'04 CR-V GAS MILEAGE

I drive a 2004 CR-V EX(auto) which I purchased in October 2003. I live
in Chicago, and the weather is just now starting to warm up. I have
noticed that my gas mileage is not what it's advertised to be. I am
currently getting about 17 mpg in mixed driving. I believe that the
Chicago area uses reformulated gasoline. Could this be the reason my
mileage is suffering?

 

(N_A_J) spake unto the masses in

Wait until at LEAST 10K miles. Your gas mileage will not be anywhere near
advertised until that time. 17mpg is not out of line for a new engine.

Hope you left the factory oil in for the specified length of time and did
not change it early because it made you feel better. If you changed it
early, it will take longer for the rings to seat.

--
TeGGeR®

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just bought one and getting 22-23 mpg in city driving

 

17 mpg is a little bit low based on my experience. My bought my 2003 CR-V EX
auto last August, so far the lowest I got was 20 mpg in the winter with more
city/short distance than highway.My car has ~7K miles now and I got 27 mpg
last high way trip and 24 mpg mix highway and city.

 

Wait until at LEAST 10K miles. Your gas mileage will not be anywhere near

Well I did have the oil changed early. You would think that a Honda
dealership would tell me that it was better to leave the factory oil
in longer. It couldn't have been about money, because the first oil
change was complimentary. Thanks for the info.

 

When you say "reformulated" if that means they're adding ethanol to their
gas that could be a factor. In a USA Today article last week on gas prices
and gas mileage they listed the following as one of their 10 tips for better
gas mileage:

4. Don't buy gas containing ethanol. Ethanol is alcohol made from grain.
Using it for fuel is considered a way to help farmers. Ethanol also can help
cut pollution in some circumstances. For those reasons, some places require
so-called gasohol. But ethanol contains only about two-thirds the energy of
gasoline: 76,000 British thermal units (Btu) per gallon for ethanol; 115,000
for gasoline. Mixing ethanol with gas forces you to use more to go the same
distance.

 

I don't have a choice. The entire Chicago metropolitan area is forced
to use this crap all year round. You are exact right about having to
burn more to go the same distance which totally negates the whole
pollution aspect in my opinion. Not only that, but additives like MTBE
are carcinogenic and leech into the ground water table - not a good
thing.

 

Honda did tell you about leaving the factory oil in longer. It's mentioned
in the instruction manual. You know, that book about an inch thick that the
dealer gave you, that you're supposed to read to learn all sorts of neat
things about your vehicle.

 

(N_A_J) spake unto the masses in

They were probably tired of arguing. Too many people do this. If you tell
them to leave the oil in longer, they think you're trying rip them off by
wearing the motor out quick and selling them a rebuild.

Don't expect better mileage until about 15,000.



--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda FAQ
http://www3.telus.net/public/johnings/faq.html

How to find anything on the Internet or in Usenet Groups:
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www.groups.google.com

 

You would think that the dealership knows best but 9 out of 10 times,
they are worse off than going to an independant shop. When we had
bought our Accord back in 99, the dealership had told us to change it
at 1,000 miles which had I known what I know now would have told them
that Honda says 7,500 miles and only then. Have a look at my earlier
post on how Metro Acura in Philadelphia treated my car.

Nick

 

I did read the manual. It refers to the break-in period being 600
miles. One of the bullet points states:

"During this period:
* Do not change the oil until the scheduled maintenance time."

I'll tell you where I found specific information on leaving the
factory oil in longer. I found it on my OwnerLink via the Honda
website after the fact. It was listed under the Oil FAQ. Once again, I
did not "argue" with the dealer about changing my oil. I simply called
up my salesman to arrange the first free oil change, called the
service department and brought the car in. Not one of the people I
dealt with informed me that I should hold off on the oil change. If
this information is so vital to proper engine break-in, you would
think that someone would have turned me away. Also, kudos to Honda for
burying the specific information in a web resource that many owners do
not even bother to use. Thanks to all for their input excluding Sean
D, who can shove his smug response up his ass...

 

+++++++++++++++++++++

I find there are two positives to using gasohol: Less problems with
gas-line icing in winter (-20c) climates, and better fuel injector
performance (less gumming).

I use it once in a while, but a little more often during winter months,
especially if I've had to park in heated parkades. (condensation in
tank). The fuel efficiency IS LOWER, however.

'Curly'