane) and in the city I get between 11 and 13.5 mpg. Never anything better, on the highway I'm still hardpressed to get over 16 mpg, and I've been very gentle with the MDX, trying not to go over 2000rpm.
DBastian |
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dbastian,
When it was new, before break-in, I got in the 21 - 23 range on highway driving even driving on a trip into the West Virginia moutains leaving it on cruise at 65MPG. I did not reset the computer until 5,500 miles. My combined city and highway (25%/ 75%) average up to 5,500 miles was 18.2 MPG. So I have never seen MPG numbers as low as yours.
At 6K I am now getting about 16 - 17 city, 24 - 25 highway.
Now the gory details. I use only Premium - BP, Texaco, Amoco, or Shell. Tires are at 32 PSI. I do not race other vehicles or try to leave rubber at stop lights. When I get my 67 vette I'll do all those things and more!
I am driving between Raleigh and Charlotte NC weekly right now which is about 175 miles. The 175 are either 65 or 70 MPH limit with two stretches of 55 MPH. I leave it in D5. I set the cruise control either on 62 or 72 depending upon which limit is applicable. RPM is either at about 1700 or 2200.
Further, Raleigh is at 400 feet above sea level and Charlotte is about 800 feet above - so other than a few slight hills, it's pretty straight.
If I reset just as I get on the highway and cruise for 175 miles on Interstate 40, 85 and 77, I get right around 24 or 25 MPG.
Hope this helps.
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Dbastian, I feel your pain. As you see from my previous posts, 11 mpg is what I get driving in NYC.
I reset my trip computer religiously after every fill-up (Amoco or Mobil 93) in hope to see improvement.
Mesa, et al:
What you (and some of my suburbia - bound friends) call city driving, we in NYC call "Highways". You have a "city" street with 40-45 MPH speed limit and traffic lights on every intersection (or, no!). Your intersections are 1 mile apart and traffic lights are synchronized for smooth driving. In NYC, you are lucky to go 2-3 blocks catching a "green wave". Traffic lights/stop signs are usually 200 feet apart!!! And you are lucky to go at the posted speed of 30 mph between them. :( :( :(
I did see an improvement, though - my first 2 tanks I was averaging 10.5 mpg.
Pure highway driving averaged 25 mpg last weekend.
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OK, just for fun, let's do a little test here. Next time you're in your car, check your History and drill down into the Details page - there you can pick off the stats your last five fillups. Jot down the miles per gallon and miles per hour, and if you remember, the octane of that tank of gas. For example, my last five were
MPG MPH Octane
18.4 43.7 91
20 54.1 91
16.5 32.6 91
18.6 49.3 90
16.3 35.3 90
What I'd like to do is collect a bunch of data sets, and see how the different MDX's respond - are they pretty similar, or can we prove that dbastian is an outlier (good evidence to go back to the dealer with!).
It would probably be hard to prove an octane effect, but it would be interesting to get some data from you 89'ers.
I promise to keep your data anonymous. Oh, wait, you're already anonymous. If and when something interesting turns up (or even if it doesn't), I'll post results up in the gallery.
You can send numbers via PM if you don't want to post to this already long thread. Ironically, I don't have nearly as much time on my hands as this post indicates...
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| kenkneeb obviously has never had a Suburban before if he thinks that it gets 14mpg/city&19mpg/hwy! Try 8-10 in city driving and 14hwy and maybe 16 if you're lucky. I've had four suburbans and a Yukon and I'm pumped for my MDX to get here (sometime this week!). |
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ghost:
How do you check history? Does it work on Touring or on premium as well?
Thanks. |
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quote:
Originally posted by vip9
ghost:
How do you check history? Does it work on Touring or on premium as well?
Thanks.
Vip9:
On the Touring model, there is a box in the upper right corner of the screen, labelled History. When you boot up your car and get the welcome screen, you need to hit 'OK", this makes the History button available (don't ask me why it's not available otherwise).
Anyway, when you touch the History button, you get a screen with your last five fillups, with the first one highlighted in yellow. If you touch the highlighted bar, it will bring up a more detailed information screen for that tank of gas, including the total mileage, average miles per gallon, and average miles per hour. From here you can cycle through all the tankfuls by hitting Next.
I'm guessing the screen setup is the same for the base model, but I've never seen one.
Check it out, it's a pretty cool feature. I just wish it retained more than the last five trips (and, of course, had some basic graphic capabilities...)
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Ghost,
Can't give you any data at this time but will once I get my MDX. However, dowe here in Illinois our grades are 87/89/93 octane so I will have to go with the 93 octane when my MDX is delivered. As I have mentioned in other posts, we also have ethanol in our gasoline which might offset any mileage benefits that extra octane could potentially provide. Still it would be very interesting to see if the 2 extra octane numbers make any mpg difference in my own instance. If not I may have to start blending - 50%Mid 50%Prem and save a 5 cents a gallon! |
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Thanks, hang in there, April will be here before you know it! Then we'll never hear from you or DMor again :)
I haven't even found a gas station selling 93 octane up here, I get a choice between 91 and 92, and don't really believe that the actual mixes of gas are precise enough in their octane estimates to warrant a 7 cent difference in price. Heck, bet all those pumps tap into the same underground tank ;) |
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| Sure you will. We both will then start whining about the wind noise, the Bose stereo system and the lousy gas mileage like the rest of you!!:D:D:D |
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Based on my math, we are getting about 19 to 19.5.
The computer tells us we are getting 18.7.
This is based on 40% city and 60% highway. |
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In Katy, Tx (west side of Houston) the local Shell we buy from has the following:
Regular Grade - 87 octane: $1.219
Middle Grade - 89 Octane: $1.439
Premium Grade - 93 Octane: $1.519
It is unfortunate that many stations around here do not offer a 91 octane gas.
Question for those in the know. What does mixing grades do?
If I put in half a tank of 89 and half a tank of 93 what is the resultant blend of gas? Is it 91? In the past on long trips I have alternated between 87 and Premium. I'm sure (?) that there is no harm being done, but does this actually average the octanes? |
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Hello All!! I don't own a MDX yet, but its on its way. I thought that I would provide a couple of my experiences with my Honda Accord V6 EX. The reason being, I feel there maybe some relevance, both products being made by Honda.
When I first bought my Accord, I had terrible gas mileage. I tried everything, drive slower, use cruise control more, bought different octane gasolines (even though the manual said not to). Well, I brought my Accord in to a different dealership to have some routine work done, and I struck up a conversation with the mechanic. He made a couple of suggestions for me to try and they worked.
Here they are: Buy NON-PLATINUM spark plugs. As long as they are the non-platinum version of the plug in the MDX, IT WILL NOT VOID THE WARRANTY. I asked the mechanic and the service manager before I changed my plugs, no problem. Platinum plugs have more resistance. The more the resistance, the less "firing" and efficiency that the plug does. When I changed my plugs to non-platinum at 15,000 miles two things happened. On my next tank of gas, I got an increase of about 75 miles more to the tank of gas. Second, I got about 5-10 more horsepower. The downside of changing the plugs is that you have to change them after 30,000 miles instead of 100,000. Plus, if you don't know how to change your own plugs, there is some cost in having the dealership do it for you.
Second thing to try is adding a gas detergent. The one recommended by the Honda mechanic was Red Line, SI-1, Complete Fuel System Cleaner, (I buy mine at Pep-Boys in Chicago) This is the same stuff that BMW recommends its owners use in their engines. Red Line makes it, and BMW repacks it in their own bottle. Use a whole bottle on the first tank, and then from there use your judgement. Honda recommends that I use only 89 Octane on my Accord V6. The mechanic and service manager said to use 92 Octane from time to time with the Red Line product and you'll see an improvement. I was able to get another 30 miles to the gallon.
One last thought, with all new engines they are still "tight" after 5,000 miles. It probably won't be until 10,000 to 15,000 miles before the engine is finally broken-in.
As with the suggestions, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary - no pun intended.) But, when I do go and pick-up my MDX, I will be running non-platinum plugs and will be using the Red Line product. |
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