Why are my mpg figures so good??

I'm stumped. I have 1500 miles on my 07 RTS and the reserve light came on at 356 miles. I topped it off with 18.2 gallons, which works out to 19.56 mpg. Best to date, worst is 17.95. I drive 75/25 hiway/city (mostly) and this last tank I had the air on. Tires at 33 lbs and I drive pretty aggresively too. Mind you I'm not complaining, just wondering why some here are not doing better than 15 or 16 overall. I do keep it well waxed (slippery, ha ha) but everyone here does too. Is there that much variance with different vehicles?

I avg between 17-20 mpg depending on city/highway driving. Estimated mpg is 17 city and 24 highway,though i've never hit 24. Still happy with it though. I love my truck. Will post pics later.

I get about the same, usualy about 19 mpg, which is excellent for a truck.

I couldn't get these results if I was being towed and had a tail wind helping out too!!! I have been coast to coast once an have traveled in every imaginable condition. I am easy on the pedal and have done extensive drafting for long stretches on the freeways. In rare cases I am able to kinda sneak up on decent numbers but never get there.

Hmm, I went about 355 miles before the light came on, and filling up with three clicks of the pump I was at 14.7 mpg (E-10) with about 85/25 Hiway/city. Granted, I only have 800 miles on the truck.

I'm thinking the morning Starbucks drive thru is lowering my average.

I noticed Car & Driver averaged 19 on their RL too--drove it for 40,000 miles (towing too) and performance actually increased. 0-60 times dropped .3 second to 7.8 seconds.

Watch, all of us getting 19 now will drop to 13 while all those with low mpg will get better as they break in.:p

I'm just surprised that with today's technology, mpg figures vary so much. Same on the Tacoma boards. Some drivers there too, like Brent, babying their rides and still getting on the lower side. What gives?

(wrenrj1---long lines?)

Hello everyone;

I too have noticed some large variations in gas milage. I have learned that fuel milage is VERY dependent on driving habits. Let me explain:

I drive a 2006 RTL with ~9000 miles on it. I routinely get 19 MPG. Most of the miles are back and forth to work. It's a 17 mile drive each way, 10 of which are on the freeway. I live in So Cal at 1700 ft elevation, we use regular gasoline, not etoh blends. In the morning the freeway miles are almost always on cruise control, 60-65, A/C off, in the afternoon I am usually in traffic and don' t use the cruise, A/C on. There is a gentle 600 foot elevation change in the comute.

I've been using a scangauge for the last 1500 miles. After watching various instantanious measurments I have a good idea what the engine is doing during normal operation, but the instantanious milage varies too much to be meaningful. By watching the trip feature, and using the reset, I have been monitoring average gas milage over different intervals. Most intersting is the comparison of freeway to city driving.

On the freeway with cruise at 60, I get 29 mpg (mornings), no cruise, in traffic with speed variing between 30 and 80 I get 24 mpg (afternoon rush hour). On the streets if I am driving real easy, I get 12, leadfoot gets 8. Offroad driving is the worst, at 6 to 8 mpg. I have pulled a 22 foot boat a couple times but did have the scangauge. I don't know what the blend fuels do, and I don't think A/C matters enough worry about.

Consider how you drive, not just your level of aggressivness, but also the city/highway split of your miles. Maybe that will explain the dissapointing number some people are reporting.

Or maybe GREEN RLs are just better :)

Eric

Hmm, I went about 355 miles before the light came on, and filling up with three clicks of the pump I was at 14.7 mpg (E-10) with about 85/25 Hiway/city. Granted, I only have 800 miles on the truck.

I'm thinking the morning Starbucks drive thru is lowering my average.E-10 is part of your problem...big part of it, in fact.

Every Honda I've owned has shown consistently improved gas mileage through at least the first oil change. My Ridgeline is no exception (see my ongoing mpg graph (http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=210179#post210179)). Given the "smart" electronics involved on our last 3-4 Hondas, I wonder if it's a function of the computer "learning" curve. For example, with the Ridgeline, I started getting more tanks over 19 mpg after making the first extended Interstate road trip...

As somebody upthread pointed out, 18-19 mpg is pretty good for a truck. Actually, it's pretty d@mn good for a 4WD truck, especially one where the driver can't really control when it goes 4WD. My 1999 6-cyl GMC Sierra 2WD was lucky to get 18 mpg on the highway. But then, my 1970 4-cyl VW Kombi was doing REAL good to get 18 mpg ;)

I wish...I do drive aggressively, but I haven't calculated the MPG's yet. I filled up yesterday and the reserve came on at about 260 miles???

E-10 is part of your problem...big part of it, in fact.
My personal experience with E-10 supports that statement. See spreadsheet and chart here:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?p=212766#post212766

E-10 is part of your problem...big part of it, in fact.
100% agree here...
Last weekend proved it to me. Filled up at home before a 375 mile trip to Northern New York. All highway there at 75 (cruise control when I could) and virtually little traffic. I got low 19 on the trip. Once there, I filled up (non ethenal) and did a weekend of cruising through the hilly country side and around town and half way home to Mass. Was heavy on the gas at times and even did some dirt roads... 20.5 mpg. Of course I was not using ethenol here...
Once I filled up in Mass with the ethenol, I was back to low 19s for the remainder of the trip at constant highway speeds...

I never really paid attention to ethenol before this thread and didn't realize it made a difference in mpg. A lot of people just associate the change in seasons by using their a/c. I believe they use the 'ethenol' blend in summer, correct?

I'll have to actually look at the pump next time I fill up and see what I am getting other than 87 octane.

Thanks for the info.

....... And people do not realized that getting 20+mpg on the highway is easy.. it really is dependent on your speed...... On long trips keeping it around 65mph = <2000rpm... I have no problem logging in a consistent 23mpg.... Stay with the flow at around 70-73 = 2200rpm will earn me 20-21 mpg consistently...
Anyone take a long trip keeping to 55mph?...... I bet you will see at least 24mpg......

Stay with the flow at around 70-73 = 2200rpm will earn me 20-21 mpg consistently... I wish that was the case. Traffic flows a lot faster than that around here...probably more like 75 to 80.

E-10 is part of your problem...big part of it, in fact.


I though my problem was driving 110%! ( my stats were 85/25 city/hwy, my bad) Yep, I'd assume about a one mpg drop off in mileage, but for a dime a gallon less, when fuel was cheaper it was a pretty good deal, I'll have to do the math since gas has gone up to see if it's worth using.

Did anyone see the Fox News report about those people who try to try to conserve fuel to the extent of turn off their vehicles, coasting, etc. to see how much they can save? I was wondering if it's worth shutting off the RL in the Starbucks drive thru etc. and what wear and tear that would have on the starter etc. I do the drive thru every morning, and I'm sure it doesn't help mpg. Guess I should just start to go in if the line is a few cars long...

I wish...I do drive aggressively, but I haven't calculated the MPG's yet. I filled up yesterday and the reserve came on at about 260 miles???

Yikes, that doesn't sound like alot of miles for running it down to reserve. I can't really speak to that with much experience yet as I have only filled mine up once. But I had about 1/4 tank left and 295 miles and it took 14.7. That's 20 MPG. However, that might change. I'm still babying it.

Hey Wrenrj1!
I saw that report on fox news too.
They called it "hypermiling"
In the video, they went from 12 mpg from some ford 4x4 to 18 mpg by
shutting off the engine at stop lights ( you get zero mpg when stopped),
disengaging the engine when a stop approached (neutral),
rolling downhill (neutral or engine off ((too risky for my tastes)).

It was really interesting.

Soooo...I've been practicing the techniques.
Just did a fill up, will check the mileage at the next fillup and post it.

Shutting the car off at the stoplights is probably the easiest thing for most of us to try. Just a complete waste of gas. Zero MPG if the vehicle is not moving.

My wife gets nervous when I shift into neutral on a decline or before a stop.

But the point they make on the hypermiling site makes sense to me, you want to avoid turning that energy from the fuel directly into heat energy on the brakes as much as possible.

interesting sites:
www.hypermiling.com
www.gassavers.org

I have gotten a consistant 19 mpg for the last 74,000 miles on the RL.

Probably 85% highway miles, where I set the cruise control @ 85 mph, and just go.

In my opinion 19 mpg is great gas mileage for a vehicle this size, I also compare the gas mileage to the 14-15 mpg I got on my previous vehicle a Jeep Liberty, and the RL does great compared to the Jeep.

I've been tracking my mileage since new. I have over 17,000 miles on my ridgeline. So far the average MPG is 15.9 MPG but my last tank was 17.19 MPG. So far my best tank full was 19.8 MPG and the worst was 14.7 MPG.

I did not buy the Ridgeline for it’s MPG. However, I wish it would get better mileage. I think you need to take an average MPG over a long period to really see the actual MPG and not just four or five tanks full. My average is over a 17,000 miles range therefore it should reduce some of the factors like:

Brand of fuel
Winter/Summer blend
Gas pump errors (not all gas pumps pump exactly the amount they say)
Air Conditioner On/Off
Driving style
Towing

Here is my opinion. I live in a large city so I would state most of my driving would be considered City driving and an average of almost 16 MPG is what Honda said I should expect and that is what I’m getting.

I switched over to Mobil 1 oil after the 1st oil change and I try to keep my tires pressure at 36 psi. I will be switching the air filter at my next oil change (most likely a OEM air filter or another paper unit – even thou I’m a fan of the K/N filters – please no argument about the K/N filter, it is a personal preference and nothing more). Maybe changing the air filter might have a change in MPG... will see what happens.

The two Hwy trips I took I did get almost 20 MPG. So the more Hwy miles you put on the better the MPG (which is typically for almost any vehicle). It would not surprise me to see the Ridgeline get in the low 20’s if you drive a lot of highways miles.

I have noticed that even in the city driving that my mileage is getting increasing to around 16.5 or better. So it may be true that the mileage may increase as the engine wears in more. But it may take another 17,000 to adjust my overall MPG average.

Also I did notice my MPG drop 0.5 when I added the towing hitch and side step bars (extra weight)

JoeyO

My light comes on between 355 and 365. i've got 7000 miles on my 07 RTL now.

I've got a little over 1300 miles on mine and have been getting a consistant 17.8-18 mpg on fill ups. We are here at over 6000 ft elevation with interstate speeds of 75-80 and some good windy conditions, so I'm not complaining and I would hope it will probably go up another 1 or 2 mpg when she gets some more miles on her.

Like people have been saying here, not bad for a truck, and one that weighs over 4400 lbs!

I wish that was the case. Traffic flows a lot faster than that around here...probably more like 75 to 80.

swampler..... I never said I was going with the flow in the third lane...... this is the slow speeders 2nd lane....:D

swampler..... I never said I was going with the flow in the third lane...... this is the slow speeders 2nd lane....:DWe only have 2 lanes, in most places. Funny enough, in the larger towns that have 3 or more lanes and the speed limit drops from 70 to 55, the traffic speeds up! :eek: Go figure.

My last tank of gas got me 21.1 MPG.

Mixed city/two lane winding roads/freeway (about equally divided). A 65 mile chunk of that was while hauling 151 bricks home and a lawn mower, weed whacker, blower and other assorted yard equipment.

I'm one of those "get in the right lane and drive the speed limit" kind of guy. While living in Virgina, I used to have a sign in my back window that said "I drive the speed limit. If you don't like it, call the cops". :D A cop suggested I take the sign down so I wouldn't get shot.

Hmm, I went about 355 miles before the light came on, and filling up with three clicks of the pump I was at 14.7 mpg (E-10) with about 85/25 Hiway/city. Granted, I only have 800 miles on the truck.

I'm thinking the morning Starbucks drive thru is lowering my average.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your figures. When the low fuel light came on, you had driven 355 miles, correct? And you calculated your mileage at 14.7 mpg? That means you would have had to put over 24 gallons in a 22 gallon tank that was not yet empty.

I am one of those getting consistenly around 16mpg's. I figure the front guard, roof rack, side steps and lights I did have a considerable wind turbulence effect that keeps me getting low numbers. I bet those with RT's i.e. no moon roof or roof rack get better mileage.
Simple things like areodynamics plus driving habits easily account for all the variability ROCers see in mpg's.

I just had the transmission tsb done and have yet to start on a new tank . When I next fill up , I will reset my trip meter and see if there is any difference in mpgs for my truck. I do 90/10 , city highway , with a load of garden tools and assorted items a gardener would carry , on the truck at most times. I empty the bed for highway trips or trips to costco. My average is right around 15 mpgs, frequently lower and my worst was just over 13. My best highway was almost 21 mpgs. I am right at the 13,000 mile mark and will have had my rtl for 2 years on july 12th. I have noticed a significant power and get up and go increase in my rl since the transmission update and hope that my city mpgs have not taken a major hit, I may have to increase my rates to my clients if gas prices go up a lot more.