Mallard1123

I just bought a 1998 Civic LX sedan. It has an automatic transmission. Driving on the highway I'm getting 29 miles to the gallon going about 75 to 80 miles per hour Is this normal?

mikekh10a

iTrader: (2)

it depends.....what maintenance has been done to the car recently? oil change, tune up, fuel filter, air filter, etc.

delsolintegra

What octane fuel are you using?

E85 is bad mileage

Mallard1123

i used regular unleaded and oil was changed 100 miles ago. I bought this car because i due a lot of driving for work and i pay for gas. Im wondering if i would be better off selling this and buying something that gets better mileage. how much more mpg would i get if it was manual? i noticed when im driving on hwy im running about 3400rpm.

furious94ls

Vehicle condition plays a big role in MPG. As does driving style, and tires. My 98 EX auto gets 35-38mpg on the highway at 67-70mph. You could get more with an LX. I'd suggest doing a full tune up, check tire condition/inflation/alignment. Also 80mph is a bit excessive for fuel savings.

jbpnoman

Slow down to 65-70, and you'll see a noticeable bump in fuel economy. Short of finding an unmolested HX, you aren't going to find much of anything with better gas mileage.

Laughing Man

my 98 civic LX sedan (auto) is averaging 34mpg at 70mph.

My old 94 civic EX sedan (manual) was averaging 36mpg at 70mph.

CO671

iTrader: (1)

It's 2013 now (16 year old vehicle)
Even with regular tune-ups, it's normal. Don't be thinking of upping your octane, or doing hypermiling crap, you're getting a fairly average gas mileage for a Civic.

fleabag

higher octane won't benefit these vehicles as they're rated at lowly 86 octane! That's less than what you can get in the majority of the US!

CO671

iTrader: (1)

Here's what I mentioned in another thread regarding octane level.
Going premium would be retarded in a way.
Common sense, you want to get BETTER gas mileage, to save money. So if you get premium instead of regular, you will be spending more money in the long run.
Civic's are 'civil/civilian' vehicles, they were designed (stock) for 87 octane, not for high octane and high performance.

fleabag

well some people erroneously believe that higher octane fuel gives the car more power even if it isn't designed for it, or that it has more detergents or something to that effect. btw the car is rated at 86, not 87 so even with 87 that's more than enough for these cars.

CO671

iTrader: (1)

Its a Civic, power usually isnt a word to be associated, lol.

delsolintegra

Check the air filter make sure it's clean. Inflate the tires and slow down a little.

94EG8

What people seem to fail to realize is the octane booster isn't fuel. The higher the octane rating the harder it is to ignite the fuel. The only reason to run higher octane is to prevent spark knock and detonation. You will actually get worse mileage running higher octane unless the engine requires it.

To answer the OPs question 29mpg is probably a little on the low side, but honestly the mileage will take a pretty substantial hit with the automatic transmission over a manual.