go slower.

 

I don't know how many miles you have? Are you sure your car is not getting better mileage from the engine breaking in or warmer weather (summer fuel blend)?

You are getting over 10% improvement. I think Mobil is claiming much less than that. Their wording is potential saving of 2%. It didn't say which grade it was compared to.



Mobil didn't have 5W-20 synthetic until few years ago. The only grade they had close to 5W-20 was 0W-20. I used that in my Civic for years until they discontinued the 0W-20 and replaced it with 5W-20. It's only recently they brought back 0W-20. My mileage didn't go down or up when I switched to 5W-20 from 0W-20.

 

It sounded good on paper. Do you have any really world proof?

 

so THAT is why I got a little over 12 gallons into the tank last night!!! I was a bit perplexed on that one, but I'm looking forward to seeing how far I can get on that extra fuel I'd LOVE to break 40mpg, but since I haven't driven a M/T in a while, I still suck at shifting it, so that is hampering me a bit. I'll get there though!

 

Try losing weight. Stop eating burgers and fries and start eating healthy food. That should give you a little extra mpg

 

get a hybrid? hehe

 

I guess that's an option for the op, but I have gotten higher mpg than my mom's Prius.

 

Here is a way to "Cheat and get over 40"
1 - You gotta drive conservatively
2 - Fill up your down tube and basically top-off as much as possible.
3 - Next time you fill up don't top-off, just stop when the auto shutoff stops the pump.
OR
Only drive downhill.

 

You forgot to add this:

 

I don't get it - people say get lightweight tires and pull the back seats out, but then try cramming in an extra of fuel at ~6lbs/gal?

Would it be best to keep the fuel-load low? I know it makes measuring MPG tough, but...

 

Well the seats are a permanent fixture otherwise, so that makes sense.

The fuel is not, as it is consumed on the way. And 12-18lbs which you burn off vs. 100lbs + of permanent removal makes a big difference.

And light weight stock diameter wheels is an advantage on several fronts... Not only is it less rotational mass to overcome, but it is less unsprung mass for the suspension to deal with.

 

I figure my time is worth something, so if I can fit in an extra gallon of gas that's 10% fewer fuel stops I'll be making over the lifetime of the car.

Fuel stops which also consume a bit of gas (it's not like I'd be stopping at the gas station anyway) and add an extra start to my car. A big portion of engine wear happens when a car's started, before the oil's flowing.

 

One of the things that I do when the fuel light comes on and I am no where near or don't know how far I am from a station on roads with rolling hills is to accelerate when going down and gradually lift my foot from the accelerator as I am climbing the following grade pulling onto the shoulder if there is traffic coming up from behind... If the hill I am on is long enough I shift to neutral and shut off the ignition to coast farther and bump start in 5th gear and start accelerating to gain momentum to get me further up the next hill without having to use as much throttle... On long down hill hill stretches where I know I will have to stop I gain enough speed to coast in gear and begin down shifting to slow the car using the engine to slow to as near to a stop as I can before applying the brakes... Accelerating while going down hill uses a fraction of the fuel as doing so while climbing... It will piss the people off that are behind you so you can't do it all of the time but on roads with little traffic when you are very low on fuel, doing this can prevent you from having to abandon your car and walk to find some.... I frequently do this when going to and from town and gain an extra 2 1/2 MPG by doing so.

 

In order to get over 40-MPG and even approach 60-MPG (the old Honda CR-X’s got that) you will have to do the following;
1. Set the camber and toe of BOTH the front and the rear wheels to 0.00. You will not be able to accomplish this without after market shims and bolts. NOTE: this is not per Honda specifications but this is the only way to get to that kind of mileage. Honda says the rear wheels must have at least 0.5 degrees of positive camber, but you need to screw-up the handling to get to that gas mileage. You can have one or the other, but not both.
2. Take out the complete interior…this includes the door liners headliner passenger seats spare tire, emergency tools, carpets, sound deadening insulation, internal bumper structure, air bags, etc. The weight has to come down! Safety is not needed for gas mileage…got to make compromises!
3. Buy the skinniest tires you can find…this will be at least 80 series, maybe even 90 series tires that you can find. This is also not to Honda’s recommendations and approaching dangerous territory. You can reduce the danger by getting the appropriate load rating. This will reduce the rolling friction/drag…but will loose traction as a result. Again a compromise between handling and gas mileage.
4. Inflate them to the maximum pressure that is allowable on the sidewall of the tire…this will be at least 50-psi. Again, the same compromise as above.
With these mods, you will get there…but I would not want to ride with…no seats! J

 

I just remembered to add that DiamondStarMonsters' exhaust finisher is a must too!

 

If you don't put in more than 5 gallons at the gas-station, then you're "permanently" eliminating 35-40lbs of weight (depending on how 'full' you 'fill').


I get what you're saying; I'm just pointing out that if the goal is to maximize MPG, then it's inconsistent to pull the back seats out for weight considerations and then cram in every last drop of fuel. I'm not saying it's stupid or unreasonable to super-top-off... just inconsistent.

 

Are you running 45 psi in tires ? Other than hypermiling thats about all you can doto stock. Otherwise lightweight tires and wheels. There are a number of tires in 175 section that have virtually the same diameter as stock but less weight, which helps greatly. And there are wheels that weigh 3 lb less than stock but they only help half as much as lighter tires.
Try 45 psig first. Its cheap.

 

I'm slightly confused by the apparent idea that 0W-20 will save gas compared to 5W-20 shown in this and other threads. Isn't the 0 or 5 difference just at startup? Aren't they both 20-weight when the engine gets to operating temperature?

 

Few very dangerous things here.

Over inflating tires.
driving slower then traffic.
neutral down a hill.

All to try and make up a few mpg.

Also slipping the clutch more? Is the cost of a clutch cheaper then a few mpg? You'd cause more damage then you would save.
Best improvement is going to come from the driver and a ecu tune.
And if you are trying to hyper mile. Make sure you are keeping to the far right lanes. I'd hate for people to start looking at the Honda fit like the Prius crowd.

 

Ill just put in my. 02.....m last fill up was 46.2 mpg and I'm regularly over 43 mpg. On the highway I cruise at 70 mph, the car can accelerate and decelerate very easily..do not abuse the clutch, u will get face screwed when its time to replace. In town I hover at 50,, it seems go be the best For mpg..