Fuel Economy numbers on the 07 Cr-v

[okla07crv]

I took my first trip yesterday in the new 07 all wheel drive CR-V EX-L and only averaged 20 mpg. This is no where close to advertised. Any others with this problem?

[Steffiro]

he could have been full of it, but my dealer told me that the fuel economy would be worse while the car was breaking in.

[shrug]

[mdugan7000]

I took my first trip yesterday in the new 07 all wheel drive CR-V EX-L and only averaged 20 mpg. This is no where close to advertised. Any others with this problem?

This is a weekly discussion. Read thru the numerous other threads already out there.

1. It does need to break-in. It may take 5,000-10,000 miles for that to fully happen. Mileage will go up.

2. NEVER believe a car's computer. It is a guess. Figure fuel mileage manually.

3. It's a Honda. Let it REV and don't baby it or drive at the same rpm levels for very long during break-in. The break-in proceedure is to ensure brakes, tranny, rear diff, etc. are treated gently so that surfaces can mate properly for a long life. The engine can and should be treated differently.
How? Run it to redline often and brake gently. It will break-in quicker and reward you with better MPG and long engine life. You're not trying to break-in a new Ford engine but a Honda.

[sleeksilver]

I took my first trip yesterday in the new 07 all wheel drive CR-V EX-L and only averaged 20 mpg. This is no where close to advertised. Any others with this problem?

you are also running winter blend fuel, less efficient.

[Cravemeister]

T
3. It's a Honda. Let it REV

That contradicts the 2007 Honda CR-V's owner's manual about gentle acceleration.

[mdugan7000]

That contradicts the 2007 Honda CR-V's owner's manual about gentle acceleration.
The gentle acceleration is so that you get the rest of the mechanicals broke-in. The engine doesn't need it - the tranny, rear end, brakes, etc. do.

[sleeksilver]

That contradicts the 2007 Honda CR-V's owner's manual about gentle acceleration.


Also called the motoman breakin method. Controversial but a lot of people swear by it.

[mdugan7000]

Idling (and cold starts) are the 2 worst things to your new engine. Start it and drive it.
Cylinder wall glazing can occur when the engine is run at power levels too low to produce temperatures high enough to expand the piston rings sufficiently to prevent a film of oil being left on the cylinder walls. The high temperatures in the combustion chamber will oxidize this oil film so that it creates a condition commonly called glazing. When this happens, the ring break-in process stops, and excessive oil consumption can occur. Excessive glazing can only be corrected by removing the cylinders and re-honing the walls.

[Skrapiron]

I saw a huge drop in my average MPG when the stations switched from summer blend to winter blend fuel.

On summer blend gas, I was routinely averaging 26+mpg in mixed driving.
I filled up the tank yesterday and figured out I only got 22.9mpg from mixed driving.

I also found that where I buy my gas matters too. When I use BP gas, I average about 2-4mpg less than I do with fuel from Sunoco. Here is western PA, I try to use Red-Apple/Kwik Fill. I tend to get my best economy from their fuel (close to 27mpg).

Since the EPA introduced stricter clean air standards, ALL fuel distributors were forced to blend ethanol with their fuels to meet those standards. The ehtanol content will vary anywhere from 5% up to 20%.
Gas contanining up to 20% ethanol blend will deliver signifigantly less fuel economy than fuel containing only 5%.

Be aware when you purchase your fuel. Don't shop on price alone. You never know how much alcohol is in that bargain basement gas.

[mdugan7000]

I saw a huge drop in my average MPG when the stations switched from summer blend to winter blend fuel.

On summer blend gas, I was routinely averaging 26+mpg in mixed driving.
I filled up the tank yesterday and figured out I only got 22.9mpg from mixed driving.

I also found that where I buy my gas matters too. When I use BP gas, I average about 2-4mpg less than I do with fuel from Sunoco. Here is western PA, I try to use Red-Apple/Kwik Fill. I tend to get my best economy from their fuel (close to 27mpg).

Since the EPA introduced stricter clean air standards, ALL fuel distributors were forced to blend ethanol with their fuels to meet those standards. The ehtanol content will vary anywhere from 5% up to 20%.
Gas contanining up to 20% ethanol blend will deliver signifigantly less fuel economy than fuel containing only 5%.

Be aware when you purchase your fuel. Don't shop on price alone. You never know how much alcohol is in that bargain basement gas.

Yep, winter blend costs mpg, big time. I would say 10% (2-2.5mpg) is a reasonable amount of the mpg loss vs summer gasoline.

I must disagree on your ethanol blend percentages though. A station is allowed to have a blend of "up to 10% ethanol. It is doubtful that you will find more than 2-5% ethanol in actual use. Ethanol costs more than straight gasoline and will continue to as long as corn prices stay over $3 or so per bushel. Corn is right now around $4 per bushel. There is no station out there selling 20% ethanol blended fuel labeled as gasoline. They would be losing their butt on the cost.

Stations get their fuel from bulk terminals that serve multiple brands of fuel. It starts out all coming from the same big storage tanks and the "custom blend" is done as the tanker is filled, per the specs of each brand's formulas.

E85 fuel is 85% ethanol and your V will not run on it, at least not for long or very well.

[CRaVeTHIS]

I found this site...it looks reputable since its a "gov"

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/factors.shtml#new_vehicles

it backs up alot of what people are saying on here.

People that are getting close to the EPA MPG estimates where are you filling up? My family has always been Anti-BP and Pro-Shell. Lately though I have been filling up at Giant Eagle (a grocery store) here in Ohio. Has anyone had any experience with this? I just got my V Monday night!!! It only has 75 miles on it, so I want to make sure I'm getting the best gas right from its first fill up :)

Also, I read that turning on your car in the winter to let it warm up is bad, that youre just wasting gas.... what do you guys think?

[mdugan7000]

Also, I read that turning on your car in the winter to let it warm up is bad, that youre just wasting gas.... what do you guys think?

Absolutely - Even your V's manual agrees. This is ESPECIALLY important during break-in. Start it and GO. It takes much longer for an idling engine to warm up than it does one that is under even a slight load.

[CRaVeTHIS]

I also just found this on http://www.cleanair.utah.gov/winter_driving.htm

"Once a vehicle is running, the best way to warm it up is to drive it. Driving cuts warm-up times in half. With computer-controlled, fuel-injected engines, you need no more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days before driving away. Older cars should only warm for a couple of minutes. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions."

I've heard this before... I dont want to hurt my new V, and I dont want to waste fuel... what to do? :?

[CRaVeTHIS]

Absolutely - Even your V's manual agrees. This is ESPECIALLY important during break-in. Start it and GO. It takes much longer for an idling engine to warm up than it does one that is under even a slight load.


I must have missed that in the manual... I'm one of those people that obsessively reads it before I even drive the car...lol. I got ahold of a copy online the weekend before I got my car and had the whole thing read before I picked up V up at the dealer Mon. night :)

[Cravemeister]

The gentle acceleration is so that you get the rest of the mechanicals broke-in. The engine doesn't need it - the tranny, rear end, brakes, etc. do.

So since there are only automatics available in the US for the '07 model, how do you suggest to let it "rev"? I guess you could put in D3 or even 1 or 2, but then the tranny would take more abuse.

No...I don't consider revving my new CR-V in neutral a good idea.

[sleeksilver]

I always let my car idle for about 30 seconds before I go anywhere when it is below freezing....

CraveThis- Why are you anti-BP??? :confused:

[CRaVeTHIS]

:D

CraveThis- Why are you anti-BP??? :confused:


http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html

Check out this link. I've always found that I get crappier gas milage with any vehicle (i've owned an Acura, Saturn, Toyota) with gas from BP.

Shell seems to give me the best MPG, and this article furthers my belief. I was using the gasoline from Get-Go a Giant Eagle grocery store based on my mother's experiences using it, but after reading that article I will only be using "Top Tier" gas.

I have yet to fill up my brand new V (she's only got 75 miles on her :D so far) but when I do I will be using Shell gasoline.

[chrisk_352]

Don't believe everything uou read.

I have a friend that works at Chevron (his Director of Operations at one of their sites). Over the holiday, we were talking and he made an interesting comment. He said, all gasolines made by different brands are the same. Your car won't be able to tell the difference. Meaning whether you buy the gas from name brand to no name brand, it makes no difference. Only difference it can tell is between 87 and 91 octance. Furthermore, don;t waste your money by using 89 octane since there are practically no difference between 87 & 89 octane. You either use regular unleaded or premium unleaded and don't bother with midium one.

[mdugan7000]

So since there are only automatics available in the US for the '07 model, how do you suggest to let it "rev"? I guess you could put in D3 or even 1 or 2, but then the tranny would take more abuse.

No...I don't consider revving my new CR-V in neutral a good idea.

DUH. You don't rev it in neutral. DRIVE IT so the revs go up higher, under load. It isn't going to hurt the tranny one bit to stay in a lower gear. That's why they have a lockout on the overdrive. Ask fox22 about the abuse he's given an auto tranny V.

[Skrapiron]

[QUOTE=mdugan7000;212661]Yep, winter blend costs mpg, big time. I would say 10% (2-2.5mpg) is a reasonable amount of the mpg loss vs summer gasoline.

I must disagree on your ethanol blend percentages though. A station is allowed to have a blend of "up to 10% ethanol. It is doubtful that you will find more than 2-5% ethanol in actual use. Ethanol costs more than straight gasoline and will continue to as long as corn prices stay over $3 or so per bushel. Corn is right now around $4 per bushel. There is no station out there selling 20% ethanol blended fuel labeled as gasoline. They would be losing their butt on the cost.

QUOTE]

Normally, I'd agree with that logic. But certain states with very strict clean air standards (such as California) are MANDATING up to a 20% blend of ethanol. In the past, they used MTBE to lower the particulate emissions in the 47 some million registered automobiles. MTBE was found to carcinogenic and was ending up in the water tables around the state. The US EPA banned the use of MTBE and left California to come up with it's own alternative. They, like the rest of the US went with ethanol.

I found this out from a friend who owns a Saturn Greenline. He bought the truck expecting 27mpg in the city (being a mild hybrid). In Phoenix, he was getting 24-25mpg in the city. When he moved to Fresno, his milage dropped to 19-21mpg in the city. He took the Vue to the dealer who did some diagnostics. They found the ethanol content of the fuel in the gas tank was a staggering 23%! No wonder his fuel economy suffered. He was paying close to $3.35 a gallon to boot (gas here in Pa was around $2.35)

I found that Giant Eagle's get-go gas gives me horrible milage. I think they use more than 10% ethanol in their blend....

[Racoon]

Check the pump -- it's supposed to tell you if there's ethanol in the fuel, and what %.

FYI - The 1999 Honda CR-V Owners Manual specifies that you can use gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol, as does the 2007 Honda CR-V Owners Manual.

:)

[sleeksilver]

Highest I've ever seen in VA is 10%. Anyone ever seen a higher content???

[liquidfuel88]

i've seen 85%

aka E85 :)

[Racoon]

i've seen 85%

aka E85 :)
Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny.


;)

[sleeksilver]

Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny.


;)

:confused:

I don't get it :| :cry:

[Cravemeister]

DUH. You don't rev it in neutral. DRIVE IT so the revs go up higher, under load. It isn't going to hurt the tranny one bit to stay in a lower gear. That's why they have a lockout on the overdrive. Ask fox22 about the abuse he's given an auto tranny V.

Obviously, I was joking about revving it in neutral.

I agree that running it under load is an acceptable way to help cause the thermal expansion of the engine's actuating/mated parts, but only after the engine has reached it's nominal operating temperature.

Just remember, lower RPM's equals less fatigue and wear.

[Racoon]

Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny.
:confused:

I don't get it :| :cry:
It was sarcasm.

E85 is an 85% ethanol/15% gasoline fuel. It will not work in most gasoline engines. The engine has to be specifically designed to be able to run on E85.

:)

[ericlp]

Dunno... I got plenty of hills to go up and down. I'm getting 27/28 with mixed hyw/city driving. And getting 30+ freeway driving tho, there is hardly any freeway around here. I don't red line it. But I don't baby it either... So... I hope it goes up after break in! But over all, I think the vtec 2.4L is a great engine. Enough power for me and good gas millage is a very good plus.

[dreese9859]

Since I got the car I've been going to Hess resulting in 30-32MPG each visit. A couple of weeks ago I went to RaceTrack and the result of that was 28MPG. Went to BP the next time and got 28.5MPG. Went back to Hess and now I'm back up in the 30-32MPG range.

[L454S]

Filled up the 07 today, went 324 mi on 12gal even. 70/30highway-city mix, thats 27mpg. Shell regular gas. Duelers at 35psi.

Also filled the 04 yesterday, went 225 mi on 9.2 gal. 25/75 highway-city mix, thats 24.5mpg. Shell regular gas. Duelers at 35psi.

[mdugan7000]

Obviously, I was joking about revving it in neutral.

I agree that running it under load is an acceptable way to help cause the thermal expansion of the engine's actuating/mated parts, but only after the engine has reached it's nominal operating temperature.

Just remember, lower RPM's equals less fatigue and wear.

While lower rpm useage would seemingly produce less wear, we hear about 200,000 and 300,000 mile Honda engines all the time. I am certainly not worried about high revs on the engine.

(no offense was meant about the revving in idle - I routinely see videos on YouTube with idiots revving the engine in idle, bouncing them off the rev limiter and wanted to ensure that people didn't think that was a good idea.)

[whisperingshadow]

getting close to 5k miles and close to first oil change...get about 20mpg.

[talal]

ok hear this ...my car s mileage is........12.5....in city
22 ...on highways at 80mph speed
i went to the company and they told its my driving habit
i drive like my grandma
help... there is somthing wrong!!!

[mdugan7000]

ok hear this ...my car s mileage is........12.5....in city
22 ...on highways at 80mph speed
i went to the company and they told its my driving habit
i drive like my grandma
help... there is somthing wrong!!!

80 mph is your highway problem. You are driving an SUV which is nowhere near as aerodynamic as a car. The faster you go the more wind resistance it has to overcome. Slow down and the MPG will go up. :idea:

[badgerland]

Well if you're anything like my grandma (who shouldn't be on the road anyways) :-P she never gets the car out of 2nd gear so I could see why mileage is bad. If you are driving 80mph on the hwy how fast are you going in the city between stops?? I might have to agree with the dealership on this one.

[Racoon]

From fueleconomy.gov...

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/images/speedVsMpg3.gif

:)

[chrisk_352]

80 mph is your highway problem. You are driving an SUV which is nowhere near as aerodynamic as a car. The faster you go the more wind resistance it has to overcome. Slow down and the MPG will go up. :idea:

I have to disagree. Just because you are going fast, it doesn't necessary mean that your gas mileage gets worse. You shouldn't drive too fast, however, 80 isn't too bad depending on where you are. Just last weekend, I averaged 28mpg with average speed of about 80mph for 200 mile distance. If you have the 07 CR-V, try it, it might surprise you.

[chrisk_352]

From fueleconomy.gov...

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/images/speedVsMpg3.gif

:)

That's what they want you to believe so that we would slow down. From my understanding, most of the cars are optimized at 70mph for best gas mileage. Most of the gas cars. Hybrids are different.

[sleeksilver]

So what you are trying to say is that your vehicle burns less gas running at higher RPMs, and under a harder load trying to push the vehicle through the air???

False. Driving faster requires more gas.

Maybe it wouldn't make a difference if there was no wind resistance, but since we live on earth.........

[chrisk_352]

So what you are trying to say is that your vehicle burns less gas running at higher RPMs, and under a harder load trying to push the vehicle through the air???

False. Driving faster requires more gas.

Maybe it wouldn't make a difference if there was no wind resistance, but since we live on earth.........

If you have the 07 CRV, try it first and tell me.

If what you said was true, if I were to drive 5 mph, I should be able to get 100 mpg or more.

[sleeksilver]

If you have the 07 CRV, try it first and tell me.

If what you said was true, if I were to drive 5 mph, I should be able to get 100 mpg or more.

That is not what I am saying, take a look at the graph that racoon provided....

[badgerland]

If you have the 07 CRV, try it first and tell me.

If what you said was true, if I were to drive 5 mph, I should be able to get 100 mpg or more.

This is an oversimplified statement. We all know that cars are designed to get the best mileage around 40-60mph. I think the concept here was that at higher speeds - above 70mph, the car uses more gas and doesn't get better fuel economy especially on a Gen1 which isn't all that aerodynamic to start with.

[chrisk_352]

This is an oversimplified statement. We all know that cars are designed to get the best mileage around 40-60mph. I think the concept here was that at higher speeds - above 70mph, the car uses more gas and doesn't get better fuel economy especially on a Gen1 which isn't all that aerodynamic to start with.

I agree with your statement completely. I just think, the current generation cars are built with higher tolerance in that what used to be 40 to 60 in older gen car are now 65 - 75mph. Try it. This is one of the reason that some of the states are raising their speed limit to optimize it. I am just stating what I read as well as what I heard from reliable sources that work in auto industry while sleeksilver is bashing what I said with sarcastic comment.

[Racoon]

I agree with your statement completely. I just think, the current generation cars are built with higher tolerance in that what used to be 40 to 60 in older gen car are now 65 - 75mph. Try it. This is one of the reason that some of the states are raising their speed limit to optimize it. I am just stating what I read as well as what I heard from reliable sources that work in auto industry while sleeksilver is bashing what I said with sarcastic comment.
Possibly true for low, sleek, aerodynamic vehicles.

Definitely not true for large boxy SUVs (which inclues the CR-V) and minivans.

Physics don't lie.

JM2C

[peter p]

Now over 10K here with average mpg recorded by the crv computer since day 1 at 25.5 mpg...and that's with primarily highway driving averaging 60-85 mph.
Will reset the computer with first oil change that is now due according to the service minder and expect to see better after the "break-in".

[MiniUteShopper]

The reason your mileage drops as your speed gets higher is because the wind resistance increases. and if your speed doubles, your wind resistance is quadrupled. That's not something that can be overcome by todays engineering. Yes, cars are more aerodynamic than older cars, but wind resistance is still there, and its still greater at higher speeds. The raising of speed limits is not confirmation of a repeal of the laws of physics. You will absolultely, positively get better mileage at 65mph than you do at 75: no how aerodymanic your car.

[Racoon]

The reason your mileage drops as your speed gets higher is because the wind resistance increases. and if your speed doubles, your wind resistance is quadrupled. That's not something that can be overcome by todays engineering. Yes, cars are more aerodynamic than older cars, but wind resistance is still there, and its still greater at higher speeds. The raising of speed limits is not confirmation of a repeal of the laws of physics. You will absolultely, positively get better mileage at 65mph than you do at 75: no how aerodymanic your car.
x2

And while earlier years were worse, even the 2007 CR-V is still a large square box from an aerodynamic standpoint.

:)

[connermt]

Possibly true for low, sleek, aerodynamic vehicles.

Definitely not true for large boxy SUVs (which inclues the CR-V) and minivans.

Physics don't lie.

JM2C
To be fair, just because something is a ("boxy" being a relative term) SUV, doesn't automatically mean it isn't aerodynamic (the GMC Acadia has Cd of .344, the 06 RAV4 has Cd of .33, for examples). According to Hondanews.com, the CRV drag was improved by 10%, (with a 67% reduced front coefficient of lift versus the older model). Which would mean, if the 06 CRV has a Cd of .40 (which seems to be relatively average in the segment), the 10% improvement would be .36

I would be insterested in the Cd & front area of the 07 CRV - anyone know (I have seen .34, but can't confirm that)?