I own a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid with 38000 miles on it. I justbought it used, and it was in excellent condition with all maintenance records and such kept up by the previous owner from the beginning. Having just completed my first tank of gas in the car since buying it, I'm only getting about 38.5 MPG average on highway use. My Fuel-low light came on this morning, and so I went in to fill it up for the first time. I filled it up with about 9.5 gallons to make it full and I got 338 miles from the first tank the dealer gave me when I bought it.
I've tried using Cruise Control to get better MPG. I've tried running with the A/C system OFF completely. I also aired the tires up to 38psi. I'm not brave/stupid enough to get them to 40 or 44psi yet.
Today, I tried 93 octane Shell gas, since I read it is TopTier with only their best gasoline containing their V-Power detergents.
Is Chevron any better than Shell as far as MPG?
Is there something else on the car I could be missing that would increase MPG more?

 

If I understand correctly, your first tank was what was given to you by the dealer? If that is the case, I would not count this tank as your first tank. Who knows how many short trips and amount of idling has occurred since it was at the dealer.

Now that you have refilled it, this tank will better gauge how you're doing.
Keep in mind you have winter grade gas (and maybe laced with ethanol) and it's cold outside. These 2 things will knock your FE down 10%. You'll be much happier with your mileage when the weather warms up.

BTW, Don't worry about that fuel light coming on. If it's like mine, it comes on with 2 bars still left. Fill up when the bars are gone, you'll get more miles out of your tank. This car holds 12.3 gallons.

Shell gas is good, but don't use the higher octane, it's not worth it. Just stick w/ the low octane.

Don't be afraid to bump your tires to the 44psi max.

Hope this helps.

Jess

 

I don't know how to avoid the ethanol issue. Is it different in different states? It seems like every gas station I've ever pulled into in Louisiana says can contain up to 10% ethanol by volume. Are there particular gas brands that make the TopTier list that we know don't use much ethanol??

 

It's the same way here in North Carolina. I tried searching for ethanol free gas online for my area, but to no avail.

I've gotten good results w/ both Shell and Exxon. Although recently I got some very bad gas from Shell which really screwed a couple of my tanks up. I'm sure it's the station and not the company, but I'd rather not take another chance at that particular one. The Exxon is much closer to my house anyway.

Jess

 

In my experience cruise control is detrimental to mileage. It's main intent is to hold your speed constant, and with any sort of hills you will get better mileage letting your speed fall-off a bit on the uphill, recovering speed on the downhill. Obviously you don't take this to extremes, especially if you're in traffic, but you can always do a bit.

 

Jess, isn't Exxon a non-recommended gas since it didn't make the TopTier list?

Mendel, that sounds right to me. Cruise Control seems to hurt MPG at 45mph on city streets. I was using it in the city incorrectly. My thought was that it would be able to micro-adjust my speed better than my foot could. I see your point.

 

Funny, I've never heard of the TopTier list...after checking I see that 76 is on there. I've had nothing but bad experiences with their gas and I'm surprised to even see them on there.

Perhaps I should rethink switching to Exxon...

Jess

 

I also wonder if differing qualities of gas at the same station are actually different.(higher octane vs lower) what if it's all the same gas?

 

Tell us a little about your commute. How far, how fast and how many stop lights? You mentioned LA in your post so I'm guessing it's fairly warm down there even in the winter, but what are the average temps?

It took me the better part of a year to really "get" how to drive this car for max mpg, so you've got a little learning to do. Search on www.cleanmpg.com for Tarabell's article on driving the HCH II--it's a good overview on how to use the IMA system to the most advantage.

One thing that really helped me was resetting my trip B every time I get behind the wheel. This breaks down your tank into segments where you really can see what hurts and what helps your mileage. Figure out specific points on your commute (say the top of a hill or a certain traffic light) where you have an idea of what good mpg is for that point, and then try to better it every day.

Welcome to driving the HCH II and to green hybrid!

 

I'd suggest to set the dash up so the realtime mileage bar graph is showing, at the left extreme of the upper dash element (you can toggle it between mileage and coolant temp). This will give you moment-to-moment feedback on your fuel consumption.

It's my thought that the Civic Hybrid has great potential for good mileage, but you have to work at it. Drive it "regularly" and the improvement in fuel economy over a regular Civic is marginal.

Keep an eye on the realtime mpg gauge and you will learn what "works". Further on my above comment on speed: allowing your speed to vary with conditions can really help with mileage. Accelerating burns more gas than steady cruising.

If you're in urban streets with lots of stop-and-go, try to let go of the traditional wind-it-up-to-the-posted-limit each time you start off, keep an eye on conditions ahead, and tailor your speed to suit, coasting to stops as much as possible. Obviously this has to be done with caution if some leadfoot is tailgating, but do what you can.

Regarding the car itself:

I'd stay with regular octane, as recommended in the Owners Manual. Our pref. is Chevron, but I don't know that it's any better. It seems consistant, and in our areas Chevron stations are one of the last companies still offering free air.

Also, wonderful service records and all, I'd snoop a little. Have a look at the engine air filter, for starters. Unless it's brand new it will be a little grimey, but just have a look, if it's really caked on with dust and bugs that is an issue.