Well as many of you have figured out by now - I haven't been around here for a while. Such is life:-) However my fascination with obtaining the best possible mileage has not diminished at all, in fact I have been carefully keeping track of the mileage that I've been getting (or not getting) on my new 2008 Honda. The car is rated at 35 highway and 26 in the city, but the reality is that I've been getting around 17 in the city and 27 on the highway. Naturally, I've been complaining to Honda about this for the entire past year and they've been telling me that their computers verify that the car is running perfectly. I felt I was getting the run around and I said so. Finally, the service manager, Antony at Paragon Honda agreed with me that the car should be road-tested by his best technician, Ken. We arranged a time, and because it took a month to do this I thought I was being stalled - but I went along with it so that I could at least get it done.
So two days ago Ken and I got into the car, went together to a gas station and filled it up. At that point he said that the driving conditions were that all accessories had to be turned off and that the windows had to be rolled up. I said no problem. We drove approximately 50 miles (about 10 on city streets and 40 on the highway) - all the while obeying the speed limits. I was vigilant in keeping track of when and where the miles were being racked up - figuring that staying on the highway longer was certain to slant things in their favor, but still I was okay with that since I figured that the best he would be able to do would be at the very most - 29 on the highway and possibly 20 in the city - if he coasted a lot...
When we returned to the gas station and filled the car once again to measure the mileage I'm sure that my mouth fell open - we got 45+MPG on that little trip! He explained to me that the aerodynamics of the car with the windows up were responsible for a lot of that difference, and that leaving the AC off in particular assured that the Alternator did not kick in. Naturally, the Alternator creates drag on the engine.
It was 80 degrees out and with the windows up it was damned hot in that car, but that he was able to prove to me without a doubt that the car could actually do much better than advertised was stunning. His driving was not all that different from the way I drive normally - trying to stay below 2000 RPM and not revving the engine etc., but still he got that impressive mileage in my car.
Should Honda and other car makers be telling us that in order to get superior mileage, as stated on the sticker, we need to travel around in a well appointed sweat-boxes, with the windows up and using none of the gadgets installed by them? Yes, of course they should! Will they ever do such a thing? Hell no, it would be bad for business - right? Is this a scam? No not at all: it is simply a lie by omission designed by ad agencies to sell cars. As long as we continue to buy the lie we are as responsible for the problem as they are.
Fight back by continuing the search for a better way, better mileage, and a better life for us and our children. If we don't do it we can be certain of one thing - the corporations won't do it either.
So two days ago Ken and I got into the car, went together to a gas station and filled it up. At that point he said that the driving conditions were that all accessories had to be turned off and that the windows had to be rolled up. I said no problem. We drove approximately 50 miles (about 10 on city streets and 40 on the highway) - all the while obeying the speed limits. I was vigilant in keeping track of when and where the miles were being racked up - figuring that staying on the highway longer was certain to slant things in their favor, but still I was okay with that since I figured that the best he would be able to do would be at the very most - 29 on the highway and possibly 20 in the city - if he coasted a lot...
When we returned to the gas station and filled the car once again to measure the mileage I'm sure that my mouth fell open - we got 45+MPG on that little trip! He explained to me that the aerodynamics of the car with the windows up were responsible for a lot of that difference, and that leaving the AC off in particular assured that the Alternator did not kick in. Naturally, the Alternator creates drag on the engine.
It was 80 degrees out and with the windows up it was damned hot in that car, but that he was able to prove to me without a doubt that the car could actually do much better than advertised was stunning. His driving was not all that different from the way I drive normally - trying to stay below 2000 RPM and not revving the engine etc., but still he got that impressive mileage in my car.
Should Honda and other car makers be telling us that in order to get superior mileage, as stated on the sticker, we need to travel around in a well appointed sweat-boxes, with the windows up and using none of the gadgets installed by them? Yes, of course they should! Will they ever do such a thing? Hell no, it would be bad for business - right? Is this a scam? No not at all: it is simply a lie by omission designed by ad agencies to sell cars. As long as we continue to buy the lie we are as responsible for the problem as they are.
Fight back by continuing the search for a better way, better mileage, and a better life for us and our children. If we don't do it we can be certain of one thing - the corporations won't do it either.
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