Got MPG on my mind (Automatic Transmission \ CVT)

[Todai]

So its been a couple of months of owning my 14 Coupe EX-L & I know there are some MPG Masters out there (Monk) as well as others. I have a few questions that might help me improve on my MPG rating while driving.

Quick background on my driving habits:
* 75% City \ 25% Highway would be my estimate of my driving habits*
* Odometer shows 3700~ Miles*
* Not an aggressive driver *
* Commute to and from work is about 4 miles (all city) *
* I try to keep Eco Mode turned on almost always (Except going up hill - Per Monk's suggestion)*
* I do visit the girlfriend which allows me to actually use a highway 12~ mile drive each way*
* I use regular unleaded fuel (87)*
* I keep my trunk and the inside of my car empty of additional weight (I.E. I do not keep a case of bottled water in my trunk)*

Questions:

1. When on a highway what is the "Ideal" speed to gain the best MPG while driving with / with out cruse control? (Speed limit here is typically 65)

2. When driving in the city what are the "Ideal" speeds to gain the best MPG? (I assume no cruse control for safety reasons)

3. When stopped at a light is it better to "Gun it" on the green for better MPG? or is it better to gently accelerate to the speed of traffic?

4. Is there any reason I should be using "Premium Fuel" (91) in my non SI Civic?

I know some of this may have been answered before so I will be happy with links to a different thread. Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[Monk]

Questions:
1. When on a highway what is the "Ideal" speed to gain the best MPG while driving with / with out cruse control? (Speed limit here is typically 65)
55 to 60, I find get's better mpg, but I take it up to the traffic flow for safety, high 67 for max(LEO's).
2. When driving in the city what are the "Ideal" speeds to gain the best MPG? (I assume no cruse control for safety reasons)
Stay back 2 sec. from the car in front and maintain the flow, modulate either the throttle, and/or the cr/c +/- buttons(I do use cr/c if it's flowing). But being smooth & staying off the brake is the best mpg.
3. When stopped at a light is it better to "Gun it" on the green for better MPG? or is it better to gently accelerate to the speed of traffic?
Gently accelerate. Is the best, but I don't always do that.

4. Is there any reason I should be using "Premium Fuel" (91) in my non SI Civic?
Absolutely not........

These are the best ways, but not the most fun some time. I got 33.7 on 10.5 gallons doing mostly local stuff on this tank, I had one bar showing when I filled up, so that left me with one & a half in the tank. So one & a half should get me 45 to 50 miles before running out, not that I'd want to push it any closer, but I knew how close I was to my fav station(Shell).

 

[Monk]

Do you have the option to use or not use the paddles?

 

[Todai]

Do you have the option to use or not use the paddles?

I do have the "Flappy Paddles" as the Top Gear would refer to them as =)

 

[Monk]

I do have the "Flappy Paddles" as the Top Gear would refer to them as =)

Love "Top Gear", got the telly set to record any time a new show comes on.........

 

[Todai]

Love "Top Gear", got the telly set to record any time a new show comes on.........

Top gear is my absolute favorite tv show out there, but it must be top gear UK for me.

Jeremy Clarkson: "POWER!!!"

 

[Todai]

Questions:
1. When on a highway what is the "Ideal" speed to gain the best MPG while driving with / with out cruse control? (Speed limit here is typically 65)
55 to 60, I find get's better mpg, but I take it up to the traffic flow for safety, high 67 for max(LEO's).
2. When driving in the city what are the "Ideal" speeds to gain the best MPG? (I assume no cruse control for safety reasons)
Stay back 2 sec. from the car in front and maintain the flow, modulate either the throttle, and/or the cr/c +/- buttons(I do use cr/c if it's flowing). But being smooth & staying off the brake is the best mpg.
3. When stopped at a light is it better to "Gun it" on the green for better MPG? or is it better to gently accelerate to the speed of traffic?
Gently accelerate. Is the best, but I don't always do that.

4. Is there any reason I should be using "Premium Fuel" (91) in my non SI Civic?
Absolutely not........

These are the best ways, but not the most fun some time. I got 33.7 on 10.5 gallons doing mostly local stuff on this tank, I had one bar showing when I filled up, so that left me with one & a half in the tank. So one & a half should get me 45 to 50 miles before running out, not that I'd want to push it any closer, but I knew how close I was to my fav station(Shell).

I will try out your suggestions. The drivers around my area are annoying. Always want to speed down the street even when they are coming up on a red light or stop sign. I could have great mpg if there were less crazy people on the road

 

[Monk]

I'm sure your mother, as well as mine at one time has told us, "just because Johnny jumps off the roof, doesn't mean you have to".........

 

[DarkNight2014]

My city / hwy in my 2014 cvt ex 1.8 avg around 37 lowest: 33 highest 41 and that's without the Econ button

 

[Monk]

My city / hwy in my 2014 cvt ex 1.8 avg around 37 lowest: 33 highest 41 and that's without the Econ button

That's looking good........

Some ppl have said they don't think the Econ helps anything.... My way of looking at it is, if when using it, it slows everything down and doesn't let the a/c get as cold, and it won't keep up the set CC speed up hill, that it must be conserving energy somewhere. My best has been 46mpg using Econ & CC.

This isn't directed to you, just in general.

 

[DarkNight2014]

That's looking good........

Some ppl have said they don't think the Econ helps anything.... My way of looking at it is, if when using it, it slows everything down and doesn't let the a/c get as cold, and it won't keep up the set CC speed up hill, that it must be conserving energy somewhere. My best has been 46mpg using Econ & CC.

This isn't directed to you, just in general.

Gotcha man, well if we all pay attention to the "coaching bars" we'd be doing good, however that sport mode in there sure is fun, but 46mpg's for you is awesome.

 

[Monk]

Yeh..... I just like to see what I can squeeze out of it...... but I do drive out of Econ & use my D3/2nd when sport riding.
It's nice to have the choice.
I do like the idea of your sport & shifting paddles.

 

[DarkNight2014]

Wellllll....mine doesn't have the paddles, only the coupes, but the sport "S" replaces d3-d2

Edit: "S" is my 3rd 2nd for the sedans

 

[radtech1991]

I'm curious as to whether or not the Econ mode changes anything besides the gearing ratios in the CVT. Something to look into, I suppose.

 

[Monk]

I'm curious as to whether or not the Econ mode changes anything besides the gearing ratios in the CVT. Something to look into, I suppose.

Econ effects a lot of stuff besides gear ratios..........

 

[fg3_colton]

So its been a couple of months of owning my 14 Coupe EX-L & I know there are some MPG Masters out there (Monk) as well as others. I have a few questions that might help me improve on my MPG rating while driving.

Quick background on my driving habits:
* 75% City \ 25% Highway would be my estimate of my driving habits*
* Odometer shows 3700~ Miles*
* Not an aggressive driver *
* Commute to and from work is about 4 miles (all city) *
* I try to keep Eco Mode turned on almost always (Except going up hill - Per Monk's suggestion)*
* I do visit the girlfriend which allows me to actually use a highway 12~ mile drive each way*
* I use regular unleaded fuel (87)*
* I keep my trunk and the inside of my car empty of additional weight (I.E. I do not keep a case of bottled water in my trunk)*

Questions:

1. When on a highway what is the "Ideal" speed to gain the best MPG while driving with / with out cruse control? (Speed limit here is typically 65)

2. When driving in the city what are the "Ideal" speeds to gain the best MPG? (I assume no cruse control for safety reasons)

3. When stopped at a light is it better to "Gun it" on the green for better MPG? or is it better to gently accelerate to the speed of traffic?

4. Is there any reason I should be using "Premium Fuel" (91) in my non SI Civic?

I know some of this may have been answered before so I will be happy with links to a different thread. Thanks for your help in advance!

1. The best speed for my MPG is 70MPH on the highway without cruise control, I will typically average any where between 37-38 on the highway depending on the amount hills I encounter.

2. As for the city; I don't live in a very "City like" environment, the slowest I have to go is 35 and that's only in one part of town, everywhere else is 45. Typically I average about 35MPG, going about 45-50 everywhere I can.

3. As for gunning it, if you have/want to, don't let the engine get above 4K RPMs, at that point VTEC has disengaged and its all engine, using up more gas. Keep it under 4K until you hit you desired speed. This is typically what I do.

4. I do use premium, and I recommend it for slightly higher MPG, range, smoothness of the engine, and overall power. Granted, I broke the engine in on premium fuel with less than 10% Ethanol; I notice a huge difference in performance when using regular (87) gas. My range and MPG drop as well. With premium, I can normally get about 320-350 miles of range. 400 if I am really frugal (I typically never use AC unless I'm on the highway, however, the eco mode button is never pushed, its always off).

 

[squiggy]

Premium in no way benefits a car that calls for regular. This has been discussed to death and there is a dearth of information to prove as such.

"In a consumer notice, the Federal Trade Commission, notes: 'using a higher-octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.'"

"So if your engine is not a high compression engine does it help at all to use Premium? Absolutely not! In a Car and Driver study they actually found little or no difference when Premium fuel was used in a car that didn’t require it. No improvement or horsepower at all. In the case of an Accord, the performance actually decreased."

http://www.cartalk.com/content/premium-vs-regular-1

 

[fg3_colton]

Premium in no way benefits a car that calls for regular. This has been discussed to death and there is a dearth of information to prove as such.

"In a consumer notice, the Federal Trade Commission, notes: 'using a higher-octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.'"

"So if your engine is not a high compression engine does it help at all to use Premium? Absolutely not! In a Car and Driver study they actually found little or no difference when Premium fuel was used in a car that didn’t require it. No improvement or horsepower at all. In the case of an Accord, the performance actually decreased."

http://www.cartalk.com/content/premium-vs-regular-1

This is purely from experience, I have noticed a slight decrease in power and MPG when using regular, again, this can be attributed to the fact that I broke my engine in on premium rather than 87. I know what the studies show and I believed them as well, but from my own personal experience, I notice a slightly smoother, more efficient, and more powerful engine.

 

[squiggy]

This is purely from experience, I have noticed a slight decrease in power and MPG when using regular, again, this can be attributed to the fact that I broke my engine in on premium rather than 87. I know what the studies show and I believed them as well, but from my own personal experience, I notice a slightly smoother, more efficient, and more powerful engine.

This is what we call butt dyno. Your anecdotal perceptions contradict everything the experts say.

Break-in only affects how everything seats in the engine. A higher octane will not affect this.

1: If your car isn't designed or modified for higher-octane fuels, you're actually going to be hurting power using higher octane gasses since the slower burning mixture doesn't have time to burn completely and can actually work against the power-stroke in the following exhaust stroke.

2: Not only that, but the unspent gasses that don't get burned translate directly to "carbon buildup" on your sparkplugs, making them go bad sooner. The unspent gasses carbonize, turning into black powder, which then coats your spark-plugs, dirties your vales, and your piston rings. Over time this (excessive carbon deposits) can lead to damaged spark-plugs, compression losses from cylinder wall wear causing your engine to burn oil and loose power, etc...

So using the wrong Octane rating is not a good idea in your average daily-driver. Your engine will last longer and have more power if you use the recommended octane.

 

[fg3_colton]

How does this affect my range and MPG? I do notice a slightly higher range and MPG when using premium. Could I switch to regular, or should I build down, starting from premium, then to mid grade and down to regular?