Gas Saving Tips

[Tastycakes]

Originally Posted by leonphelpss11

I still don't understand it. Is it better to slow down using ur gear or just pop it into neutral

To answer this question best, this is how i do it.

If its a sudden stop and you have no room to coast really like in normal traffic, yes leave it in gear in this situation. It saves brakes and fuel.

If its low traffic and you can properly gauge the next stop then i would recommend coasting in neutral here. Like if you know your going to have to stop at the next light and you have say 700 feet @ 45 mph and no ones behind you (so people dont get pissed) then yes pop it into neutral and coast to the light.

If you left it in gear and backed off the gas @ 700 feet you'd stop way to fast and have to hit the gas to make it to the light or back off in gear at 300 feet or something.

I dunno how to put it better than that. You really have to use both in different situations. I coast in neutral more than in gear but its just preference.

[huevosrancheros]

Make sure you guys get your tire pressure correct. If you have low air that can really give you guys crappy gas mileage.

[black07coupe]

wow still getting shit gas mileage. last tank was 22, this one was 24... i dont drive it THAT hard jesus.

[jsabowabo]

A couple more tips.
Keep you windows up at highway speeds, lowers drag.
Don't use the A/C unless you have to

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by black07coupe

wow still getting shit gas mileage. last tank was 22, this one was 24... i dont drive it THAT hard jesus.

How much in city driving do you do?

[CNUco2007]

not sure why ppl are having MPG issues haha I drive pretty hard and VTEC alot... at least once per outing lol My driving is about 50/50 city/highway and I still average 28mpg. I always coast in neutral... it's just how i was taught so that's what i do. With the way I drive, I can get at least 25mpg with 100% city driving and I drive pretty hard and love to accelerate so i can't complain.

[windsurf7]

the reason that slowing down in gear uses more fuel is because even though the
fuel ratio is 17:1 or higher you are still turning a higher rpm. So even though being in neutral may be at 14:1 you are only at 800 rpms. My highest mpg is 32 and that's mostly highway but still going 75 to 80.

Mike

[unbreakable]

Originally Posted by Wallyk20

+1

No VTEC = Improved MPG = Less smiles.

If you want MPG, buy the Hybrid or take Public Trans, both are great options.

This won't apply to R18 owners haha

1. (For R18 only) Always stay in i-vtec (1000-3000)rpm
2. drive smoothly
3. The best gas saver is your right foot so learn to control it
4. Turning AC off will improve gas mileage by 10-20% but bringing the windows down at speeds of 40mph+ brings consumption up again by 10-20%
5. Avoid maxing out the fan and temp controls. since the colder the setting, the more the AC compressor has to turn on. It's best to leave the temp somewhere in the middle
6. Make sure your car is well MAINTAINED. This could also lead to high consumption. Change oil regularly as well as the other fluids and parts to be replaced periodically.
7. Leave towards your destination a few minutes earlier to avoid hurrying, hence saving gas

Optional:
8. Since you've been so busy feathering the throttle and saving gas, just before your next gas fill-up, do an "Italian Tune-up", meaning, floor the darn thing to clear the engine from carbon deposit buildup. Do this once in a while to keep things clean. It's like coughing out phlegm that's built up inside! haha!


these tips are more of a practical type than mechanical, and focus more on our attitude towards driving. Hope this helps!

[KB1IOQ]

Originally Posted by unbreakable

This won't apply to R18 owners haha

1. (For R18 only) Always stay in i-vtec (1000-3000)rpm
2. drive smoothly
3. The best gas saver is your right foot so learn to control it
4. Turning AC off will improve gas mileage by 10-20% but bringing the windows down at speeds of 40mph+ brings consumption up again by 10-20%
5. Avoid maxing out the fan and temp controls. since the colder the setting, the more the AC compressor has to turn on. It's best to leave the temp somewhere in the middle
6. Make sure your car is well MAINTAINED. This could also lead to high consumption. Change oil regularly as well as the other fluids and parts to be replaced periodically.
7. Leave towards your destination a few minutes earlier to avoid hurrying, hence saving gas

Optional:
8. Since you've been so busy feathering the throttle and saving gas, just before your next gas fill-up, do an "Italian Tune-up", meaning, floor the darn thing to clear the engine from carbon deposit buildup. Do this once in a while to keep things clean. It's like coughing out phlegm that's built up inside! haha!


these tips are more of a practical type than mechanical, and focus more on our attitude towards driving. Hope this helps!

+1 for some great facts!!

[ryker]

Originally Posted by unbreakable

5. Avoid maxing out the fan and temp controls. since the colder the setting, the more the AC compressor has to turn on. It's best to leave the temp somewhere in the middle

8. Since you've been so busy feathering the throttle and saving gas, just before your next gas fill-up, do an "Italian Tune-up", meaning, floor the darn thing to clear the engine from carbon deposit buildup. Do this once in a while to keep things clean. It's like coughing out phlegm that's built up inside! haha!


these tips are more of a practical type than mechanical, and focus more on our attitude towards driving. Hope this helps!

On the number 5. Are you sure that using the temp settings in the middle changes the way the A/C compressor works. Becuase I thought all the temp setting does is control the amount of hot coolant that flows through the a/c system. which is why many people bypass the heater during the summer and why when using the vent system it is always warmer than the outside air. ?? Not yet looked at the 8th gen civic so I could be wrong.

The "tune up" is more of a theory for diesel engines. A modern clean Honda shouldn't need to be cleaned out.

[unbreakable]

@ryker, yeah you have a point... the thing is, #5 i guess only applies to asian civics (w/o climate control) since we don't have heaters. The whole dial is colored blue. the vent system is also rarely used because of the polution here, so it's always recirculated air.


on #8, well if you do live in the US, where traffic jams are RELATIVELY rare COMPARED to us here in the Philippines (the trip meters on BMWs and Toyotas guage average speed and it hovers just around 15kph(9mph) so imagine how bad the traffic has to be here for it to be like that) (to travel 10km during rush our takes around 2hrs - when it's raining, make it 3)

on the highways, 25km(15mi) from my school to my house takes 20mins at best on free flowing traffic and 2hours at worst as well.

My point is, with the horrendous traffic here, the amount of carbon deposits build up while the car is stationary. Hence, the need for a little fun going flat out when the road widens

Why argue! It's healthy for both you and the car!!

[ryker]

Big world, small internet..... Thanks for the info. I live in an area that has countless wild deer, a few bears, and some elk. So not too much bad air in my area.

[unbreakable]

more tips from our thread

How To Get More Gas For Your Money

I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth:

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is ac tually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)

4. If you look at the trigger you'll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you're filling up do not >> squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank, so you're getting less gas for your money. Hope this will help ease your 'pain at the pump'.

[OEM_SI]

Neutral= Rav @ Less Then 1k= Less Gas

In Gear= Rav More 1k = More Gas

1 Freaking Easy Answer!!!!!

[Johnbro]

in gear not touching the gas = no gas into the cylinders
neutral=car has to give gas to idle=more gas

[unbreakable]

Originally Posted by Johnbro

in gear not touching the gas = no gas into the cylinders

not true! if you are in 2nd gear doing 50mph, the tach would read like 5-6krpm. how would the car NOT use gas even when you're not stepping on it? how would the engine even run without gas?

Originally Posted by Johnbro

neutral=car has to give gas to idle=more gas

so you're saying that a car in neutral will use up MORE gas than a car running at 5,000rpm??? that's riddiculous!

[dogarm]

Originally Posted by unbreakable

more tips from our thread

How To Get More Gas For Your Money

I've been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years, currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline here in San Jose, CA. We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it's diesel, the next day it's jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money's worth:

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you're filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallonage is ac tually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don't have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station's tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car's tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it's warm. (Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating 'roof' membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)

Thanks for the 'supply-side' advice. That's quite useful.

To add a rare voice of reason along with Tastycakes, the vast majority of cars do indeed use less gas when coasting in neutral than in gear, including your Si's, LXs and EXs. The hybrid IMA system, on the other hand, is designed to cut-off fuel injection during coast (i.e. foot off gas), and will use no gasoline. Something has to keep the engine spinning, though, so the hybrid uses the electric system to supplement and keep the RPMs up while coasting. A video describing the system is here. A few other cars use cylinder deactivation, but that just cuts off 1-2 cylinders during highway crusing.

Bottom line is that driving like a jackrabbit is highly uneconomical. Steady accel, coasting, and slow braking is the most efficient, and, I find, provides a somewhat more Zen experience in the car which can be refreshing when everyone around you forgets basic driving ettiquette. It's a bumper sticker slogan that I've enjoyed seeing: "Try ECO driving, not EGO driving"

If anyone else is interested in putting less money in the pockets of oil giants, I'd recommend a visit to CleanMPG.com. A good starting point is this article which describes the EPA test for fule economy and goes on to give some detailed descriptions of hypermiling strategies. There are plenty of regulars there who drive Civics, Mazda3s, Accords, Rangers, Yaris, etc.

IN the meanwhile, enjoy your snappy and powerful VTECs while I coast my way upwards of 55mpg & 700 miles / tank!

[unbreakable]

nice first post! haha and welcome => 8th

[Tastycakes]

Originally Posted by Johnbro

in gear not touching the gas = no gas into the cylinders
neutral=car has to give gas to idle=more gas

Technically your right except that the fact that you can coast 3-5x as far in neutral so you can back off the gas earlier.
Trust me, if i hypermile i can get 40 MPG in my Si, and thats w/o engine braking, i just never have enough patience to hypermile for very long .

[Johnbro]

well i dont coast very often bc im always on the highway with the cruize on, or im slowing down, and i rarely slow down without down shifting bc i let the engine do some extra work to prolong the life of my break pads.