Hows My 99 Civic's Fuel Economy? And ways to Improve??

[royal]

I have been testing my civic for 2 ful gas tanks and i have come up woth 12km/L... so 12km for every liter in my car. This is for city driving and highway driving was about 12.8 - 13 km/L.

SO just wanted to know is this normal or below average??

THanks.

Also some ways to improve?

I have seen some kind of stuff like this:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/HONDA-ACCORD-CIVIC-S2000-CR-V-AIR-INTAKE-GAS-FUEL-SAVER_W0QQitemZ300063716439QQihZ020QQcategoryZ3863 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotoho sting

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Honda-Civic-Gas-Fuel-Saver-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04_W0QQitemZ170065380904QQihZ007QQcategoryZ42604QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I know most of this stuff is usually scams.. but any of you guys ever tried this stuff?

Thanks.

[gordholio]

I would get a tuneup. Change oil and filter and spark plugs.
Check your tires for proper inflation and tread wear - rotate tires if necessary.
It's about 36 mpg and if the car is an automatic, it's about right (maybe squeeze another 2 mpg out of it).
If it's a standard, could be getting about 5 mpg more.
If you are driving in the city a lot, your mileage will be lower than the optimum.

Here are some more tips:

http://www.mpgplus.com/

[AzNCrAzYcOoLeR]

12km /L is good,
my civic 06 only does 425km / 45 L , that works out 9.5km/L

[radeonboy]

PLEASE do NOT try those garbage ebay scams.

[radeonboy]

Ways to improve.

1. Run higher tire pressure. Give it around 36 for the fronts, and 33 for the rear.

2. Find a speed where your engine runs at the lowest RPM. For example, when I run 70-80kmh, my car can run around 1600-1700RPM.

3. Use cruise control for above if you can find a sweet spot.

4. Tuneup: Fuel filter, air filter, change oil, spark plugs, spark plug wires, check ignition timing and you can "******" the timing a few to give you better mileage.

Thats all I can think of. Obviously do your homework, and you should be doing better.

[royal]

I would get a tuneup. Change oil and filter and spark plugs.
Check your tires for proper inflation and tread wear - rotate tires if necessary.
It's about 36 mpg and if the car is an automatic, it's about right (maybe squeeze another 2 mpg out of it).
If it's a standard, could be getting about 5 mpg more.
If you are driving in the city a lot, your mileage will be lower than the optimum.

Here are some more tips:

http://www.mpgplus.com/

Yup My car is Auto, sorry forgot to mention. One thing i know i shoud get changed ASAP is the tires in rear (one michellin (thread somthing) and one goodyear) and fronts have 2 michellin hydroedges. i know that effect drive train.

and yup mostly city driving .. ocasional highway

12km /L is good,
my civic 06 only does 425km / 45 L , that works out 9.5km/L

lol i am relliefed, but shouldnt the new ones be better? or is you car still in the break-in stage?

PLEASE do NOT try those garbage ebay scams.

i know its a scam..but i was jsut wondering if any1 tired and what are results?

[radeonboy]

i know its a scam..but i was jsut wondering if any1 tired and what are results?

Argh? They don't work period. Consumer Reports tested all the ebay garbage and they didnt know squat. Why would you want to know more about these when you already know they dont do anything?? :confused: :confused: Don't tell me you're gonna try it out, sounds like you might just try it out.:razz:

[radeonboy]

One more tip I forgot to add.

- Keep your car light as possible! Throw all useless junk out of your car, and your trunk. The lighter the car is, the better.

[bunga]

If you ever work in the auto industry, it's pretty much like clockwork when you get people concerned about their fuel economy. As soon as the temperature starts getting down to zero you'll get customers complaining of their fuel economy. That lasts throughout the winter, and as soon as the weather starts warming up, no one complains.

you're getting about 28mpg which isn't too bad. Sure you can spend money on a major tune up (plugs, cap/rotor, fuel filter, air filter) which definitely isn't a bad idea if you haven't had one in a while, won't make a huge difference in your fuel economy though

realistically, unless you're car maintenance has been completely neglected and the car is running like garbage you're not likely to see a noticeable difference in fuel economy. This is absolutely the worst time to monitor fuel economy and unfortunately it is when most people pay attention to it. With the weather cold your motor is going to use up more gas. Look at it this way, when your car is started from a dead cold, the ecu is going to run the car rich (more gas in the air/fuel mixture) so that it will heat up the catalytic converter quicker and produce fewer emissions. Those that idle their car to warm it up before they get in it will see the biggest drop in fuel economy. The little 1.5 or 1.6l motor in your Civic will never fully warm up if it's -10 outside just by idleing, so all that time the motor is running rich and using up more gas. Not to mention that during the winter most people go on shorter trips and of course your motor cools down very quickly when shut off so that when you start it back up it's using up more gas again.

best fuel economy advice is to idle your car as little as possible when cold. When you start it up from a dead cold, let it idle for maybe half a minute and then start driving. Also try to take as few short trips as possible if not needed. This is going to make the biggest difference in your fuel economy, still don't expect to meet the specified fuel economy numbers with this weather

or you can check your tires daily making sure that they are within half a psi of what they should be, spend money on a tune up, and watch your mileage like a hawk, maybe you'll get an extra half a mile per gallon.

[ids748]

SOMETHING must be horribly wrong with my mom's 99 chic then. I got 508KM to the last tank filled 43.0L........thats about 8.46 KM/L

**** something is wrong for sure. Does anyone know if an O2 sensor at the CAT would fix this?

[bunga]

ummm, where do you learn math from?

based on your own numbers, if you travelled 508km for 43L, you did just under 12km/l, or in more standard terms 8.3L/100km or 28mpg, exact same mileage as the op

definitely something wrong, but I'm not quite sure it's the car

SOMETHING must be horribly wrong with my mom's 99 chic then. I got 508KM to the last tank filled 43.0L........thats about 8.46 KM/L

**** something is wrong for sure. Does anyone know if an O2 sensor at the CAT would fix this?

[ids748]

^^^****, i did the math right but ya it's for L/100 km.

Ya but we use to get 550+ to a tank with lower fill's and so i know something is wrong.

[belfour]

12km /L is good,
my civic 06 only does 425km / 45 L , that works out 9.5km/L

10.6 L/100km is horrible for 06 civic.

For me (06 civic auto 4dr) my max is 7.6 L/100km (almost all city) and lowest is 6.2L/100km (all highway 110-120km/h).

[bunga]

reread my post regarding cold weather

it's impossible to accurately judge fuel efficiency this time of year, check again in the spring

[Chief]

Argh? They don't work period. Consumer Reports tested all the ebay garbage and they didnt know squat. Why would you want to know more about these when you already know they dont do anything?? :confused: :confused: Don't tell me you're gonna try it out, sounds like you might just try it out.:razz:

oh come on, its gotta work, the POWER of MAGNETS means better fuel efficency, it makes perfect sense:rolleyes:

[royal]

Argh? They don't work period. Consumer Reports tested all the ebay garbage and they didnt know squat. Why would you want to know more about these when you already know they dont do anything?? :confused: :confused: Don't tell me you're gonna try it out, sounds like you might just try it out.:razz:

Dont worry i am not going to try it.. not that stupid.. plsu i jsut wanted to hear some stories.

If you ever work in the auto industry, it's pretty much like clockwork when you get people concerned about their fuel economy. As soon as the temperature starts getting down to zero you'll get customers complaining of their fuel economy. That lasts throughout the winter, and as soon as the weather starts warming up, no one complains.

you're getting about 28mpg which isn't too bad. Sure you can spend money on a major tune up (plugs, cap/rotor, fuel filter, air filter) which definitely isn't a bad idea if you haven't had one in a while, won't make a huge difference in your fuel economy though

realistically, unless you're car maintenance has been completely neglected and the car is running like garbage you're not likely to see a noticeable difference in fuel economy. This is absolutely the worst time to monitor fuel economy and unfortunately it is when most people pay attention to it. With the weather cold your motor is going to use up more gas. Look at it this way, when your car is started from a dead cold, the ecu is going to run the car rich (more gas in the air/fuel mixture) so that it will heat up the catalytic converter quicker and produce fewer emissions. Those that idle their car to warm it up before they get in it will see the biggest drop in fuel economy. The little 1.5 or 1.6l motor in your Civic will never fully warm up if it's -10 outside just by idleing, so all that time the motor is running rich and using up more gas. Not to mention that during the winter most people go on shorter trips and of course your motor cools down very quickly when shut off so that when you start it back up it's using up more gas again.

best fuel economy advice is to idle your car as little as possible when cold. When you start it up from a dead cold, let it idle for maybe half a minute and then start driving. Also try to take as few short trips as possible if not needed. This is going to make the biggest difference in your fuel economy, still don't expect to meet the specified fuel economy numbers with this weather

or you can check your tires daily making sure that they are within half a psi of what they should be, spend money on a tune up, and watch your mileage like a hawk, maybe you'll get an extra half a mile per gallon.

No, my car is not in bad condition, i have been getting the scheudled service form honda, evne the oil changes are form honda.. my car has never seen anyother shop.

Its just that lately the gears are changing at a very high RPM level, which has me conernd, and i am just exploring the options.

^^^****, i did the math right but ya it's for L/100 km.

Ya but we use to get 550+ to a tank with lower fill's and so i know something is wrong.

in high i went to kingston (300km from mississuga) i was full wen i left and filled up around 540. so the highway reat is good .. again this is all approx levels. PLus it depends what kind of civic is it? hatch back? 4dr? auto manu?

MIne is 99 Civic 4dr, EX model, Auto, with 188XXX kms.

oh come on, its gotta work, the POWER of MAGNETS means better fuel efficency, it makes perfect sense:rolleyes:

lol.. it seemed a bit funny to me aswell.

[bunga]

if what you're concerned about is the transmission shifting at a higher rpm point than before than that's a transmission issue and has no relation to the fuel economy of the car. The auto transmissions in those gen Civics have been pretty damn reliable but a failure definitely can happen, if it concerns you, get your dealer to inspect it

[royal]

if what you're concerned about is the transmission shifting at a higher rpm point than before than that's a transmission issue and has no relation to the fuel economy of the car. The auto transmissions in those gen Civics have been pretty damn reliable but a failure definitely can happen, if it concerns you, get your dealer to inspect it

i know it seperate.. but i am just tryhin to compare my resluts to others.

plus every time i take it to honda they its fine. .yet its not.. i dont know what to do.. so i am just testing out everyting in my car on my own.. fuel consumption, ari filter, air flow change, sythenteic oil, preformace oil filter

iunno i am just tryign to figure out my options.

[00project]

for OP reference: i have a 98 civic
i get about 400km per 36L so ur is doing better than me.
mine is a manual and i tend to shift around 3000 to 3500 rpm. mostly city driving with dirty cold air intake filter.

btw how big is our tank??? i was under the impression it is only 40L but previous poster says they can fill 43L?!?

[nsx]

...
btw how big is our tank??? i was under the impression it is only 40L but previous poster says they can fill 43L?!?

96-00 Civics:
Fuel Tank Capacity = 11.9 US Gallon or 45 Liters.

[royal]

96-00 Civics:
Fuel Tank Capacity = 11.9 US Gallon or 45 Liters.

hmm.. if its 45 then i am getting 11km/L .. i thought the gas tanks were 40 liters with 5 in reserver, whicih i never hit.

[chriswalsh]

Its just that lately the gears are changing at a very high RPM level, which has me conernd, and i am just exploring the options.


I know our Pathfinder shifts at higher RPMs (and locks out overdrive) when the engine is cold in order to warm it up quicker. That might be what you are experiencing if the Honda guys say it's normal.

Also be aware that winter gas generally contains more additives and might have a lower heating value, further increasing fuel consumption.

[Madrid2k]

Don't forget the Oxygen sensor.

Unfortunately, I think Honda's oxygen sensor's usually sell in the $200 range.

[EscaBoi]

this site gives you an idea of approx how much you should be getting per tank. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

i drive a '94 civic and my tank is 37L. I can get over 500km on 1 tank, in the winter alot less obviously and that can fluctuate.
However, i'm driving a standard so i guess that helps in improving the fuel economy. Generally I shift at 2.5 to 3 RPMs as that's the recommended shift points in the service manual for the best fuel economy.

couple of things you can do, keep your RPM's below 3 and use less of your climate control, if you're not using it just turn it off.

one time i was driving up to Orillia going 150km/h the whole way, which was 4RPM's constant for the just under an hour. I didn't think it would consume that much gas, but the gas gauge dropped alot more than it usually does for only 120km.

[Sonbuster]

hack the computer and change the fuel and air ratio. in the 2006 issue of ultimate street car challenge in sports compact car, this subaru STI got 42mpg! now under normal AF ratio, the same STI pushed 449 hp.

[weedb0y]

If I am getting 500+ tank off my B18 (1.8), you civic folks should be getting higher.

Tank = 40-43L

$40 fill at $.99

[sunnybono]

reread my post regarding cold weather

it's impossible to accurately judge fuel efficiency this time of year, check again in the spring

Hey bunga, what about the use of gasline antifreeze that the mfg's put in their gas along with ethonal. These 2 additives play a significant role in fuel economy???

sk

[KnifeEdge]

that's pretty good for city

the old epa ratings are crap and arnt going to be anything close to what a normal person would get in real life

the new ratings are available at
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/ratingsNewSticker.shtml

just enter the year make and model for old and new ratings

for more info on new testing method go to
http://www.mileagewillvary.com/flash.html

12km/L is around 28mpg which is pretty good for city.

[hytong]

imperial mi/gal = 282.48 / L/100km
us mi/gal ~ imperial mi/gal * (1/1.2)

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/Publications/transportation/fuel-guide/2007/conversion.cfm?attr=8

[notanexpert]

Hey bunga, what about the use of gasline antifreeze that the mfg's put in their gas along with ethonal. These 2 additives play a significant role in fuel economy???

sk

Antifreeze additives contain either methanol or ethanol that has the effect of absorbing any water in the gas. These additives also have significantly less energy per litre than gasoline, so they would definitely increase your overall fuel consumption. Cars running or E85 (85% ethanol) burn ~30% more fuel.

[boyoflondon]

You are doing 8.33l/100km. What would you like out of a 8yr old 4 cyl civic?

If you want to decrease your fuel consumption, go get a TDI / hybrid vehicle.
Your fuel economy is very good so I wouldnt be complaining and trying to 'reduce it'.

In your case, COST > BENEFIT ....

My suggestion; drive your car the way you do, maintain it regularly and dont complain with the good consumption you are getting.

[hytong]

Yamaha Vino (http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?section=ov&model=2044)