DX and HX gas mileage, and general gas mileage questions

[Hawk312]

Hello,
Forgive my ignorance, but I am new to Civics. I will probably get one for a daily driver, and fuel efficiency is a concern as I am driving over 100 miles a day.
I notice that the HX EPA rating is much higher than the DX, but after searching the `net, it seems the HX is rated a bit higher than what you will see in the real world. Is there much difference between the two (HX and DX) in gas mileage, with identical option levels? I know that driving habits and weather will have an effect, but I see some people only getting 25-30mpg or so with these cars, which isn`t much better than my V8 Z28.
Can anyone share real world experience or point me in the right direction?
Thanks!

[superbluecivicsi]

320 miles on an 11.9 gas tank. you do the division.

[rushb18]

I used to average 34-40 MPG in my civic which had the D16y7 motor which comes in the dx/lx"s

The Hx was mainly made to get better gas mileage well at least thats what i seen/heard from other ppl..

Hp wise your gonna be hating going from a Z-28 to a dx/lx 105 Hp Or whatever or a HX which is like 117hp i beleive and a Ex civic is 127 Hp...

I may be off a couple HP on each forgot on all of them but theres some info on them..

Goodluck

[batman19]

Originally Posted by rushb18

I used to average 34-40 MPG in my civic which had the D16y7 motor which comes in the dx/lx"s

The Hx was mainly made to get better gas mileage well at least thats what i seen/heard from other ppl..

Hp wise your gonna be hating going from a Z-28 to a dx/lx 105 Hp Or whatever or a HX which is like 117hp i beleive and a Ex civic is 127 Hp...

I may be off a couple HP on each forgot on all of them but theres some info on them..

Goodluck

I dont know how big is my tank( i think it is only 10 gals) but i get about 300 or so on highway, i'm going about 75mph tho
and i'm driving a HX to with the Y5 engine

[Hawk312]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by rushb18

I used to average 34-40 MPG in my civic which had the D16y7 motor which comes in the dx/lx"s

The Hx was mainly made to get better gas mileage well at least thats what i seen/heard from other ppl..

I am assuming the D16y7 motor is the 16 valve 1.5l 4 cyl? Or is that the 1.6? I can`t seem to find an 8 valve 1.5, which I am told is a great one for gas mileage.

Originally Posted by rushb18

Hp wise your gonna be hating going from a Z-28 to a dx/lx 105 Hp Or whatever or a HX which is like 117hp i beleive and a Ex civic is 127 Hp...

Yeah, I know. But I am keeping the Z-28 for a "weekend car".

I am kinda concerned though guys. I just checked my gas mileage, and it is 23mpg combined city and highway in the Z-28 (80%highway, 20%city). That is with a heavy foot and averaging about 80mph on the highway. If I was conservative driver, I would think 25-26mpg wouldnt be too difficult. Some of you guys are under 30mpg. Is it possible that my Z-28 isn`t too far off from a Civic in gas mileage?

[bluevp00]

The HX is a "stratified charge" engine. It gets better mileage because it burn leaner than the DX & LX engines. Idk much about these engines myself, so it wouldnt hurt to do some research.

The D16Y7 is a 1.6L 16 valve - In the DX & LX
D16Y5 is a 1.6L 16V - In the HX only
All honda 4 bangers are 16 valve.

Personally, I have gotten upwards of 36 mpg on the highway in the summer with my DX. I took a 300 mile freeway trip last week and only got 32 mpg, but...here in Chicago we have "winter gas" now which burns quicker than normal gas to help with starting up in the cold. Last summer I averaged 29-31 mpg in suburban driving.

[rushb18]

Well im mostly highway to and my G/F cuts 30-36 in her Lx 4-door but it is in need of help like 02 sensors and shit, back when she bought it she would cut 35-37 easily highway use...

My 98 hatch id cut good mileage non stop thats driving 75-85 on highway and all...

So yea even heavy foot if you have a civic with a well kept motor you will push great gas mileage in it HWY/city...

later

[hxgaser]

I have a 2001 HX. It has a 117 hp D17A6 VTEC motor. EX is rated at 127 hp and dx and lx's are rated at 105 or something like that. Also they are not VTEC. Anyways, I have been keeping track of the mileage and there are some variations. First, I have to let you know I recently put on a roof rack. Civic relies heavily on aerodynamics. With the rack on, it took off about 3 to 4 miles off the mileage. Before roof rack, I was averaging about 36 mph combined. I usually drive 80 to 85, on the freeway, but try to minimize on excessive acceleration. ie. floor the gas from 55 to 80 transition. With the roof rack on I am consistantly getting about 32 mpg city and highway combined. And if I take it off, I go back to 36 mpg.

Here is a little trick. HX lean burn VTEC kicks is about 2500 to 2800 rpm. So if you keep it below that limit, which is conveniently about 60 mph or so, you will get the advertised mileage. Without the roof rack, once I got 49 mpg, just cruzing at 58 mph on two lane highway. In anycase, you should be able to get 35 mpg combined even if you drive fast on the freeway, stock configuration.

Yeah I know it does not sound whole lot comparing to 26 mpg, but each 100 mile drive is 3 gallons vs. 4 gallons for your Z28. That is 25 percent saving.

[Hawk312]

Thanks everyone! Great information. Keep it coming!

[crf50racer]

I get anywhere from 29-34 mpg in my 97 DX... thats with at least 2 people in the car, but most the time 3 & 4... I also am not THE most conservative driver, and always go at least 70MPH.... hope this helps