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Hey all. I have a question about accelerating from a stop. I have a 2010 Honda Civic Lx with auto transmission. Is it more fuel efficient to reeaaly baby it from a stop to "cruising speed" or is it better to concentrate on getting to speed more quickly but still smooth? Say shift points of 2000 rpm versus shift points of around 2500. 2500 feels better but that is not exactly scientific. I have a scan guage ordered from this site but in the mean time I'm going to see how I do til I receive it.

Your first couple gears are very inefficient, so you want to get through the first 15-20mph relatively quickly. Don't floor it (or push it hard enough to engage "open loop", which you'll be able to see on your scangauge) but at least with a conventional car don't baby it either.

When I'm driving an automatic (i.e., rental cars in my case, several times a year) I usually do find it pretty hard to get it to shift by 2000, even with "fake shifting" (letting off the accelerator briefly to trick the transmission into upshifting) but usually manage to get it to shift somewhere in the 2200-2300 range. 2500 isn't ideal, but it's a lot better than 3000. Different transmissions are different, so you'll have to play with it and see what works for you.

When you get your SG you will want to use a gauge called LOD (load on the engine), you will want it somewhere in the range of 75-85 when you are accelerating. Which will put you in the range of 2000-2500 RPMs. There is something called Break Specific Fuel Consumption or BSFC. Basically what it is is a representation of how efficient the engine is when in a specific RPM and load range. For most cars it is between 75-85%. In my car I've found that closer to 80% with my RPMs at about 2100-2300 is best. In a car with a MT I think it works a little differently, but I have no experience in hypermiling one.

On my V6 Odyssey, I find it best to keep it low. The preset speeds at which it shifts dictate that it runs up to 2000 rpm, but I do my best to hit that mark and no higher.

Your civic is likely geared / programmed to shift at higher rpm, so find how early it can shift and make sure it actually does shift at those points.

If it's like my van, there's a nasty high-rpm hump at the top of 4th gear, from 40 mph up to 45. It simply refuses to upshift when it really should. Try a quick D-N-D shift and it should pop right into overdrive as low as 38 mph.

On my auto Tercel, I seem to get the best numbers when accelerating between 60 and 70% until 2nd gear. I typically ease off to 45-55% once I hit 25 mph. Accelerating much more slowly or quickly just delays upshifts.

I was told the same thing as far as getting off quickly but not gunning it. The cops tend to not like the burn out type accelerations and you may even get a ticket for over acceleration! (yes it is a real thing)

After hitting 20 MPH you usually meet the best numbers in a Honda and the great thing about having a Civic is that you have a car that is going to last a while. Honda may have had a few issues in the past few years but they are still one of the most dependable cars over the rest.