[nico1et]

well, so far i've filled my E up twice since i got it, & i haven't been doing a lot of driving. it's just been around town, & i've taken the back seats out - so haven't had any weight in to speak of.

1st time calculation = 17.54 mpg

2nd time calculation = 16.37 mpg

i was a little dismayed to see that the 2nd calculation (w/seats out, & even warmer weather) was lower than the 1st, which to me is kind of pitiful.

i've heard there's a "break-in" period - that mpg will go up. do you know if this actually happens? has anyone gotten as poor mpg as i have?

i'm taking a trip up north tomorrow, & most will be highway miles. don't know if i can expect 5 mpg better during that trip though, especially since i'll be loaded down somewhat. also, 5 mpg over 16.37 isn't exactly something that makes me very happy...

oh well.

 

[marksbug]

stab it a few times then change the oil, and your good to go.make sure the tires have plenty of air. the valve springs just need to heat cycle a few times, the oil has shavings,grindings,dirt, break in normal cylinder & piston ring material that needs to be gotten out of there.so a oil & filter change is all thats realy needed.

 

[desinia]

stab it a few times then change the oil, and your good to go.make sure the tires have plenty of air. the valve springs just need to heat cycle a few times, the oil has shavings,grindings,dirt, break in normal cylinder & piston ring material that needs to be gotten out of there.so a oil & filter change is all thats realy needed.

My owner's manual was pretty stern on NOT "stabbing it a few times" and not change the oil till the first scheduled change. From what I've learned through a life of driving, the rest of what you said is about half truth and the rest "I want it NOW!" attitude.

Bottom line is that you spent a fair amount of money for your Honda and it's worth a little patience to have a sweet ride for a long time to come - or you can just go for it and turn the poor thing in on trade in a couple years before the engine is a wreck. Who needs piston rings anyway?

 

[Tim Vance]

There is definitely a break in period for a Honda.
Follow the advise in the manual, and have a search on here...

Have patience grasshopper, it does get better...

 

[xequar]

stab it a few times then change the oil, and your good to go.make sure the tires have plenty of air. the valve springs just need to heat cycle a few times, the oil has shavings,grindings,dirt, break in normal cylinder & piston ring material that needs to be gotten out of there.so a oil & filter change is all thats realy needed.

Um, no. I know automotive engineers, and trust me, they're smarter than you and I. If they say in the Owners' Manual to drive gently for the first 700 miles/1100 km and leave the original engine oil in the engine until the first scheduled oil change, then you should drive gently for the first 700 miles/1100 km and leave the original engine oil in the engine until the first scheduled oil change.

And yes, the mileage will go up after awhile.

 

[nico1et]

was wondering about that oil change thing.

guess i don't really tend to read the manuals - i mean, only for reference when i'm trying to figure out something (& wouldn't really think it would talk about poor gas mileage).

thanks for clearing that up, & i sure hope it gets better.

 

[redbox]

around town driving I am seeing about 19.5 in my 2010. my 2005 would regularly get 22 in the same driving conditions. I chalk it up to a difference in the manual vs auto.
I did do mostly highway miles on the last tank so am looking forward to seeing what mileage that generates.
still better than the vehicle inbetween my two E's.

 

[nico1et]

let me know!

 

[Hygieneboy]

Here's the mpg breakdown in my 2wd EX 2010 after I started keeping track because the first few tankfuls went unrecorded.

MPG:25, 22, 21.8. 22.8, 22.5, 23.5, 21.4, 25.6, 24.3, 24.8

This is mostly aggressive up to speed city driving with just a tiny bit of highway here and there. The one tank I drove like miss Daisy super slow and easy was actually my lowest at 21.4 mpg.

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

Here's an idea...

Try keeping track using Fuelly... You can see what my current MPG are (in my signature) and I've had this thing since first full tank... Use that... I don't doubt folks MPGs on this site but then again, they're not keeping track of it as efficiently as the Fuelly folks... I like there site because you don't have to do a full fill up and it doesn't take away from the result...

Try it, you'll like it Nico1et...! Just click on the Fuelly logo in my sig and sign up (it's free)... I know that there's a "break-in" period for every motor out there... From gas to electrical... They all need to get the initial kinks out and get used to their new set up...

LBD

 

[erickang411]

Hey nico1et...sorry to hear about those numbers...that does suck.
When I purchased my new Element from a out of town dealer, I drove 80+ miles to get home and I checked the gas mileage...and I was got like 20mpg.
I thought something was wrong and I almost called the dealer. I have received 2 oil changes since and I am getting an average of 26mpg highway and 20mpg city. I hope yours get better too.

 

[aaonms]

Like LunchBoxDriver wrote: Try Fuelly.
One on the nice features is that you can search by vehicle.
There is a definite Bell Curve in looking at data for Elements, but the mode is 22/23 if memory serves.
22 is where I am on my current daily driver so it is no big deal.
But, 22 beats the heck out of my Jeep that’s 12.2 on Fuelly.

 

[marksbug]

ok then we got that going good ,why dont you cut open your oil filter after the 1 st oil change & look at all the debris in it.while your at it check out the oil bypass valve that opens very easly to let un filtered oil in to you bearings.then drain your 1st time oil in a clean pan then go into the sun to see all the pretty sparkelys !!!!there so pretty I wish my paint looked that sparkley !!! stop kidding your self about the honda book. think about it would you want to buy something that said to go home and change the oil ?????? and yes I am probly the stupidest honda owener on the planet, kaint speel &change oil befor it's time.

 

[nico1et]

well, i'm a female & i really do not touch my vehicles (not that i'm rich & can afford to have anyone else do it...which is completely the opposite). so i won't be checking anything (re. oil) - & i'm not supposed to have to change my oil for quite a while...?? normally i put on very few miles, except in the summer, so i'll be putting on more in a short while....

LBD: i'm signing up over there right now.

there's not supposed to be that much difference between 2wd + 4wd, as far as mpg, from what i was told. [any comments on that?] should the 4wd cause the mpg to go down if it's not normally engaged?

p.s. due to the fact that i was almost on the highway the whole time (or similar driving), my mpg this time turned out to be 22.8.

 

[Jammm3]

I am almost to 1500 miles on my new 2010 and I average around 17.4 with mostly city or short drives. The one time that I drove up the coast 30 miles and up 15 miles into the mountains and back, then the rest was city, i got much better mileage on just over a half tank fill up...so very little city driving and it was about 20.62mpg and that was not driving my usual conservative style that gets me 17.3 in the city. I was ecstatic after the lousy mileage I hav gotten at the first two months.

I was so upset when one tank was in the 16s that I got a scangauge and just got done with the calibration. I had a manual 03 before that averaged in the 20s in city driving so I hope that it is right that after a few thousands I get back to that but my mechanic told me not to hold my breath. I kinda think the city driving is a mileage killer here in Los Angeles.

 

[nico1et]

yeah, the city driving thing really does seem to suck. let me tell you, i was not happy when i got a little over 16...

 

[LunchBoxDriver]

lbd: I'm signing up over there right now. cool!!! got the invite...!

there's not supposed to be that much difference between 2wd + 4wd, as far as mpg, from what i was told. [any comments on that?] should the 4wd cause the mpg to go down if it's not normally engaged? correct... the 4wd will only go "on" when there is front wheel slippage to compensate... Our "4wd" is not always "on" (it's simple physics) so we basically consider our es as 2wds with a 4wd "advantage"...

p.s. Due to the fact that i was almost on the highway the whole time (or similar driving), my mpg this time turned out to be 22.8. about time right...? the highway is where we always get better mpgs... Always use the cruise control (when applicable) and you'll get even better mpgs...

yeah, the city driving thing really does seem to suck. Let me tell you, i was not happy when i got a little over 16... yup...! Sucks like an egg...!

Hope this helps...!

LBD

 

[nico1et]

yep, thanks.

just hope i never see 16 mpg again!

 

[Jammm3]

Okay, I think I am all set up on the mileage thing too(Fuelly)-grabbed my receipts with the tripometer numbers on each one and filled it out and off we go. Gotta admit it is up a bit since I have been staring at the scangauge, but we will see when i get to the pump....think maybe 19 but i must admit to going as far as drifting thru stopsigns to keep my forward momentum even to try to get every inch out of the gas.

 

[nico1et]

i can already tell mine's gonna be down from when i was on the highway. & the price of gas keeps going up. gonna be an expensive summer, but oh well.