Honda Car Forum

Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006 model
Civic?

My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that much
worse than advertised.

Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.

Anyway, just want to compare notes.

Steve

"Steve Mackie" <smackie@eastlink.ca> wrote in message
news:OazVg.4022$H7.19@edtnps82...
> Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006
> model
> Civic?
>
> My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
> something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that
> much
> worse than advertised.
>
> Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.

A) yeah, city traffic can be brutal to mileage, especially if you punch it
when the light turns green.

B) do you have enough miles on it to start being concerned with mileage?
Typically it's not fully broken in till around 10K.

> > Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006
> > model
> > Civic?
> >
> > My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
> > something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that
> > much
> > worse than advertised.
> >
> > Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.
>
> A) yeah, city traffic can be brutal to mileage, especially if you punch it
> when the light turns green.
>
> B) do you have enough miles on it to start being concerned with mileage?
> Typically it's not fully broken in till around 10K.

http://users.eastlink.ca/~smackie/fu...n_20061006.pdf

"Steve Mackie" <smackie@eastlink.ca> wrote in message
news:OazVg.4022$H7.19@edtnps82...
> Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006
> model
> Civic?
>
> My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
> something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that
> much
> worse than advertised.
>
> Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.
>
> Anyway, just want to compare notes.
>
> Steve

EPA mileage estimates are determined through dynamometer testing in a
laboratory, and among the factors reducing actual gas mileage that are not
considered in these tests are rolling resistance of unpowered wheels/tires,
aerodynamic drag, non-productive operation (engine running with no forward
progress, as occurs at traffic controls or in stop-and-go traffic), ambient
temperature (affecting intake air density), and altitude (also affecting
intake air density). City and Highway mileage ratings determined in the
laboratory are adjusted downward by 10 and 22 percent, respectively, in an
attempt to compensate for these and other factors, but Consumer Reports have
consistently determined, using their own mileage testing protocol, that the
EPA mileage estimates posted by automakers for new vehicles are optimistic,
sometimes by as much as 30-40 percent.

mpwilliams wrote:

> EPA mileage estimates are determined through dynamometer testing in a
> laboratory, and among the factors reducing actual gas mileage that are not
> considered in these tests are rolling resistance of unpowered wheels/tires,
> aerodynamic drag, non-productive operation (engine running with no forward
> progress, as occurs at traffic controls or in stop-and-go traffic), ambient
> temperature (affecting intake air density), and altitude (also affecting
> intake air density). City and Highway mileage ratings determined in the
> laboratory are adjusted downward by 10 and 22 percent, respectively, in an
> attempt to compensate for these and other factors, but Consumer Reports have
> consistently determined, using their own mileage testing protocol, that the
> EPA mileage estimates posted by automakers for new vehicles are optimistic,
> sometimes by as much as 30-40 percent.

And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
highway. Go figure.

"High Tech Misfit" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:eoqasmcovw1b$.dlg@hightech.misfit...
> mpwilliams wrote:
>
>> EPA mileage estimates are determined through dynamometer testing in a
>> laboratory, and among the factors reducing actual gas mileage that are
>> not
>> considered in these tests are rolling resistance of unpowered
>> wheels/tires,
>> aerodynamic drag, non-productive operation (engine running with no
>> forward
>> progress, as occurs at traffic controls or in stop-and-go traffic),
>> ambient
>> temperature (affecting intake air density), and altitude (also affecting
>> intake air density). City and Highway mileage ratings determined in the
>> laboratory are adjusted downward by 10 and 22 percent, respectively, in
>> an
>> attempt to compensate for these and other factors, but Consumer Reports
>> have
>> consistently determined, using their own mileage testing protocol, that
>> the
>> EPA mileage estimates posted by automakers for new vehicles are
>> optimistic,
>> sometimes by as much as 30-40 percent.
>
> And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
> highway. Go figure.

This may seem like an asinine question, but what is your process for
calculating actual fuel mileage? Also, what is the elevation and range of
mean daytime temperatures where you live? I ask the latter because lower
elevations and lower mean ambient temperatures, in comparison to the
location of the automaker's test facility, will result in comparative
mileage improvements, ceteris paribus, due to more dense fuel/air mixtures
prior to combustion.

mpwilliams wrote:

>> And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
>> highway. Go figure.
>
> This may seem like an asinine question, but what is your process for
> calculating actual fuel mileage? Also, what is the elevation and range of
> mean daytime temperatures where you live? I ask the latter because lower
> elevations and lower mean ambient temperatures, in comparison to the
> location of the automaker's test facility, will result in comparative
> mileage improvements, ceteris paribus, due to more dense fuel/air mixtures
> prior to combustion.

I calculate my mileage the old-fashioned way. Start with a full tank (not
overfilled), drive the trip, fill up again, take note of how much gas I put
in at the end of the trip and how far I travelled, and do the calculations.

I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where spring and fall temperatures
range anywhere from 5-15 Celsius (41-59 Fahrenheit) and summer temperatures
range from 20-30 Celsius (68-86 Fahrenheit). The elevation is somewhat flat
with moderate hills in places.

EPA rated the '93 Accord automatic at 28mpg on the highway. My car
consistently averaged 32-34mpg on the highway under normal conditions. In
fact, it even got 36mpg on one occasion a few years ago. And BTW, those are
U.S. gallons in my mileage figures, not Imperial gallons.

On Fri, 06 Oct 2006 20:40:14 GMT, Steve Mackie wrote:

> Is anyone keeping an accurate record of fuel consumption in their 2006 model
> Civic?
>
> My fuel consumption is way off the mark and I'm wondering if there is
> something wrong or if the fuel mileage of the '06 Civic really is that much
> worse than advertised.
>
> Perhaps it's the damn city traffic.
>
> Anyway, just want to compare notes.

I have an Si, and it is pretty close. I get an average of about 27,
overall driving. The EPA rating is 23/31, so this is about right. When I
drive mostly highway, I sometimes do better than 31...

--
Joseph M. LaVigne
jlavigne@hits-buffalo.com
http://www.thelavignefamily.us/MyPipePages/ - 10/7/2006 2:21:48 AM
Tobacconist Brick and Mortar Database: http://bam.tobaccocellar.org/

A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in
his mouth. -- Anonymous

I drive in also in a similar condition (Southern Ontario, Canada) and
got the average 1 year mileage (Winter+ Summer) as 35mpg (fuel logbook
available at ontariogasprices.com). During Summer mileage was average
40mpg with maximum of 50mpg. I was suspicious, obviously. But that was
a trip from Waterloo to Toronto and back to Waterloo.

What is overfilling, by the way. I fill the tank until the nozle stops
automatically.



On Oct 6, 11:48 pm, High Tech Misfit <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> mpwilliams wrote:
> >> And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
> >> highway. Go figure.
>
> > This may seem like an asinine question, but what is your process for
> > calculating actual fuel mileage? Also, what is the elevation and range of
> > mean daytime temperatures where you live? I ask the latter because lower
> > elevations and lower mean ambient temperatures, in comparison to the
> > location of the automaker's test facility, will result in comparative
> > mileage improvements, ceteris paribus, due to more dense fuel/air mixtures
> > prior to combustion.I calculate my mileage the old-fashioned way. Start with a full tank (not
> overfilled), drive the trip, fill up again, take note of how much gas I put
> in at the end of the trip and how far I travelled, and do the calculations.
>
> I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where spring and fall temperatures
> range anywhere from 5-15 Celsius (41-59 Fahrenheit) and summer temperatures
> range from 20-30 Celsius (68-86 Fahrenheit). The elevation is somewhat flat
> with moderate hills in places.
>
> EPA rated the '93 Accord automatic at 28mpg on the highway. My car
> consistently averaged 32-34mpg on the highway under normal conditions. In
> fact, it even got 36mpg on one occasion a few years ago. And BTW, those are
> U.S. gallons in my mileage figures, not Imperial gallons.

With my 1996 civic.

On Oct 7, 11:14 am, "ExtremeValue" <rah...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I drive in also in a similar condition (Southern Ontario, Canada) and
> got the average 1 year mileage (Winter+ Summer) as 35mpg (fuel logbook
> available at ontariogasprices.com). During Summer mileage was average
> 40mpg with maximum of 50mpg. I was suspicious, obviously. But that was
> a trip from Waterloo to Toronto and back to Waterloo.
>
> What is overfilling, by the way. I fill the tank until the nozle stops
> automatically.
>
> On Oct 6, 11:48 pm, High Tech Misfit <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
>
> > mpwilliams wrote:
> > >> And yet, my '93 Accord consistently got 10-20% above EPA estimates on the
> > >> highway. Go figure.
>
> > > This may seem like an asinine question, but what is your process for
> > > calculating actual fuel mileage? Also, what is the elevation and range of
> > > mean daytime temperatures where you live? I ask the latter because lower
> > > elevations and lower mean ambient temperatures, in comparison to the
> > > location of the automaker's test facility, will result in comparative
> > > mileage improvements, ceteris paribus, due to more dense fuel/air mixtures
> > > prior to combustion.I calculate my mileage the old-fashioned way. Start with a full tank (not
> > overfilled), drive the trip, fill up again, take note of how much gas I put
> > in at the end of the trip and how far I travelled, and do the calculations.
>
> > I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where spring and fall temperatures
> > range anywhere from 5-15 Celsius (41-59 Fahrenheit) and summer temperatures
> > range from 20-30 Celsius (68-86 Fahrenheit). The elevation is somewhat flat
> > with moderate hills in places.
>
> > EPA rated the '93 Accord automatic at 28mpg on the highway. My car
> > consistently averaged 32-34mpg on the highway under normal conditions. In
> > fact, it even got 36mpg on one occasion a few years ago. And BTW, those are
> > U.S. gallons in my mileage figures, not Imperial gallons.