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Any tips for squeezing the most I can out of my Honda Civic LX? It is a 4speed Automatic.

I've tried my best to keep it under 2k RPM, which isn't so bad around town, I just have to play with the gas a little to get it to shift to the 4th as soon as possible.

Any tips would be awesome!

Thanks,

Chris:Banane34:

I have an automatic also - what I found at the begining the best was to discover the speed-MPG sweet spot for HWY - 1,900 RPM sounds about right for a 4 speed.

First and foremost - Reduce to an absolutely minimum the amount of time the car runs 'cold' - combine a number of short trips into one and so forth. It kills MPG to drive an engine 'cold'

and also...........


1) Pump up tires
2) Potential Park
3) FAS at stop lights
4) DWL


good luck !

thanks for the advice!!! I love this site!!!

Chris:Banane33:

Slow accelerations and slow to stops. Another thing to learn to do is NICE-on coasting. When you get to a hill, put the car in neutral. Neutral increases your rolling distance. This will help you get further on a roll. However, if you come to a stop or if you would have a light at the end of the hill, you should put the car back in "drive". Placing the car in drive makes use of engine braking.

This is a very good easy technique that is also fun. You might try this first in a low trafficked area as the feel of the car is different than what you might be used to.

--des

Thank you Desdemona,

I actually have been doing this ALOT that past couple of weeks, does seem to help quite a bit!! in the past 3 weeks, my MPGs have gone up from an average of 27 per tank, to 39 for my last tank. Since i've had the car the past 3 years, I don't think i've ever cracked 33 until lately.

Thanks for the advice!

Chris

That's a nice change in fuel consumption, should get better with practice.

Desmonda is correct - neutral is great for gliding, but note it is difficult when returning to drive exactly how much load you'll be putting on the torque converter - at the early stages I have only been putting in neutral when I have a good chance of hitting a red light or stop sign - come to complete (sorta) stop and then engage drive.

39 MPG is simply awesome !!!!!!!!

Desmonda is correct - neutral is great for gliding, but note it is difficult when returning to drive exactly how much load you'll be putting on the torque converter - at the early stages I have only been putting in neutral when I have a good chance of hitting a red light or stop sign - come to complete (sorta) stop and then engage drive.

39 MPG is simply awesome !!!!!!!!

Yep, 39 is awesome!!!! I wish I could get it on a regular basis these days, but alas I have made many short trips and also the mornings (when I get the better gas mileage going down hill have been pretty chilly). (I see also that we have fairly equivalent cars-- I think I'd take the Civic over the Corolla if it were a hatchback :-))


I don't think I am having too much trouble doing the NICE-on coasting. I have even done it on the highway. I don't hear any noises to indicate that I might have some kind of trouble with the transmission. I have also practiced some P&G. Also I only coast to a stop if I know that I will not need to use my brakes.

I suggest if you have hills, Chris, that you work on DWL. That is when you come to a hill you try to accelerate right before the hill and then keep your foot pedal steady so you don't accelerate up the hill more (if I am being clear).

Oh yeah, and did anyone suggest Scan Gauge? You should get a Scan Gauge. It might seem like a bit of cash but it has easily paid for itself.

--des

You have to check that your vehicle is ok to be "flat-towed".

why would that be focus? would it be better to leave the car in drive when I kill the engine on a hill? sorry if i sound dumb :-)

I was also wondering if there is any way to reprogram/flash the transmission with another shift patter? Maybe something that would have it shift to fourth as soon as possible under light load?

Hey! how do i get my mileage to display on my posts like everyone else?

Chris, you aren't "dumb." :) The reason is that most automatic transmissions are lubricated by a pump which is driven by the engine. Because of this, if you roll the car any significant distance with the engine off you are running the transmission gears dry -- not a good circumstance and one that can lead to expensive damage to the bearings, etc in the transmission.

If your car can be flat towed (pulled on all four wheels) you are okay because this is essentially FASing. Otherwise, don't do it. Note that this doesn't apply if you are stopped at a light because the gears won't be turning in this case.

If you are curious, this isn't an issue with manual transmissions because the gears are splash lubricated -- there is no pump -- so they are as well lubricated with the car off as they are with it on.

I'm not aware of any shift pattern programming updates, but so much can be done with aftermarket chips these days I won't say it doesn't exist. My guess is that if some sort of modification does exist it was done for more power so it would probably shift LATER rather than earlier as you want it to. I've got the same sort of problem -- I want a 6spd transmission rather badly, but only if the top gear is a high speed cruising gear. Basically a 5spd with another highway cruising gear on top. The only 6spds on the market are built with close ratios for keep the engine in a narrow RPM range -- no help at all for FE!!! I was disgusted when I first drove one and realized the 6th gear had the same ratio as my 5th gear. :p

As for the signature banner, you'll need to add your car to the database by clicking the "Mileage Logs" link in the green column on the left of every page on this site. Once there, click the "Add Vehicle" link at the top. After you've added a tank (or more!), you can view your car's mileage log -- it will have your tanks listed, a graph of your mileage over time at the top, and the banner you've been seeing just under that graph. Right click on the banner and copy the picture location (under Firefox it is "Copy Image Location" for example), then click on the "Private Messages" link at the very top right of the page to get to some options for your user account.

On that screen there is a smaller column labeled "Control Panel" on the left (against that green column on the left of the page) and the first link is, "Edit Signature." Add your name (if you wish) and then use the "Insert Image" button in the toolbar over the text entry box (it looks like a yellow box with a mountain in it), then enter that URL to your mileage banner (the one you copied earlier). Use the "Preview Signature" button at the bottom to be sure it looks the way you want it to, then use the "Save Signature" button and you'll be all set.

Be aware that the signature won't be retroactively applied to the posts you already wrote that do not have a signature, but any changes you make to your signature will show up on any prior posts that DO have a signature on them.

Hope that helps!

thanks for the help Sean!

I'm going to have to search around to see if there is some kind of 'chip' that will help with mpg/shift patterns. If someone makes them for trucks for towing app's and performance mods, someone has to have had the idea for fuel economy!!

Thanks for the banner help as well!!

Chris

thanks for the help Sean!

I'm going to have to search around to see if there is some kind of 'chip' that will help with mpg/shift patterns. If someone makes them for trucks for towing app's and performance mods, someone has to have had the idea for fuel economy!!

Thanks for the banner help as well!!

Chris


Chris, Sean is great with 'splaining stuff!! :-) He has done an extremely good job for me, and I am a very visual thinker, so it is hard sometimes for me to get things in words. That may be for you as well (plus there is just plan a lot to absorb).

Coasting in neutral is safe for auto transmission because you are still giving lubrication to your car. The advantage over "drive" is for how far the car can roll and the lack of rolling resistance. It feels decidedly different. For a very short roll, I have seen no advantage over drive though. I'll just take my foot off the accelerator at times. Actually I don't think this is a bad beginner technique. I think people are so used to keeping their foot on the accelerator they don't feel that it doesn't always need to be there.

I sort of suggested taking a couple things at a time. There is so much to absorb you can easily get overwhelmed.

But one thing I think I forgot to mention is that at a light, you should just turn the ignition off (in neutral). I imagine you are doing this but if not...


--des

Coasting in neutral is safe for auto transmission because you are still giving lubrication to your car. The advantage over "drive" is for how far the car can roll and the lack of rolling resistance. It feels decidedly different. For a very short roll, I have seen no advantage over drive though. I'll just take my foot off the accelerator at times. Actually I don't think this is a bad beginner technique. I think people are so used to keeping their foot on the accelerator they don't feel that it doesn't always need to be there.
--des


I love quoting myself, but I don't think this is quite true. I would have edited it, but I think I want to say right out that while I think it is a valid thing to do. I am not sure that you actually do get as good mileage even on a short run. I don't know how often you like to shift but I played around with this some. Going from coast drive to coast neutral. Sometimes there was no change in SG. Other times there was as much as a ten mpg difference. Perhaps it depends on conditions of some sort. I would be curious about this btw.

--des

Since using the SG this week, I just about always see a difference in drive and neutral. On a long downhill glide I can pick up another 20mpg and/or 10mph after switching to neutral.I've gotten to the point that drive feels like I'm in a lower gear. I go into neutral whenever possible; preferably with the motor off. Of Course I checked the owner's manual to be sure it can be flat towed.
Chuck

AFAIK, Neutral is ok even if it can't be flat towed. You can't do FAS if it can't be flat towed.

--des