I would be happy to get 36 in the winter. I live in PA so my temps aren't nearly as cold as yours. My commute is 2.2 miles with 7 red lights... (OK sometimes one or two are green but not often). The car doesn't even warm up by the time I get to work. Idling at the lights before the car is ready to AS is a killer. I usually get between 25 and 32mpg winter. Still get 45-48 highway in the winter (20+ mile trips).

Eric

 

OK, fair enough.

As many kind folks have said already, 36 MPG is not that bad considering that you are likely not prepared for this type of weather. To put it into context, my mileage does get that low but only in the coldest of months when the temps dip down to -40F and even lower. Again, my driving is all city and heavily instrumented with a "foot attitude" to match.

Now, at your temps I would do much better than 36 MPG and you can too. Just follow these directions in the order listed and you'll be OK:

1. Install and use a block heater. No joke. Consider it a MUST.
2. Block your grille. Do a search on this forum and you'll find pictures of how to do it and explanations on why.
3. Really read Tarabell's article.
4. Consider ALL the advice provided to you thus far since you started this thread.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Where you live affects your FE too. And it's not just temperature. It's something else. I don't live in Winterpeg, but I am one of the most efficient drivers without hypermiling (I though I was only a moderate, but that's not the case at all). Take away MSantos' winterizing and hypermiling techniques, and I bet they'll still do better than me. Maybe that's a poor example. How about this: I could guarantee that if you took a Vancouver Island resident and transplanted them and their car to Southern Ontario, then their FE will go down.

 

hi, i am also in minnesota, about 2 hours north of you. hi to BOTH minnesota writers in this thread. i have a 2005, and it does take some getting used to in the cold, but i will repeat some of what msantos just mentioned.

tank heater. i just had one installed at honda in brainerd and it cost about $125. it makes a world of difference. i have a 40 mile commute to st. cloud and with the heater the car warms up in 2 miles as opposed to 10.

try not to run down your battery too much. that is hard on it, and doesn't help the mileage.

slow acceleration with even pressure is best, and also helps with the battery.

did you mention how fast you were driving? i am lucky to be able to take back roads and keep it below 50 without much hassle. i know the cities can be quite different, but you might check into alternate routes that might be either slower or have less stops.

when i gets below freezing, the autostop generally won't work again. if it's going to be a long stop, i will often manually turn it off and on.

long idling, to warm up the car for example, also will have an affect on your mileage.

overinflate the tires. i run mine over 50 and even with snow tires on, i am still pulling good numbers.

i have been driving my hybrid for just over 2 years and it just keeps getting better.

even with the 10 degree days, i am still holding my daily average over 60, especially on the way to work, since the car is warmer when i start out.

good luck!

 

Laurie:
I am sick of reading all your posts about how you get better MPG than me in temperatures way lower!! You need to stop plugging in that block heater and start accelerating a little faster!

 

as they say here in minnesota......you betcha.........

maybe in the spring

sorry, one thing i forgot to mention that helps me is that i have a manual transmission. i realize that it can be a little harder with the automatic.

 

As some others have mentioned, your SHORT commute is killing your gas mileage. Your car is barely getting warmed up before your commute is over. Even in Dallas (at 60+ temps), the first 2 miles or so are poor gas mileage ones (30 or so MPG). But in 60+ temps, I quickly get to normal operating temperature, and my MPG improves to 45 or even 60. At 10 degrees, and a quite short commute, you are at a distinct disadvantage. Even in the summer, your short commute will make it difficult to achieve stellar MPG. Not impossible, but you'll really have to work at it.

Adding a block heater for the winter would probably be the best thing.

Park inside (or at least covered) if possible.

Minimize use of Defrost if possible and still safe. Adding power demands to a cold engine only makes the poor, inefficient, cold engine's MPG get even worse.

Keep working at it! You'll get better by experimenting a little. Keep reading comments by those in the know (and for your situation - those in the SNOW).

It's a great car and experience.

 

Something else effecting warm-up time sans block-heater is engine load. It's pretty flat out in my neighborhood, with 35-40 mph speed limits until I get the five miles to the interstate. On 30-degree mornings, no block heater, my car won't autostop at all during that time, and the temp gauge

(for whoever asked, you view the temp gauge by pushing the button to the right of the sel/reset button that cycles through dash computer displays)

the temp gauge will only be to four bars (and it needs to be, for my car, to 7 or 8 before autostopping). It's because the beautiful little Honda engine generates almost no **** heat under those conditions. That's why block heaters matter so much if you're after high FE -- in 10 degrees, you could idle the thing along at 35 mph on flat roads for 15 minutes and not have it warm enough to AS.

We also haven't talked about whether winds are a factor. My 55-mpg (summer, favorable winds, mostly 70 mph) commute was a 34-mpg commute a few nights ago at 30 degrees with a raging headwind. I'll take Kenny's line -- anything else I've ever driven would've been at 20 mpg, at best.

Still, this is my first summer-into-winter with the car, and watching the mpg drop 15-20% so, so

cheers --
doug

 

I'm jealous, I wish we had San Diego weather (and mpgs) up here! FWIW, I found my tire pressure dropped precipitously when the temps dipped (to ~36 or less). After going back up to 46 psi my mpgs went up 5-6. With it being cold, you'll lose a lot. I found that the closer to 2000 rpms I stay the less effect on FE. This works fine in my neighborhood where there are lots of children and I can serve as a natural "speed bump" so to speak for all those monster SUVs cutting through at 20 mph over with the driver talking on the phone with 1 hand and changing a diaper with the other, but not as well on main roads or freeways (where I seemed to get waved at by lots of people with 4 broken fingers).
Additionally, break-in will help. I found between 3-6K mi my HCH 2 did much better as time went on. If you have a long commute and can make up the miles, another trick I try on really cold days is to put the car in neutral and hold the accelerator at 1500 rpms or so at the first few lights to warm up the engine. With a 30 mile commute it doesn't hurt me that much. At 1900, the battery pack starts to charge which may not be a good thing on a really cold day it it's not warmed up yet.
Block heaters are great, provided you know how to install them. I'm no Bob Villa, Mr. Good wrench, or whatever so I've been a little shy at attempting that so far.
You used pipe wrap to insulate your grill? Great idea as I've been wondering what to use.
Good Luck--

Mike

 

Does anyone know---would using a heavier weight oil like 5W-20 cause an increase in friction and warm up the engine sooner, or would the heavier oil offset any advantages of this?