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When did you change you air filter last? [pollen]
 

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/12/20 12:30 PM

When did you change you air filter last? [pollen]

I wondered why the CRV slowly declined in MPG over the last few tanks.

Changed it 2-3 week ago and car has been over 31 AVG since. About 600 miles worth now.

I blew it out with a compressor before our 2019 East OR desert trip, it looked OK @ 15k on the ODO, but had it out and in my hand and a compressor handy...

That trip included a few over the top peaky passes we traversed. Deserts is terrain east of home and over the Cascade range. We hit home over 32 MPH for the trip avg.

I guess this car is sensitive to intake efficiency.

As to pollen, with so many less cars on the road for approx 3 months, air quality went way up. Subsenquently vegetation thrived with the less stress presumably.

I'd not seen pollen like this here anywhere in my life.
Bike rides huffing it for a few hours made lungs feel like you rode in volcanic ash or something. Just what you need to really seat the CV-19 paranoia, lung itch. ;0

It had not occurred to me the cars air filter would be clogged up way ahead of the service interval with pollen.

My avg went from 26.4 to 31.1 MPG. I thought about bringing it to Honda to check it when it got so low and stayed there.

So heads up if you are seeing abated MPG and experienced same pollen rich environment during the stall earlier this year.

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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5096
Location: Nashua, NH

8/12/20 7:05 PM

Pollen here seems to be a bit heavier than normal, but that may be more due to lack of rainfall to wash it away than anything else.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/15/20 9:51 AM

Yep

I noticed a smaller, but still significant, increase in MPG when I changed the filter in my Fit.

Don't forget to change the cabin air filter at the same time. The car will smell better, too.

It used to be that when you got an oil change, they checked your air filter, but that hasn't been my experience in the past little while.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/15/20 10:21 AM

I had done the cabin in the CR V not too long ago. But I forgot for the Fit. Thanks for reminder.

I did do the Fit air cleaner Thurs @ 22k. One round trip commute of 54 miles, still reads same 40.2 MPG. The CR V MPG changed upward immediately by comparison.

The CR V with A/C use more last few day has sunk to 30.9 avg now, pitiful for AWD. ;)

Well, at least that is what the computer would have you believe.

I don't really drive very much that the CR-V MPG is critical, like the 54 mile per day Fit use.

But any money saved is bike stuff the way I see it. ;)

Pretty happy with these two cars, but alas they are still very new.

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stan
Joined: 14 Feb 2004
Posts: 467

8/15/20 9:33 PM

Many variation with manufacturers and even models within the same manufacturer. Generally it ranges from 12,000 to 30,000 but all say it is much room when driving in dust, pollen, and dirt/soot. I can really tell when acceleration drops.

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dddd
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3345
Location: NorCal

8/16/20 3:28 PM

I replace my vehicle's inexpensive air cleaner elements at only half the recommended mileage, because I believe this is the cheapest horsepower to dollar improvement that is practical. I can usually only hear the difference from installing a new filter if the throttle is opened up and the engine allowed to rev, but I assume more power is available.

With port-injected engines, the fuel efficiency shouldn't be affected by air filter efficiency, unless the calibrations somehow favor a particular level of airflow restriction large or small. A very-clogged filter would likely move fuel delivery calibration away from ideal as the RPM level for each airflow level will become quite different, and different rpm's can favor slightly different air/fuel ratios.
Different engines will employ different sensors and fuel mapping strategies, so one car model may react differently to filter cloggage than another.

But on throttle-body-injection engines or carbureted engines, any added resistance of the filter means less of a pressure drop from upstream to downstream of the throttle venturi at any equivalent power level. This reduces the turbulence energy local to the manifold that is relied on to vaporize fuel and to distribute fuel flow evenly between cylinders. This can affect efficiency and pollution much more significantly than on a port-injected engine.

I also change the cabin filter much more often than recommended, which improves the speed of drying of the A/C evaporator condensate in the heater/evaporater box when the car is left sitting. I previously had funky smells occurring following use of the A/C, which is considered particularly an issue on my 2015 Camry.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/22/20 11:47 AM

Fit

>Pretty happy with these two cars, but alas they are still very new.

I bought my Fit (2010, base) four years ago with 100K on it. It's now at 151K and ticking along fine. My only complaint was that there was apparently some complication in the 2009/10 model years that made installing aftermarket cruise control a problem.

One thing to note: On the 2010 (and the rest of the second-generation Fit, at least) there's a rubber air scoop on the underside of the hood that ends to come loose. I recently got a box of fasteners and reinstalled mine and I think (though it could be a placebo effect) that the mileage is up just a tad.

Highway I still get 40 MPG, which still blows my mind. Mine is blue and I call it the Tardis because it's bigger on the inside.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/22/20 12:28 PM

"I call it the Tardis because it's bigger on the inside."

It is surprising. I do have to take off the front wheel to stuff a road bike in the fit, not the CR-V.

But I do ride 60CM bikes.

The 2018 Fit seats do something cool, don't know if the previous gen does. Called refresh Mode/CFG?

Google:
Refresh Mode allows you to transform your front and rear passenger seat into the perfect sleeping space. By simply removing the front passenger head rest and laying down the seat you can transform your car into a cozy sleeping nook.


Dunno about perfect, you still have your back upright on the rear seat. But it is cool, and your legs are out like a lazy boy with good support and angles etc. Totally could see it for a 2-3 hour get the hell out from behind the wheel rest if you needed to travel 2-3k mile in it.

Also good in the seat cfg is that the Fit rear lower portion of the seat folds up and back leaving a big area from the front seat to the folded up lower rear.
So you can stuff a tallish plant in for example.

Or with both sides in this cfg, a bike with no front wheel can 'fit' across behind front seat so you don't have to remove the hatch cargo cover and fold flat to put bike in from the back.

Seems a good functional 40MPG $17k car that has a 5 star crash rating is a good choice to have.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/22/20 5:31 PM

Fit

My requirement for a car was that I be able to fit my 57cm frame with wheels and fenders into the back. I usually slide the passenger seat all the way forward, but that's OK. It fits the fit. Since all of our kids have coop flown (save the youngest, home after COVID), I rarely have the opportunity to use the back seat. And on occasion, I've hauled 450-500# of frozen meat for the local food pantry.

It truly is amazing, and it's as close to my dream car ('91 Honda Civic Wagon) as I'm likely to get in this modern age.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/22/20 5:42 PM

I sometimes wish the original plan of getting the clutch Fit and being my car happened. But it got decided it made more sense to have the Fit be the commuter for Elaine still working. I married young, not me, I mean her. ;)

So the 10 MPH lower CR-V MPG for the use it gets still uses less gas than the Fit commuter use.

I do like the bigger car. The Fit is between sizes for this clyde. Between too small and way too small. ;o

But as you may recall, I drove the Del Sol for near 4 years before my kid graduated and wanted it.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/23/20 9:44 AM

Fit

The fit with a stick is truly a lot of fun.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

8/23/20 9:59 AM

Car specs

I also am so lazy I’ve always required cars where I can throw a bike in the back without taking the front wheel off. Haven’t tried it with my new one but should be no problem. And it uses no gas. Stick? Who needs gears?

Last edited by dan emery on 8/23/20 10:00 AM; edited 1 time in total

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/23/20 9:59 AM

I loved driving the V-Tec Del Sol. And after that I had a Prelude VT with performance mods out the ying yang, lowerd, 17s yada. The Del Sol was quick when your V-Teched it. But the 2.2 VT was amazing, the most insane 4 cyl I have driven.

But actually was too fast for real life use. And blasting to 85 MPH in one shift in a 20 year old car seemed a bit risky frankly. And no surprise, highest risk INS category.

When I got the INS bill and it cost the same as a new CR-V to insure. Also I thought about surviving a crash after Elaine had walked away from the totaled 2015 CR-V... Gone... I do miss that motor.

Thankfully the MG somehow has a fun to drive factor even as a slug comparatively. And not a daily driver either.

But I came to postulate driving the 'Stick' in a Fit, which was some performance package included. It would/could not get great mileage I decided after driving it.

It would have been to fun to use the mid upper power band/RPM to move it along. But lugging it for fuel economy would have zapped the fun outta driving it I thought, and I'd never had driven it that way.

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/24/20 6:35 AM

Fit Stick

1. Sparky:

>But I came to postulate driving the 'Stick' in a Fit, which was some performance package included. It would/could not get great mileage I decided after driving it.

For the first two iterations, at least, there was no difference. Whether it was base or sport you got the same stuff (changes only in trim, spoiler, foglights, and available "infotainment" options). The StickAuto difference was just that. No performance package with the stick.

Mine is base/stick and gets 40 MPG on highways--and remember, this is a car with with ten years and 150,000 miles on it.

2. Dan:

>Who needs gears?

You say that now. Just wait until you have the latest DuraAce n-Thousand 2020 CVT on your bike. You'll be begging for DT shifters. ;-)

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LeeW
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 453
Location: near Baltimore, MD

8/24/20 9:03 AM

Dan, I would like to see a full report on battery performance during a Maine winter as compared to a summer. Just curious as to how much performance variation in the cold.

I'll give you a few weeks to work up your approach with test plan. LOL.

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/24/20 11:06 AM

I think the Fit 5spd EPA/MPH on the window sticker was 33.5 hi-way, the CVT 39. That swayed the plan.

I am surprised you are seeing those numbers.
On an extended test on the Fit manual, current readout avg with me pushing it a bit tossing gears it stayed under 30 MPG. Swayed us seeing that.

ELEC/SOLAR:
One friend has a Bolt, I helped him wire in the 220 dedicated plug for his charger. I will ask him about the winter, but it doesn't not get Maine or Michigan cold here much.

Another friend just got a used Certified deal on a Nissan EV for 17k from the dealer, and still complies for the 2500.00 OR payout too. Made me google, but as i said, we have new cars pretty much, but I was curious.

No data yet, but his roof makes 400+kva avg years.

I don't know if his panels are Tesla, but the storage unit Powerwall Pack on the wall is. supposed to run the house 6-7 days with full avg use inc A/C, elec dryer etc.

It is fun and interesting to play with his iPhone app pursuing the system stats.

A txt he sent me.

Here are the stats:
July-854.19
June-670.78
May-690.19
April-732.16
March-586.67
Feb-322.28
Jan-110.64

If I remember correctly I use roughly 400-500kwh/month

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Andy M-S
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 3377
Location: Hamden (greater New Haven) CT

8/24/20 12:31 PM

Solar Panels

We have a pretty small installation...no powerwall, but we're thinking about it.
J 129 KWh
F 201 KWh
M 350 KWh
A 423 KWh
M 616 KWh
J 589 KWh
J 553 KWh
A (so far) 375 KWh

I figure it's helping pay for the air conditioning, in any event.

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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6884
Location: Maine

8/24/20 1:13 PM

Test protocol

Lee, I’ll work on it. Actually it might be easy to compare in a broad sense as you always see the % charge and you can do the same drive Sumer and Winter and see how much it eats. If you want something more refined, you can contact Elon..😅

Not worried, I’ve talked to a couple folks who’ve had Teslas for a few years in Maine and love them.

And the only time I’d get close to running it down is a multi day trip, which probably won’t be happening for awhile....

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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19068
Location: PDX

8/24/20 5:17 PM

NM

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