Honda Civic Performance

how do you accelerate? fast? slow? and where are you? my area is pretty hilly in parts. i get 40MPG max in the hills. i'm sure the flat lands like texas or kansas do really well.

check your tire pressure?

do you use "real" gas or one of those no-name gas stations?

"I once managed to get 43 mpg traveling on a highway at 57 mph with the windows up and no AC or heater. This compares quite nicely to the hybrid."

I bought my 04 HCH in February 04 and averaged 54MPG through the winter. This summer I've averaged over 60. This was done with *some* AC. Now with the onslaught of cold weather looks like I'll drop to around 57MPG.
I'm now approaching the 30K maintenance window.
There are a few drivers doing better than me.

Obviously my results are not typical or normal, as the average over 50 or so HCH owners remain about 47MPG.

Your accomplishment with your LX is outstanding, but can not be compared to the possabilities of an HCH.
You are a skillful driver to accomplish 43MPG, but what if an HCH? Would you have averaged 55? 59? 62 MPG?

A similar number of Insight owners are reporting around 72MPG, and some have averaged over 90MPG
tanks with many runs averaging over 100MPG.
(Oooo I wish I had an Insight but for the extra seats)

Outstanding.

In reply to Joe Scar's post about the Civic HX, I purchased a Civic HX new in February of 97. That makes for about 8 years now that I've had it. In my use mainly in Arizona, I'll average 32-33mpg with the A/C on in the summer driving around town and 35-36 highway with A/C.

In the winter I can get as high as 36-37 around town if I drive extremely conservatively and highway mileage around 37-38 or so. Since all the highways here either go through mountains or have 75mph speed limits, highway mileage seems to hit a wall in the upper 30's. Only on a few isolated occasions have I ever gotten 40mpg or better. My best "real world" average was 42mpg, but that kind of mileage is rare.

Still, the HX is something like $7000 less than a Civic Hybrid and although it's a stripped down model, it is definitely cheap and gets at least 35mpg on average.

You most certainly do get what you pay for. Car and Driver reviewed the Prius, HCH, Jetta TDI, and Toyota Echo. The Echo is $13,700. On a scale of 1 to 100 they gave the Echo a score of 3, describing it as the most miserable car money can buy. I believe their quote was "It's like metamucil for the road. You'll go, and you'll be relieved when it's finally over."

I drive the Palisades in NJ to NYC daily and was complaining about 48MPG but I'm not feelin too bad reading everyone else's mileage. I noticed on my return trip, after I fill up, I can get 57 MPG for a short distance but that is the only time. I thought maybe the tank being full had something to do with it. And in response to Linda, my dealer explained the car to me and he didn't understand the general concept himself. I learned more about the car reading this site. (Maybe I shoud e-mail this site to him)

Hi I have a 1991 honda civic hatchback. I swapped the engine out for a 1.6L SOHC VTEC-E engine from a 1996 Civic HX. The ECU (computer) is from a 1993 civic EX. I have gotten 39 miles to the gallon going 70mph on a flat interstat with no wind. The engine had 185,000 miles on it at the time and I usually drive very abusive (driving like I am in some kind of race all the time, redlining it and what not). Anyway, I am prowd of my little Civic, and just wanted to brag about it some.

Honda for lifer,
David

If you have not already, you may want to check out the following link.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/honda-civiccvt.html

there are about 70 cars and individual notes are added to most. Very good "Real World" Data

Has anyone noticed performance issues with their HCH in wet weather?

I bought a 2003 HCH w/ 35,000 miles about a month ago (and LOVE it!) but noticed this week, in the first rain storm since I’ve owned it, that the hybrid battery is discharging VERY quickly and is slow to re-charge. Am assuming this is due to the wet weather, damp rotors, etc, but wanted to see if anyone out there had experienced similar issues. The mileage is still GREAT (mid 50’s mpg) so no complaints – just concerns.

Also, I noticed yesterday that the fan which normally comes on when you park that car didn’t – related issue?

Anyone had an HX or VX befor getting a Hybrid?

What actions signal this component to switch between the two different uses ?

I own a 89 base civic with the four-speed manual and my best milage was 44.3 miles a gallon. Keep in mind i have no overdrive gear. The lowest i have recorded was 32 miles a gallon while i was driving the car hard with many stops.

I have a 95 civic dx and it gets horrible gas mileage for a car its size... on average i get about 25 mpg max... i don't know what it is but i might be looking into a lil' tune-up... i thought after changing my air filter (which was filthy) would boost my mileage but it made no difference whatsoever.

i love my honda. while all my friends got mustangs, jeeps, and trucks. i got a 94 civic dx. granted, it needs work from time to time, but with gas prices the way they are, im glad i can pump out close to 40mpg on the highway. im probably in the low 30's in the city, i tend to be a little heavy on the pedal. i was thinking of making my next car a hybrid, but possibly the accord v6 since i have a bit of cash saved. the civics always seemed a little underpowered for me.

I've been debating getting a hybrid, but I'm curious about something. The vast majority of my driving is highway (120mi, 4 days a week). With my current car, a '00 VW Jetta VR6, I get about 25mpg on average, for a little over 300 miles per tank. My driving style is pretty average, but my highway speed tends to about 75-85mph (which is with traffic on my commute). What kind of highway mileage do people really seem to get, and at what average speed? I've seen a Prius account where exclusive highway driving at 75 managed between 42 and 51mpg, but not much else. Granted, even 42mpg would be a pretty good improvement over 25mpg, at the current $3.19/gallon...

Some Hybrid owners are wondering how anyone could possibly get 50 MPG in a hybrid, so I thought I should tell you I achieved 57.94 in a stock 2002 Civic EX. I sold the HX in which I had averaged 49.56 MPG over a span of 6,900 miles. 50 mpg is one thing, to average 50 mpg is like driving a formula one car. Driver is key.
Because I'm very familiar with the Honda engines and Maxing MPG, I decided to try an EX instead of the lean burn HX, so now I have an EX. The EX in the hands of an average driver will not behave in linear fashion compared to the HX unless city accelerations are kept at a constant which when you are driving an EX versus HX the EX will exact a much heavier toll due to the gearing and the pep. Point is the Civic EX is one of the few cars that can deliver best of both if you know how to pull it's strings. This is due to the V-Tech and the fact that the brakes do'nt rub on Civic wheels (generally). Some Toyotas for instance have a big hidden problem with coast down due to brakes rubbing, no matter how hard you try, MPG remains almost constant. Coastdown was critical to my recording 57.94 MPG.
When I got the car, first thing I noticed is I had a 1.5 MPH coastdown advantage at 40 MPH. In the HX I used stock Firestones, the EX has Destiny. (Michelin Harmony, Destiny and Radial X offer very good rolling resistance)
I recently drove LA to KC in a Civic SI and averaged 32 MPG. For me that is terrible. I knew I would be hard pressed to achieve even 35 MPG before I ever left. This is because with any car, before I do anything I raise the car and spin each wheel to check for coastdown. In the SI I got 1.5 spins on the first wheel, 2.5 second, 4 third and the last wheel spun a healthy 8-10 times. Each car is different. internal expanding brakes tend to drag less than the discs in the SI. Also 2 bearings were bad. Now days bearings are very tight and finicky, inconsistant and can be easily damaged. Long story short if you cannot get 50 MPG first thing to check is each wheel individually. I ofcourse also run pavement coast to evaluate the TIRES for performance. The wrong tire can shatter your MPG figures, and inflating to 44 psi often has little effect depending on tire design, such as in the Radial X series.
No I do not drive 55 MPH hiway. If you drive to work freeway you have one or 2 stops right? Actually you will apply the brakes 20-30 times untill you learn to tone it down. And DON'T apply the brakes gently thinking that will make a difference. The forces are tremendous. You must not apply them at all. If each wheel is not free spinning around 8 times to begin with your efforts will not be nearly as rewarded. On the freeway I set the criuse at 65 when I got 58 MPG. I also accelerate to 70 or so when pointing down hill and flick it in to neutral, then back to criuse at 63MPH. Here you are getting like 100 MPG as the car is just idling and coasting down the hill.
I have had the EX only for 4 tankflulls, here are my MPG's. 38.0 city with steel wheels. 39.69 city with Konig Helium rims (11.4 pounds), 38.75 city, and now I got a chance to drive all hiway which I was very curious about, I was hoping for 45 MPG at least but when I had passed 279 miles on the tripmeter I noticed something bizzare, the needle was 3/16 form half tankflull, which on a civic you are at 300 miles half tank if (if) you are averaging 47 MPG. Decided to visit the pump before emtying tank, 58 MPG in 4.815 gallons. I tossed a few more tricks in EX versus how I drove the HX, which was basically faster, and this because of the 3.00 per gallon price.
I will not delve into the city techniques, there are thousands of decisions going on when city driving, stay off the brake, If you can touch it only at 20 MPG such as at stop signs, (not as easy to do as it sounds) that will be good for starters. Also on the freeway, I look for smooth pavement, makes a big difference. The particular freeway I was driving for the 58 was 55 freeway to Newport beach, and it offers some smoother pavement compared to Los Angeles freeways, plus I have a still air down and a slite beach breeze up in returning. (5:00 AM - 11:00AM) Some areas will have very ruff pavement from rain grooves, and yes I also draft when I can, which often means just staying in center lane so cars left and right help to push, and due to that on this record run I averaged 60 MPH but usually I just set the cruise at 65. I manipulate cruise/clutch/neutral very often. I memorize spots such as end of freeway where I will flick it in neutral to coast down to that streetlite ahead, and I also do this city.
So there it is. Thought I would rattle your brains. I have treated the car with xcelplus lubricants in the engine, tranny, and when I made the run I had xcel top end treatment in the gas tank, treatments are said to go 100 thousand miles. I am really wondering if that xcel in the tank could help to explain 58 MPG, we'll see how it goes. Anyone who says they get this kind of mileage is making a VERY concious effort to do so. It's sure worth it, while ok yes I am a champion pilot also, once you get used to driving this way it really does not set you back in time much nor is it all that difficult, but in the city, especially here in LA, very few people can make the right DECISIONS. Forgot to mention, each wheel is 10 pounds lighter than stock, good for 1.5 MPG city, strictly just a guess. Stock civic alloys are also very heavy compared to Heliums. Get them at JLB motorsports and use there forged steel muteki lugs (25 grams) Go to the xcel site and see the electron photos of engine damage as provided by Army/Nasa, almost no damage with xcel, (low friction)
Some drivers, you could put a gun to there head, they are not able to process information correctly and this is especially true in city driving. Yes, in the city I drive the speed limit but I admit that I have to watch my rear view very often for the Mario Andretti's, so I do merge into the other lanes a lot. Cold temperatures will also have a noticeable effect, specifically in the 45 versus 55 degrees range, and this also has to due with tires and there ability to remain flexible. Again the first thing you must do is raise your car and spin each wheel to see if you are getting about 8 turns. Cars in a specific model range will vary greatly, each wheel is often unique. I hope manufactures will become aware of the huge penalty regarding wheels that don't freespin properly, primarily due to brakes induced friction.
I will be re-installing my torquemaster spark plugs in the EX which I had in the HX, right now I have platinums. They are similar to Firestorms and offer a field effect, did'nt notice much difference in the HX with them, engine not lean enough I guess.
Basically, a 3,000 pound car can offer superb energy retention, so take advantage. In Sailplanes we would achieve "speed memory" by adding ballast. Getting good mileage just means you exploit this simple phenomena. Some cars are absolutely horrendous, as soon as you drop the clutch the car falls flat on it's face. And calculate your MPG every time you visit the pump or it's a shot in the dark. Pay attention to your mileage at the half tank mark, each car is a little different, for my HX it was 305 miles give or take.
Now if I can only get Honda to build 2,000 pound 90 horse Civics again........

Well its 51.6 at this moment at 300 miles on the current tank. I calculated the last tank and the hand calculation was higher than the trip MPG one. I never top off either.

The keys for me were to stop carrying heavy equipment in the trunk and use the AC sparingly, during auto stop, and set at 76 degrees or higher instead of 70.

Before doing these things I was getting about 47 MPG. I havent increased the air pressure in the tires yet and have a slight alignment issue to fix. I drive all over the city on variable roads and times of day due to working three jobs.

The database at greenhybrid.com is worth exploring. 50 and above is somewhat common and not a big deal. The fleet average is over 46 MPG for all drivers. Texas has a flatness advantage and I drive alone and weigh in at 200.

I would recommend looking over the mileage database at greenhybrid.com. There are about 300-400 HCH II contributors that input their tank mileasge either hand calculated or by the trip odometer ( specified as such).

The fleet average across all drivers is between 46-47 MPG. There are about 50 "hypermilers" that average above the EPA estimates assuming more than 3000 miles driven.

Also, on edmunds.com, the inside line, there is a section on real world HCH II MPG reports.

Its pretty common to see folks getting 50 MPG or more. My current tank is right at 51.5 today.

Thanks for the feedback Aaron. My HCH II is performing well as well so far and I am averaging 47 MPG across alltanks so far and rising.

*** Read this testimonial if you are agonizing over buying this car! ***
I love my civic hybrid (see my blog
http://civichybrid.blogspot.com for day by day mileage record). I purchased it on June 20 and have yet to buy any gas for it. I live in Ithaca, NY where it is very hilly. I was prepared for diminished gas mileage due to the conditions, but I have been very greatly satisfied. Most days I am between 40 and 50mpg which has exceeded my expectations. In over 400 miles of driving on these hills, I have gotten an average of 43.6mpg. The car is not broken in yet, so I expect this average to rise.

I was very, very conflicted about buying this car and spent several days agonizing over the decision. A year ago, I decided that I would buy a hybrid for my next car. But when the day came to actually buy a new car, then I had to really make the decision (again) and I found it hard. I was concerned about the hills, the resale value of the car (I always trade in). But after reading for several hours on the Web testimonials including hybridcars.com, I became convinced that it was a good idea. I let go of the hills as an issue and decided I would be OK with less gas mileage than the rating. Since the cars are selling here before they hit the lot, I decided that the trade in value would be just fine.

After buying the car I found that, going up the hills, the gas mileage does indeed go down. But on the downhill it is at 100mpg. So it seems to even out for the most part and the hills are not an issue.

The next hard decision was between the Prius and the Honda Civic hybrid. I had several Honda cars in the past and really loved them. I owned both an Accord and an Civic and was happy with them. I got on both waiting lists at the dealer. I test drove the Prius and liked the trunk space, but I didn't like the blind spot. However, I thought it was a great car and I would have been happy to own one. Then my son came with me to look at the Civic. He loved the sporty interior and convinced me to buy it. We have been very happy ever since.

So in summary these are great cars and I recommend them to anyone thinking about buying one. Great gas mileage, great for the earth and great technology. Great combination. Don't agonize, just buy it.

The sad thing is no one thinks about how much oil is used in the process of mining ore ( fuel to power the machines ) , processing that ore into metals, constructing batteries. Hybrids don't really do that much, they just optimize a little.

Why can't we look into ways of making synthetic fuel. Imagine the world if a hydroelectric dam powered a facilty that produced synthetic gas. The middle east would lose a lot.

I wish people would start putting energy into learning science and math to develop real solutions. If you don't know what the frobenius method is, then go learn it, if you don't know how a pn junction works, then go learn it...in other words start learning in depth about how things work.

Too much religion, not enough science...

I have a 2005 Civic Hx that I bought new in 2005. It's got a manual tranny w/AC. I consistently get 47 MPG highway since owning the car. Fuel economy dips a bit in the winter to 43-45 mpg, but AC use in the summer has little impact on MPG. In fact, the higher the temp the better the MPG in general.

Oh, and I've got 195,000 miles on the car (2hr highway commute each way to work), have replaced the tires twice, headlights twice, but other than oil and filter changes I've never touched the engine.

When I tell people I get 47 MPG, they normally question the point of hybrids and their higher cost.

Rich

I am a very recent (less than a week) owner of a 2004 civic hybrid. I found this site very helpful in my decision to purchase this car. I am astounded but not entirely shocked at the experience of non hybrid honda/civic drivers who get great mileage, but I would point out that while great fuel efficiency can obviously be achieved, lower emissions cannot.

Anyways, great mileage so far. I've already averaged above 50 on some highway drives and I average about 37-40 city, depending on traffic, stoplights, and hills since I live in the center of Downtown Atlanta. I am still adjusting to the driving techniques and look forward to continued great mileage!

Cheers to the hybrid finally working its way into the used market in a real way. I started my own personal new era of responsibility, now if they'll just extend that damn tax credit!

I have a 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid. I have a question about getting
maximum fuel efficiency. When accelerating to expressway
or freeway speeds is it more efficient to accelerate quickly with
much battery assist, or to slowly accelerate with little or no
battery assist?

Thanks for post. It’s really imformative stuff.
I really like to read.Hope to learn a lot and have a nice experience here! my best regards guys
Honda Civic--Honda Civic