hey my boss just bought an 08 civic hybrid its only got 17,XXX miles on it and for some reason it has different tires on it already, could an alignment problem be to blame for its crash in mpg? and its only getting low to the mid 30's mpg on the highway. does any one have any other alternitve ideas what could be causeing the big drop? thanks in advace!!!

 

its probably how you are driving...

 

Yes, an alignment can cause issues. Are the tires inflated to the correct PSI?

 

I know the prius requires special tires for the hybrid system to work properly. The civic could be the same way. I doubt that would account for such poor mpg, but it could be a contributing factor. What kind of mpg is it getting in the city?

 

well he said low to mid 30's on highway, so i imagine mid 20's?

 

thanks guys its actually my boss's wife who is driving it so i dont think that its caused by the driver but when you let off the gas it really and i mean really wants to slow down almost like the brakes are being pushed, again thank you for the help and coments

 

In for other answers. My neighbor has 25k on his 08, and after 4k miles his average is 31.4 mpg. Up to 20k miles, he was getting 44-51 mpg per tank. Same commute, same driving habits.

 

Wouldn't a hybrid get better mpg in the city than on highway?

 

That's what I would think.

 

The hybrid on the freeway only gets an EPA ESTIMATED 45 MPG's. Is he using the cruise control, and traveling at a reasonable MPH?

I drive really conservative and I have seen more than a handful of hybrid's driving like a bat out of hell. lol, I guess they bought the hybrid so they can drive like maniacs and not feel bad about gas.

 

so it got better over time?!?!?!!???? and she is driving around 60mph with the cruise on and on a very very flat road, so that is why it leads me to belive that there is something wrong

 

Sorry, the past 4k miles (21k-25k) has averaged 31.4. From new to 21k miles, he was getting 44-51mpg.

 

hell i dont know how those damn things work lol
i just know they get better mileage than the r18 civics
hahaha

according to honda, it gets 40 in the city and 45 highway.
so i guess you're wrong

 

Tires should be a Dunlop SP31 low rolling resistance tire, i think the size is something like 195/65r15.

 

My ex gets 45mpg on the highway lol.

 

The wheels play an integral part of the fuel economy but I suspect driving habit to be the biggest culprit.

I recall a friend switching out the hybrid wheels for some fancy rotas only to discover a huge drop in fuel economy. Defeats the purpose of buying a hybrid but to each their own.

 

my integra gets 37-38 highway haha

 

i know this is an old thread but this is the model involved in that class-action law suit...