My buddy has an 07 civic lx and says here lately he is getting bad mpg. Says he used to get 38-40 and now in the last 2 tanks of fuel he is getting 29 mpg! He says it has a newer air filter in it. The car has 42K miles on it. Is there something he should consider changing or looking for that is causing his mpg to go down hill??

Thanks,

 

Ethanol.

 

weather, oil change due soon?

 

I get about 29 with my FA5 regularly. Thats kinda "sporty" driving, but not aggressive. My buddy has gotten 35 out of his, driving like a grandma.
Theres lots of variables. Liike was mentioned, ethonol being in almost ALL gases nowadays, weather, temp, humidity, etc, and most importantly- driving style.

 

I get 13 to 18mpg in the city and up to 25 with mine boosted so yours isn't so bad at all....I'd take it!

 

I get about 25mpg on 10% ethanol.

 

Often overlooked is tire pressure. Make sure all the tires are within their specification (~32psi). I've managed to retain back almost 3~4mpg from my fuel economy because of low inflated tires.

 

Tire pressure is a good point. What type of driving does he do? More city than highway? I ask because I get roughly 25mpg with 70/30 city/hwy driving. Stoplights kill you fuel economy with the constant acceleration and deceleration.

 

my o6 ex 4dr. with 46k on motor. gets between 30 and 34mpg. but ever since i is getting cold out and i have been driving the highway more i get 32mpg consistanty.

 

What douchebag thing to say. You choose that **** mileage because of boosting. We choose fuel economy.

 

i didn't take the fuel economy by choice, i just can't afford to boost yet .

 

i didnt think it was a douchebag thing to say. *shrugs*

 

You sound like a douchebag.

 

Enough db'ing and back to fuel economy. If you have the cash to boost, then you shouldn't care about fuel economy. So for those of us who get decent mileage, its a perk for driving a Honda.

 

Exactly. It's simply a perk. It's a sad state of affairs when people buy ugly, overpriced, unreliable cars, (Read: Toyota Prius) simply for their fuel economy.

 

Somewhat off topic, but do these motors have a fuel cut-off when coasting in gear? I tend to pop my car in neutral when coming to a set of reds. If so, then wouldn't I be saving more fuel rather than putting it in neutral where fuel would be consumed (albeit a small amount) to maintain idle.

 

no its sad that all of the fuel efficient hybrid fancy cars ARE ugly as ****.

i hate this 10% ethanol crap

 

Personally I think it's more sad that people buy ugly cars just because of how much power they make (MS3, STi, etc). I'm pretty sure the Prius' design has a lot to do with aerodynamics, which is a pretty big thing when you are trying to sip as much gas as possible. While I agree it is hideous, it's hideous-ness is still practical.

 

the prius is so ugly it makes the ms3 and sti look ****en beautiful. i'd gladly sacrifice a few mpg for a car that doesn't make me wana vomit whenever i look at it.

all engines (at least modern fuel injected engines) cut fuel off when coasting in gear; there's no need for fuel since the wheels turn the engine. when coasting in gear you slow down faster than when coasting in neutral, which can be good or bad depending on what you're doing.

 

Thanks

 

My 2007 LX has a little over 41k miles, and recently I'm getting about 33-34 mpg. I just filled up this evening, and calculated slightly over 33 mpg. I used to get @ 36 mpg.

 

With all of the ice storms they've been having down your way lately, you should probably consider the effect that cold temps have on fuel economy. The engine runs rich until it warms up. Add on the extended warm-up times, and also the higher density of cold air which requires more fuel to combust properly, and you end up with a significant hit in fuel economy.

Every winter it seems like I answer the same fuel economy questions . . .

 

x2. i notice my mpg drop every winter and rise back up in the spring.