Gas Mileage

[thecaptain]

Originally Posted by N_Jay

I doubt it would hurt the trans.

(and as I am sure you know, it is illegal in most states)

Actually, as knowledgeable as I try to be and with all the defensive driving courses I've taken, I didn't know that. So seriously, thanks for teaching. I just learned something new.

Thanks for letting me know. It seems that in the final analysis, its illegal AND it really doesnt help the fuel economy, so its really not worth doing.

[rbenjami]

I get between 18 and 22 mpg in my '10 pilot. You will never get 30 mpg from this vehicle.

If you want better mileage, buy a Prius, not an SUV.

There are a lot of mileage nerds who will try some crazy things to get an extra dropper of gasoline at the end of a trip. Most of these things are pretty dangerous, fairly annoying to implement, and of questionable effect.

A note on free-wheeling discussed above. Not only is it illegal, it is very dangerous to drive without your car in gear. You generally have three things you can do to avoid an accident: speed up, slow down, steer around it. Why on earth would you remove one of your three options? Also, the answer to the question of whether it is bad for your transmission is a resounding YES. That torque converter doesn't sit there for decoration. Engaging from 800 rpm idle to 3500 rpm on the highway is a fairly violent encounter.

[thecaptain]

You will never get 30 mpg from this vehicle.

If you want better mileage, buy a Prius, not an SUV.

Of course and no where is that expected nor suggested. Regardless, its nice to hear others feedback on this vehicle.

There are a lot of mileage nerds who will try some crazy things to get an extra dropper of gasoline at the end of a trip. Most of these things are pretty dangerous, fairly annoying to implement, and of questionable effect.

Unfortunately I know this. I think the term I've heard is hyper-miling. I've hear others suggest rolling through stopsigns, etc.

Not only is it illegal, it is very dangerous to drive without your car in gear. You generally have three things you can do to avoid an accident: speed up, slow down, steer around it. Why on earth would you remove one of your three options? Also, the answer to the question of whether it is bad for your transmission is a resounding YES. That torque converter doesn't sit there for decoration. Engaging from 800 rpm idle to 3500 rpm on the highway is a fairly violent encounter.

I know its not advised but as I was driving down downgrades over 3 miles long with no other traffic nearby, I have to admit I tried it, given the conditions.

intuitively, the neutral coasting on a downhill seemed to make economical sense but I see I was wrong.

intuitively, the neutral coasting on a downhill seemed to me to perhaps have the potential to cause damage to the transmission and it seems I'm right.

Either way, I was happy with how the car drive under cruise control and how it managed fuel economy. So there is the best answer to maximize the mileage on the Pilot.

overall, a very informative discussion.

[rbenjami]

Originally Posted by thecaptain

intuitively, the neutral coasting on a downhill seemed to me to perhaps have the potential to cause damage to the transmission and it seems I'm right.

To be clear, it's not the coasting that is bad for your transmission, it's when you throw it back in gear at 60 mph and it has to "catch up" to the necessary rpm.

[thecaptain]

I know. Actually, on those downhills, when I threw it back into gear, I'd actually raise RPMs to 2300 before re-engaging.

But between trying to readjust for that *shock* back into gear for such a paltry gain/loss in mileage, it really is cutting one's nose to spite one's face.

So for best mileage, I put my trust in that Cruise control

[offroader]

Going downhill my car goes into "ECO", so I guess it is already trying to save some gas by using only 3 cylinders?

[wickerbill]

Originally Posted by offroader

Going downhill my car goes into "ECO", so I guess it is already trying to save some gas by using only 3 cylinders?

If you're coasting downhill and not pushing the gas it shuts down fuel to all of the cylinders. The momentum of your pilot going down the hill keeps the engine moving without any combustion occurring.

[Tom3]

I just let it coast (in gear) on downhills in the Rockies about a month ago. My mileage was spectacular on the downhill runs, which told me it had to be shutting off all cylinders. It was 26+ on those. You don't want to know what the mileage looked like on the way back, however.

[armpilot]

Grade makes all the difference on trips. I posted 11.5 L/100 kms one way on a 1300km trip and 10.2 on the way back, down slope and same highways coming back.

[turo]

i've got a 2011 pilot 2wd and I took it to vegas from san antonio. Total mpg round trip was 20.8 Including city driving in vegas. Total miles round trip 2800 miles

[Hutch]

I have a 2010 2WD. Just got back today from a 2,700 mile road trip from the KC area to Virginia and back. Total MPG was 21.33 with a best tank of 22.89.

My MPG was improved by:
Leaving at 1:00 AM the first day and driving for a few hours without air conditioning or traffic.
Minimizing my wife's driving....she tends to cruise at 5 MPH faster than me.

These are probably not an option for all drivers.

[h3xme]

Originally Posted by maxummus

I did a test last weekend about mpg. The conclusion...if you drive slow and stopping less you'll get more bang for the buck. I drove on the highway at 10-15 miles less then the posted sign and I didn't gas pedal when going down hill. I also use neutral and coast before I come up to a stop light/sign. I manage to get 23.3 per gallon. So driving slower and using neutral gear for coasting will help your gas mileage.

I'm wondering if coasting in neutral might damage anything in the VTM drive train.

[N_Jay]

Originally Posted by h3xme

I'm wondering if coasting in neutral might damage anything in the VTM drive train.

I would doubt it since the Pilot (pre '06 I think) could be 4 wheel towed. (RV tow).

The thing that can be hard is the re-engagement of the trans at speed.

As discussed earlier;
It does not save any fuel and is usually illegal.

[whizmo]

Just to be clear guys, almost all modern FI systems shut off ALL fuel during coast down and only re-introduce for idling as a vehicle is coming to a stop. So putting the vehicle in neutral when going downhill actually uses more gas because the FI system has to use extra fuel to keep the engine from stalling.

Now you can come up with some bizarre scenarios where coasting in neutral allows the vehicle to coast more easily, building up momentum that you can use later on the flats in lieu of throttle, but I doubt these scenarios are very common.

- Mark

[rc1991]

Just took a round trip from NJ to MA - about 250 miles each way. On the drive up we got 21.5 mpg with a little local driving in before we got on the hwy and driving up in pouring rain most of the way. On the return - perfect weather and not much traffic - all hwy driving we got 23.6 mpg - was really quite pleased overall. Oh yeah - 2011 Pilot 4WD Touring.