Acura: How to Maximize Your MPG
Acuras already get decent mileage, but follow this guide and you can make it even better.
This article applies to most Acura cars and SUVs.
It's no secret that the Acura gets rather good MPG, on and off the highway, but in this guide, we will shine some light on the things you can do to maximize your MPG. The average driver usually gets much lower MPG than what the factory and EPA claims the vehicle can get, and this is often due to things you can change about how you drive. Read on and we will show you how you can save some money on your fuel by maximizing the MPG in your Acura.
Material Needed
- Tire gauge
Step 1 – Maintain proper PSI
The tire pressure changes depending on the weather, and also slowly leaks even when your tires are perfect. When the temperature goes down, a tire can lose one PSI for every 10 degrees of temperature. Make sure your tires have the appropriate amount of air in them, and check once a month. Each car is different depending on the model and the wheel size, but open the driver's door, then check the recommended tire pressure on the placard located in the door jamb. The higher the PSI is, the better gas mileage you get, but stick to the factory recommendations or the money you save on gas will just be spent replacing your worn out tires. Improper inflation can cause you to get 10% worse mileage than the EPA estimate.
Step 2 – Loose the weight
There is a reason car manufacturers are ditching even the compact spare tires, and using more aluminum and plastic, because it takes gas to accelerate every extra pound from 0-60 mph. You can easily undo all of their hard work by keeping a set of golf clubs, a case of bottled water, or a few boxes of books in your trunk or cargo hold. Leave everything you don't need at home and you will need less gas to move the car, as well as less brakes to stop it, and an added bonus is it will handle better.
On a similar note, avoid driving more than you have to with things like bike racks or roof rails on your Acura. The cross rails on a roof rack, without anything on them, can impact your mileage more than you would think when driving down the freeway. Just like the weight, engineers sweat tiny aerodynamic details in the design of every Acura, and you can undo all of that in just seconds.
Figure 2. Unload the cargo hold. 
Figure 3. Get rid of aerodynamic drags.
Step 3 – Drive appropriately
The way you drive is the main cause of a drop in MPG. If each time the light turns green you reenact a drag race start, your gas consumption will suffer tremendously. Make sure you take your time when accelerating. If you stop somewhere, don't let the car idle, and don't warm it up before driving off in the morning, that's gas being burnt for no reason. When going out to lunch, park and avoid the drive through, and not only will you get slightly more exercise, but you will use less fuel, too.
You would be amazed at how much more fuel you burn when driving 75 miles per hour, compared to 55 or 60. Sure, you may seem like a slow poke on the freeway, but you will only be a minute or two behind the faster driver driving the same route. You can test it yourself by filling up with gas, driving a set loop on the freeway at 75, then filling up again at the same gas station, driving the same loop at 55, and finally filling up one last time. EPA calculations suggest most cars get 20% less MPG at 75 MPH as opposed to 55 MPH.
Figure 4. Be gentle on the gas pedal. 
Figure 5. Obey the speed limit.
Related Discussions
- Tire PSI - AcuraZine.com
- Better Gas Mileage - AcuraZine.com
- Sudden Drop in MPG - AcuraZine.com
