[Bluemill]

I've owned my used 2007 RTL for 2 years and ever since buying it I've been doing all that I could do to get the fuel economy to improve. I'd average 15.5 with mostly a mix of heavy suburban driving, with a commute that's 17 miles long and 12 lights.

This is all I did in approximate order: full synthetic 5W20 oil
new air filter
tires to 36 psi
new top Oxy sensors
new pads and rotors- one new caliper, as it seemed jammed
flushed through a whole case of Honda ATF in the tranny
removed and cleaned throttle body and cleaned with CRC & toothbrush
Did idle learn procedure- 3500 rpm until fan came on- not easy solo!
This really did nothing to improve mpg's- until I started the practice of keeping the revs below 2500 rpm.

Then I got 17.15 and 17.32. Then I decided to drive with abandon the next tank, to see if it was really the light pedal that was doing it, and not a result of Idle Learn or the throttle body cleaning- NOPE! Back to 15.5 mpg.

Moral of the story: The Ridgeline is a big heavy truck, and to get that moving you can not do jack rabbit starts to get it rolling.

Sorry, I'm just not buying these guys that are getting 22 and the like, there is something wrong with their math!

Best always,
Bluemill

 

[gene r]

I've owned my used 2007 RTL for 2 years and ever since buying it I've been doing all that I could do to get the fuel economy to improve. I'd average 15.5 with mostly a mix of heavy suburban driving, with a commute that's 17 miles long and 12 lights.

This is all I did in approximate order: full synthetic 5W20 oil
new air filter
tires to 36 psi
new top Oxy sensors
new pads and rotors- one new caliper, as it seemed jammed
flushed through a whole case of Honda ATF in the tranny
removed and cleaned throttle body and cleaned with CRC & toothbrush
Did idle learn procedure- 3500 rpm until fan came on- not easy solo!
This really did nothing to improve mpg's- until I started the practice of keeping the revs below 2500 rpm.

Then I got 17.15 and 17.32. Then I decided to drive with abandon the next tank, to see if it was really the light pedal that was doing it, and not a result of Idle Learn or the throttle body cleaning- NOPE! Back to 15.5 mpg.

Moral of the story: The Ridgeline is a big heavy truck, and to get that moving you can not do jack rabbit starts to get it rolling.

Sorry, I'm just not buying these guys that are getting 22 and the like, there is something wrong with their math!

Best always,
Bluemill

I'm curious. What is involved cleaning the throttle body? Are there gaskets that need to be replaced and are there any tips to make the job easier?
Thanks

 

[Wrascal]

As you've discovered - driving prudently is the biggest single thing you can control towards gaining better MPGs, but it's not the entire story. While you drive in moderate traffic, those who suffer thru heavy traffic and gridlocked freeways will do much worse - while those who drive over flat land and wide open freeways will do MUCH better.

My former model year 11 had a 1.5 MPG average better than other year 11 owners. I attribute that to my driving like a grandpa over fairly flat land with only moderate stop/go traffic.

With that said, the Gen 2 RidgeLines do appear to have made improvements over the first generation. That's called progress.

YMMV.

 

[Wrascal]

With all that being said, who are we to disagree with these current Gen 2 owners? From fuelly.com:

Based on data from 54 vehicles, 597 fuel-ups and 169,264 miles of driving, the 2017 Honda Ridgeline gets a combined Avg MPG of 20.95 with a 0.29 MPG margin of error.

 

[wrenrj1]

I didn't see where you mentioned removing extra additional weight in "Stuff" you keep in your RL. I know I Probably have about 250lbs of stuff in the trunk and under the rear seat. I get about the same MPG as you around town.

 

[bigdogrod]

for me, it's a truck... i don't care about mpg.. mine's about 11 for what its worth

 

[richpike]

I'm thinking cold air intake and cat back exhaust might help mpg...... anybody?

 

[S.T.U.V]

I'm thinking cold air intake and cat back exhaust might help mpg...... anybody?

The minimal MPG you might gain would not be worth the price you will pay for quality stuff.

 

[Heli ATP]

Sorry, I'm just not buying these guys that are getting 22 and the like, there is something wrong with their math!

Best always,
Bluemill

The trick is to try to keep the rpm's under 2000 as much as possible. Reduce your braking by coasting to that next red light. 22mpg is achievable if you live near the highway on flat land with moderate temps (No A/C). I find that driving about 60mph on the highway with the RPM's around 1900 works best. My commute is 37 miles each way with a few hills. I can average 21mpg on my commute. However add in some stop and go around town and that drops to 18mpg indicated, (which is about 17). Fuelly is a good resourse to see an average.
Honda Ridgeline MPG - Actual MPG from 798 Honda Ridgeline owners

Maybe you need an Elio?

Elio Motors

These pics show how my week went from commuting, to around town on the weekend when I had a few days off. I ended up with 17.6mpg after 330 miles.

.

 

[feetdry]

You can see my mpg after almost 200,000 miles tracking on Fuelly. I take very good care of my RTL but have a shell and carry around a lot of "stuff". I drive in "bumper to bumper" a lot of the time.

 

[gene r]

Take a look at the Trip A odometer and then at the gas guage. The yellow low fuel light isn't even on yet. I routinely logged these kind of mps's with my 06 on my road trips. Bear in mind I top off my tank. That gives you an additional 3+ gallons to drive with. I know what the good book says but I topped it off anyway and sold it with 135000 miles on it and it still was getting those #'s. Now on my 07 no matter how I drive it I don't come close to those numbers. The 07 seems to be stronger then my 06 runs great but can't get out of the mid 15's. I will be taking it down south in a few weeks and that will be a test. By the way same tires.

 

[wrenrj1]

I've noticed on our 2016 Subaru Forester, there's a sweet spot where maximum mileage is achieved. And with HWY mileage it's at about 65mpg. It's easy to determine with "on screen" data. After that, average MPG starts to drop off. I'm sure that the sweet spot needs to be found for everyones RL.
My 2007 RL makes me figure it out the hard way.

 

[OhSix]

I've owned my used 2007 RTL for 2 years and ever since buying it I've been doing all that I could do to get the fuel economy to improve. I'd average 15.5 with mostly a mix of heavy suburban driving, with a commute that's 17 miles long and 12 lights.

This is all I did in approximate order: full synthetic 5W20 oil
new air filter
tires to 36 psi
new top Oxy sensors
new pads and rotors- one new caliper, as it seemed jammed
flushed through a whole case of Honda ATF in the tranny
removed and cleaned throttle body and cleaned with CRC & toothbrush
Did idle learn procedure- 3500 rpm until fan came on- not easy solo!
This really did nothing to improve mpg's- until I started the practice of keeping the revs below 2500 rpm.

Then I got 17.15 and 17.32. Then I decided to drive with abandon the next tank, to see if it was really the light pedal that was doing it, and not a result of Idle Learn or the throttle body cleaning- NOPE! Back to 15.5 mpg.

Moral of the story: The Ridgeline is a big heavy truck, and to get that moving you can not do jack rabbit starts to get it rolling.

Sorry, I'm just not buying these guys that are getting 22 and the like, there is something wrong with their math!

Best always,
Bluemill

The RL ain't no gas sipper for sure. You might want to try out the Torque app and configure the primary gauge panel to include "MPG" (avg) and "MPG" (instant). By paying attention to instant, you'll learn alot about the effects of throttle position in relation to speed. And its a cheap way to keep track of engine vitals. For me, I'll never be without it again. By far the most cost effective, powerful tool in the kit.

 

[gene r]

The RL ain't no gas sipper for sure. You might want to try out the Torque app and configure the primary gauge panel to include "MPG" (avg) and "MPG" (instant). By paying attention to instant, you'll learn alot about the effects of throttle position in relation to speed. And its a cheap way to keep track of engine vitals. For me, I'll never be without it again. By far the most cost effective, powerful tool in the kit.

I'm new to these apps so if you could pass on some information it would be appreciated. I have an Moto Droid Ultra version 4.4.4. Is there a particular adapter that will work with this combination, Any tips would be welcome

Thanks

Ge

 

[OhSix]

I'm new to these apps so if you could pass on some information it would be appreciated. I have an Moto Droid Ultra version 4.4.4. Is there a particular adapter that will work with this combination, Any tips would be welcome

Thanks

Ge

Hey Gene,
Any Bluetooth OBD2 adapter will do the job. Basically, an OBD port outputs serial data - so wireless readers use a profile designed to stream over BT like it would in a hardwired connection The only reader I have direct experience with is BAFX - which was chosen for no particular reason. At the time, compact versions were not as widely available as they are now. After using it for a while, I'd recommend going with something smaller so that it doesn't hang down into the drivers footwell. On the 06, the factory OBD port is center at the bottom of the drivers knee panel trim, so plugging in there puts the reader box dead center above the brake pedal. Its not a problem, just a bit unsightly.

Amazon has quite a few including newer low profile designs: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_...efix=bluetooth+OBD,aps,245&crid=141XVP1QVV4QG

If you are anything like me, you'll quickly find the "lite" version of the Torque app is useful - but you'll become curious what the $5 version can do. You can get the free version to get started but the purchase price is WAY reasonable considering the features and benefits. No matter what, the combo of the app and the port streamer is a much more usable, totally portable solution to old school / dedicated hardware / proprietary software scan tools.

Check out the app here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque

Once you have both, the user sets up vehicle profile(s) and configures gauges of your choice. The gauges themselves can be analog or digital or both. Gauge size is configurable according to needs. You can have pages of gauges so you flip from one screen to the next with a swipe. It's amazingly fun stuff once you get rolling and curious. Of course, it'll read / reset codes and such too.

Currently, this is my single page config. There are times when I group gauges together on different pages using larger gauge faces - which is the beauty of the app, you get a near infinite customizable dash board.

Now, if Honda would let us little guys know what the trans and engine oil temp PIDs are, we'd have everything we need to monitor key drive train conditions.

And BTW, if you wanna get geeky, the app also provides real time graphing of sensors selected for monitoring.

OH, and just in case you are a member of Geeks Anonymous, data can also be logged which writes .csv files to phone memory that can later be extracted for analysis.

 

[cabeldude]

So with android auto in the new Honda line-up I assume we can download/upload the torque app directly to the 7" android, plug in the OBD2 Bluetooth adapter and were off to the races?

 

[AtTheMurph]

My experience had a 2006 RTL and just traded to a '17 RTL-E.

Average mpg on the 2007 for me was 19.7mpg over all. I drive mostly highways probably 80/20 HWY to city. Mostly flat and typically 76mph on the highway.

The new RTL-E has just over 4k miles on it. Driving similarly I'm getting 25.7 mpg. And the onboard computer seems to be almost exactly on. I do the math myself after having vehicles that were wildly off.

I leave the efficiency button thing on as I don't race around. My car is for that.

 

[pickup1]

I'm thinking cold air intake and cat back exhaust might help mpg...... anybody?

At least it would sound better!!

 

[oarnold]

I'll add that the OP only has a 17 mile commute, with traffic lights. I bet the engine is just getting warmed up when he arrives, and short commutes has been a documented mileage killer among ROC members.

 

[rtx07]

I've driven my 07 a variety of different ways and the best mileage was achieved when the rpm's were kept at the lowest possible point. This included very easy take offs and no aggressive driving whatsoever. I'm not really concerned with mileage but I like experimenting. If memory serves me correctly my best mileage on a local ( 235 miles ) day trip was a hair over 21 mpg. It included some stop and go driving and about 175 miles of interstate driving. I never allowed interstate speed to get over 62 mph... and yes I was "trying" hard to see what I could squeeze out of the RTX. This was using 87 octane. I always use Honda full synthetic 5-20 oil and DW-1 trans fluid. I keep tire pressures at 39.5 lbs.
Normal driving for me yields in the 15.5 to 17.8 mpg range.
I'm much happier with the Ridge than I was with the 06 Avalanche I previously owned but have to say I kinda miss the plushness of the avy.