Hello, all-

I bought a 2004 Accord LX a few months ago, and it seems like no matter how smoothly or slowly I drive, I can't seem to get better than 22 mpg. If I gun it even once a tank, it drops all the way to 19. I have replaced the spark plugs and air filter, as well as checked pressure on all four tires. I even use premium gas. What's the deal? Is there anything else I can do to help?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have-

 

Dont use premium gas use 87 octane. they are designed to use 87 and if you use 93 or 91 it just wastes more gas. There have been many discussions on the use of regular and premium even on the civic forums. 4-5 mpg difference in some cases.

 

ok will switch at next fill-up- Any other suggestions? Should I try changing back to NGK sparkplugs? I think I have Bosch in there right now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondaracer4vtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Dont use premium gas use 87 octane. they are designed to use 87 and if you use 93 or 91 it just wastes more gas. There have been many discussions on the use of regular and premium even on the civic forums. 4-5 mpg difference in some cases. </TD></TR></TABLE>

what about the v6 vtec motors? should you use premium then?

 

V6 motors should us 87

I got my 08 accord 6-6 i got an average of 28 mpg on a full tank of regular when I added super i got 25mpg. big difference.

 

Why would that be? It stands to reason that if the octane is higher, not only would you get more HP, but you should also get better mileage???

Is there anything else I could be doing to help with a 4 cylinder?

BTW, the air filter I have in there is a K&N....is there a fuel filter I can get at with relative ease?

 

the system is calibrated to use 87.........give it a try you will see. Use the search button and enter mileage and read the claims others have.

 

i believe you about the 87 octane, no argument here, but it seems like that could not be the only issue. I have to fill up again probably Tuesday, and I'll post the mileage here when I do, as well as the next tank on 87.

What about the fuel filter?

Are there spark plugs that anyone would recommend?

Thanks again for the suggestion about the fuel-

 

If i am not wrong I think that the fuel pump is in the tank and the fuel filter is in the tank as well

check your tire pressure when your at the pump 32psi is about right

Sparkplugs are for 100k and I will only suggest to use NGK from the dealer.

let us know your results.

 

Bosch spark plugs are garbage in a Honda. Switch them back right away and you should get some MPG back. There was a thread about this not too long ago, If you search "bosch" under my user name you should find a few of them.

 

OP, if you're serious about figuring out whether or not you're getting the deserved mileage, my suggestion is to empty your trunk, fill up your tank with some 87 fuel, and go on a long highway trip, at least 100 miles, all highway, use cruise control, keep a steady speed for the entire time. If you don't keep a consistent speed for the entire time (get caught up in congestion), then the metric will be useless.

So you basically drive a long distance (after filling up tank all the way), and then you fill your tank up again, record how many miles you drove and fuel you put in, and then calculate the MPG you got. Assuming you were careful about acceleration, and maintaining speed, etc. etc. You should have gotten AT LEAST 27MPG or more.

Let us know what you get. Determining the MPG you should be getting in city driving is very subjective and a difficult metric to come up with due to how much city driving can vary which is why I suggest a long highway drive where things are consistent.

I would not be surprised if you got 34mpg on this trip (assuming you used cruise control and were driving at 65mph).