I get around 22 to 26 depending on my driving (I live in Ohio, pretty flat)- on the average I get about 320+/- Miles per tank (I never go all the way to empty – about a quarter or a tad bit less). I do drive carefully (light footed) and yes every once in a while I like to get up and just go (average speed around 70 MPH) - I pay for playing in mileage, but I am happy with the size and comfort ratio to power and gas consumption.

By the way, I do use the higher oaten (after reading Jennie's post a while ago), and do observe the difference in mileage and in power delivered - better. I figured it's less the $5.00 difference per tank fill, and it's recommended by Honda/Acura - I would like to see two hundred K out of this car.

Just my though - good luck.

JB

 

(after reading Jennie's post a while ago)

Which post is that?

 

Who's Jennie? :dunno:

 

Sorry for the name misspelling, I meant Jinny. Here is the article I referred to, but had the wrong name – sorry.

99rl
Registered User


Join Date: Apr 2005
Age: 26
Posts: 22






87 octane or 91/93 octane? Analysis

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Just to find out if I would get better gas mileage, I kept track of all my fuel economy on a 1700 mile trip:

87 octane 22.5 mpg
93 octane 25 mpg (last 120 miles because I was just using it for test purposes)


If current gas prices are $2.21/g then it would cost 9.8 c/ mile. But since the gas mileage on the higher octane is about 2.5 more mpg, then it would actually cost MORE using the cheaper gas. .20 more for a gallon but it saves .24/gallon by getting better gas mileage.

I was really surprised that I would actually get better mpg but I guess the advanced timing does help not to metion more power, better running, and possibly better reliablitity in fuel system.

Note: since I only tested the higher octane for relatively few miles it would be a better theory if I proved it by driving more but I will say I hit 115 a few times on higher octane.

the way I calculated my fuel economy was filing up tank and setting miles to 0 then running it down to E in most cases and filling back up to full and comparing to miles driven.

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Last edited by 99rl : 04-12-05 at 10:43 PM. Reason: just cause

 

Thanks!

 

You guys can spell my username anyway you want

regarding gas mileage, slowing down probably makes the biggest difference... time to drive like a grandma

 

I can't get any better than 250 to 275 per tank, and regular or super seems to make no difference. I do however feel a bit more power on 93 so I'm using that. I usually fill up after about 250-260 and I'm close to 1/8 tank.

The only way to get the best mileage possible is to keep it under 70mph. I did a trip to Baltimore from NY and on the way back I was haulin' ass. The roads were empty and I was cruising most of the way at 90+. This car just loves high speed travel. It just eats up the miles. But the price I paid was horrible gas mileage. (16/gallon) ouch

 

i usually get 300-310mile per fill up. i dont see any difference either between 87 and 91 octane gas. i notice that shell gives me more power and better millage compare to other brands like chevron and arco.

 

Air Filter

This may sound elementary, but I was getting terrible gas mileage in my RL. I check the air filter and it was extremely dirty. I changed it and what a difference it made.

 

There's an ecu performance chip on Ebay I just ordered for like $18, that's supposed to improve horepower, torque, and gas mileage...haven't gotten it yet so I can't tell you if it works, but for $20 it's worth a shot...

 

There's an ecu performance chip on Ebay I just ordered for like $18, that's supposed to improve horepower, torque, and gas mileage...haven't gotten it yet so I can't tell you if it works, but for $20 it's worth a shot...

worthless. not worth $20... not worth $2... probably not even a chip.

it's most likely the 10 cent resistor trick... some of the fancier ones are 10 cent resistors in a 20 cent plastic box. but still the same scam... if you don't have any modifications to your car, you will probably see nothing changed...

I can see how it could possibly/theoretically be helpfull if there were som easy breathing mods on the car... but even then the resistor would have to be the right resistance to make the most of the better air flow... these ebay ones just throw in a random fairly low resistance resistor.

I have noticed that some of those eBay guys have advanced the scam to use an actual chip instead of a 10 cent resistor... seems more legit, till you notice that there are only two wires conected to the chip and the slightly more expensive chip is probably acting as a resistor... so it's basically the same thing and still not worth it.

 

I was thinking the same thing when I grabbed it up Jinny, i figured for $20, I had nothing to lose. I probably won't even put it on. Does anyone know of a cold air intake that will fit on an RL? It seems to be pretty rough to find any kind of performance stuff for this car.

 

How can some of you guys get 300+ miles per fill-up? I'm doing great of I get 240 and I'm very careful to drive gently, not exceed 3000rpm, not exceed 70mph, etc. Most of my driving is on the freeway. What the hell?

 

I was thinking the same thing when I grabbed it up Jinny, i figured for $20, I had nothing to lose. I probably won't even put it on. Does anyone know of a cold air intake that will fit on an RL? It seems to be pretty rough to find any kind of performance stuff for this car.

yeah, there really isn't anything available... maybe you should go the drop in K&N filter route... there are 2nd gen Acura Legend intakes that you can modify to fit the RL, but were not talking huge amounts of gain if any. the RL is a cruiser... it's meant to be comfortable and to carry passengers around comfortable if needed. the car is slow by modern standards, you aren't gonna win any streetlight races, so it's best not to bother... there is still plenty of power to get you where you want to go... and the car is so smooth and quiet, if you aren't carefull, you can easily find yourself in triple digit speeds... the extra noise of an intake would just mess up one of the best features of the car - it's smoothness and quietness.

IMO, If you want more power, get a different car.

 

How can some of you guys get 300+ miles per fill-up? I'm doing great of I get 240 and I'm very careful to drive gently, not exceed 3000rpm, not exceed 70mph, etc. Most of my driving is on the freeway. What the hell?

maybe you need a tune up of sorts...

are you runnung at least 91 octane?
filling your tires to max pressure?

what tires are you running? thicker, under inflated, high performance tires might take a noticible toll on MPG.

maybe it's time for an oil change... and maybe other fluids need changing too. and your air filter.

try to use the A/C less... but also keep in mind that if you are driving at highway speeds alot, don't drive with your windows down... the increased drag of the open windows may be worse than running the AC... and the faster you are traveling the more that this is the case.


otherwise, 240 isn't too unusual, I get that normally.

:dunno:


If I am really paying attention I can get more tho. I just made some long highway trips this week... I just topped 270 miles and there appears to be a qrt tank left.

 

maybe you need a tune up of sorts...

are you running at least 91 octane?
filling your tires to max pressure?

what tires are you running? thicker, under inflated, high performance tires might take a noticible toll on MPG.

maybe it's time for an oil change... and maybe other fluids need changing too. and your air filter.

try to use the A/C less... but also keep in mind that if you are driving at highway speeds alot, don't drive with your windows down... the increased drag of the open windows may be worse than running the AC... and the faster you are traveling the more that this is the case.

Good thoughts, Jinny. As a former Army mechanic, I feel well-versed in most things automotive and I'm pretty diligent regarding my cars' maintenance. I'm actually running 93 octane fuel; the tires are fairly new Bridgestone Turanzas and are always properly inflated; and the oil was changed about six weeks ago. However, I haven't checked the air filter in a while, so I'll do that this weekend.

Using the A/C less is not an option during the crippling Dallas summer (96F - 85% humidity), so I'll just wait until the cooler months to reap the mileage benefits of A/C-less driving. Oh well.

 

i regularly fill up wheni hit 250 miles with at least four gallons left. i get about 18-20 mpg ALL short city trips...but i am very careful with the rpms

 

Good thoughts, Jinny. As a former Army mechanic, I feel well-versed in most things automotive and I'm pretty diligent regarding my cars' maintenance. I'm actually running 93 octane fuel; the tires are fairly new Bridgestone Turanzas and are always properly inflated; and the oil was changed about six weeks ago. However, I haven't checked the air filter in a while, so I'll do that this weekend.

Using the A/C less is not an option during the crippling Dallas summer (96F - 85% humidity), so I'll just wait until the cooler months to reap the mileage benefits of A/C-less driving. Oh well.

I hear you... the heat is horrible here in the summer too... even tho it's a "dry heat" (what ever that is suppose to mean... it's still hot! :rant: )

you might wanna consider completely covering all the windows like I do, when parked in the sun... like I mentioned in another thread, the additional time running the car to expell the hot air must be significant, cause I've been getting noticibly better mileage after.. I use custome metalized shades in front (they fit exactly into the windows to completely obsure the hot sun...the rear is covered with those metalized popup shades... separated ones for the side windows and a full one for the rear... when I have them up it is literally dark int he car... and it can still get somewhat hot when I get back, but it is significantly cooler than if I don't put them up... it's a hassle,but I have a kid that can't get inher carseat if I don't do it... also the increased comfort is easily worth the small added effort.

 

i read in a Lexus forum that acetone will help improve gas milage. any truth to that?
my wife drives a Lexus so i browsing RL and ES forums.

 

I envy you people getting that kind of mileage. I had my car tuned up by the dealer -- even then my mileage is never more than 160 miles on a full tank. I use 93 or 89 gas. Any suggestions on what might be wrong here? I use a/c on economy almost all the times, which may be the difference, but it should not drop to this kind of mileage. BTW this is on a 97 RL with 106000 miles on it.

 

I envy you people getting that kind of mileage. I had my car tuned up by the dealer -- even then my mileage is never more than 160 miles on a full tank. I use 93 or 89 gas. Any suggestions on what might be wrong here? I use a/c on economy almost all the times, which may be the difference, but it should not drop to this kind of mileage. BTW this is on a 97 RL with 106000 miles on it.

wow... that's pretty crappy mileage... are you doing a lot of stop and go/city driving? even when I've go the A/C full and taking lotsof short trip, I can get at least 200 miles out of a tank.

 

i read in a Lexus forum that acetone will help improve gas milage. any truth to that?
my wife drives a Lexus so i browsing RL and ES forums.

what is the acetone supposed to do? and how much are you supposed to use?

 

Jinny, actually, I should revise my original mileage. I have not gotten more than 145 so far on a full tank. This is all in-city driving with A/C at economy at almost all the time. I have no clue on how to improve the mileage as I have done all that was needed, tune-up, etc, except change the tire size from 235 to 225. However, I doubt if it will make that much of a difference. Any help will be appreciated.

 

Jinny, actually, I should revise my original mileage. I have not gotten more than 145 so far on a full tank. This is all in-city driving with A/C at economy at almost all the time. I have no clue on how to improve the mileage as I have done all that was needed, tune-up, etc, except change the tire size from 235 to 225. However, I doubt if it will make that much of a difference. Any help will be appreciated.

well... the all city driving is gonna take a big toll... so lets just assume part of the crappy mileage is from that... that way we can automatically assume that you won't be getting near 300 miles with your every day driving... even tho acording to the EPA rating ( I believe my 2000 RL is rated at 19 city and 29 highway) your average 16 gallon fill up should get you close to 300 miles...

but you may be stopping and idleing your car in traffic longer than the EPA does. or in NY, you may be stopping and going a lot more than the EPA does. on the hottest days, witht he AC on constantly (I don't think the "econ" setting makes a tremendous difference) I can manage 200-250 miles per 16 gallon fill up with mostly city driving. if we put you on the bad side of my mileage you aren't too far off...

do you drive a lot a people in your car? and/or carry a lot of stuff in the trunk? extra weight can make a difference.

if you are running 235's you are dragging around a little extra weight... and that extra weight is rotational weight which carries with it a significant gas mileage penalty compared to if that extra weight was somewhere else... also, if you are running anything bigger than 50 series tires for those 235's, then your tires are even heaver than they should be AND more significant than that, in your case, you will have significant oddometer error...

doing a few quick calculations...

unless my calculations are incorrect, if you had 235/60R16's your tire diameter would be about 27 inches... the stock 225/55R16's have a diameter of about 25.75 inches... what that means is that if you have the bigger 235/60R16 tires your speedometer will read a few mph slower than the old reading (bigger tire means more distance covered by same amount of rotation)... which means that when you when you've traveled 150 miles according to your odometer... the actual mileage it should have read, if you had the correct size tire, is closer to 160 miles...

so, all that combined may be your problem. if your car is running properly, 145/tank is not very good.

 

jinny,
here is the link to the mpg improvement with acetone from the Lexus forum. i don't have the knowledge to understand if its going to help or hurt a car. i hope you do and share your thought. thanks.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1385989#post1385989