[WiiMaster]

Has your driving style changed? If you're stepping on the gas more than you were previously that would cause a difference. Generally the difference is a loss of 1 or 2 at most.

 

[JYOO]

In my case, the fuel efficiency got better than before. I think it has something to do with RPM fluctuations, and engine braking effect on downhills and coasting when VCM was active. I had to hit the gas more to get enough power on uphills, and when my foot is off the gas pedal, it used to slow down to a stop quicker than It should. Now with S-VCM installed, it is coasting longer. So I need to hit the gas less frequently.

 

[WiiMaster]

Forgot to mention that. Some people (myself included) have seen MPG increases when disabling VCM. In some cases, driving style can cause the engine to spend more time switching between different cylinder modes vs staying in any one mode, and this can be more inefficient than just staying in 6 cylinder mode.

 

[NCapurata]

Has your driving style changed? If you're stepping on the gas more than you were previously that would cause a difference. Generally the difference is a loss of 1 or 2 at most.

Thanks for your input. In this particular case, I would say the driving style and other road factors such as traffic, load, etc. were also the same. Maybe I was more aware of the tachometer/speedometer. ECO mode was in, but that is also always on. What I did notice that at the red lights and exits off the highway, the “green eco” indicator bar at top of the bar was white. Maybe due to all 6 cylinders running while at a stop vs. 3.

 

[ls973800]

I have a 2019 with the 9 speed and just about at 40000 miles. Purchased new and installed a S-VCM at around 10000 miles. Removed it after about 10000 miles because 1) I didn't notice a difference with it and 2) my lifetime mpg dropped between 1.5 and 2 mpg.

Not a drop of oil use for the life of the vehicle with 5000 mle oil and filter changes done by me.

 

[hokiefyd]

Those who have installed a S-VCM or variant - are you seeing a reduction in MPG of 3.5 to 4 less?

We haven't seen that with our 2022 model. I don't have any instrumented testing, controlling for variables, or anything like that...but I have about 14k miles on the car and I'd say that about half of them were with VCM enabled and half with VCM disabled. Our perceived (again, not controlled for variables) fuel economy is definitely lower with VCM disabled, but it's not by much. I'd say somewhere between 5 and 10%.

So a 20 mpg drive cycle with VCM enabled would turn into something like an 18.5 mpg drive cycle with it disabled.

And a 28 mpg drive cycle with VCM enabled would turn into something like a 26 mpg cycle with it disabled.

We drive about 10k miles per year on average. And I think our overall fuel economy has dropped from somewhere around 22 mpg to perhaps 21 mpg. The maths say that's about 21 additional gallons consumed each year with VCM disabled. So...60...70 bucks...somewhere in there. The cost of the device itself (I have the original VCMuzzler) was $90. So the total cost penalty, for us, for disabling the VCM is $90 + $70/year...or nearly $800 after 10 years.

For us, it's definitely not without cost. But it's also not without benefit.

 

[Mike77]

I have been using S-VCM in 2022 Pilot for almost one week, and I wold say the fuel economy has dropped by 10%. However, we had some rain and snow this past week which might have contributed to this drop in fuel economy.

 

[parshisa]

Had SVCM installed a little over a year now. Every fill up is being tracked in Fuelly app. No change in the fuel economy. Car has 67k (purchased brand new) on the clock and lifetime average is 19.2mpg (mostly driven around the town hauling kids, groceries, etc - my wife's daily driver)

As far as oil consumption, all oil changes done by me, haven't noticed any oil consumption to date.

 

[prix03gt]

Yes. I averaged close to 30mpg on my 100 mile round trip to work. Now, I get more like 25mpg. I attribute this to a few things. 1. After having the fuel injectors replaced under warranty, my mileage dropped easily 1-2mpg. 2. I have a much heavier foot now that the car is so responsive. My driving style has certainly gone back to "drive it like you stole it."

As others have said, if I don't dig into it, and granny drive it, I can eek out close to the same MPG on the highway.

 

[BikeRidingPilotFan]

We drive about 10k miles per year on average. And I think our overall fuel economy has dropped from somewhere around 22 mpg to perhaps 21 mpg. The maths say that's about 21 additional gallons consumed each year with VCM disabled. So...60...70 bucks...somewhere in there. The cost of the device itself (I have the original VCMuzzler) was $90. So the total cost penalty, for us, for disabling the VCM is $90 + $70/year...or nearly $800 after 10 years.

For us, it's definitely not without cost. But it's also not without benefit.

That's exactly how I look at it. When you do the math a slight dip in MPG is virtually nothing in the grand scheme of things over the life of a vehicle.

 

[ecjohnny]

Mine is a 2017 FWD EX. I did not notice any significant change in MPG after installing SVCM. And I always closely monitor MPG.

 

[BikeRidingPilotFan]

Sorry, I'm not trying to drag this out but... I can get about 3mpg more out of my car just by having me drive and and not my wife. There are just too many variables to really sweat a MPG or 2.

 

[sequoiasoon]

I don't even know overall where I was before SVCM and currently am. I do track it manually in a book but haven't calculated recently. Dash says about 18mpg normally BUT my wife has a VERY heavy foot. My summer tires are also upsized so that changes overall MPG as documented. No issues with oil at 44k, doing my own changes. The benefits of no tranny slip and the lack of engine braking to coast make it drive like other vehicles, what I would consider normal. That downshift to stop signs was driving us crazy.

Gas mileage example for wife - I did a 500 mile round trip in her old Sequoia. I drove very easy and avg mileage showed 18-19mpg. She drove around town 2 days and I got in later, it showed 9mpg avg. WTF??? She did not know how to reset the avg meter so that was not it.

 

[hokiefyd]

That downshift to stop signs was driving us crazy.

Now that we're in a separate thread that's not a poll, can you describe more what this feels like? As I had said earlier, I haven't been able to perceive any consistent difference with how the car drives when decelerating (with the 9-speed). The engine braking, downshift timing, scheduling, feel, etc...it all feels about the same before-and-after VCM muzzling. What are the things you feel as 6-speed owners? I've read the comments several times about deceleration feeling smoother, and am wondering what the behavior changes are.

 

[Mike77]

In my previous 2017, 6 speed Pilot, the engine braking was very noticeable. You feel something that is going really to hold the car when you slow down. It was really annoying.

 

[hokiefyd]

So it felt like a real drag with VCM enabled and operating, but with VCM disabled, it felt like the car would just freewheel as it coasted? I suppose the engine braking would be ONLY during VCM operation, right? So it'd feel more or less normal during deceleration when the engine was cold...like before it warmed up beyond 167*F? That's interesting.

 

[cintocrunch]

Sorry, I'm not trying to drag this out but... I can get about 3mpg more out of my car just by having me drive and and not my wife. There are just too many variables to really sweat a MPG or 2.

So I'm not the only one? My wife will get 15-16 with the Pilot around town and I jump in and all the sudden it's 17-18 over the course of a weekend driving the same areas.

 

[Mike77]

So it felt like a real drag with VCM enabled and operating, but with VCM disabled, it felt like the car would just freewheel as it coasted? I suppose the engine braking would be ONLY during VCM operation, right? So it'd feel more or less normal during deceleration when the engine was cold...like before it warmed up beyond 167*F? That's interesting.

Based on my week of driving with VCM disabled in my 2022 Pilot, I would say the driving experience is more consistent now although there is not much a big of difference. Still too early to judge.
Having the VCM to meet some regulation with so many added systems to mitigate the risk of it does not sound right for the long term. I know I am loosing some saving in gas, but I can live with this if it is better for the car in the long run.

 

[2022PilotTouring]

I just did a trip 70 mile round trip with barely any traffic and 5 red light stops on rt 9 in NJ, in D mode and coasted to stops in advance. I avg. 25.5 MPG each way with the SVCM installed. City driving, around 11-16 MPG (mostly waiting on red lights) It was about the same in my Passport 2019 without the SVCM for city, I don't remember the highway MPG for the Passport, didn't care, hated the way it drove, from the suspension to the transmission to the audio and head unit issues that took the dealer two years to fix. I would've got the GX 460 if I realized before I got the Pilot knowing what I know now, but it's done. Honda's are commodity not quality vehicles. If I dump the 2022 Pilot at the end of lease, I wont be going back to Honda ever again.