Poor Gas Mileage

Has anyone been experiencing Poor Gas Mileage? I was wondering if my K&N Air Filter could be causing it. I have a little over 35k miles on my 2006 RTL Ridgeline and even on the highway, I am not getting over 16 mpg.

Has anyone been experiencing Poor Gas Mileage? I was wondering if my K&N Air Filter could be causing it. I have a little over 35k miles on my 2006 RTL Ridgeline and even on the highway, I am not getting over 16 mpg.
Welcome to the ROC!
If you search for "gas mileage" you will get 1.5 million hits (give or take a million).
Winter gas and some would say (like me) that you're lucky indeed. ;)
Oh, happy reading!

16. I'm getting around 13 and I'm not an aggressive driver. I'm hoping the mileage will improve over time. I only have 10K miles. Hoping!!

I just went through my first tank and got 16.5mpg. Brand new 2008 RTL. It was a mix of city/highway driving. Hopefully it gets better...

:( I got to this thread by searching for "gas mileage" because I'm averaging ~14 mpg with my Ridgeline and I was expecting better. After looking through a small sampling of the estimated 1.5 million posts on gas mileage, I'm seeing quite a range of experiences. Some claim 18-22 mpg with mixed highway and city driving. Some are getting gas mileage closer to my own experience of 13-14 mpg and some are saying they're getting 16-17 mpg (closer to Honda's expected mileage). I've been keeping pretty close tabs on my mileage and the best I've been able to achieve is ~20 mpg on 100% highway driving. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who's been able to improve upon their initial gas mileage with their Ridgeline. Several people have expressed "hope" that their mileage will improve over time. Has that happened to anyone? Has anyone actually taken steps to improve their gas mileage and, if so, what has worked?

My 2008 RTX got 12.5 mph with the second tankful and is s l o w l y improving. I spoke to the service manager at the dealer and he said it will improve to about 15 city/20 hwy after about 10,000 miles.
The engine needs to break-in over time and allow the oil to seal the pistons as opposed to the steel rings, when all the components are brand new.
Seeing as I work about 1 mile from home, I should see better mileage around 2010!!

I have always gotten over 18 MPG since the truck was new, with a few exceptions. The most noticeable exception is when we get some snow, the mileage dips to around 16.5, I attribute this to the AWD system doing it's job. Getting 14 MPG, I would be at the dealer to see if something is amiss. I'm only at 8,500 miles now, and I am hoping at 10,000 I see some marginal improvements over the mileage I get now. around 18.5 mixed driving to work, and right at 20 on the highway at 75 mph, hauling wife, two kids, and some luggage.

I filled up yesterday and was shocked to see 17.5 mpg! That's my best so far. Of the 250 miles 100 was freeway driving the rest city. I've been very careful to "try" and keep the RPM's under 2500 - a difficult task. I also manually turned off my AC on that tank of gas. I'm around 2,300 miles on my 08. I believe keeping the RPM's down is the key factor in getting better mileage. Good Luck!

I have a new 2008 RTL and after two full tanks I average 11-13 miles per gallon. My 1999 Jeep which had a V8 was getting 14-16???? Thought going to a Honda V6 I would get better mileage go figure.. From all the threads it seems the averages are all over the place.

Well! It looks as though I should waite until about 10,000 miles of break-in before I get too worried about the 12/14 MPG I'm getting on my new RTL. I am currently only @ 1200 miles and do tend to throttle it a little. Definately fun to drive!

My 2008 RTX got 12.5 mph with the second tankful and is s l o w l y improving. I spoke to the service manager at the dealer and he said it will improve to about 15 city/20 hwy after about 10,000 miles.
The engine needs to break-in over time and allow the oil to seal the pistons as opposed to the steel rings, when all the components are brand new.
Seeing as I work about 1 mile from home, I should see better mileage around 2010!!

Your main cause for poor mileage is that you only drive 1 mile. The engine is in "open loop" mode and running rich. Takes about a mile for the engine to warm up and run leaner. This used to be called a choke in the old carburetor days.

I keep a mileage log and my average economy for combined driving since Dec 1/07 is 15.8 MPG (US) or (19 MPG IMP). I have seen as high as 21 (25 MPG IMP)on the hiway and as low as 11 MPG (13 MPG IMP) city.

Keep in mind this is under Canadian winter driving conditions, so there is some warm up idling, etc. to take into account.

I installed a K&N air charger on Dec 20/07 and my mileage log would suggest that it provided a very marginal increase in fuel economy. (about 0.6 MPG US based on one month prior and one month post installation fuel consumption numbers) And I purposely say suggests an increase because my driving routine is not consistent enough to consider the numbers definitive.

It so happens that I removed the K&N just this afternoon because I didn't like the howl it makes under moderate to heavy acceleration, and, if I was in fact realizing any increase in fuel economy, it wasn't worth putting up with noise for it. (NOTE: at first I thought it sounded kind of cool, but I soon found it to just be annoying. Just my personal preference)

Kevin

NOTE: Using a GPS I have determined my odometer is registering 1.7% higher than it should. (at 100 km travelled my odometer shows 101.7). Not that it makes a huge difference, but I do adust my mileage by the 1.7% to try to keep the numbers as accurate as possible.

I've been getting SUPER mileage since I got the "SuperTonneau" Cover! :D

I average around 30-35mpg when I have the removable cover on the bed.
So many thanks for the information I've found at the ROC about a 10-15mpg increase when having a tonneau cover installed!

I can't keep it on all the time, though... so I keep it stored up against the wall in the garage, away from prying eyes.

Who knows WHAT would happen if someone found out where I live! :eek:

Well... gotta go put it back on! I hear a distress call... :cool:

It's a Honda!... It's a Ridgeline!... It's... :D

I've been getting SUPER mileage since I got the "SuperTonneau" Cover! :D

I average around 30-35mpg when I have the removable cover on the bed.
So many thanks for the information I've found at the ROC about a 10-15mpg increase when having a tonneau cover installed!

I can't keep it on all the time, though... so I keep it stored up against the wall in the garage, away from prying eyes.

Who knows WHAT would happen if someone found out where I live!

Well... gotta go put it back on! I hear a distress call...

It's a Honda!... It's a Ridgeline!... It's... :D
Wow, that's super, Pug! I've also heard that if you replace the OEM flux capacitors with the K & N aftermarkets that you will see a future improvement!:D

I am on my 2nd Ridgeline (a 2007 RTL Navi). Prior to this, I owned a 2006 RTL Navi. My gas mileage seems to be worse with the 07. I use the website trackyourgasmileage.com to track my fillups and my gas mileage (which I used for my 06 as well). I am only averaging 15.5MPG with my 07 and I was averaging 17.2MPG with my 06. My driving habits are the same; I live in the same place and work at the same as I did when I had my 06. Anyone else experience the same? BTW, I get gas at the same stations with the 07 that I did with the 06. I have 9,400 miles on the 07 (I had 18,200 on the 06 when I traded it in).

Not saying that you are doing it but, I've seen some posts on this site by drivers who believe premium gas is going to improve the performance and gas mileage of their RLs.

87 octane is the only way to go, anything else is a waste of money and will cause your RL to underperform. The Honda engineers really do know what they are doing. I am not going to re-engineer the engine they designed.

If you are up in the Rocky Mountains your engine will need less octane and more oxygen.
:cool:

I posted this on a different thread but no response. I was at the VA for an annual PHYSICAL and read an article on a green ??? something mag. There is this guy in Kansas who tinkers with cars/suvs, the bigger the better. He has dropped a 5+ l communings deisel into a Hummer, when GM said it coulden't be done. Impoved mph from 9 to 18, also, then added Hydrogen into the mix and double the mph. Now he showed this at SEMA. Is there anyone on this sight who was at SEMA and witnessed the vehicle. He has also modified a 1995 Lincon towncar, deisel and Hydrogen and gets close to 100 mph. Also, the Gov. of California is having him mod a Jeep wagoneer. He will mod your Veh. for around $22K. Did anyone read where Mersedes Es320's new deisel
gets 40% more mph on a gal. then a gal. of gas. Oh, BTW the hummer with all the mods, got a 0 to 60 mph in less then 6 secs.

My question is, shouldn't the Ridge be going the may of deisel? I f Honda comes up with one as good as the ES32o we are talking about 20 to 28 MPH,
with good pickup and torque...:rolleyes:

Not saying that you are doing it but, I've seen some posts on this site by drivers who believe premium gas is going to improve the performance and gas mileage of their RLs.

87 octane is the only way to go, anything else is a waste of money and will cause your RL to underperform. The Honda engineers really do know what they are doing. I am not going to re-engineer the engine they designed.

If you are up in the Rocky Mountains your engine will need less octane and more oxygen.
:cool:

Unless you're towing...then Honda and Gary Flint recommend premium....please explain how premium causes a RL to under perform?

The higher the gas price goes, the more my Ridge sits in the garage. Basically, I'm paying a monthly payment for a truck to sit in a garage. I am having trouble affording it now. I am seriously considering getting rid of it. I hate to , but wasn't expecting to be getting worse than sticker MPG. I've owned several Hondas in the past and the Ridge is the first to get lower than advertised.

Another option would be to find a beater Civic to daily drive.

I just filled up, and over the first 1400 miles I've averaged 16.8 mpg. Mostly commuting ~12 miles one way, city streets and slow highway traffic. Average velocity <35 mph. 10-20 traffics lights/stop signs requiring a full stop. Relatively flat here in the Connecticut River Valley region.

MPG did rise over the first few hundred miles. I've notice the tranny is more willing to upshift and hold 5th gear while moderately accelerating from 50 mph and up. Maybe my technique?

I will say I drive a whole lot easier than when I drove my V6 Passat. I am making a conscious effort to be gentle on the throttle. The Passat would get ~21-22 mpg doing the same trip burning 93 octane.

Since Honda/EPA promised 15 mpg city, why is everyone so upset? At $3.29 for 87 octane all cars are getting expensive.

Previously posted elswhere:

I guess I am lucky. Pure stop light level city driving, I get between 15 and 16 mpg. During the week I drive 110 miles per day. Of that 20 are city and the rest is rush hour highway traffic milage and I average 18 mpg on regular 7/11 unleaded gas. I get an average of 350 miles per tank with fillups averaging around 19 gallons per fill up.

I use the cruise control when traffic allows, A/C set to AUTO, and I run between 70 to 75 mph. I do try to avoid full throttle accelleration and I keep the shift points between 3000 and 3500 rpm.

I am now back to using my OEM air filter as my K&N drop in needs cleaning (After 30k miles) and I am too lazy to clean it :o

For the record, I was getting slightly better milage with the K&N. However, the difference is a wash for now (Pun intended :rolleyes: ).



That was then, this is now:

I ran a little experiment. What I did was to alter my driving style just a little bit. What I did was to raise the shift points up to ~4000rpm to ~4500rpm's. I used the gas pedal and not the cruise control running between 75mph and 80mph where safe. Same distance and path to and from work. Temperature was kept on auto. My milage dropped to 16.5mpg for the same drive that I was getting 18mpg to 19mpg running 5mph or so slower while using cruise control. The only difference was the higher shift points, 5mph difference, and not using cruise control. I was suprised to see the difference as it seems to point to a possible cause for some of those suffering the bad mpg woes.

I am happy with my normal milage considering it is a 4500lbs truck with said aerodynamics.

Newbie to Honda cars here.

I just bought a used 2007 Honda Ridgline RTL with 17156 miles on Monday this week. It does have the hard tonneau though and its silver with black interior. No fog lights though.:(

I filled up Monday night and have now gone just over 200 miles on a half tank.

Keep in mind at under a quarter tank I had to put in 17 gallons. So if it really does have 3.3 gallons when the light comes on then I should be at 9.5-10 gallons at 1/2 tank (I think) and that means 20-21 mpg.

This summer my 2004 Silver and black Honda CBR1000rr motorcycle (Bought in August of 2007 with 0.1 miles on the odometer) will get a much greater workout anyway since that should get me almost 42 mpg.:)

My driving is 40 minutes highway and 25 minutes of mostly stop and go and some mountain driving. I use the cruise control whenever I can and try not to get on the gas all the time. On my Impala I was getting 26 mpg for the same drive and could get 32+mpg straight highway on that.

I bought mine because I needed a truck and my brother's Ford F150 gets 18 on the highway. This I thought could get me more and I think it does.

To OldGuy I am sure you meant to say when he dropped in a 5+L Cummings Diesel engine in gas mileage went from 9 to 18 mpg and not the mph like you stated. Otherwise that is one slooooooooow HumVee.:)

Why didn't Honda place an automatic headlight system on this vehicle anyway? I keep forgetting to turn my headlights on and I keep getting the annoying ding telling me to shut my headlights off when I open the door.:mad:

I keep a mileage log and my average economy for combined driving since Dec 1/07 is 15.8 MPG (US) or (19 MPG IMP). I have seen as high as 21 (25 MPG IMP)on the hiway and as low as 11 MPG (13 MPG IMP) city.

Keep in mind this is under Canadian winter driving conditions, so there is some warm up idling, etc. to take into account.

I installed a K&N air charger on Dec 20/07 and my mileage log would suggest that it provided a very marginal increase in fuel economy. (about 0.6 MPG US based on one month prior and one month post installation fuel consumption numbers) And I purposely say suggests an increase because my driving routine is not consistent enough to consider the numbers definitive.

It so happens that I removed the K&N just this afternoon because I didn't like the howl it makes under moderate to heavy acceleration, and, if I was in fact realizing any increase in fuel economy, it wasn't worth putting up with noise for it. (NOTE: at first I thought it sounded kind of cool, but I soon found it to just be annoying. Just my personal preference)

Kevin

I won't bother providing the links... but I spend quite a lot of time on yotatech.com, an excellent resource for my Toyotas. There are long and hard debates on K&N filters... the major concern I came away with is that they just don't provide the filter quality as measured in PPM of particulate matter (forgot the particle size), as the stock filters do.

Plus they require some attention to proper cleaning and oiling. Net is (to me), filters are cheap. Honda makes good filters from everything I've read. Given all that, I'll stick with stock Honda filters, as I've done on my Honda motorcycles.

To OldGuy I am sure you meant to say when he dropped in a 5+L Cummings Diesel engine in gas mileage went from 9 to 18 mpg and not the mph like you stated. Otherwise that is one slooooooooow HumVee.

Cummins

My 6800 Lb. 96 3500 Cummins gets 17.8 avg.

What I saw though was that Oldguy used mph (Mile per hour) to signify mpg (Mile per gallon).

If you were only going from 9 mph to 18 mph you will still get beat by a guy on a bicycle. Since I can go 20+ mph on my road bicycle with ease.

If he meant 9 mpg to 18 mpg that is a significant improvement and is a great achievement that GM should look into.

You got me:eek: . If I could type or spell i'd be dangerous:rolleyes: !!!

But, I'm interested if any of you went to SEMA and saw the guys rig. It appears that a goosed up deisel would fly in a Ridgeline with good mpg:o .

If he meant 9 mpg to 18 mpg that is a significant improvement and is a great achievement that GM should look into.

GM has already designed a 4.5 duramax with 500 ft and 300 hp that is going in the h2 and 1/2 ton trucks in 2009. It is supposed to get 25% increase in fuel economy. My friend has a h2 with the 6.0 and it gets about 13 mpg on the highway. That equals about 16 mpg highway with the diesel which still sucks. Yea but it is 8400 (gross weight) shoe box.

Happy with mine........last tank was 19.6mpg with a moving average speed of 45.7 mph (Mr. Garmin) and 59:17 stopped, wow, almost an hour of idling. Max speed was 81.6-- wasn't paying attention!! Must have been the wax job today. I normally spend around 2 hours "stopped" and get at least 19.2 mpg. Drag is we are getting 10% ethanol in a lot of brands now. My good figures must be the "no stop and go" traffic and "rural" cruising. 11,117 miles and just had my B16 service.

Just bought my first Honda.....Steel Blue RTX on 2/18 with 150 miles. 350 miles later, I've gotten 16.5 mpg so far. I'm very happy!!

One thing about VA is they require 10% ethanol in the gas so my mileage isn't the best. I get 15.5 to 16.5 with a very spirited pace. The one time I used MD gas I notice about a 1 mpg improvement and more power but gas is 10 cents more in MD so it all evens out.

I just filled up my new '08 RTL for the first time. I got 15.1 mpg with all city driving. Better than the sticker rating (15 mpg...city) so far. Nice to see so many forum members say the gas mileage increases when the RL gets around 10,000 miles on it.

As several forum members have suggested, I try to keep the revs below 3,000, and usually below 2,500. So far, no complaints from me about gas mileage.
Tom
Tom

Congrats on the new purchase!!! I am averaging around 16.5mpg city. I'm on my 4th fill-up now! :D

My mileage increased after installing my bed cover.

Happy with mine........last tank was 19.6mpg with a moving average speed of 45.7 mph (Mr. Garmin) and 59:17 stopped, wow, almost an hour of idling. Max speed was 81.6-- wasn't paying attention!! Must have been the wax job today. I normally spend around 2 hours "stopped" and get at least 19.2 mpg. Drag is we are getting 10% ethanol in a lot of brands now. My good figures must be the "no stop and go" traffic and "rural" cruising. 11,117 miles and just had my B16 service.

The "gadget freak" in me prompts this...

... How'd you figure your idle-time? The Garmin?:confused:

I'd like to be able to do the same. Wish my ScanGauge had that feature.

One thing about VA is they require 10% ethanol in the gas so my mileage isn't the best. I get 15.5 to 16.5 with a very spirited pace. The one time I used MD gas I notice about a 1 mpg improvement and more power but gas is 10 cents more in MD so it all evens out.

This is what I run into in NY...ethanol is everywhere around us in the Albany area....automatically I lose 1-1.5mpg

This is what I run into in NY...ethanol is everywhere around us in the Albany area....automatically I lose 1-1.5mpg


God bless E-10 and the E85 manufacturers and the corn growers really wanting it to happen!

God bless E-10 and the E85 manufacturers and the corn growers really wanting it to happen!

It's been years since I've seen any non-ethanol pumps in Albany ....I remember when the changeover occurred... I used to get 40mpg with my old civic...after the transition, I would only get 33-35. Yeh for ethanol...

During the coldest weather here in Minnesota, I was averaging 15.4. As it warms up, I have been getting 17 on highway runs at 65+ mph. With only 2500 miles on my 08 RTL, I will expect to see better results as summer makes it's way here (in about 3 months)...we have 9 months of winter and about 3 months of "in-between".........

Poor gas mileage? How about 0.006 mpg?

So far that vehicle has traveled about 1800miles.

Have you guessed what it is?

The crawlers (2ea) that haul ths shuttle to the launch pad. 32ft/gallon.

Now thats mileage! :)

I filled up yesterday and was shocked to see 17.5 mpg! That's my best so far. Of the 250 miles 100 was freeway driving the rest city. I've been very careful to "try" and keep the RPM's under 2500 - a difficult task. I also manually turned off my AC on that tank of gas. I'm around 2,300 miles on my 08. I believe keeping the RPM's down is the key factor in getting better mileage. Good Luck!

Your math doesn't add up...

Originally Posted by ToyTruck View Post
Happy with mine........last tank was 19.6mpg with a moving average speed of 45.7 mph (Mr. Garmin) and 59:17 stopped, wow, almost an hour of idling. Max speed was 81.6-- wasn't paying attention!! Must have been the wax job today. I normally spend around 2 hours "stopped" and get at least 19.2 mpg. Drag is we are getting 10% ethanol in a lot of brands now. My good figures must be the "no stop and go" traffic and "rural" cruising. 11,117 miles and just had my B16 service.


Originally posted by Pug The "gadget freak" in me prompts this...

... How'd you figure your idle-time? The Garmin?


Pug, My Garmin has a feature that is basically a trip computer. When I press the lower left screen, the entire trip menu comes up: Top speed, Average speed etc. Also included is time stopped, which is running time without moving (if i were to turn on the key but not the engine, I imagine it would skew my results, but I haven't). Neat feature.

Pug, My Garmin has a feature that is basically a trip computer.

So, let me jump in a divert the thread for a second - I have a Nuvi750 and the "trip computer"... but my averages are always in the thousands mh! :eek:

Right now, my overall average is 2363mh and my moving average is 2972mh? :confused:

I basically ignore this feature, since it always has me going Mach+. Ya think it's broken, or am I reading it wrong? Sorry for the minor thread mis-direction. :o

Pug, My Garmin has a feature that is basically a trip computer. When I press the lower left screen, the entire trip menu comes up: Top speed, Average speed etc. Also included is time stopped, which is running time without moving (if i were to turn on the key but not the engine, I imagine it would skew my results, but I haven't). Neat feature.

Which Garmin do you have...I ordered a Nuvi660 ...opps...didn't read the above post...my bad

So, let me jump in a divert the thread for a second - I have a Nuvi750 and the "trip computer"... but my averages are always in the thousands mh! :eek:

Right now, my overall average is 2363mh and my moving average is 2972mh? :confused:

Do you maybe have your units set to metric?

So, let me jump in a divert the thread for a second - I have a Nuvi750 and the "trip computer"... but my averages are always in the thousands mh! :eek:

Right now, my overall average is 2363mh and my moving average is 2972mh? :confused:

I basically ignore this feature, since it always has me going Mach+. Ya think it's broken, or am I reading it wrong? Sorry for the minor thread mis-direction. :o

is this what you see while you are driving?

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/images/content/101898main_CD1998_76632_516x387.jpg

Do you maybe have your units set to metric?

nope... it's Miles. :(

is this what you see while you are driving?
ROTFLMAO!!!!

Well, actually....

I would suggest emailing or calling Garmin tech support.

Jimmy, the Nuvi should more than do it for you. Nice unit. My wife and I both have the Garmin Street Pilot 340 if my memory serves me right.

Jimmy, the Nuvi should more than do it for you. Nice unit. My wife and I both have the Garmin Street Pilot 340 if my memory serves me right.

Thanks...I can't wait for the thing to get here.:)

I have an 07 RTL and only get 15 highway. Highway = 75mph with cruise control on at sea level on level ground with A/C off. Is this expected given that EPA highway is 20? My 08 Subaru Outback vanilla 4 cyl gets 28mpg freeway at 80mpg, A/C on vs an EPA of 26! I expected to better the Honda EPA number at least a little on level ground, no A/C.

13.5 litres per 100 km
17.42 miles per US gallon
20.93 miles per Imperial gallon

This is what my truck is doing for a 1000km trip at 70mph , Honda completely miss the boat , an hemi with almost 400HP can do an average of 15.1 and GMC can beat this without any problem with their 5.3, the new ford do the same if not better , tacoma , tundra name it , All the things that I loved about my Ridgeline are gone once I putted gas into it , Honda seriously begin to lost their gap with motor technology

13.5 litres per 100 km
17.42 miles per US gallon
20.93 miles per Imperial gallon

This is what my truck is doing for a 1000km trip at 70mph , Honda completely miss the boat , an hemi with almost 400HP can do an average of 15.1 and GMC can beat this without any problem with their 5.3, the new ford do the same if not better , tacoma , tundra name it , All the things that I loved about my Ridgeline are gone once I putted gas into it , Honda seriously begin to lost their gap with motor technology

Can't argue with your disappointment... however my scangauge II shows 23mpg at 70mph, realtime.... slightly better than the EPA. Once you stop for fuel and or lunch, you can cut the average down quite quickly.

As to a 400hp hemi getting 15.1... maybe, but I doubt that was 4wd.

Enjoy your Ridge, its a great vehicle. For that 1000km trip, assuming $3 per gallon, you would have paid $13.88 over the 20mpg you expected. This amounts to a small factor in overall cost of ownership. Certainly not enough to turn against Honda.. at least not for me.

Can't argue with your disappointment... however my scangauge II shows 23mpg at 70mph, realtime.... slightly better than the EPA. Once you stop for fuel and or lunch, you can cut the average down quite quickly.

As to a 400hp hemi getting 15.1... maybe, but I doubt that was 4wd.

Enjoy your Ridge, its a great vehicle. For that 1000km trip, assuming $3 per gallon, you would have paid $13.88 over the 20mpg you expected. This amounts to a small factor in overall cost of ownership. Certainly not enough to turn against Honda.. at least not for me.

Couldn't agree more.

assuming $3 per gallon, .

In canada its over $5.00 a gallon. the Ridge is an expensive vehicle to drive:mad:This is a huge factor in overall cost of ownership $$$$ Honda missed the boat completely on fuel consumption

Can't argue with your disappointment... however my scangauge II shows 23mpg at 70mph, realtime.... slightly better than the EPA. Once you stop for fuel and or lunch, you can cut the average down quite quickly.

As to a 400hp hemi getting 15.1... maybe, but I doubt that was 4wd.

Enjoy your Ridge, its a great vehicle. For that 1000km trip, assuming $3 per gallon, you would have paid $13.88 over the 20mpg you expected. This amounts to a small factor in overall cost of ownership. Certainly not enough to turn against Honda.. at least not for me.


Our 05 Corvette had a 400 HP engine and we got over 30 mpg with it on the trip from Texas to AZ so I know it is not impossible to get that kind of mileage with a V8.
Our RL on the other hand has yet to get beyond 22 mpg. but it is not broken in yet. We are hoping for better. Also have discovered that mileage is about 1 to 1 and a 1/2 miles better using premium fuel on trips. So I guess more $ for gas more mpg. The book recommends premium fuel for towing but it appears to help without towing.

The engine size V6 vs V8 - 3.5Lto 6.0L has little to do with the gas mileage.
The weight of the vehicle and the aerodynamics have a lot more to do with it. A vette weights a lot less than a Ridgeline. That is why it can get better mileage.

The engine size V6 vs V8 - 3.5Lto 6.0L has little to do with the gas mileage.
The weight of the vehicle and the aerodynamics have a lot more to do with it. A vette weights a lot less than a Ridgeline. That is why it can get better mileage.


No question on weight, just a statement.:D

As to a 400hp hemi getting 15.1... maybe, but I doubt that was 4wd.

.

Just browsed their forum and the new 2K9 model 4x4 quad cab is doing very similar numbers than my ridgeline for MPG , and they have 300 lbs of torque at 1100RPM , this would me great to pull my TT ( another weak point of my ridge ) , Honda Wake UP!!:mad:

In canada its over $5.00 a gallon. the Ridge is an expensive vehicle to drive:mad:This is a huge factor in overall cost of ownership $$$$ Honda missed the boat completely on fuel consumption

How??? They have a 4550lbs truck with a V6 that averages 20mpg on the highway. Yes the 2009 F-150 MIGHT get 20mpg on the highway, but I haven't met any 2009 F-150 drivers that have (I make a habit of asking because I like the looks of the F-150). The Silverado drivers that come into the SCUBA shop state that they NEVER see 20mpg. Mileage has more to do with the vehicle's aerodynamics and weight than just about anything else EXCEPT driving habits. I have said time and again that I average 18mpg to 19mog on trips less than 50 miles one way. I average 20mpg to 22mpg (With highs in the ~24mpg rang) when on trips longer than 300 miles one way. In true stop light to stop light driving I get around 16mpg to 17mpg. It all has more to do with how hard you push the gas pedal and how consistent you are at maintaining speed on the highway. That is why I use cruise control on the highway when possible and leave the A/C set to auto (Wanna be comfy after all). The fact that the engine has low torque at the lower rpms points to the truck being fairly aerodynamic. So go easier on the pedal and brake and use you CC and you'll do better in the milage department.

I just checked the numbers on consumers reports on Dodge vs Ridge gas mileage.
Dodge 1500SLT crewcab 5.7 4x4 got EPA hiway=18mpg, CR got 19mpg:mad:
Honda ridgeline rated EPA 21mpg CR got 23MPG.:rolleyes:

better to compare a standardized set of tests vs how differently we all drive and get various mileage.:)

Just browsed their forum and the new 2K9 model 4x4 quad cab is doing very similar numbers than my ridgeline for MPG , and they have 300 lbs of torque at 1100RPM , this would me great to pull my TT ( another weak point of my ridge ) , Honda Wake UP!!:mad:

Sounds like that Dodge-it was made for you.:confused:

I just checked the numbers on consumers reports on Dodge vs Ridge gas mileage.
Dodge 1500SLT crewcab 5.7 4x4 got EPA hiway=18mpg, CR got 19mpg:mad:
Honda ridgeline rated EPA 21mpg CR got 23MPG.:rolleyes:

better to compare a standardized set of tests vs how differently we all drive and get various mileage.:)

I laughed pretty had at those numbers. I used to own a Dodge Dakota SLT extended cab short bed with the 318ci V8 and was 2wd. The sticker stated 18mpg highway, but the damn thing NEVER saw over 16mpg (Even when driven at 55mph for 298 miles the highest I saw 15.9mpg). Do not go by CR or stickers. If you are constantly speeding up / slowing down in traffic, milage will suffer. I don't believe there isn't a Dodge pickup with a V8 that has ever gotten over 19mpg driven at 70mph to 75mph on the highway. At least none of the six or so Rams with 4.7L or 5.7L v8's and four other Dakotas I have driven (All loaners while my Dodge turd sat in the shop with suspension issues). My best friend drives a Dodge duelly diesel and swore he was getting 20mpg per the trip computer. I went on a road trip with him and saw that the computer was telling him that he was averaging 20mpg for the 400 mile trip. When we filled up and did the math, the actual milage was 17.5mpg.

I just don't think there is a Dodge p/u that can hit 20mpg while my Ridgeline does it without fail.

I assume that their testing is consistant between all their vehicle tests such as the same stretch of highway and same drivers etc. I can verify the Honda mileage, I have gotten that several times on the highway, but I cant verify the Dodge as I would never own one:rolleyes:

I suspect that the big 3 car makers are doing what the video card makers did in the 90's. The video card makers figured out what the PC magazine Video speed test did and optimized the video cards for the test. They got great numbers but the video card did mediocre in real world uses.

I think that the Ford, Chevy and Dodge are tuned to get better EPA ratings and get worse Real driving numbers. I get much better than the EPA on the highway in my Ridgeline. My Chevy truck never ever got the highway rating even in Florida. EPA was 16/20 and I got 12/17.

fueleconomy.gov , real people , real number , real life , check the ridgeline number they are right on it , best something like 23 and worst 12.8 ,

fueleconomy.gov , real people , real number , real life , check the ridgeline number they are right on it , best something like 23 and worst 12.8 ,

I've read it before. I've said it before.
Take the sticker claim. Subtract 15%.
That's what to expect, no matter what the vehicle.

Mike, my experience is much the same as yours.:)