ticeberg411

I bought my 03 Accord EX(mileage=85k) on NOV.07 from dealer. The dealer changed the oil and filters for me before the car went out door. At beginning, the car had 30mpg Averagely; but recently(mileage=89k), in Jan.08, the car only has around 25mpg. No oil changed between this period.

Anyone has this problem too? Thanks.

aries331

Has the weather condition changed in your area since?
Suggestions:
Check for any underinflated tires. I would also recommend a complete tune-up that includes oil change, air filter, plugs, wires, fuel filter. Not sure what the owners' manual recommendation for your year is to change spark plugs, but at 89k, it wouldn't hurt to do it or at least check them.

wellinghurst

cold weather will decrease MPGs some. the recommendations above cover most of it.

JDM_Acccord

haah... compared to my accord... i wouldn't complain with 25mpg.

YeuEmMaiMai

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ticeberg411 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I bought my 03 Accord EX(mileage=85k) on NOV.07 from dealer. The dealer changed the oil and filters for me before the car went out door. At beginning, the car had 30mpg Averagely; but recently(mileage=89k), in Jan.08, the car only has around 25mpg. No oil changed between this period.

Anyone has this problem too? Thanks.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i am getting barely above 21 in my car now in mixed driving becuase it is like -10 outside when I am driving. This last week it has been in the upper 30's and my milage came back up to normal again.....

ticeberg411

Yes. It's getting colder down here, around 20F. I was told the weather matters, but don't know how much it matters. And I'll do the tune-up when the car is at 90k, wish it's not too late for the underhood...

aries331

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_Acccord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">haah... compared to my accord... i wouldn't complain with 25mpg. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I wish I would get 25 on mine too, but I could see his point, going down from 30 to 25.

Cold weather makes a big difference. I was getting 21 in november when it was warmer. NOw I getting close to 18.

GIXXERMAN83

Cold air effects gas mileage considerably. The colder the air is the more dense the air becomes, making the molecules more tightly compact. So basically you are feeding you engine with more oxygen in the winter time and you car's computer senses this and compisates by adding more fuel to keep the air fuel ratio the same. So your mileage will decrease during the cold weather months.

George Knighton

His Accord purchase coincided with <u>both</u> a temperature and weather change <u>and</u> a time that most suppliers were switching to the 10% ethanol blends.

There is less energy in ethanol and it will lower your gas mileage, all other things being equal.

My big Accord will get 30 mpg consistently on 93 octane BP (no ethanol) even in the winter, but it drops to as low as 26 mpg on the same route using 93 octane BP bought in an area that uses the ethanol blend.

That seems like too big a difference, but it's the same route, same driving style, same weather patterns. Only thing different was the gas, and I'm back to 30 with the no-ethanol fuel.

aries331

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by George Knighton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">] a time that most suppliers were switching to the 10% ethanol blends.

There is less energy in ethanol and it will lower your gas mileage, all other things being equal.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes, this is true, I forgot to mention that in my post!!

jermaine3173

thats crazy talk

ticeberg411

Thank you guys for all the ideas and sciences. I'll do the tune-up when the car's at 90k and check the MPG again.

jneusch

I do a lot of driving and I can confirm that temperature does effect mpg. Also, ethanol blends are less fuel efficient, especially in the colder temps. I have noticed a 3 -5 mpg decrease when burning 89 octane blend versus 87 octane with no ethanol.

The thing is the ethanol is usually 5 - 10 cents cheaper per gallon, so I guess it all evens out.

George Knighton

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jneusch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The thing is the ethanol is usually 5 - 10 cents cheaper per gallon, so I guess it all evens out.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Personally, I do not believe it all works out.

Based on the difference in the price per gallon you mentioned, on that face alone, I think it is suspect. On my personal car, it makes the difference between 30 mpg and 26 mpg. That's just awful, and in the long run it's not make up by your average 7 cents/gallon difference in price.

But, you see, that's not the only cost.

Beef and chicken cost more now because the American maize that used to go to the feed is either going into ethanol or being sold to the farmers at an elevated price. Bread costs more. Even your pizzas cost more.

The real human cost isn't going to be realised for a while, however, and it could be truly tragic. The surplus Canadian maize that used to be given to starving African countries at no cost or hugely reduced cost is now being sold at high cost to American ethanol refiners.

jneusch

Well George you might be right. I have never actually done the math. In doing so, it would be cheaper even at 10 cents a gallon difference based on 4 mpg improved fuel economy. You also make a good point on the price of corn and the impact in many areas.

I will try the non ethanol gas for a few tanks and see if fuel economy does improve as much as it did for you.

racer987654321

My moms 2007 accord just hit 30,000, and the fuel econmy is going down when she got it was around 28 and before the change it was like 20. . So I got the oil change, air filter, drained the radiator fluid, and got new wires, and this helped alot for my mom. My dealership had this package.. so it was cheap and it helped alot. I think every one who is getting to the 30-40 thousand mark should get this.