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I drive a 2000 Honda Civic LX Automatic with a 1.6L engine. The maximum I have been accelerating was at 2500 rpms. After reading this thread http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20006 I learned that slow acceleration may not be the most efficient tactic. So, what is the best rate of acceleration (RPM speed) for my vehicle?

Your car has a 4 speed A/T with a lock-up torque converter. I drove an Accord with a similar A/T for many years.

My approach was to accelerate with a steady but moderate throttle position and let the transmission shift up at the rpm it decided on based on road conditions, load, etc. If you are heading out on the highway you want to coax the A/T to go into lock-up. This typically happens around 50 mph under light throttle. (The benefit, if you're not aware, is that this eliminates the slippage inherent in an A/T).

I found that the shift point rpms decreased as it went from 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4. For example the 1-2 shift may have been around 3000 rpm, the 2-3 shift at 2500 rpm, and the 3-4 at 2200 rpm and when lock-up occurred I would see a further 200 rpm drop.

What I'm trying to say is that a single shift point rpm with an A/T car may not be the most efficient. Getting up to the higher "gears" at a reasonable pace will allow the car to find it's most efficient engine speed more quickly. Some practice will hopefully bear this out.

From a long time Honda fan!

Cheers,

Roger

On my Odyssey, I aim to keep it below 2,000 the whole time. That's with a V6, though, so it might be a little different in your case. Basically, I'd keep it as low as the car will allow - a trick with an automatic.

I think I reached as high as 2500 rpm once on my last tank, in the manual-trans civic.

I agree... keep the rpms as low as possable. Yhe Odyssey automatic will upshift if one puts it in neutral at 2100 rpms. This causes a forced upshift and the rpms will drop to 1200 with much better mpgs.

I can get my wife's CR-V to shift at 2k rpms. When it gets there, I let up slightly on the gas and allow it to shift. Gently accelerate to 2k rmps and do it all over again until I'm in 4th.

Jess

Can't say I've driven the y7, but with the y8 auto I kept it under 3500, more usually making it shift at 3200 or so. I tried going lower, shifting at 2500 etc, but it never seemed to matter much with that car. It always seemed to get 28-31 mpg.

Then again the y8 has a big ol manifold plenum and the y7 has long skinny runners with almost no plenum at all, so it may tolerate the lower rpm better.

Don't load up the motor a lot at too low an engine speed, the y-series doesn't develop much oil pressure at low rpm and with just the one drilled passage in the crank at the mains you could wind up with rod knock like I did.

I have exactly the same car. I'm planning an experiment to figure this out once I get my ScanGauge.

Since I've got my SGII I haven't been worrying about acceleration. I've been going up to 3500 RPM every trip and I have averaged above 42 MPG each 10 mile trip. Pulse & Glide NICE-ON works beautifully.

I haven't had the SG long enough to know what kind of acceleration is most efficient, but as of today I think around 3500 RPM is good. When the tach goes up so does the MPG as you take off. Its that BSFC stuff that I don't fully understand.

You're still revving too high, but 42 mpg is a good start. Keep working at it.

when I drive my wife's 03 HA 2.4L it is just so easy to get the Revs out of control as the Honda engine is easy to rev up. I just try and keep it as low as what the road conditions and traffic allow, but try to keep from going over 2500 in 3-4 gear and under 2000 if possible in 1, 2 and of course under 60 on the high were it cruises at about 2150-2200 (when not in P&G with NICE-ON or Off as the occasion presents itself, as it rolls well and stearing is hardly effected with ICE-Off, as long as the wheels are still rolling that is;))

But I only get to drive it a few trips here and there during the week as it is her car, and she commutes to work on interstate for 35 miles one way and is always doing atleast 70-75. So I try my best to get her FE up a little :). Her tanks are usually 32-34. She is trying NICE-on coasting in town on hills;)

maybe I can pry it out of her hands during the summer for a few weeks to see what I can do with the HA. That would be SWEET:p. I will let you know what happens, if it happens:rolleyes: