Gas Mileage: My Numbers

Thanks to the urging of HiPSI, I compiled on a spreadsheet, my mileage for the life of the truck while enjoying March Madness. :D I have one group of missing dates/miles.
The most interesting thing to me is my memory and impressions are not quite what I thought they were. Cold, hard data clears the mind and leads to rational courses of action! :eek:
For those of you that like numbers, pm me for the raw excel file.

I am also anal about keeping records for our vehicles. I use Excel spreadsheets to not only track MPG, but to record every oil change, tire rotation, modification, etal.

Sometimes I get a little ribbing about doing it, but their complete maintenance records were major selling points when I sold my wife's 1987 Camry, her 1994 Nissan van, my 1988 Toyota pickup, and my 1997 Ford F-150.

Thanks to the urging of HiPSI, I compiled on a spreadsheet, my mileage for the life of the truck while enjoying March Madness. :D I have one group of missing dates/miles.
The most interesting thing to me is my memory and impressions are not quite what I thought they were. Cold, hard data clears the mind and leads to rational courses of action! :eek:
For those of you that like numbers, pm me for the raw excel file.

Hey Geotech,

Looking at your number, I see a drop in milage immeadiately following the last airfilter change. Since the last airfilter change, have the miles changed from mostly highway to city?

I also use a spreadsheet and have it report overall average, min, and max MPG.

Hey Geotech,

Looking at your number, I see a drop in milage immeadiately following the last airfilter change. Since the last airfilter change, have the miles changed from mostly highway to city?
No, my driving behavior really hasn't changed over the life of the truck. In fact, over the life of the last 5 trucks.
I think I've posted before my driving conditions and for example, today was relatively normal:
Drove 50 miles one way to the job site. Drove about 8 miles at low speed around the site with several stops (turn off the truck) and then returned to my home base, with maybe 3 to 4 miles "city" driving. My commute to town each day is 11 miles at 55-60 mph.
MikeT,
My impression was that a drop occurred after the first filter change, but the numbers really don't bear that out. :confused: The filters were OEM from our sponsor. Maybe winter gas is more likely the answer?
HiPSI has the raw file and will no doubt work some statistical magic on them. Can't wait! :eek:

HOLY F-IN S*** WHY DOES MY MILEAGE SUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !???????????????????????????????


The best I have gotten is 250 miles before the fuel light comes on. :(

13.9 MPG on the last fill-up and I drive like a girl

HOLY F-IN S*** WHY DOES MY MILEAGE SUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !???????????????????????????????


The best I have gotten is 250 miles before the fuel light comes on. :(

13.9 MPG on the last fill-up and I drive like a girl

Stop driving like a girl...:D

Stop driving like a girl...:D

Maybe I should just hammer the crap outta the thing and see if it likes it:p


Seriously, how is it possible to have such a huge differentiation in mileage???????????????????

Maybe I should just hammer the crap outta the thing and see if it likes it:p

Keep talking dirt :eek: :D You just might get in trouble :D


[/QUOTE]
Seriously, how is it possible to have such a huge differentiation in mileage???????????????????[/QUOTE]

Look for parasitic drag. Have you truck lifted (All four wheels) of the ground. Verify that the wheels turn without resistance. Thr front wheels will turn even while in park. There should be minimal if any drag at all when turning the wheels. At least this is how my truck behaves. Second, make sure the engine is running fine by having that checked. Make sure the aircleaner and the intake path is free of debris. Double or triple check the tire pressure and have the alignment checked. Also make sure that you are running a minimum of 87 Octane fuel. in other states you can buy 85 Octane. The Ridge is rated for 87 Octane as its lowest octane fuel.

Please let us know what you find.

Thanks again to HiPSI, we have a charted account of my gas useage for your inspection. Please feel free to comment if you are so inclined.

What do you attribute the downward trend in your MPG? More city driving or driving in snow?

What do you attribute the downward trend in your MPG?
Many good suggestions, including parasitic drag, have been suggested. Drag has been checked. Tires have been properly inflated. Premium gas seems to have no effect. Just "winter blend" gas?

According to the chart, something changed around mid September. I am stumped. So far, no computer error codes have been producted (this was just checked by the dealer). The SM said that he had another Ridge owner that recently came in complaining of the same trend.

I was hoping that some other ideas would come forth if these results were published.
One new idea was to replace the plugs, but the truck seems as peppy as ever (especially after the Tranny TSB).

Please, some thoughts? Anyone?

My family and I just completed a 2000 mile treck to Tybee Island GA in our 2006 RT. It was packed with all our gear for a weeks vacation. My avg fuel mileage numbers 18 to 22 highway mileage, and 16 around the island. Can't beat it.

Thanks again to HiPSI, we have a charted account of my gas useage for your inspection. Please feel free to comment if you are so inclined.

I think from 9/01/06 to present you are experiencing a winter gas blend problem that has been negatively enhanced by the Tranny TSB gas mileage effect which can be a negative effect if you rarely do highway driving. The Tranny TSB makes the shifting crisper, but it does run the RPMs up a bit higher in every gear before shifting and if you run up through your gears often in country style stop and go, this could be part of the obvious mileage drop your chart shows.

I think from 9/01/06 to present you are experiencing a winter gas blend problem that has been negatively enhanced by the Tranny TSB gas mileage effect which can be a negative effect if you rarely do highway driving. The Tranny TSB makes the shifting crisper, but it does run the RPMs up a bit higher in every gear before shifting and if you run up through your gears often in country style stop and go, this could be part of the obvious mileage drop your chart shows.
Thanks for your observations, BillB.
I think you're right about the tranny TSB. With higher RPM's/longer shift intervals, how could mpg improve? However, with the improved performance, I'm willing to take what should be a very minor mpg hit.
I sincerely hope you're right about the winter blend. I always look forward to spring anyway!
About 80% of my driving is 55-75 on blacktop/state hwy/interstate.
I will continue to log my gas usage and will update.

I have an opinion that I would like to share. My opinion is that the quality of the gas that we got during the winter time steadily declined. I attribute some of this decline to the fact that as the winter got farther along, the gas in the stations tanks became less and less diluted with any remaining summer gasoline. I'm sure that winter gas and summer gas have different specific gravities so they don't as readily mix as fast as you might assume. I'm not sure how big a stations underground tank is and how fast they go through it in your area but after October hit, my city gas mileage went straight into the toilet due to running straight winter gas.

As an aside, the only people who have claimed decent gas mileage all winter are those in non reformulation states like Florida and Georgia.

I'm waiting to run through this tank of gas to see if my mileage comes back. If it does, we know it's the gas. If it doesn't there is something major wrong with my truck.

BTW - I don't know how many people realize this but the gas formulation from state to state and the power delivered per measured gallon of that gallon of gas varies as well. I live 4 miles from Kentucky as the crow flies. I try really hard not to fill up when I am down there because I suffer a 10% decrease in mileage when I fill up down there but sometimes it is unavoidable to get gas down there due to the amount of travelling I do in KY. This difference in Ohio vs. KY gas messes with the scanguage fillup gallons measurement as well which in turn makes my miles to empty wrong. (This happens more so in my Nissan Quest which is my daily driver. The RL is a garage queen for the most part.)

Just checked my mileage and am getting 16.4 MPG. This is the best I have achieved for around town driving with 10,800 miles on the vehicle. Also, I just installed a K&N air filter element in the factory intake. Will update later if this helps. :)

Just checked my mileage and am getting 16.4 MPG. This is the best I have achieved for around town driving with 10,800 miles on the vehicle. Also, I just installed a K&N air filter element in the factory intake. Will update later if this helps. :)
Please update even if it doesn't help. Also ChrisM's post above about winter gas is another variable in the equation.

This is the revised chart thru April of '07. The stock tires were replaced. Effect if any??
I'm liking the trend, though!

I think that ChrisM is probably onto something here as I just got my best mileage yet (18.6 mpg) on my last tank and am hopeful that this will continue as we get back to "normal" non-Ethanol gas.

I'm wondering if next winter it might be worth it to switch from 87 octane to either 91 or 93 when the Ethanol stuff comes back. If the reduced combustion efficiency of Ethanol-enhanced fuel is truly the cause of reduced mileage then it would seem to make sense that upgrading your fuel might offset that somewhat, possibly even enough to equalize the price differential.

I think that ChrisM is probably onto something here as I just got my best mileage yet (18.6 mpg) on my last tank and am hopeful that this will continue as we get back to "normal" non-Ethanol gas.

I'm wondering if next winter it might be worth it to switch from 87 octane to either 91 or 93 when the Ethanol stuff comes back. If the reduced combustion efficiency of Ethanol-enhanced fuel is truly the cause of reduced mileage then it would seem to make sense that upgrading your fuel might offset that somewhat, possibly even enough to equalize the price differential.
I thought that too, but from the numbers, the consistently worse mileage (darkest before dawn) came on consecutive tanks of premium. Seems that winter gas and 10% ethanol were fatal for my mileage. I try to support our local farmers, but...........

A friend of mine has a '07 Silverado that he is burning E85 exclusively. Gets around 10mpg and misses his Tundra.

The RL being slightly underpowered with an aero package equal to a shoe box, I think the mileage is good for an AWD vehicle. I constantly am in the 18/20 MPG range with most miles being local. I still think the secret is in the foot!! Easy on the gas, let the trany shift when it wants to, etc. I am happy with my mileage. :)

The chart is good. It really makes it easier to decipher. What happened between 9/06 and 3/07 that you saw such a steady decline? I guess the so called "winter blend" fuel could be blamed a little, but it should have leveled out somewhere.

This is the revised chart thru April of '07. The stock tires were replaced. Effect if any??
I'm liking the trend, though!

This chart shows a gradual effect, not a sudden change (like new tires). I'm going to agree with the idea of the winter-to-summer gas transition being the cause. And the slow mixing in the gas station's holding tanks is a good observation -- it supports the trending you see in your graphs.

Update: 5-31-07
Well the upward trend has leveled off. See attached pdf.

My average with summer gas at 40k is down (up?) to about the "lifetime" average of 17mpg. To reiterate, I baby the crap out of it.

On another site, I just read a report stating RL mileage of 23 MPG average for a 6,000 mile trip with highest mileage about 25.5. This was using cruise most of the time and speed around 70 MPH.

On another site, I just read a report stating RL mileage of 23 MPG average for a 6,000 mile trip with highest mileage about 25.5. This was using cruise most of the time and speed around 70 MPH.
Rub it in! ;)
As the charted gas useage shows, I never, not once, broke the magic 20mpg mark.
Although the downward slide has stopped, the "up tick" ain't that much. :(
My driving is on cruise at 55-70 about 75% of the miles. I'm embarrassed to tell potential buyers the truth about mine. When asked, I say "they" get between 17 and 21 but your results may vary. :o

For those of you not interested in the gorey details, here's just the chart from the spreadsheet thru the end of May '07.
Thanks to HiPSI for the motivation and to djeaux for the idea.

The upward trend as seriously leveled off. Use the AC as little as possible and have recently learned thru another thread how to actually turn it off!
The pdf file is the data for the chart below. Not very exciting. This particular truck did not win the High Mileage Lottery. (ah, but I love her just the same).

On another site, I just read a report stating RL mileage of 23 MPG average for a 6,000 mile trip with highest mileage about 25.5. This was using cruise most of the time and speed around 70 MPH.

That would have been me. The trip covered 12 states and 1 province. Six were mountain states and we crossed the Continental Divide three times.
Here are my other mileage figures at 30,441 miles:
16.83 mpg overall - 36% of miles engaged in towing either a 3,500 lb foldiing trailer or 3,250 lb boat/trailer.
19.32 mpg for the non-trailering miles
Best tankful - 25.66 mpg from Rock Springs, WY to Sutherland, NE - 488.5 miles
Worse tankful - 12.46 mpg towing folding trailer in the Columbia Gorge against a very strong headwind

Time for my monthy posting. The sudden drop in mileage can probably be attributed to other employees driving my truck some and the need for AC in the humid & hot Heartland. The drive to St. Louis should be interesting for mileage!

I just bought my RTL on 7/31. My first tank gave up 18.25 mpg. That's a lot better than I expected after reading this thread. I was going to be happy if I got 16 mpg. I drove that first tank 70% hwy 30% city. I drove at 70 to 75 mph on the highway. The city driving was in heavy traffic. I didn't baby it. I drove my normal way (no fast starts or stops).

I found out through experience with Hondas that the mpg of the same model will vary widely regardless of driver habits. My first new Honda was an '89 Accord Coupe. I got between 28 and 36 mpg depending on usage. I had friends/acquaintances with the same car getting 22 to 26 mpg. Then I replaced the Accord with a new '97 CRV. I got 21 mpg regardless of how I drove. It could be fully loaded with people/gear and kayaks on top going uphill into the wind and it would get 21 mpg. It could be completely empty driving downhill with a tailwind and it would get 21 mpg. I could drive all highway or all city and it would get 21 mpg. I had a friend with the same vehicle and he would get 23 to 27 mpg. So on one 5 day road trip, we switched vehicles to see if it was our driving habits that made the difference. I wound up getting 23 to 27 mpg in his CRV and he wound up getting 21 mpg in mine. Driving habits had nothing to do with the difference. It was purely each individual vehicle.

Hopefully you've won the High Mileage Lottery! Conga-rats! I am convinced that vehicles are individuals that exhibit different traits, including mileage.

I picked up some mechanical ideas at the St. Louis meet to try. I'll see if any of them help!

I picked up some mechanical ideas at the St. Louis meet to try. I'll see if any of them help!

Hope you share the results. I was please with my numbers associated with the St. Louis trip. 21 on the way up at speeds 70 and above, all but 20 of 368 miles where on the interstate. I was even more pleased with the next tank, 18.5 with 3 days of driving all over St Louis in traffic and having no idea where I was! Just going where the Gamin lady told me to go. Then all interstate to a fillup in Paducah at 80 mph most of the time.

I am convinced that vehicles are individuals that exhibit different traits, including mileage.

I picked up some mechanical ideas at the St. Louis meet to try. I'll see if any of them help!

Yes, I agree. The RL is very responsive and does seem to learn driving habits. On the same trips to the same places this is what I have experienced....

If I am cruising highway for over a half hour and go into city driving mode, the RL seems confused and choked back. It has a harder time trying to shift at low speeds during stop and go driving. My interpretation is it does not freely shift up thinking I am going for speed and will stay in the lower gears longer to help get up to the recent long distance/time maintained highway speed.

The same learning happens when I perform mostly city driving for days. The RL learns there is lots of start and stop and will coast a little more and have longer smoother low gear shifts. However when it's time to get back to highway driving, when on the on-ramp, the RL once again is confused. It has trouble speeding up smoothly with out me slapping the accelerator telling it to get going. On the highway trip it takes about 1/3 the distance back before the RL will stop it's silliness going form 5th to 4th to 3rd and quickly back to 5th. The next third it does lots of silly 4th/5th shifts. Finally the last third of the distance it finds it's groove... Unfortunately when I am almost home the RL is choked up due to the slow driving. However, during the next few days of going back and forth the same highway with not having extensive days of city driving. The RL will get up to speed and stay in 5th.

Here is a perfect illustration where the RL was forced to learn a new way to perform, and its + effects on the next couple of days... I guarantee if 25 year... stayed in St Louis , the RL would have reverted back to city driving and lost the knowledge it obtained from them long substantial highway run...

Maybe I should put some ginkgo in the tank... My RL has short term memory issues... :rolleyes:
Hope you share the results. I was please with my numbers associated with the St. Louis trip. 21 on the way up at speeds 70 and above, all but 20 of 368 miles where on the interstate. I was even more pleased with the next tank, 18.5 with 3 days of driving all over St Louis in traffic and having no idea where I was! Just going where the Gamin lady told me to go. Then all interstate to a fillup in Paducah at 80 mph most of the time.

HOLY F-IN S*** WHY DOES MY MILEAGE SUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !???????????????????????????????


The best I have gotten is 250 miles before the fuel light comes on. :(

13.9 MPG on the last fill-up and I drive like a girl

Ah, quit bitchin'

:-D

Couldn't resist a golden opportunity.

My Ridgeline seems to know I like jack-rabbit starts and when I need to slow down even. When going into work there is a roundabout with a handicapped parking section in it. Like clockwork, right at the same point everyday even WITHOUT me braking my truck feels like it is slowing down on its own. Odd.

In St. Louis, I meet with several of the Honda folks and have posted how sincere and available they made themselves. At any rate, my vehicle was inspected and I was told why I get substandard gas mileage. These are listed below with what I remember the reasons. Please refer to the chart below on each item. Correlate them and see if they are supported by factual evidence in my case.

These are not necessarily in the order of importance, although you could argue that they are.
1) The Lift. Huge hit in increased drag. The single greatest factor by far.
2) Bull Bar. Added weight in front, plus drag.
3) Wrangler SA Prograde Tires. Oversized by 0.5" with higher rolling resistance. Michelin LTX are very low in RRC. The 0.5" larger diameter tire also prevents "lock out" in the transmission that results in lower mileage. I have no idea what this means. :confused:
4) The 1/4" of rubber attached to the top of the tailgate for protection. This disrupts the normal flow of air over the top of the tailgate, causing increased drag.
5) The 200+ lbs. of tools and iron in the trunk. More weight beyond the wheels.

As a group, they do somewhat make sense to me. The question is then to what extent and how do they relate to my real world data? My conclusion: Isn't there something else going on here? :eek: If so, then what?

Wow, in my humble but usually wrong opinion, the additional weight is your primary issue. Are you still using stock rims? Not to be personal but how much do you weigh :) ?

Sounds like you could have up to 500lbs over stock when you are driving (tools, bullbar, wheels, tires, & you). Imagine if you could remove 500lbs from the stock weight.

Wow, in my humble but usually wrong opinion, the additional weight is your primary issue. Are you still using stock rims? Not to be personal but how much do you weigh :) ?

Sounds like you could have up to 500lbs over stock when you are driving (tools, bullbar, wheels, tires, & you). Imagine if you could remove 500lbs from the stock weight.
Well, for your information, I ain't no junior petite! ;)

The wheels are stock and I'm stockier! I think the main thing to consider is that the weight carried has been the same all along. That is one variable that remains the same. My main concern is and has been the trend. To me, it makes very little sense. Eliminating E-10 certainly helped, according to the data, but premium doesn't help. That is something that should be a hint for those in the know to help figure out the problem with this particular truck. No, the modifications and differences pointed out have been the same since way before the downward trend in mileage.

I should note here that the valves were inspected and then adjusted as a possible source of the problem with gas mileage. It is my understanding that too tight valves rob gas mileage. Every one of the valves were out of specifications. Each one was way too loose, though. It has more power now but only better mileage on the highway (or so it seems). Having the valves checked and adjusted is not for the faint of heart or wallet. :eek:

Thru September of 2007:

The pdf is the individual fillup data from beginning to now.
I am happy for those of you that won the High Mileage Lottery.

I don't know how much of this is due to the Lottery. You have a lift kit and aftermarket tires, and your mileage is about 2-3mpg less than mine. Sounds about right.

Well, for your information, I ain't no junior petite! ;)

The wheels are stock and I'm stockier! I think the main thing to consider is that the weight carried has been the same all along. That is one variable that remains the same. My main concern is and has been the trend. To me, it makes very little sense. Eliminating E-10 certainly helped, according to the data, but premium doesn't help. That is something that should be a hint for those in the know to help figure out the problem with this particular truck. No, the modifications and differences pointed out have been the same since way before the downward trend in mileage.

I should note here that the valves were inspected and then adjusted as a possible source of the problem with gas mileage. It is my understanding that too tight valves rob gas mileage. Every one of the valves were out of specifications. Each one was way too loose, though. It has more power now but only better mileage on the highway (or so it seems). Having the valves checked and adjusted is not for the faint of heart or wallet. :eek:
Really interesting numbers Geo. I agree that the trend is of more concern. That steady decline after the air filter change, man that has to be something going on. Almost like something deteriorating... I have heard that the winter blend gas should be expected to get less mileage, but that trend is very pronounced.

I did not get your notation in the graph about "Wrangler"? Is that when you went to a larger tire size? You mention that the Honda guys talked about "preventing lockout". My understanding about this, is that the automatic shifts into higher gears based on load--so if the combination of increased drag (from the lift kit and several other factors) and the already taller gearing because of tire size, perhaps you are not getting as much 5th-gear time as is normal? Sure would be nice to have a pile of other engine data to look at with that downward trend.

Like you I am pretty much a data junkie, and your data is making me think that something to log all that OBDii data would be interesting to have to correlate with mileage. If I had a Scangauge, I would spend too much time looking at it, but maybe something like the "Carchip" or perhaps the Nokia N800 with a ScanTool ( http://www.scantool.net/products/product_info.php?cPath=8_6&products_id=37 )might be a fun toy.

Well, I got back yesterday from only my second road trip in my Ridgeline. My first road trip was to St. Louis about a month after I got my Ridgeline. I was disappointed that I got only 17.5 mpg using the cruise at an average of 70 mph.

However, on the one tank that I did almost all highway driving this past weekend, I got 21.3 mpg. Woo-hoo!! I was using the cruise going through east Tennessee with the speed set at 75mph (just over 2000 rpm) for the most part. The cruise would downshift to 4th (2500-2700 rpm) on the moderately steep hills to maintain speed and only a couple of times did it drop down to 3rd (about 3000rpm) to keep up.

I will note that I did have the tranny TSB performed last summer (after my St. Louis trip). The MPG increase is - I'm guessing - a combination of that and the engine being broken in. My first road trip I think I had only 1000-1200 miles on my Ridgeline and some folks have noted an increase in gas mileage after a few thousand miles.

For what it's worth. All data in excel available upon request.

The only thing I was disappointed in with my new Ridgeline was the gas mileage. For the first two months, I could barely get more than 200 miles per tank. I called the dealer and they offered lame suggestions like "check your tire pressure". I feel I could have had marshmallows for tires and it shouldn't make that much difference. Then something amazing happened: I turned about 2,500 miles on the Ridgeline and now I am getting close to 450 miles per tank. Nothing else has changed - same type of driving. It seems too dramatic to comprehend but, trust me, this is what I've witnessed. Now I am fully satisfied with the truck.

For all you new Ridgeline owners out there. Be patient for a few thousand miles and best of luck.

JC

Then something amazing happened: I turned about 2,500 miles on the Ridgeline and now I am getting close to 450 miles per tank. Nothing else has changed - same type of driving. It seems too dramatic to comprehend but, trust me, this is what I've witnessed. Now I am fully satisfied with the truck.

For all you new Ridgeline owners out there. Be patient for a few thousand miles and best of luck.

JC
I'm guessing that the amazing thing that happened was that your valves loosened up to within specifications. It's my understanding that valve clearance is critical in the Vtech. I suspect that this is at the heart of many of the low mileage problems, especially in the early '07's.:(

I'm guessing that the amazing thing that happened was that your valves loosened up to within specifications. It's my understanding that valve clearance is critical in the Vtech. I suspect that this is at the heart of many of the low mileage problems, especially in the early '07's.:(I hope that you are correct Geotech. I believe mine is considered an early 07 (PDI date: May 2007) and so far (only two tanks of gas filled, will be filled for the 3rd time tommorrow), I've had the following:

19.10mpg (All highway driving)
16.92mpg (Mostly highway, with some city driving)

When I fill up tommorrow, if it takes as much fuel as I think it will, then this last tank will be down to about 12.12mpg (all city driving and I'm not leadfooting it around by any means)
Total miles right now are about 650-675

If the mpg doesn't start to improve, I'll just keep trying to convince myself that Im paying for all that fuel to have such a big truck protecting the occupants. Hell if I really wanted 35+ mpg then I suppose I'd get a motorcycle and call it a day.

Too depressing to post, but here is the update, for what it's worth:

Take a look at your trend. You started dropping your milage in Sep 2006 and started recovery around Mar 2007. You are now in a downward trend that started around (you guessed it) Sep 2007 and if you keep all variables like you have been you should start recovery in Mar 2007. Remember... this is a trend chart so don't pay so much attention to individual points as the actual trend(s) your truck is doing with respect to gas milage. Why do you drop 1-2 mpg during the winter months? I have absolutely no idea but this is what it looks like.

Take a look at your trend. You started dropping your milage in Sep 2006 and started recovery around Mar 2007. You are now in a downward trend that started around (you guessed it) Sep 2007 and if you keep all variables like you have been you should start recovery in Mar 2007. Remember... this is a trend chart so don't pay so much attention to individual points as the actual trend(s) your truck is doing with respect to gas milage. Why do you drop 1-2 mpg during the winter months? I have absolutely no idea but this is what it looks like.
Winter gas, I guess. But starting in September? This is enough data to forecast trends, though. The overall trend is not very optimistic.
PS: Thanks for looking and commenting! :)

Thru December 2007:
Mileage in free fall. Since each individual marks on the chart is based upon the average of the last 10 entries before it, it does not really show the 14.5 average over the last 5 fillups. See spreadsheet.

Fuel economy continues to be in a free fall. Winter gas and more idling. So where and when will it bottom out, if ever? This is about where my '03 Silverado Extended Cab 4x4 Z-71 was at year round.

Hiya, Geo... Thought I'd make you sick & disgusted once again... Monday, I drove up to Jackson to visit the state retirement board office (:D) & attend a black tie for the Nurses Association. There's a Chevron just south of I-20 that has the lowest gas prices statewide (on my usual Coast-to-Memphis run) -- $2.749 on Monday. Since I was right above a half tank, I decided to top her off...

21.8 mpg :) An all-time best. This is 2 tanks past the 30K oil & air filter change, BTW, running about 72 mph. Overall average mpg is 18.3 & has been hovering there since last Fall.

Hiya, Geo... Thought I'd make you sick & disgusted once again... Monday, I drove up to Jackson to visit the state retirement board office (:D) & attend a black tie for the Nurses Association. There's a Chevron just south of I-20 that has the lowest gas prices statewide (on my usual Coast-to-Memphis run) -- $2.749 on Monday. Since I was right above a half tank, I decided to top her off...

21.8 mpg :) An all-time best. This is 2 tanks past the 30K oil & air filter change, BTW, running about 72 mph. Overall average mpg is 18.3 & has been hovering there since last Fall.
I'm happy for ya! (no, really)
The amount of average monthly mileage on the truck has decreased because it is no longer the first option due to its poor fuel economy.

State Board office huh? Hot dam! :D :D

I wonder. We are forced here in Missoula from November through February to use a 10% ethanol mixture. We all know that gas mileage will decrease as a result 3-4 MPG. Ethanol is a water scavenger. I wonder if the ethanol that we have to put in the tank is attracting water and, in the combustion process, is leaving unanticipated deposits on injectors, sensors and other critical parts thus affecting gas mileage. And, if so, there would be a culmulative effect over time. I'm not certain of the chemical reactions involved, but I sense a beige-colored scum composed of all kinds of crap! :eek:

Tom

Gas mileage is probably the biggest disappointment I have with this vehicle. Don’t get me wrong, I like the truck, but I looked at several other manufacturers’ products when I was shopping and the biggest reason why I selected the Ridgeline was its higher mileage, which has turned out to be utterly false. I have 3200 miles on the truck and barely see over 250 miles on a tank with mixed driving (some highway, mostly 40-55 mph 2 lane roads). Personally, I feel cheated in a huge way. My truck has never even approached the mileage that appeared on the EPA sticker. Class action lawsuits against Honda have been successful in the past… maybe one is warranted again here.

Disclaimers – I use 93 octane gas all the time, I try to use Shell consistently and I don’t drive with a heavy foot. On the highway I keep with traffic (70-75 usually) and don’t use cruise control. I’m hoping the horrific mileage is a result of ethanol in the gas and maybe things will improve in the late spring.

Wow, is it March already? Here's the monthly update thru February '08 to the RL's "fuel economy" chart. Has both my mileage and winter turned the corner? :) If you want to see the gory details, for whatever sick reason, pm me and I'll send you the excel file.

BTW, for you baseball fans, remember the Mendoza Line? A term coined by George Brett to describe those in danger of losing their jobs, regardless of their defensive prowess, if they hit less than great fielding Pittsburg & Seattle shortstop Mario Mendoza. In Jan. of '08, the Ridge fell below the "Silverado Line" here at work! :( Uh-oh. :eek:

Wow, is it March already? Here's the monthly update thru February '08 to the RL's "fuel economy" chart. Has both my mileage and winter turned the corner? :) If you want to see the gory details, for whatever sick reason, pm me and I'll send you the excel file.

BTW, for you baseball fans, remember the Mendoza Line? A term coined by George Brett to describe those in danger of losing their jobs, regardless of their defensive prowess, if they hit less than great fielding Pittsburg & Seattle shortstop Mario Mendoza. In Jan. of '08, the Ridge fell below the "Silverado Line" here at work! :( Uh-oh. :eek:



Wow, she really "augered into the cornfield" in January.

Wow, she really "augered into the cornfield" in January.
LOL! Literially stuck in a rut (row?)! :D

Really, it was very cold here and I know there was more idling than usual.

My Ridge is two-months old and I am getting 325 a tank and 18mpg in mix driving.

From what I hear MPG is to improve when I crack 5000 miles so I am hoping (praying) for the 20 mark.

T

My Ridge is two-months old and I am getting 325 a tank and 18mpg in mix driving.

From what I hear MPG is to improve when I crack 5000 miles so I am hoping (praying) for the 20 mark.

Wishful thinking. Be happy with the number you have now as some of us can't get close to your 18 in mixed driving.

There's a Chevron just south of I-20 that has the lowest gas prices statewide (on my usual Coast-to-Memphis run) -- $2.749 on Monday. Since I was right above a half tank, I decided to top her off...

21.8 mpg :) An all-time best. This is 2 tanks past the 30K oil & air filter change, BTW, running about 72 mph. Overall average mpg is 18.3 & has been hovering there since last Fall.
I'm jealous - we haven't seen anything below $3 here in Westchester County, NY since it went up to that and are currently at $3.499 - my "lifetime" average at 23K in mixed driving is frozen at 18.1 and my all-time best was 22.3 (on the way back from RidgeRun 2007 with 93 octane).

Just curious are using this tracking method on your other trucks in your fleet? If so, how do they stack up?

i do spot checks.... i filled up this morning... 260 miles driven and 19.3 gallons consumed... 13.47 mpg and thats one of my better ones...

good solid truck, i love it to tears, but the gas mileage in my opinion is abysmal... if i wanted to waste this much fuel, i would've gotten the Titan, slightly less mpg over what i am getting now and alot more hp....

Honda needs to do something about the engine and figure out what they did wrong......

i do spot checks.... i filled up this morning... 260 miles driven and 19.3 gallons consumed... 13.47 mpg and thats one of my better ones...

good solid truck, i love it to tears, but the gas mileage in my opinion is abysmal... if i wanted to waste this much fuel, i would've gotten the Titan, slightly less mpg over what i am getting now and alot more hp....

Honda needs to do something about the engine and figure out what they did wrong......


I truly wonder what the differences between the Ridgelines are as I have never seen 13mpg (Even when hammering it)!

Mike,
sadly its what I always get. Once, doing a long trip from Long Island to Boston, i filled up in Oyster Bay LI, got to boston, turned around and got a little bit past the Mass/CT state line, refilled and got like 15.5 when i was doing 90% highway...

maybe the sensors governing the usage of the other wheels kick them on for no real reason...... could explain the lesser mileage..

Wow,

I get 15 to 16mpg with stop sign to stop sign city, 18 to 19mpg rush hour highway (Lots of 10 to 40 back to 10mph stuff), and 22 to 24mpg pure highway milage with the cruise control set at 70mph and the A/C set to auto. This doesn't vary much at all from the norm (Even with winter gas).

The worst highway milage I saw was when I filled up in Kansas with gas labeled as 85 octane and was driving into a 30mph head wind and I got 14.5mpg. After I saw the milage drop, I filled up at a chevron with 87 octane gas and the next tank netted 19mpg in the sam head wind with the CC set to 60mph. I beleive I may have put in E85 by mistake, not sure though as the engine seem to run fine and I did not get any warning lights.

Wow,

I get 15 to 16mpg with stop sign to stop sign city, 18 to 19mpg rush hour highway (Lots of 10 to 40 back to 10mph stuff), and 22 to 24mpg pure highway milage with the cruise control set at 70mph and the A/C set to auto. This doesn't vary much at all from the norm (Even with winter gas).

The worst highway milage I saw was when I filled up in Kansas with gas labeled as 85 octane and was driving into a 30mph head wind and I got 14.5mpg. After I saw the milage drop, I filled up at a chevron with 87 octane gas and the next tank netted 19mpg in the sam head wind with the CC set to 60mph. I beleive I may have put in E85 by mistake, not sure though as the engine seem to run fine and I did not get any warning lights. Kansas! Maybe that's my problem. :rolleyes:
There is one thing for certain when it comes to Honda, this is my problem. After extended conversations in St. Louis and afterwards with Honda officials, I really resent the attitude that if your fuel ecomony isn't up to others, it is completely your fault. Look, I drive like an old lady, do early filter replacements, slow down to speed limits :o , etc. and still can't get decent mileage. I dumped my Silverado in November for a variety of reasons (work truck). One thing that really puzzled me about that vehicle was that it didn't matter how I drove it, it always got 14mpg. So when I drove it (had the big V8), I ram rodded it around because I like doing that. Had plenty of power and driving style really didn't affect fuel economy. So now I baby the RL, because if I don't, the mileage will take a hit to below the "silverado line." Why does it vary from truck to truck? I have been told that early 2007 had qc problems with over tightened valves at the factory. That certainly didn't explain my 2006. In fact, it would take Honda engineering to actually care in order to find out why mileage varies so much between vehicles. I suspect they have some ideas but that would require some acknowledgement of a problem. Ain't gonna happen. Our two new Frontier NISMO's CC 4x4's with 4.0 V6 are much more powerful than the RL but are limping along at 15-16 mpg this winter with less than 5k miles on them each. And that's with limited 4x4 usage. Fuel economy should get better as they break in, or so they say.

Because these are work trucks (1 RL & 2 Nismos), fuel economy is only one factor in the "funtionality" equation. I use a different equation for "pleasure" or personal class vehicles.

BTW, I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it is to be told that the my poor fuel economy is due to the lift and the tires. Please look at the data. Does it support that conclusion?

They sell 85 octane in Kansas?

Geotech: Maybe you do have something over-wrenched at the factory. I remember how we used to build drag racing engines -- if it didn't sound like you were about the throw a rod, it was built too tight. (I also remember a buddy who rebuilt a 1948 Ford pickup so tight that we had to tow the thing two miles to loosen it up enough to crank it!)

They sell 85 octane in Kansas?

Geotech: Maybe you do have something over-wrenched at the factory. I remember how we used to build drag racing engines -- if it didn't sound like you were about the throw a rod, it was built too tight. (I also remember a buddy who rebuilt a 1948 Ford pickup so tight that we had to tow the thing two miles to loosen it up enough to crank it!)
No 85 in KS that I've ever seen. It's in CO & MO though.

There does seem to be real diversity in MPG. I've had mine about a year now . I still have under 5k on it. Ever since day 1 with this truck, I've gotten 19+ mpg. Almost all these miles are on the Southern-tier expressway (speed on this is always 70 mph). I have even gotten well over 20 mpg at times. I've been fairly excited because from what I read, this truck is not nearly broken in yet. I'm thinking this was normal, yet as I perused this site more, I find some unsettling accounts of fuel mileage being bad. I'm curious as to why.

I do know that pulling a trailer knocks the pins out. I've pulled my double axle 18' utility trailer with 2 tons of wood pellets on board and mpg took a big hit (I swear I could watch the fuel gauge needle move). The 2 times I did this it was only 50 mile round trips so I couldn't really accurately measure mileage, but I know it wasn't great. Also, both times the tank had regular in it, which didn't help.

Something very bizarre is going on here. We all have the same drivetrain and vehicle weight for the most part, and aerodynamically the vehicle is the same, yet some people get 13.5 mpg while others claim over 20 mpg. Altitude, gas additives like ethanol, and how you drive are all contributors but come on, something else is going on to produce the data that people are reporting here.

You'd think Honda has this information readily available, pulled from service data when they perform service and hook up to the on board diagnostics computer. They have to know something funky is going on here.

Something very bizarre is going on here. We all have the same drivetrain and vehicle weight for the most part, and aerodynamically the vehicle is the same, yet some people get 13.5 mpg while others claim over 20 mpg. Altitude, gas additives like ethanol, and how you drive are all contributors but come on, something else is going on to produce the data that people are reporting here.

You'd think Honda has this information readily available, pulled from service data when they perform service and hook up to the on board diagnostics computer. They have to know something funky is going on here.

I've got one for ya... I've had 2 ridgelines. An 06 (wrecked at 56,000) and now an 07 with 26,000. On the 06 I averaged 19.8 mpg overall for the 56,000 miles. It did this from almost day one. On my 07 I now average 16.9 overall. Same driver...same trips...same maintenance, etc. Why almost 3 mpg difference? You tell me. I'm an engineer and I'm scratching my head on this one just like geotech is.

Someone should collect the data on this and see if there's any correlation between high (or low) fuel economy and age, race, gender, income, marital status, education, state/city of residence, occupation, political and/or sexual orientation, etc. Perhaps we would then uncover the core of this conspiracy! :eek:

Someone should collect the data on this and see if there's any correlation between high (or low) fuel economy and age, race, gender, income, marital status, education, state/city of residence, occupation, political and/or sexual orientation, etc. Perhaps we would then uncover the core of this conspiracy! :eek:

Rob, you left out one catergory "size of foot"!:rolleyes:

I've got one for ya... I've had 2 ridgelines. An 06 (wrecked at 56,000) and now an 07 with 26,000. On the 06 I averaged 19.8 mpg overall for the 56,000 miles. It did this from almost day one. On my 07 I now average 16.9 overall. Same driver...same trips...same maintenance, etc. Why almost 3 mpg difference? You tell me. I'm an engineer and I'm scratching my head on this one just like geotech is.
Factory valves too tight perhaps? Or you lost the RL Fuel Economy Sweepstakes on truck #2.

I truly wonder what the differences between the Ridgelines are as I have never seen 13mpg (Even when hammering it)!

Yup, same here!:o

Rob, you left out one catergory "size of foot"!:rolleyes:
immaterial so long as it doesn't fit into your mouth! :eek:

immaterial so long as it doesn't fit into your mouth! :eek:

mine does... I call it sole food :D

Once again, I got 16.5 (city) on my last fill up, driving like grandma... But that's ok.

mine does... I call it sole food :D

Once again, I got 16.5 (city) on my last fill up, driving like grandma... But that's ok.
I've only had one tankful in over 24K that was under 15mpg and my "lifetime" average is now very consistent at just over 18 - too many variables reported here to be anything IMHO other than mostly differences in tolerances - kind of surprising for Honda to have that wide a variance

I think I won the lottery on gas ( avg. 17 - 19 ) but lost on noise... wind or "other"...

Just filled up my '08 RTL today for the second time. I got 20.2 mpg. That was 85% highway miles and 15% city. I'm very pleased with that, since the rating is 20 mpg for strictly highway miles. My first fill-up was ALL town driving, and I got 15.5 mpg. So far, my RL is doing better than the sticker says it would.

But you know, mileage is mileage. If I'd wanted great gas mileage, I would have gotten a Honda Fit. I got a TRUCK, and the RL so far is getting good gas mileage for a truck.
Tom

Just filled up my '08 RTL today for the second time. I got 20.2 mpg. That was 85% highway miles and 15% city. I'm very pleased with that, since the rating is 20 mpg for strictly highway miles. My first fill-up was ALL town driving, and I got 15.5 mpg. So far, my RL is doing better than the sticker says it would.
Tom
That's been my experience to. I get about 16 in heavy, stop-and-go city driving and about 20-22 on pure interstate with the cruise set at 75.

I did fill up with a 10% ethanol blend coming back from a road trip recently (not my choice), and noticed that whereas I usually get about 200 miles before the gage hits the 1/2 mark, with the ethanol blend is was more like 165-175. Definitely took a hit with ethanol. :mad: @$^&# DC idiots.

Checked MPG this morning, all local miles, lots of stop and go, 17.7.:) Little over 24,000 miles in 34 months. BTW, gas was $3.096 at Home Depot.

..have driven for 2 months now, half highway/half city...pretty conservative driving...mpg from 16-19...just got 275/45/20 rims and noticed it dropping mostly in the 16's...oh well, the price u pay for bling i guess...

With a little less than 22k in 15 months my around town milage is between 14 and 15.5 or so. Mixed driving is 16-almost 17 with mostly highway. All highway so far my best is 19. That's around 72 mph too.

I've been trying to make an effort to drive slower and keep it around 65 on the highway to see if it makes the fuel economy any better, but so far it has not.

I spent $60 each of the last two weeks to fill the tank. That's not a pleasant figure I want to see every week and it'll probably get worse. Maybe it's time to get a Honda Fit? But then I wouldn't be able to tow my camper with it.

Sounds pretty reasonable...considering you were honkin along pretty good on the highway...also loaded up...

Yep, my RL used to be in the 18/19 range all the time, until after the second air filter change and the changing the VTM fluid at 21k miles. That's when the downward spiral of the dance of fuel economy death started. :(

(I always post after geotech to torment him...)

My last tank got 20.8 mpg & my overall average since purchase is 18.4 mpg!

(I always post after geotech to torment him...)

My last tank got 20.8 mpg & my overall average since purchase is 18.4 mpg!
As the big brother a friend of mine during my teens used to say (although I'm sure it was in a slightly different context): Pull that knife out a little deeper, it hurts so good. ;) :D :eek:

Riiight. I am thinking about airing the tires up a little higher, though. (I run 'em at 32 psi) ;)

Thru March of '08. End of winter gas for sure. My other vehicles have shown an increase over the last month of about 10%, include my Accord. Have to like the trend.

I've been slowly trying to tame myself into driving more slowly and evenly. Also to use the cruise more often. So my last 4 tanks have been improved on my prior driving mpg.

I took a 300 mile trip to NH on Saturday and ended up with 334 miles before I filled up. I got the most mpg that I ever had - 19.5 mpg.:D That's pretty much at a even 65 mph.

But I was almost the slowest vehicle on the highway. I'd be tempted to try 60 or 55 even tho it feels like I'm not moving at all. Just to experiment and see if the mpg improves even more.

I just have to remember that if I stomp on the gas, I'll pay for it by emptying my wallet!

Has anyone else experimented with slower speeds vs better mpg?

I finally averaged just over 21 mpg the other day on an 80/20 split of highway driving...that is the best ever

On uneven terrain, the cruise control will downshift very early. You can do much better by modulating your right foot. Keeping it in 5th gear lock saves gas while downshifting doesn't.

On uneven terrain, the cruise control will downshift very early. You can do much better by modulating your right foot. Keeping it in 5th gear lock saves gas while downshifting doesn't.

I'm not sure I agree with that. I don't think the RL downshifting too early and Honda has programmed the transmission to keep the engine operating in it's optimum torque range. If I can average 23 mpg on a 6,100 mile trip using cruise control whenever possible, I think it's doing a pretty good job.

No doubt, you did well. I don't have a 6,100 mile trip w/o the cruise to compare to yours, but I do know I can keep it in lock longer w/o the cruise on when the terrain is varying. There's no right or wrong here.

Well I have had my 08 Rts for about a 1.5 months, just over 1k miles.

I was intailly disapointed with the gas mileage. My work commute is only about 4-5 miles one way. Certainly doesnt help for gas mileage. I also do some highway driving nights about 50-80 miles a week. My typical fuel consumption ran about 14-15 mpg combined.

I just did a road trip up to Columbia County NY. I made an effort to drive between 55-70 varrying on hills and down slopes trying to hold the revs around 2k. That made all the difference in the world, and feel is the key to getting there advertised mileage. My mileage went up to 20.5 for the trip up and back and local driving ( quite hilly with some light off roading) . Most of the highway driving was between 60-65.

I like how the truck will hold 5th gear as long as possible before downshifting, and I am sure I could get 22-23 mpg like some members claim.

The key I feel is keeping the motor just at 2k rpm for max fuel effieceny. I am going to start playing with tire pressures, and a few other tips found on the forum.

Well I have had my 08 Rts for about a 1.5 months, just over 1k miles.

I was intailly disapointed with the gas mileage. My work commute is only about 4-5 miles one way. Certainly doesnt help for gas mileage. I also do some highway driving nights about 50-80 miles a week. My typical fuel consumption ran about 14-15 mpg combined.

I just did a road trip up to Columbia County NY. I made an effort to drive between 55-70 varrying on hills and down slopes trying to hold the revs around 2k. That made all the difference in the world, and feel is the key to getting there advertised mileage. My mileage went up to 20.5 for the trip up and back and local driving ( quite hilly with some light off roading) . Most of the highway driving was between 60-65.

I like how the truck will hold 5th gear as long as possible before downshifting, and I am sure I could get 22-23 mpg like some members claim.

The key I feel is keeping the motor just at 2k rpm for max fuel effieceny. I am going to start playing with tire pressures, and a few other tips found on the forum.
Keeping the rpms under 2k and the torque converter locked is ideal. I drive 11 miles each way to work at 55 mph. It's the speed limit and heavily patrolled. Too bad the rest of my driving isn't like this. These conditions have been the same since I got the truck. I do drive much more conservatively since the steady decline of my mileage.

The "hunting for gears" condition reported by others translates for me into the vehicle dropping out of lock at the drop of a hat (or a slight grade), causing those rpms to go above 2k. I have found that my truck does not "hold 5th gear as long as possible." In my experience the opposite is true.

Good luck with your vehicle and fuel economy. Some win, some lose.:(

Geo, that data is intriguing!

You can really see the annual periodicity--almost a carbon copy but on a neg slope "bias." Interesting.
The periodicity indicates a validity to the results, while the trendline indicates a probable cause, due to that predicable effect. Unfortunately, the direction is good for gas suppliers and bad for my bottom line. Now, the question is, of course, what's the cause? Certainly winter gas, whether it be ethonol or not, is a killer of fuel economy. :(

My contact with Honda engineers also indicated that they are not in least bit interested. Why should they? I'm only one truck and since I modified their design, everything that follows is, of course, my fault and directly attributable to those modifications, whether or not the data supports that conclusion or not. :mad:

I've been tracking my gas mileage for years with different vehicles. If I can find the time, I'll put my data into an excel sheet and see how it looks too. My truck is 16 months old and I have a little under 23k on it.

If I'm not pulling the troop trailer for the Gettysburg trip in a few weeks, I can test further how driving a bit slower affects fuel economy as it's about 400 miles each way.

Does anyone believe that having a tonneau cover increases milage by 1 to 1½ mpg vs an open bed?

It's interesting to see what everyone else is getting and doing.

Does anyone believe that having a tonneau cover increases milage by 1 to 1½ mpg vs an open bed?

It's interesting to see what everyone else is getting and doing.

I'm inclined to believe it rather than not.
My Retrax tonneau was on before the end of the second tank of gas. The first tank was allegedly topped off by the dealer when I bought it. At the first fillup the mileage, all city driving, was around 15.
The second tank, part of which involved the tonneau was slightly better.
The third tank jumped to around 17, all city driving.

Then I drove a straight shot--fillup to fillup, except for one hamburger stop in Ozona--on Interstate 10 for ~300 miles through the "Texas Hill Country" Ft. Stockton to Luling, TX, at 80-95 mph loaded with camping gear, but with the tonneau closed and still got 20.6 mpg last month. I have no roof rack, no grille guard, no bug deflector, no external window lexan "valance" thingys, and no lift kit, no K&N filter, no performance exhaust--aerodynamically and drive train speaking, (except for the Retrax) it is factory OEM "clean."

So why is my mileage so much better?

Suppose I'd been driving 65 mph with a lighter load and made no stops at all between fillups? How much would it have improved? I can tell you that I don't have the wind noise others (trolls?) have mentioned. Wind noise = reduced mpg.

I'm inclined to believe it rather than not.
My Retrax tonneau was on before the end of the second tank of gas. The first tank was allegedly topped off by the dealer when I bought it. At the first fillup the mileage, all city driving, was around 15.
The second tank, part of which involved the tonneau was slightly better.
The third tank jumped to around 17, all city driving.

Then I drove a straight shot on Interstate 10 for ~300 miles through the "Texas Hill Country" Ft. Stockton to Luling, TX, at 80-90 mph loaded with camping gear, but with the tonneau closed and still got 20.6 mpg last month. So why is my mileage so much better?
In St. Louis, Gary Flint said that a tonneau is the only mod that will increase fuel economy. :( :eek: This is one of the reasons that Honda is against doing any other mods to the truck.

I get 21 MPG on highway after 12k on odometer.
with a 30-40 mph tailwind I have acheived 25-26 mpg
but with a 30-40 mph headwind only about 17-18 mpg.
I have a leer cap and have noticed no marked difference in MPG with and without. wind variations mask what little change a cover or cap makes.

I've been tracking my gas mileage for years with different vehicles. If I can find the time, I'll put my data into an excel sheet and see how it looks too. My truck is 16 months old and I have a little under 23k on it.

If I'm not pulling the troop trailer for the Gettysburg trip in a few weeks, I can test further how driving a bit slower affects fuel economy as it's about 400 miles each way.

Does anyone believe that having a tonneau cover increases milage by 1 to 1½ mpg vs an open bed?

It's interesting to see what everyone else is getting and doing.
Have you had time to compile your data? I would like to see it! :)

I get 21 MPG on highway after 12k on odometer.
with a 30-40 mph tailwind I have acheived 25-26 mpg
but with a 30-40 mph headwind only about 17-18 mpg.
I have a leer cap and have noticed no marked difference in MPG with and without. wind variations mask what little change a cover or cap makes.
I would have considered one more RL's for work had I been getting anything near that. We still have to have at least one true off road vehicle. I elected to get two true off roaders, Nissan NISMO's CC, instead. They are outstanding off road and are both getting 18mpg at 6-7k miles now. Their 4.0 V6 is significantly peppier than my RL. :)

But if you look at the chart (or actual log), you'll notice that I was getting around 18mpg until 20k miles which was 12k miles after the lift and bull bar. Then the steady, but periodic decline began. It was this steady decline, coupled with Honda's total lack of concern about the trend, that was a contributing factor in leading me in different direction for my work fleet. :(

This is thru April of '08. Added a trendline to the chart. Big deal huh? Had one fillup over 17mpg for the first time in months! Woohoo. Mostly highway with a big tail wind. The best mpg advice I can give is always drive downhill and with the wind.

geotech
I only get 17-18 or so driving around town stop and go.
the higher mileage is only out on the open level highways cruise control on 65-70 mph. i'll drive maybe 3 hours straight and never touch the brake or gas pedal to get the better mileages. but your mileages do look lower than what i am seeing.

I don't have the elaborate data tracking, but I'm still seeing about 20 - 22 MPG at 25,000 miles. I try to take it easy accelerating from a stop and keep the A/C off. I top the tank off all the way up to the top of the neck, so I get 470 - 510 miles per tank.

I am getting under 100 miles for the first half of the gas gauge. The oil is changed way before the time on the computer, the tires are checked and the air filter changed regularly.

If I could get 15 miles per gallon city I would be ecstatic...

Most of my driving is city but earl mornings and afternoons. Great ride but the gas millage is not where it is suppose to be. This is my dream truck a real SUV in that the utility is there; with gas continuing to rise I may have to look at options.

It is not a matter of not affording it but being sensible. Now the hit on trade in may too much to accept. 2007 rtx with 10999 miles.

Frankc55

I am getting under 100 miles for the first half of the gas gauge. The oil is changed way before the time on the computer, the tires are checked and the air filter changed regularly.

If I could get 15 miles per gallon city I would be ecstatic...

Most of my driving is city but earl mornings and afternoons. Great ride but the gas millage is not where it is suppose to be. This is my dream truck a real SUV in that the utility is there; with gas continuing to rise I may have to look at options.

It is not a matter of not affording it but being sensible. Now the hit on trade in may too much to accept. 2007 rtx with 10999 miles.

Frankc55
Have you seen a trend up or down over time/miles? Many members report an increase starting at around 12k miles. As you can see, my mileage was fine (read acceptable) until 20k, then a long steady slide down into the abyss. :eek:
By comparison, my Accord started out at 25mpg and steadily rose to 29-30mpg at about 12k miles and that's where it is now at 25k. I now take it everywhere that doesn't absolutely require a truck.

I haven't had time yet to chart my mpg numbers since I got the Ridge. But going to Gettysburg two weeks ago was about 360+ miles Plus about 25 miles around town before filling up. But, going down at 65 mph gave me 22 mpg. I never believed you guys achieved that until I saw it myself. I even recalculated it 3 times to be sure it was correct.
Going home, we drove a bit faster averaging around 70 mph or faster and I still got 20 mpg.
But 65 seems to be the "key" speed between decent gas milage and sanity speed for the highway. Any slower is not moving.
I did 350 miles of mix highway, back roads and up to 2000 feet elevation this weekend in Vermont. I plan to put gas in to see what I did later today.

a spreadsheet??!! duh why didn't I think of that????? You should see this crummy little notebook i've been filing everything in.

a spreadsheet??!! duh why didn't I think of that????? You should see this crummy little notebook i've been filing everything in.
Actually, everything for all of our vehicles goes into a crummy little notebook (an analog device ;) ) we carry in the not an ashtray to log the fillup. The spreadsheet is then revised later, usually at the end of the month.

Gas use is obviously a real concern for all of us.

I installed a ScanGauge (see thread: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/accessories/20553-scangauge-installation.html) about a week ago. If you're really concerned about mileage, the ScanGauge allows for strict monitoring of fuel consumption.

Looks nice in the "Not An Ashtray!" Highly recommended. :D

Gas use is obviously a real concern for all of us.

I installed a ScanGauge (see thread: http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/accessories/20553-scangauge-installation.html) about a week ago. If you're really concerned about mileage, the ScanGauge allows for strict monitoring of fuel consumption.

Looks nice in the "Not An Ashtray!" Highly recommended. :D



Same here - I love it! It works great in the NAA - no glare plus I can hide it.

Having used the ScanGauge now for almost a week, I find myself wishing it had an average RPM for each of the trip categories. I have come to the conclusion (as many other members have) that it's not the speed that's burning the gas, it's the RPM's. Case and point - I can be going 45 mph in 4th gear with 2,200 RPM showing or I can keep pushing the gas pedal till I get to 47 or 48 (when the tranny shifts into 5th gear) and only be showing 1,500 RPM.
So I keep Max RPM showing on my ScanGauge and typically, at the end of a day, it's showing between 2,500 and 3,000. But if ScanGauge showed an Avg RPM I would have a much better picture of my true driving efficiency.

Even though I originally scoffed at the usefulness of the Scanguage, I'm beginning to think I'm a "fuel obsessive" driver and need to get one! :D

I just filled up and recorded 19.6 mpg over a 294.5 mile intown and highway usage. I'm pleased because I only have 2656 miles on my new Ridge and understand it won't be giving me good mileage until somewhere around 10,000 miles.

Did I mention I love my new Ridge?????;)

I just got my Scanguage back today with the new updates, a seven day turnaround including the weekend. You can now enter the cost/gal and it will display cost per mile. I'm not sure I want to see that scary stuff. :eek:

Maintaining the transmission lock is the key to maximum distance at minimum rpm's. One of my unpopular theories about our beloved RL is that it is designed to the edge or limit. I have had no other vehicle that so easily loses lock as the Ridge. See all the threads on downshifting up hills or hunting for gears. I drive a certain hilly highway with a speed limit of 60mph on regular basis. If I set the cruise at 60mph in both the RL and the Frontier, the RL will downshift 11 times in the 10 miles, while the Frontier will do it twice. The nissan will downshift into 3rd once, while the RL will go down to 3rd on 4 of those occasions. For comparison, my Accord will lose lock only on that one hill that the Frontier will go to 3rd.

The scangauge would be a very valuable tool in controlling fuel usage. BTW, the NISMO's have a very accurate mpg computer that updates in real time.

Filled up the new '08 yesterday. Not good; 160 miles total with 15.5 MPG. With 30 miles on the interstate, 70 miles on no traffic 2 lanes, and 60 miles local I was expecting more. The '06 I traded would have done around 18 MPG under the same conditions. I am hoping the dealer did not fill up the freebie tank all the way!!

Maintaining the transmission lock is the key to maximum distance at minimum rpm's. One of my unpopular theories about our beloved RL is that it is designed to the edge or limit. I have had no other vehicle that so easily loses lock as the Ridge. See all the threads on downshifting up hills or hunting for gears. I drive a certain hilly highway with a speed limit of 60mph on regular basis. If I set the cruise at 60mph in both the RL and the Frontier, the RL will downshift 11 times in the 10 miles, while the Frontier will do it twice. The nissan will downshift into 3rd once, while the RL will go down to 3rd on 4 of those occasions. For comparison, my Accord will lose lock only on that one hill that the Frontier will go to 3rd.

Good call, ref. It's my biggest beef with this drivetrain. Have you tried modulating the throttle with your foot instead of the cruise control? I feel that the cruise only plays into the hands of the transmission aggressiveness. If you are willing to roll off the throttle and decelerate a bit over small rises, it can stay locked. This is what I do.

Good call, ref. It's my biggest beef with this drivetrain. Have you tried modulating the throttle with your foot instead of the cruise control? I feel that the cruise only plays into the hands of the transmission aggressiveness. If you are willing to roll off the throttle and decelerate a bit over small rises, it can stay locked. This is what I do.
Shovelhd, you're right on about manual control v. cruise in these situations. Some other members have commented on this too. However, sometimes traffic dictates that I maintain a constant speed so as to be courteous to my fellow citizens. Plus, I have trouble getting over the fact that I shouldn't have to resort to that! :o

But the Frontier will get 12-14 mpg wheras the Ridge will get at least 3+ mpg better.

But the Frontier will get 12-14 mpg wheras the Ridge will get at least 3+ mpg better.
Maybe your Frontier. This is the chart for the NISMO I'm referring to in my posts (I can post the xls file if you would want to see that for additional information about towing/non towing, hwy or mixed, grade of gas, etc.) If you look at my chart for the RL you will see I'm currently getting the opposite. :confused:

I hate to tell this, but on my last tank full I drove 448.1 miles (90+% interstate highway) for 23.54 mpg. I probably had a tailwind. But driving today, I wondered, as so many have, why the discrepancy among owners, and gave thanks I am on the top end. (My previous two tanks were 21.24 and 20.31 mpg with more city driving %s).

My Ridge is a base level RT and I started wondering how much difference the electronics in the upper levels effects mpg. I know the engines, tires, etc are pretty much the same, and I see the vehicle weights are quite similar. So I read back through this thread and noticed Desertridgeline, djeaux, and codda mentioned mpgs in the low 20s also (some of the posts are several months old). I will be the first to say this is nowhere near enough data to draw a conclusion, but I think it is enough to ask the question: Do RTs get significantly better mpg than the RTLs?

No. I'm getting mileage the same as you and I have an RTL with 2,000 watts of sound system in it.

I hate to tell this, but on my last tank full I drove 448.1 miles (90+% interstate highway) for 23.54 mpg. I probably had a tailwind. But driving today, I wondered, as so many have, why the discrepancy among owners, and gave thanks I am on the top end. (My previous two tanks were 21.24 and 20.31 mpg with more city driving %s).

My Ridge is a base level RT and I started wondering how much difference the electronics in the upper levels effects mpg. I know the engines, tires, etc are pretty much the same, and I see the vehicle weights are quite similar. So I read back through this thread and noticed Desertridgeline, djeaux, and codda mentioned mpgs in the low 20s also (some of the posts are several months old). I will be the first to say this is nowhere near enough data to draw a conclusion, but I think it is enough to ask the question: Do RTs get significantly better mpg than the RTLs?
Interesting theory, oarnold. Perhaps the auto climate control with the ac compressor constantly on has something to do with it. Although I have seen some studies in CR that indicate only a 1mpg hit (maybe). I run with the AC off unless defrosting or actually air conditioning. The huge difference in the fuel economy between vehicles can not, IMHO, be summarily dismissed as to style, conditions, modifications, gas blends, etc. entirely. With some at 23mpg and mine at 16mpg, both hwy, that represents 44% increase over my mileage. :eek: Some win the lottery, others merely play. ;)

My chart dramatically shows the affects of winter gas in the heartland. But as previously posted, it's the downward trend after 20k miles that has me miffed. The more the trend went down, the more conservatively I drove, but to no avail. :confused: BTW, I do not tow with the RL. Didn't get the package, wish I had now. The NISMO results posted above do representing the towing of a 12 ft. trailer with a Kawasaki Mule on occassion.

My numbers vary all over the place. My RTS is run with the a/c on auto, the cruise on when on the highway. I get 21.5 to a high of 23 on the highway on long trips. The high of 23 was in July in Texas and Oklahoma. So mch for the a/c theory. Around town, I get as low as 12 mpg. I live 4 minutes from work and little to no time is spent idling. I have 19 k on my 2006.:confused:

It's a hard one to figure. Lots of variables. Geotech, I'd say it's time to trade yours in on a new RTX. Maybe wait until July, though?

It's a hard one to figure. Lots of variables. Geotech, I'd say it's time to trade yours in on a new RTX. Maybe wait until July, though?
For tax reasons, I should keep it until at least 2/2009. By that time, should have 80-100k on it. Maybe the 2010's will have that St. Louis off road setup I saw at the 2007 annual meeting. Course, as Merle would say, "we'all be drinkin' that free Bubble Up & eatin' that Rainbow Stew," then too. ;)

This has all been very interesting to me. I've never worried much about gas mileage because the price of gas was never a big issue. I've always thought "I need to go where I need to go, so don't worry about it." But with the price of gas climbing at the bizarre rate it is, I'm very concerned. So when I bought my new Ridge a month and a half ago, I decided it was time for me to learn how to drive more efficiently. I've learned to keep my RPMs below 2500 99% of the time...........even including starting from dead stops. Driving like a Grannie seems to help. My average, at this point, is 18.5 mpg. I've gotten as low as 16.8 when I had to tow my Accord into the shop and back, and as high as 19.6. I live out in the country, away from town, so my driving is almost always a fairly even mixture of city and highway miles, so I'm just looking for the averages. But what amazes me about this vehicle is the wide variation of mpg reports from everybody. I know if I'd drive it like I did my Accord, my mileage would drop drastically. I'm also assuming when I take my first trip with a trailer next weekend I'll experience horrible mileage. I can putt-putt down the road at 1500 RPM and leave the cruise control on when on level roads or off when driving hilly areas and I'll get decent mileage. (for a pickup truck) Or, I can call on the horsepower to do "jackrabbit" take-offs from stop signs or tow a trailer as long as I'm willing to pay the price. I've never known a truck who's mileage varies as much as this one. I've been rather shocked. Now don't get me wrong, I have to admit I love my new Ridge and wouldn't have purchased any different truck even if I'd realized my present situation with the mpg. What I may do to solve the problem is what I jokingly commented about on another thread...............I may buy a mota-skooter for those trips to town that won't require the Ridge!!!!! Just didn't see myself riding a skooter at my young age of 63!!!!!:D

My dealer tank was horrible. Horrible! I bet you'll do better on your next tank.

Edit: Oops - hit the wrong "quote" button. I was responding to 25yearowner saying the first tank mpg in his new 08 was bad...

This thread has been very interesting reading.

I am reminded of a story that went around the company engineers back in the early 80’s. An engineer at one of our plants in the mid west kept bragging about the great mileage he was getting on his new vehicle. The rest of the guys got sick of listening to his rants. So a couple of the engineers started sneaking out to the parking lot during lunch and siphoning gas out of his car. This went on for several weeks – increasing the amount each week. He got very frustrated because he could not explain the constant reduction in his “great” mileage.

He really got confused when the guys starting ADDING fuel during lunch.

I've been slowly trying to tame myself into driving more slowly and evenly. Also to use the cruise more often. So my last 4 tanks have been improved on my prior driving mpg.

I took a 300 mile trip to NH on Saturday and ended up with 334 miles before I filled up. I got the most mpg that I ever had - 19.5 mpg.:D That's pretty much at a even 65 mph.

But I was almost the slowest vehicle on the highway. I'd be tempted to try 60 or 55 even tho it feels like I'm not moving at all. Just to experiment and see if the mpg improves even more.

I just have to remember that if I stomp on the gas, I'll pay for it by emptying my wallet!

Has anyone else experimented with slower speeds vs better mpg?

I was an unwilling test subject on the mpg experiment. Wife had stuff to haul, I got in a hurry to be on the road, just tied down with bungies. Every time I got above 60, it started to rear up and look dangerous, so, I meditated, thought calm thoughts, looked inside for patience, and drove 55-60 for 300 miles. Drove around for ~100 miles locally before the fill, so I had to do a little estimating, but it looks like 23.8 mpg for the interstate drive. Same trip last year was ~18, I usually drive 70-75.

Tried to do a repeat test on the way back, but had a ferocious headwind most of the way, the kind that is hard to walk into, maybe 20-30 mph. Plus, I didnt have the safety factor to keep the speed down, so I suspect I did drive a little faster. That 300 miles, I only got 20.6mpg. Could have been a tail-wind on the way up I suppose, but even so, I am a believer in slowing down to save.

A friend tells me that he has heard that a commercial trucking lobby is trying to get a national limit of 62mph for cars and trucks. Anyone have any info on this?

... Anyone have any info on this?

"The Cafferty File" on CNN's Situation Room 5-15-08 had this opinion piece:

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2008/05/15/tsr.cafferty.file.5.15.cnn?iref=videosearch)

and I thought this story was interesting about Seattle area refineries, saying they lower production and inventories just at the time of increasing spring demand to keep prices high:

Video (http://www.kirotv.com/video/16273633/index.html)

This weekend (Memorial Weekend) I'm towing the boy scout trailer (around 2800 lbs) to and from Niagara Falls, NY. It'll be about 390 miles each way. I'm going to try to keep it below 70 and closer to 65. We'll see what the fuel economy is upon returning.
.
Last year on a big trip with them, I averaged around 13.3 mpg but on a shorter trip and we dove faster. So we'll see...

This weekend (Memorial Weekend) I'm towing the boy scout trailer (around 2800 lbs) to and from Niagara Falls, NY. It'll be about 390 miles each way. I'm going to try to keep it below 70 and closer to 65. We'll see what the fuel economy is upon returning.
.
Last year on a big trip with them, I averaged around 13.3 mpg but on a shorter trip and we dove faster. So we'll see...

If you go 60mph with the trailor, your milage will be much better than at 65mph ans especially 70mph.

That might be tough on such a long trip with kids aged 11-15. Plus we'll have to set up camp, etc when we get there after or around 11pm. But on the way home, I'll give it a try and report here with my results.

May May's results flower into better fuel economy? NO.
(Full excel spreadsheet available upon request. Not available in stores, here's how to order)

I just filled up for the very first time. Mixed city and highway resulted in 15.5 MPG. A little disappointed, but hey, the RL only had 5 miles on the odomoter two weeks ago.

I just filled up for the very first time. Mixed city and highway resulted in 15.5 MPG. A little disappointed, but hey, the RL only had 5 miles on the odomoter two weeks ago.
Hang in there, You maybe the next winner the Ridgeline Fuel Economy Lottery.

And by request, I will use this post to attach the current speadsheet for the truck in question.

14,500 miles in nearly 16 months. Overall MPG = 17.23. Lowest: 12.7 in extreme heat & humidity & strong headwinds on 8/1/07, with 7800 miles on odometer; Highest: 22.8 on 5/5/08, mostly 65 mph, not towing anything.

It's a truck! And like I've read here, my mileage keeps going up as more miles accumulate on the engine.

The last three tank fulls have averaged me 17.4-18.5 combined....That's actually decent from my perspective...I'm at 5000 miles...so I'll cross my fingers and hope that the trend is legitimate.

21.7 mpg my last 2 tanks (approx 80/20 highway/city). The only change I made was I avoided cruising over 60, used the cruise control more, and accelerated more slowly (I already was fairly unaggressive when accelerating). Prior to the last 2 tanks I had been getting in the 18 to 19 mpg ballpark with 20.1 the best (that was mixed driving and going with the flow of traffic). Going "only" 60 was difficult at first (what with everybody passing me) but I soon got used to it. In fact, I realized it was mostly a state of mind that I wasn't getting to my destination fast enough. For example, my commute is 28 miles each way and approx 80/20. There are a few bottlenecks on the highway portion (the bridge, a few of the exits in between where people "cheat" and try to cut into the exit lane at the last minute). I realized most of the people who flew by me at 70-80mph are visible at the bottlenecks. Even if it were smooth sailing the entire highway portion, the difference time-wise of driving 22 miles at 60 vs 70ish is only a few minutes. I also stopped putting my tailgate down (though I rarely did that in the past, but swore it was helping when I did). Thanks to this forum, I tried a few new things and it worked.

efin - That sounds right to me. Was the A/C compressor running on your runs and how much air did you have in the tires?

For what it's worth, here's my figures.
Total miles - 35,593
Towing miles - 12,668
Avg. mpg for total miles - 16.66
Avg. mpg for non-towing miles - 18.96
Avg. mpg for towing miles - 14.54
The non-towing and towing miles mpg figures are slightly skewed due to the fact that some fillups have mixed miles.
I used only fillups that had no towing involced for non-towing mpg.
I used only fillups that had used at least 1/2 of fuel for towing and was refilled reasonably soon after that.
There was only one long road trip of 6,100 miles in the non-towing mpg. The rest of the mileage was suburban driving and short trips to the country.
The whole thing was skewed by the topography we live and drive in. :D
The fuel mileage on the RL is much better that the vehicle that it replaced, which was a 4.0L Ford Ranger Super Cab with 5-speed auto that weighed 1,000 lb less and produced 95 less HP.

Here's the latest update on my gas mileage records. I turned over 40K miles this weekend... The dark blue line is overall average mpg, the red points are actual data & the green line is a polynomial regression (I used that instead of a linear trendline to follow seasonal variation a little better.)

Overall average mpg for 40K miles is 18.5. Best is almost 22 & worst is 15, which is pretty much what the EPA window sticker promised...

http://www.djeaux.com/images/2007_Ridgeline/mpg_20080716.jpg

Obviously, I like to play with Excel :D

Obviously, I like to play with Excel :D
Ya think? ;) Excellent work, Joe. Keep posting your results! BTW, that's the kind of results I was having until that air filter/VTM fluid change at 21k. :(

Just finished fill up # 2 ($4.61/gal).

I got 11.8 MPG after getting 15.5 my first tank. I love the RL, but I can't believe the numbers I'm getting. I have been in a little stop and go traffic lately, but this is crazy. I have 450+ mi. on the RL now.

I just turned 5,000 miles and had my first oil change. Prior to the oil change, I had average around 17.5 mpg mostly around town. First full tank after the oil change, it was just below 15 mpg. Coincidence? Skanky gas? Didn't know if the "breakin" oil vs regular would make a difference. Anyone else experience a drop after the first oil change?

First full tank after the oil change, it was just below 15 mpg.
Fuel mileage for one tank doesn't necessarily mean anything. My vote is for coincidence.

I now have 43,000 miles on my '06 RTL. Mileage is consistent. Typically just around 16 MPG in town and 20+ on the road. Road speeds typically at 80 mph with the a/c on. Tucson to El Paso, Tucson to SoCal etc. I still have 50% tread life on the tires and frequently rotate them. Very happy with the Ridge.:o

Just got back from first road trip. Mixed 70MPH Cruise Control with some 55MPH beach traffic. Got 21 MPG with bed loaded and three adults. OD reads 2500.

So... after tracking my fuel economy in a spreadsheet for the past 6 months (Jan 01 - June 30/08) here are my numbers.

1. I would estimate approx. 30% of my driving is highway (1 hour or more steady driving), approx. 30% stop and go city, and 40% urban freeway.

2. Takes into account winter warm up idling, summer driving, a/c on, a/c off, a small amount of towing my utility trailer or boat, head wind, tail wind, and the drive through at Tim Hortons, etc, etc.

3. I have checked my odometer against a GPS on several occassions and the odometer reads 1.7% high consistently. Not that it makes a big difference, but I have corrected my mileage by 1.7% before calculations to try to be as accurate as possible.

4. I'm not an overly aggresive driver, but I do like to get a move on, and don't dawdle off the light. (i.e. not racing, but definately not hypermileing)

5. Ridge has 65000 km or approx 42-43000 miles.

Average
13.9 litres/100km
20.3 MPG Imperial
16.9 MPG U.S.

Best Tank
11.2 Litres/100km
25.3 MPG Imperial
21.1 MPG U.S.

Worst Tank
20.6 Litres/100km
13.7 MPG Imperial
11.4 MPG U.S

Considering how capable and well rounded the Ridgeline has proven itself to be, and, looking at the long term average, I've decided I'm OK with the fuel economy I'm getting.

Kevin

Considering how capable and well rounded the Ridgeline has proven itself to be, and, looking at the long term average, I've decided I'm OK with the fuel economy I'm getting.

Kevin
That's the main thing is that you're ok with it!
Have you seen any trends?

Just posting some numbers to put in my 2 cents worth......

Total miles on my RTL.... 4,500
Worst gas mileage calculated.... 15.5...all city driving
Best gas mileage calculated...... 25.5...driving back from the NC mountains (downhill, since I live on the NC coast)

After my only two long trips with the RL, I've gotten 20.5 once and 22.5 once, and that was with a full load of gear in the bed, two passengers, and running 68 mph on the freeways (2/3 of the trip) with the A/C on at least 2/3 of the way. So far, I couldn't be more pleased. If I'd wanted a Honda Fit, I would have bought one.

First tank of my new RTX came out to 17.86 miles per gallon. It was basically city/rural driving. I am happy with those numbers interms of gas mileage, but I also slowed down and watch my starts and stops.

Here is June's installment of The Other End of Fuel Economy Spectrum. Brought to you by Honda and Big Oil. While others smugly enjoy those 21 plus mpg's, some of us suffer the Big Disillusionment. Yea, yea, yea, I know it all my fault because of the way I drive and those modifications. :rolleyes: :p :eek:

Have you seen any trends?


Nothing unique,

- Mileage is worse in winter due to idling.
- Towing, even my light weight utility trailer (12x7 flat deck with single 3000 lb axle), takes a significant toll on economy. But the Ridge has proven to be a capable tow vehicle and handles my towing requirements as well as any of my previous full size pick ups.
- Magnaflow cat back and K&N aircharger had an an insignificant impact on fuel economy and were removed after about 6 weeks because I couldn't tolerate the resonance in the cab.

You know, just the normal stuff we pretty much know anyway.

Kevin

And by request, I will use this post to attach the current speadsheet for the truck in question.

Your spreadsheet shows a lifetime average of 16.8, falling right between the estimates for City and Highway. With a lift kit and bull bar installed, and apparently pasture driving on occasion for surveying, it seems like your mileage is right where it should be?

BTW, I was born in Emporia:)

At 36,737 miles, my lifetime average is 16.66 mpg, but 35% of that mileage was spent towing in excess of 3,200 lb.

AT 2400 miles, my average mpg is 17.5.

At 13,000 miles I just filled up and got 19.9 miles per gallon of mostly city driving. Usually I average 17 to 19 in the city.

filled up today and was happy to see another increase! up until around 25000 miles, i was only getting like 15.4-15.9 mpg, regardless of driving habits. the tank before this one got 16.4. today's calculation was 17.4! granted, i've been going no faster than 70 mph on the freeway (but traffic has forced me to go more like 60 mph) lately, inflated the tires to 35 psi, and trying like hell to keep the tach at 2500 rpm or less. i'm getting addicted to getting better mpg, i think. :)

This is going to sound unbelieveable but my gas mileage for the last 2 tanks just went UP. My last 2 tanks were 40% City/60% Highway which is typical for me. My mileage for this sort of driving has been right around 17.1 mpg. My last 2 tanks have been right around 18.2 mpg.

What has changed?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

A magic elixir in the tank?
40 pounds of nitrogen in the tires?
A resistor chip in the ECU?
NASA's latest polymer wax?
You've been hypermiling lately?

What has changed?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

I think I know. :eek:

This is going to sound unbelieveable but my gas mileage for the last 2 tanks just went UP. My last 2 tanks were 40% City/60% Highway which is typical for me. My mileage for this sort of driving has been right around 17.1 mpg. My last 2 tanks have been right around 18.2 mpg.

What has changed?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

You stopped running the AC.

You stopped running the AC.

Nope. It's too hot around here right now. Good guess though.

Think totally unbelievable.

Got new tires?

You slowed down?

Added a lift?!

Got new tires?

Just a guess, but they may be mod 57. :)

Tossed out all the non essential ballast? Lightened the load?

Got rid of some are all of the gadgets!!;)

you took off your grill guard, your vent visors and lowered your RL?

Either that or your not in Ohio during the last two tanks.

You broke down and got towed?

I think you installed a door prize from the National Meet.

Spill the beans already.

Geo and Ondlinks are both right. I installed a Truxxx lift kit. (Thank you to my sponsor for this modification... ONDLINKS!!)

I couldn't quite believe that the mileage even stayed the same based on others comments. I had to run 2 tanks of gas thru the truck to make sure that it wasn't a fluke.

I sat down and thought about it for a while as to why my mileage went up. All I can figure is that with my style of driving, (drafting off of other larger vehicles) the lift benefited me. I also believe that since the truck is now level, the drag coefficient went down. I think that this is only possible because I have a tonneau cover on the back of the truck.

I drove the truck with the bed empty tonight without my tonneau cover off for the first time. I can now hear a wind turbulence sound coming from the bed now with the tonneau off which did not exist prior to the lift. I suspect that the bed is now "cupping" the wind more with the lift and may be one of the reasons that Honda made the RL lower in the front than in the back. This noise I speak of is non existant with the tonneau cover on.

I also have noticed that the sunroof makes less wind noise at highway speeds. Both of my prior points support that a RL with a lift and a tonneau is more aerodynamic than a normal RL without a lift or a tonneau.

I know that no one is going to believe me but I'll take anyone for a ride and prove it that wants to come along. :)

I think you installed a door prize from the National Meet.

Where did that picture come from? I have a ridiculous look on my face.

"Ridiculous," no way. Great smile. That was Saturday morning at the national meet before leaving for the research track.

Geo and Ondlinks are both right. I installed a Truxxx lift kit. (Thank you to my sponsor for this modification... ONDLINKS!!)

I couldn't quite believe that the mileage even stayed the same based on others comments. I had to run 2 tanks of gas thru the truck to make sure that it wasn't a fluke.

I sat down and thought about it for a while as to why my mileage went up. All I can figure is that with my style of driving, (drafting off of other larger vehicles) the lift benefited me. I also believe that since the truck is now level, the drag coefficient went down. I think that this is only possible because I have a tonneau cover on the back of the truck.

I drove the truck with the bed empty tonight without my tonneau cover off for the first time. I can now hear a wind turbulence sound coming from the bed now with the tonneau off which did not exist prior to the lift. I suspect that the bed is now "cupping" the wind more with the lift and may be one of the reasons that Honda made the RL lower in the front than in the back. This noise I speak of is non existant with the tonneau cover on.

I also have noticed that the sunroof makes less wind noise at highway speeds. Both of my prior points support that a RL with a lift and a tonneau is more aerodynamic than a normal RL without a lift or a tonneau.

I know that no one is going to believe me but I'll take anyone for a ride and prove it that wants to come along. :)
OK, I cheated. :o

Chris, makes sense to me but more data is needed for a conclusion. :)

I took a run out to Rochester from Western MA and back yesterday. The terrain ranged from flat to rolling to small mountains. I kept it at 67mph the whole way with lots of stops for the dog. 24.3mpg.

I took a run out to Rochester from Western MA and back yesterday. The terrain ranged from flat to rolling to small mountains. I kept it at 67mph the whole way with lots of stops for the dog. 24.3mpg.

It's the NYS gas :rolleyes: ...

Coming from where? :D

Mass gas on the way out, NYS gas on the way back. Both Hess.

i recently drove from Oklahoma City to St Louis, St Louis to Branson, and Branson back to OKC.

the best fuel mileage I got was OKC to St Louis. i got about 19 mpg at one point.

the rest of it was all around 17 to 18 mpg, but i was running between 85 and 95 mph most of the trip, sitting at around 2500 rpms.

Took a trip from southern Utah to Tempe, AZ. I got 23.5 mpg there and 23.5 mpg on the way back. That was my best mileage ever.

Shovelhd & Ridge: rub it in! ;) Lottery winners for sure!

Sorry geo, that wasn't my intent. I take so few long runs like this.

Sorry geo, that wasn't my intent. I take so few long runs like this.
I know that. No offense taken! I'm glad there are winners in the FE lottery and that they post their results to this thread. Congrats! :)

Thru July of '08:
Changed the oil (syn), oil filter, cabin filter, VTM-4 and tranny fluids, and went to Geolanders H/T tires in the stock size during the month. I was really expecting a mild uptick in FE. The downward tread maybe due to the 90/90 weather out here (90% humidity and 90 plus temps) the A/C is on all the time. Also our type of work has been a lot of stop and go. I hope this explains the marked downward trend again. BTW, the excel spreadsheet includes the fuel usage worksheet for our white NISMO. We do a lot of towing & offroading with this vehicle.

Considering how capable and well rounded the Ridgeline has proven itself to be, and, looking at the long term average, I've decided I'm OK with the fuel economy I'm getting.

Kevin[/QUOTE]

Just4Fun,
You've got my feelings pretty much summarized. Was the worst mileage when towing?
What is your tach at when cruising?
I've been getting a bit better in the summer months but the tach sits around 1,500 (say 85-90 kph) and it's almost pure highway. My mixed tanks are almost dead on (22-23 US MPG) to yours and my city driving is about 15 US MPG.
I'm mostly an Esso gas buyer, but Shell is welcome in the tank.

Thru the wettest August in my experience. Changed and checked all fluids this month. When to synthetic oil in Feb. of 2008. No improvement. Fewer miles than normal this month due to less work and it is not setup for towing and the fact that the RL has the lowest average fuel economy of our 3 trucks. We did more towing this last month than normal. Email me if you would like the excel file.

This weekend I conducted two mileage benchmark tests. The route driven was from Little Rock AR to Horn Lake MS (160 miles) and then back to Little Rock. Each time I filled the Ridge up to the gas tank fill tube rim. No additional fuel could be added to the tank at the beginning or end of each test. One test was conducted with the A/C off while the other test had the A/C on Auto. The tires were inflated to 36 PSI. Engine RPM was maintained at 1,800 RPM -- approximately 64 MPH. Cruise control was used on both trips. The terrain was flat. Here are the results below:

A/C Off

Miles: 160
Fuel: 6.19
MPG: 25.84

A/C On

Miles: 160.6
Fuel: 6.66
MPG: 24.11

September '08 numbers break a trend. As the chart shows, this month is usually near the beginning of long slide to the bottom, i.e., from bad to worse. Winter gas and conditions kill fuel economy, especially in our work environment. An interesting up tick this month to an average of around 16-17 for the last 5 fillups. Could it be the changing of the all fluids and filters and using synthetic oil? There have been more highway miles this month due to the location of our work sites. Curious! :confused: Each mark represents the average of that fillup with the last 9 before it, so this graph really doesn't represent the magnitude of the sudden jump. See spreadsheet.

I have structured my life to live in a condensed area. Literally ALL my mileage was city. It wasn't mixed, it was city. I ALWAYS saw 13-14 MPG no matter how carefully I drove over my ownership of the truck (12K miles). That sucks, plain and simple, and is nowhere near the EPA rating.

Sasha

I have structured my life to live in a condensed area. Literally ALL my mileage was city. It wasn't mixed, it was city. I ALWAYS saw 13-14 MPG no matter how carefully I drove over my ownership of the truck (12K miles). That sucks, plain and simple, and is nowhere near the EPA rating.

Sasha

Probably never got out of open-loop mode.:rolleyes:

I have no idea what open loop mode is.

But I can report my mileage (with a stunning total of almost 400 miles on the RL):
1st fillup at 100 miles (89 on the tank) took 6.19 gallons - 14.38 mpg (3rd click of the pump)
2nd fillup at 394 miles (294 on the tank) took 20.42 gallons - 14.40 mpg (filled it until I saw gas in the filler tube - the pump clicker was weak)

My low fuel light came on at 286 miles into the tank. So it looks like the LF light gives about a 2 gallon notice before empty.

This is all city driving. I've not had it over 3000 rpm. No jack-rabbit starts, just babying it around.

Sigh. At least it's consistent.

My lottery luck continues...

The fuel injection system is in open loop mode when the truck is started up cold. The cats and sensors have to heat up in order to provide the feedback that the engine computer needs to manage your engine most efficiently. The sooner everything heats up, the sooner your gas mileage will increase. It can take 4-5 miles of driving to get out of open loop mode and into closed loop, or managed mode. If your commute is 5 miles, you never get there, so your gas mileage is based on open loop mode, which is right about what you are seeing.

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

I typically drive at least 10 miles before shutting down... so I don't think I'm staying in the open loop mode, based on that info.

My commute is 10 miles each way and I average about 20mpg until the winter fuel shows up.

How many miles on yours?

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

I typically drive at least 10 miles before shutting down... so I don't think I'm staying in the open loop mode, based on that info.

Hang in there speedlever, I'm on my second RL and I was getting 18.5-19.5mpg on the 2006 day in and day out. That was after reaching about 8,000 miles though. My new 2008 started in the 15mpg range and is gradually moving up. Last 2 fill ups I got 16.9 and 17.4mpg and I now have just over 5,000 miles on it.
Give it a chance to get over 10,000 miles before really looking at the actual mpg vs the EPA estimate.

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

I typically drive at least 10 miles before shutting down... so I don't think I'm staying in the open loop mode, based on that info.

So up to half is open loop. My avg is about 17mpg mostly urban. Scangauge really drives the point home. Lots of single digits...

My commute is 10 miles each way and I average about 20mpg until the winter fuel shows up.

How many miles on yours?

I've only had it 3 weeks... so I will just break 400 miles on it today.


Give it a chance to get over 10,000 miles before really looking at the actual mpg vs the EPA estimate.

Honestly, I've kept up with my fuel mileage for years. I've never noticed a vehicle significantly improve after break-in.

It's been my experience that driving easy, I can normally meet or beat the EPA estimate. Thus far babying it is not producing expected results.

However, I'll watch and see how it tracks as the miles accumulate. Thanks for the encouragement.

As a comparison, I looked back at my wife's 2006 Pilot... same engine... same VTM-4, same VSA... 4wd. EPA sticker says 17/22. First tank was 17.85 mpg, 2nd tank dropped to 15.0. On the road I normally see 23 +/-. So it was pretty close to sticker from the get-go.

I'm gonna hafta get me one of those ScanGuage II devices. ;)

I have found 1800 RPM with cruise control is the sweet spot for the best mileage on my 06 RTS with 36 psi in the tires. At 53,000 miles I have always far exceeded the EPA estimates.

See my sig.

I have found 1800 RPM with cruise control is the sweet spot for the best mileage on my 06 RTS with 36 psi in the tires. At 53,000 miles I have always far exceeded the EPA estimates.

Is that personal observation by calculating your mileage.. or is that backed up by instantaneous data provided by a ScanGuage or equivalent?

Frankly, I'm somewhat surprised that everyone's fuel mileage varies as much as it does. Then again, I don't think other vehicle forums were so concerned about fuel mileage until recently either.

I've just always tracked it because I'm anal. ;)

See my sig.

shovelhd (hate to use that SH abbreviation!), I've seen that sig of yours. Point noted.

Just got back from a trip to Northern AR. and the drive was fantastic.
The Ridge performed well and we carried all kinds of junk.

I did want to make one commnent: Driving south on Interstate 49 just out of Shreveport, La. a White Ridgeline pass with some really sharp looking wheels.
I didnot see the lisence plate because I was trying to see if the wheels were standard size or oversized. It really looked sharp just the same.

Have posted our milage for the trip and was very pleased. We had a low of 20.17mpg on the hwy with a high of 22.87mpg on the hwy coming home.

Our one and only all in town in Ozark mountains driving was 15.76mpg.

We now have 40,539 miles on the Ridge which was purchased April 27, 2005:D:D

I have been driving my '08 since January and now have 34K miles on it. Going through the Rockies constantly seems to not effect the mileage. With summer gas (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=348580#) blend I get 20-24 MPG, generally about 22. Winter blend drops it by 2 MPG. My Wyoming/South Dakota trip each month nets 18-21 MPG because of the wonderful Wyoming wind which is always a headwind :eek: no matter which direction I am traveling (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=348580#). (How do they do that:confused:)

The key is slow acceleration and "driving ahead" so that you stay off of the brakes. Believe me, I am not shy about pushing the 75 MPH limit, but I do keep it off of cruise when approaching upgrades, or accelerate before I get to them trying to keep it from downshifting as much as possible.

When I switched to synthetic oil it did seem to help the mileage slightly. Or, is that just my "trying to feel good because I am paying more for the lubricant" feeling coming through? :o

I have had our RTS for 2 1/2 months now and have 7800 miles on the clock. Mileage is checked at every fill up and my worst has been 15.6 and best mileage was 20.4. The average is probably around 17.5 to 18 mpg. Most of my driving is highway. I don't see this truck ever getting 24 mpg, not at 75. The tranny downshifts for any overpass on highway 99 in CA. and on grades over to the coast it hunts like a Springer Spaniel.

I have had our RTS for 2 1/2 months now and have 7800 miles on the clock. Mileage is checked at every fill up and my worst has been 15.6 and best mileage was 20.4. The average is probably around 17.5 to 18 mpg. Most of my driving is highway. I don't see this truck ever getting 24 mpg, not at 75. The tranny downshifts for any overpass on highway 99 in CA. and on grades over to the coast it hunts like a Springer Spaniel.
My experience exactly when the vehicle was still fairly new. Since then, well, see chart. :( As a side note, I have driven the RL as conservative as possible so that I could legitimately brag about the mileage to those Big 3 truckin' buddies I have. Not. So the numbers reflect an ultra easy approach to acceleration and braking and not using CC when driving on significant grades. What you see is what I get. I lost the lottery. :mad:

Filled up again today and was much encouraged by the numbers I saw.

Nothing has changed about where and how I drive except that the air conditioning has been used a bit less and I have a few more miles on the truck. I went from the mid 14's to the mid 18's and I am pleased. Maybe I was premature in thinking I'd lost the fuel mileage lottery. Well, time will tell. I hope this was not a fluke.

Here's the report thus far (thanks Geotech for the spreadsheet). I made a few small mods to the spreadsheet for my purposes.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4463/rlmileagerr9.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rlmileagerr9.jpg)

Edit to add: I gave the fuel handle 3 clicks total before stopping (as I did on the previous tank). I noted the fuel input at the first click (17.247) and then at the 3rd click (17.624), so I put 0.377 gallons in after the first click. I did not smell any gas inside after wards. Last tank, my low fuel light came on at 286 miles. This time I still had no light showing at 325 miles.

I took some time yesterday and entered from my sheet I keep in the Ridge. The data goes back to my b-day on 12/9/06 when I got the Ridge to yesterdays (10/30/08) fill up.

But the data represents all kinds of driving situations. My regular driving is usually 70/30 city highway. Spring to early fall I have a Thule roofrack with kayak carriers on it.

The really low figures are when towing the boy scout (3800 lb) trailer or my own popup w/the kayaks on the Thule rack.

October's posting is late. Don't ask. Don't care? Fuel economy still improving somewhat. One variable is that I replaced the battery, allowing the system to be completely powered down. We usually see a drop in FE in these here parts around the end of September with winter gas. I'm pleasantly surprised again this month.

I bumped into another Ridge driver a few weeks ago. He said that he bought some Chevron fuel additive (?) at Walmart and his fuel economy has improved dramatically since. I find this hard to believe and wonder if anyone else has had an experience like this?

I bumped into another Ridge driver a few weeks ago. He said that he bought some Chevron fuel additive (?) at Walmart and his fuel economy has improved dramatically since. I find this hard to believe and wonder if anyone else has had an experience like this?
I guess I'm inherently skeptical of additives. Never tried any. I know that fuel grade has had no affect on FE for me.

I was reading recently that Honda's new diesel engine has the capability to double MPG over a gas engine. It may have been Automobile Magazine but am not sure on that.

It was said that the engine was put in a CRV and the fueld economy was twice what the regular gas engine did in the same vehicle.

This diesel technology that Honda has produced has exceeded even VW's work from the last 20 years! Not that I would ever buy a vw. But it was interesting information.

Imagine that in your Ridgeline!

Imagine that in your Ridgeline!

I can imagine the outrageous price they would expect for it! :eek:

I bumped into another Ridge driver a few weeks ago. He said that he bought some Chevron fuel additive (?) at Walmart and his fuel economy has improved dramatically since. I find this hard to believe and wonder if anyone else has had an experience like this?

I am thinking that is a referral to Techron.

I've used it in my old truck. Never noticed any difference. Seems I recall some discussion about Techron being a quality product for cleaning the fuel system but something about it somehow contaminating the oil... and so best used in a tank of gas just prior to an oil change... or something to that effect.

A quick Google of that simply turns up some old discussions about possible oil contamination due to blow by. I didn't see anything currently related to when to use Techron in an oil change interval. They used to say use it about 2 weeks prior to an oil change.

The oil contamination issue may not be considered a problem anymore.

I was reading recently that Honda's new diesel engine has the capability to double MPG over a gas engine. It may have been Automobile Magazine but am not sure on that.

It was said that the engine was put in a CRV and the fueld economy was twice what the regular gas engine did in the same vehicle.

This diesel technology that Honda has produced has exceeded even VW's work from the last 20 years! Not that I would ever buy a vw. But it was interesting information.

Imagine that in your Ridgeline!

According to this post (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=352926&postcount=216), Honda killed the diesel program.

I'll have to dig thru my magazines to see what issue it actually was in. But here's an interesting site:

http://world.honda.com/Diesel/

Most articles are dated 2007. The above looks more up to date.

Be a bummer if they killed it off already. Gas here in MA is around $2 a gallon right now. But I can't believe the greedy gas companies and investors will keep it there for long! USATODAY is predicting $3/gal gas within 6 months.

I filled up for $34 today. I sure don't miss the $72 dollar fill ups for the same amount of gas from just a very short while ago!

yeah I would say IMO that your gas mileage is directly related to your lift, weight, and winter blend gas. Didn't have time to read through all of the thread, just the first 15 pages, but what performance mods do you run?

yeah I would say IMO that your gas mileage is directly related to your lift, weight, and winter blend gas. Didn't have time to read through all of the thread, just the first 15 pages, but what performance mods do you run?
My concern all along has been with the trend, not with the actual numbers. The lift was installed at 6k. All other variables have been relatively constant. My fuel economy trend steadily increased until 20k miles to +/-18.5mpg, then steadily downward. Until very recently, the overall trend has been in a downward spiral, regardless of the time of year. (The peaks & valleys becoming constistantly lower and lower over time/miles)
Certainly winter gas with ethanol is a mpg killer. It is something to avoid, but here in the heartland, but how? I will insert the numbers for Nov. here soon. Let's see if the recent trend uptick remains. (the suspense is killing me) ;):rolleyes:

Thru November, 2008:
The hold steady/upward trend flattens out. The FE of our other trucks (Frontier NISMO'S) has dropped due to winter gas to where now all three vehicles are getting +/-17mpg in mostly highway driving. Plus, it's cold here now! Did resetting the PCM by disconnecting and replacing the battery cause the increase in FE??

Hey Geo!
Your tracking data looks hopeful!
One thing I noticed...from 11-17-07 to 2-17-08 your milage driven was substantially less for that time period. Also this condition repeated itself from 7-17-08 to 9-17-08. Just a thought.

Hey Geo!
Your tracking data looks hopeful!
One thing I noticed...from 11-17-07 to 2-17-08 your milage driven was substantially less for that time period. Also this condition repeated itself from 7-17-08 to 9-17-08. Just a thought.
Great to hear from ya, Hi!:)

The year in general has been less due to the economy, along with me taking the vehicle to fewer out of town places on business (been taking my Accord or one of the Frontiers). The high price of fuel affected us in many ways. :(

2250 miles on the RL now. I filled up tonight expecting worse numbers because I've begun to exercise my VTEC system. I was pleasantly surprised to get right at 17 mpg around town. Paid 1.539 too. I don't know if my area gets winter gas or not.

I'll hafta figure out a pretty graph like some of you have done. ;)

Edit: One thing that surprised me is that the low fuel light came on at 293 miles and I drove another 28 miles before gassing up. I put in 18.940 gallons.

My light must come on well before the 3.3 gallon mark because I figured I should have only had about 1.5 gallons left in the tank. But I still had a good 3 gallons remaining (did my usual 3 clicks of the fuel nozzle before stopping the gas flow)... unless I'm not filling it up to the 22 gallon mark using my 3 click method.

Finally got around to posting the gas logs to the charts. Here's the December Ridgelines. I am now convinced that disconnecting the battery and reset the pcm helped. Notice that winter gas has not further crushed my mileage. Holding steady around 17 mpg in mixed/highway driving. Oh, and it's been cold here.

Here are my latest mpg numbers.

Click the image to expand.
Click resultant image to expand again.
And finally click that once more for the full size.

Somewhat of a PITA but saves cluttering the forum.

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/6043/rlfuelmileage200903.th.jpg (http://img213.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rlfuelmileage200903.jpg)

I've had my doubts about the RLs mileage but, now I am a believer.
The RL can exceed 21 MPG
Just returned from my nephews graduation in Columbia, SC. Mothers day weekend.
2044 miles round trip.
I made pretty good time, averaged 71 mph on the way down and 70 on the return trip. (these averages include stops) I did the limit plus 10 mph. On the return trip there was heavier traffic.
When there was no traffic I got almost 22 mpg.
When jockeying in traffic at legal limits got almost 21 mpg.
The cruise held speed pretty well. On steep hills it would falloff 1 or 2 mph, not a big deal. Usually held 75mph at about 2250 rpm.
The truck was rock solid while going over the pot holes on the PA and NJ sections of the freeway. The truck was lightly loaded, just me, and it handled extremely well. Acceleration...merging onto the freeway and in traffic was excellent.

I've had my doubts about the RLs mileage but, now I am a believer.
The RL can exceed 21 MPG
Just returned from my nephews graduation in Columbia, SC. Mothers day weekend.
2044 miles round trip.
I made pretty good time, averaged 71 mph on the way down and 70 on the return trip. (these averages include stops) I did the limit plus 10 mph. On the return trip there was heavier traffic.
When there was no traffic I got almost 22 mpg.
When jockeying in traffic at legal limits got almost 21 mpg.
The cruise held speed pretty well. On steep hills it would falloff 1 or 2 mph, not a big deal. Usually held 75mph at about 2250 rpm.
The truck was rock solid while going over the pot holes on the PA and NJ sections of the freeway. The truck was lightly loaded, just me, and it handled extremely well. Acceleration...merging onto the freeway and in traffic was excellent.
I'm happy for your success. Posting my numbers is very depressing so I haven't been doing it. Holding steady in the 16-17 range. I will be removing the lift in the near future when another swaybar link is replaced and will then be preparing to sell my '06 when business picks up. Hopefully I'll be able to gather enough data about the mileage after the lift to satisfy those that seem to think that the mediocre mileage I have endured is related to it.

Here is my latest graph. The green line is the average of the last 10 fillups.

http://i41.tinypic.com/2ylv1vm.jpg

I've had my doubts about the RLs mileage but, now I am a believer.
The RL can exceed 21 MPG
Just returned from my nephews graduation in Columbia, SC. Mothers day weekend.
2044 miles round trip.
I made pretty good time, averaged 71 mph on the way down and 70 on the return trip. (these averages include stops) I did the limit plus 10 mph. On the return trip there was heavier traffic.
When there was no traffic I got almost 22 mpg.
When jockeying in traffic at legal limits got almost 21 mpg.
The cruise held speed pretty well. On steep hills it would falloff 1 or 2 mph, not a big deal. Usually held 75mph at about 2250 rpm.
The truck was rock solid while going over the pot holes on the PA and NJ sections of the freeway. The truck was lightly loaded, just me, and it handled extremely well. Acceleration...merging onto the freeway and in traffic was excellent.

Those are good numbers. Over April school vacation time (18-22nd) with the boy scouts on a 5 day trip to Philly. I had 4 people and the bed of the truck loaded, but wasn't towing this time. Down I got an amazing 23 mpg, homeward with 4 hours of traffic, it was just a bit under 20mpg (around 19.77). Still great numbers.

The summer fuel arrived here last week. Coupled with the warmer temperatures, my average gas mileage has gone back to 20 combined.

I did not buy the vehicle for gas mileage since i also drive a chevy malibu which gets better mileage. The chevy will not pull a boat! Best 3 tank full was
21.9 mpg 87 octane, 19.4 mpg 89 oct, 19.35 mpg 93 oct. It did not do as well with 93 octane pulling a boat 2700 Lbs. that was 13.9 mpg 93 oct and the other two lowest where 13.9 mpg 87 oct and 13.3 87 oct. The truck handles good in the snow and cold and did not have to shovel as much as the Malibu required. Only 4500 miles in 10 months!

I did not buy the vehicle for gas mileage since i also drive a chevy malibu which gets better mileage. The chevy will not pull a boat! Best 3 tank full was
21.9 mpg 87 octane, 19.4 mpg 89 oct, 19.35 mpg 93 oct. It did not do as well with 93 octane pulling a boat 2700 Lbs. that was 13.9 mpg 93 oct and the other two lowest where 13.9 mpg 87 oct and 13.3 87 oct. The truck handles good in the snow and cold and did not have to shovel as much as the Malibu required. Only 4500 miles in 10 months!
I did not buy the vehicle for gas mileage either as I am unable to work out of my Accord. Wish we could, though. :rolleyes: ;) Nearly twice the gas mileage as the RL. BTW, your experience with higher octane reflects mine.

Finally got off my butt and ran the raw numbers on the RL which are posted below. I had to have the front left axle and inner/outer joints replaced due to complete failure. See the "Definitive Lift Kit Thread" for more information. Because of the economy and the failing front drive assembly, the RL has been sitting quite a bit lately. As always, the raw excel file is available upon request. PM me.

Here's my latest graph:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/9083/20090615rlmileage.th.png (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/20090615rlmileage.png/)