Tank life and gas mileage
 

I noticed in the last 2 months I have been getting less miles to the gallon, about 38-40. When I used to get 43-49 on my '06 Civic. I am not sure if it is the cold weather we have been having in New york or my driving. I know tire pressure and cold weather will hurt gas mileage. But a 5 mpg drop seems extreme. Last winter, I did not experience any decrease in gas mileage. (Although, the car was new.) Therefore, I have been getting only about 400 miles to a full tank. I have been average about 530 miles to a full tank. I commute in HOV lane 30 miles each way. I have about 19k miles on the car. I usually use 87 octane.

Has anyone seen decreases in mpg like this? Should I be worried? Is it the gas I use? Or I guess just hope for warm weather.

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

Probably just the temps. You can really see it when mpg is plotted along with temps like this: http://bbhhs96.dyndns.org/~czakelj/images/mpg.jpg (I'll probably update that tonight)

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

It is almost definitely the weather, i live in NH with similiar conditions and when it is below freezing its almost impossible for me to get over 50, but as soon as its in the 40's mine pops back up, trying increasing your tire pressure and if you have been stop starting your car early (really really hurts the mpg)

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

Chris - great chart! You must live near me...

It seems that a little bit of wetness/frost/snow on the road or some winds can also drop your mileage a few mpg on a trip. It was cold here the last couple of days - but still air and dry roads led to 5-6mpg better than with wind/rain just before that....

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

I've had the same problem. Since the cold weather set in, and I got snow tires, plus my short commute, I've had a drop from 43mpg at temps of 50 degrees Fahrenheit down to 34mpg on my last tank, with outdoor temps in the 30's. I'm hoping my next tank comes out a bit better, but I figure over the course of the winter season, I'm only filling the tank about once a month, far less than I used to do with my old car, so I'm trying not to go bananas over it.

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

Yep, it's pretty hard to miss the 'Maru, though apparently there's at least one other mag pearl w/ Eagle Scout plates driving around the north end of town ::eep::

Anyways, I just updated the chart, and yeah, wind and rain are teh suck when it comes to mpg. When the roads are wet, it's a struggle for me to break 50mpg, even in summer. Wind has a similar effect... kick the breeze up, and again, good luck hitting 50mpg. Of course, that 62mpg burst came, if I remember correctly, from a combination of warm (but not Phoenix) temps, constant tailwinds, and drafting a truck at 57mph.

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

The weather can truly affect your mpg (this is true on any car). I'm in Sacramento, CA, but this winter has been pretty cold for us. (30-50 in the AM, 50-55 in the PM). In the spring, summer, and fall, I averaged 50mpg and 600-625 miles/tank. Since November, I've average about 45mpg or so and about 500-525 miles/tank. Still nothing to bauk at! It is most noticable on hybrids since we can't get the most use out of AutoStop and "EV" mode until the car is warmed up. I know I'm noticing at least 3-4 miles before the warmup, vs 3/4 mile when the temps are warmer. I mainly drive 7 miles in the morning to work through the city and about 5 stop signs and 10 traffic lights (a few more if I have to drop my daughter off at school). Throughout the day I drive to computer jobs ranging from 5-25 miles away. Next winter, the drive to work will only be 3-4 miles so the car will be just warming up as I pull into work! Looks like I'll be getting a block heater!!!

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

5 mpg is noticeable, but for some of us a 20-30+ MPG drop is routine - all due to cold weather (this is with constant block heater use and grille blocking + winter tires).

I suggest, you wait for the warmer weather. :)

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

Man, my Trip A is down to 35.5!

Re: Tank life and gas mileage
 

Talk about annoying... I was having my best winter tank so far at 49.1 mpg with 110 miles on the tank. Last night, my wife had to take the car because she had no gas in her Honda Pilot. She went 17 miles each way (mostly freeway) to downtown Sac and back. This morning I get in my car and about have a heart attack when I saw in 34 miles she dropped my mpg down to 42.3! I am so pissed at her. She has now taken at least 20 miles off the current tank distance that I can go. It really urks me when she doesn't give a crap that I care about my mileage and mpg. I keep track of everything in Ultimate Car Desktop software. I looked at it the other night when I was putting in the lastest fillups. In 13,000 miles, she has spent $2,600 on gas in her Pilot (in 9 months, averaging 18mpg). In 14,500 miles, I have spent $980 on gas (in 9 months averaging 48mpg). We got the 2 vehicles brand new 2 weeks apart last April. She had the choice of getting a more fuel efficient vehicle, and she chose not to. With her driving style, she would get about 39-41mpg in the HCHII, but it's still better than 18!