How to Increase Gas Mileage In Your Honda Element
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- Honda Elements are known for a lot of things gas milage not being one of them. In todays video I will show you all the steps you need to take to get the EPA rated 20-24 MPG out of your Honda Element.
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Skip the Off road tires (0:11)
Lighter Wheels (0:37)
Remove Your toys (1:28)
Remove Rear Seats (2:00)
Tune up (2:30)
Driving Habits (4:38)
Costco Gas (7:49)
#hondaelement #hondaelementcamper
Proper tire pressure is extremely important to save on gas.
Oh man your so right! For some reason I didn’t think of this in the moment. Thank you for sharing dude.
What is the best psi for front and rear tire should be set to? To maximize on gas. Also, what device is used to quantify the improvement?
@@SaycoPworrellyeah I have the same question
On street tires I run 36-37psi. On trail tires I run 45psi. Check every few weeks because tire pressure changes according to weather and how well they are sealed to the rims. Use the criuse control at highway speeds as much as possible. I try to keep my manual at 67mph which is about 3,200rpm. First gear is only needed when starting from a dead stop. Shift to 2nd as soon as you are moving 5-10mph. Use the engines torque. Learn to rev-match and downshift to slow down. This will save on brake pad wear. Weight and friction hurt fuel milage. 2wd and a manual can yield 31mpg at Hwy speeds with all the tips listed.
Best tip for improving mpg. Buy an '08' or newer with the 5speed trans.😊
Very surprising I found original sea foam additive for about 8.50 a bottle (walmart) helps a lot. Last road trip in WY and W. CO I got 30-32 mpg even with a load and inno box on top. Kept it under 65mph. 2009 Element EX AWD. 134K miles. Michelin Defenders with 38 psi.
oh wow thats very good! Might need to up my PSI for my next journey.
You forgot drafting behind semi trucks 🤣. Shout out to all my hypermilers out there.
Bahahahha oh shoot! How could I forget this one
I deffffff do that!!!
Regularly haha
@@VINZBROWN !!! Mad lad haha stay safe
Not a good idea,if the semi blows a tire over 100lbs of rubber can go right trough a windshield.
@@craigwiess1656 yeah, not worth it, but it does work.
Great tips!!! When Im using my air conditioning and Im approching a long hill I will turn it off till I hit the top of the hill.
That’s not a bad idea also. I do the same but because the element has no power LoL. Thank you for sharing!
I used to do that until I blew the a/c compressor on my 1988 Honda Civic. I would recommend to leave the a/c on and if you do turn it off, wait a few minutes before turning it back on.
Yep I do the same, otherwise it really drags the engine down.
LOL I do that with my Toyota Yaris, especially when getting up to highway speed.
Me too
Add a sixth gear from a tsx if its a stick.Just need the gears, needle bearing, 6th/5th shift fork, shifter gate and possibly the reverse arm. just won't have a lockout for reverse. For better highway mpg and to help keep the rpms down. Works on fwd and awd.
Yeah, that sounds real simple that anyone can do. Haha. Think about how much gas you can buy for the cost and headache of that conversion.
Yeah that will never repay itself in cost. About the only benefit is you can feel like FnF and row one more gear.
Hey brother those are some cool ideas but at the end of the day the vehicle needs a 6th gear or if you can't get that you get taller tires.
I got 425 miles of of my last full fill up. I pulled into the gas station on vapor. I drove with the gas light on for 45 miles. It was 29 degrees the other night so I ran the Element’s heater for about 40 minutes before I went to sleep so if I hadn’t done that and had properly inflated the tires I probably could have done 460 miles. It came out to 30.373 miles per gallons on a 14 gallon tank. That how much went back in her, 13.64 gallons. I was shocked, hell I still am. I don’t have a roof rack and run 18" stock wheels and tires on a 2007 SC with the rear seats removed but I have a bunch of camping gear in the back. Just be smart about how you drive. Gain speed before hills so the Element doesn’t have to downshift so you stay away from revving the engine. Use cruise control going down hill. Stay about 5 miles an hour under the speed limit, don’t do unnecessary aggressive passing, constantly pay attention to how far your foot is into the pedal, don’t run the AC/Heat if you don’t have to and windows up above 55mph. Gonna take a gas can with me on my next full fill up and I’m gonna run the Element completely out of gas and see how far I can get her to go. I will let you know the results.
Last year I drove 4171 miles over a two week period. The worst gas mileage I saw was 22, but on a few occasions I purposely drove very slowly. One day I drove from Robertsdale Alabama to Jacksonville Florida on the I-10 at 60mph, with about 2.5 hours at an even slower 55mph; the traffic was virtually non-existent during the hours I was driving. 388.9 miles on 12.4 gallons of fuel...just over 31 MPG.
Replacing the Vtec gasket seals every 8-9 years. There's two - one on the rear of the engine by the passenger side and the other by the pulleys on tte front if the engine ss they behin to leak and you have to keep adding oil. Proper oil levels helps with gas mileage.
Nice thanks for the tip. I had one of these fail and my engine was pouring out oil so not a bad thing to keep up with.
Totally agree with all the trip u mentioned in the video. Costco is the gas place to go!👍🏾
Heck ya I paid off my membership in like a month because I get so much gas haha
3w
@@StephenAldaco 🎉
👌 I roll on TOYO OPEN CONTRY 16" on stock alloy rims. Tuned up. No A/C. Did +/- 550km on full 59 litre tank Mostly highway Aboot 9.5 to 10.5 km per litre.
Wow that’s pretty good! I’ve never gotten that high in mine. For us burger boys that’s about 23.5 miles per gallon
@@StephenAldaco haha cruise control 👌tbs seems i do average less. Keep it up 👍
The engine in the Element is not a high performance engine and does not require high octane fuel. 87 octane is all you need and using higher octane can lower your mpg and even the engines performance because it's not being completely burned and your spending more money than necessary. Tire air pressure is important too. Run what the car manufacturers recommend, but you can put as much as what the tire shows on the sidewall, but keep in mind that as the tires get hot the air pressure in them gets higher and you don't want the air pressure to be too high which can overheat the tires causing tire failure. Same with low tire pressure which causes drag which will overheat the tires causing them to wear out quicker and uneven tread wear resulting in premature tire failure.
I have heard differently
@@Tracy-wr7mj On which part of my comment?
@@cliffords.8341 higher octane will add npg to your car.
@@cliffords.8341 merry christmas
good mod is a accord k24 5 speed transmission gear set he 5th gear is a better ratio over the element and the finel drive ratio is on the accord is a longer fd ratio so it shaves 2k to 1500rpm off ur element gear ratio for example at 130km/hr its about 3k rpm in 5th vs the 4500rpm the element is at at same speed in 5th
Wow thanks Mario! I did not know that. I might play around with the trans on mine to get one that is more fuel efficient.
This is what I need, for highway cruising. Vtec engages at about 2,800 RPM on an Element so it would be good to cruise at a lower RPM than that, for better MPG.
What year and model Accord trans. ??
@@hvacray8279 all k24 accords have same mt trans u can use the fd from a 5 speed rsx base trans its same ratio but gear ratios are shorter
@@hvacray8279 all k24 accords use same ratios
Aside from tire pressure as already noted below, there really isn't such a thing as a "standard" tire AFAIK. Instead, ask for an "all season" or "street" tire. If you live in an area where it never snows then you might want an all season "touring" tire. They are affordable, long lasting and may offer low rolling resistance.
Thank you for your expertise amigo 🙏
Standard tires are similar to whatever came on the Element, from the factory.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 That would be known as "factory original".
advice for better mpg : Check engine light
100% lol
5:55 vtec noises :). Thanks for the video, am shopping around for these Element cars
You got it bro 😎 good luck on your search and Check my channel for more element videos
Have 2007 EX
I like the Element, but I purchased a 2nd generation Scion XB with a manual tranny nstead of an Element, because the XB yields me 27.5 MPG on 60/40, highway/City, and has a lot of cargo room, though not as much as the Element.
I just couldn't accept the Elements 20 mpg average.
Since my cat was stolen, I gained 1-2 mpg running a straight pipe.
Lol I’ll add it to the list “get cat stolen” 🐈 “
All good points. Well done.
Thanks Clint! Hope you found that helpful my dude 🤙
Also, your fuel injectors. Start with a fuel injector cleaner in the tank. One issue with Costco gas is it doesn't burn as clean as other brands. My 2008 Element has rough idling and I've changed plugs, which helped a bit. Next, I'm replacing the injectors.
Do yourself a favor and check/adjust the valves before you touch the injectors. Valves out of adjustment is the most common reason for bad idle or misfiring on the K24 motor. Very easy to do, took me about an hour and a half the last time I did it, no parts necessary.
What’s your source about Costco gas not burning as clean? It’s actually one of the few discount fuels that has Top Tier approval.
On highway avoid excessive passing..and keep it around 65..plus keep engine clean. Injectot cleaner etc. Weight is more important on city roads from stop and go...not so much on hwy driving..Gentle on the gas pedal.
Have yet to see those links on the spark plug and air filter change.. thought those were things I could try. Good tips, I will research them somewhere else.
I’ll get on those videos soon. I was in Yosemite valley 😅. Check out Eric the car guy he has great videos on that stuff!
I can’t find a decent Honda mechanic to save my life in south DE. After 175,000 my Element has been nothing but problems. I take care of it too.
Put a roof basket on mine it dropped 2mpg. If it's a manual transmission convert to 6spd. Gained back 2mpg on the highway. No basket up top 24 mpg. Put a tire in the basket kills mpg by 3mpg
How did you go about the 6 speed conversion? Did you swap out the tranny or ad a new gear?
@@StephenAldaco had the gear added.
Pressure plate fingers broke tire up the clutch and knocked a hole in the transmission half case. I don't have the time to work on it took it to a reliable transmission shop. 6th gear parts are from a 2010 Civic Si Honda still sells the transmission case halves. Had new bushings and bearings installed. Hind sight should have had them install a LSD.
@@craigwiess1656 great thank you for the info! My element is in the shop right now for clutch / possible transmission issues. Rattling & wont go to 5th. May add a 6th gear depending on price
@@StephenAldaco parts from Honda were about $350, if it has to come apart best time to add 6th gear.
one under looked mod is oil pump ballance shaft removal mod theres 2 ways ones mod the stock oil pump the other is convert to a type s oil pump from a rsx type s motor
I now have an automatic, but before always stick, and I used to shift from 1st to 3rd to 5th - not sure if that's real bad for the engine, but I figured I am saving money :)
I honestly don’t think it will hurt the engine. That’s pretty wild never though to try this!
If you do that when you're already cruising, instead of accelerating, then there's no chance of hurting the engine. However if you're trying to accelerate in 5th gear at low speed, and the engine is bogging down (probably below ~1,800 RPM), then some people say it could be bad for the engine (I don't know). You can tell your engine is bogging down if you press on the gas pedal and your Element doesn't accelerate at a reasonable pace. This is pretty much common sense that you should down shift in that scenario.
My main point is that it's fine to shift from 3rd to 5th... in fact I used to have a Civic for many years, that I would start out in 2nd gear from a stop and shift into 5th after accelerating in 2nd. The car had a swapped engine and transmission and only 2 gears were necessary for driving around town. You only need to use whatever gears are necessary to avoid bogging down, and that car was very light.
As far as saving gas, I think it's better to push in the clutch and simply coast until your speed is too slow and then accelerate again and coast again. Try to never use the brakes, approaching a stop light. Anticipate, and coast the last half mile to the stop.
It's not bad for the engine, but I don't think it saved you money. Fuel economy is best when you stay within the gears powerband, skipping gears means you are revving the engine way too much in the gear you are in or you bog the engine down in 3rd/5th, both of which hurt your fuel economy.
Also a smaller tire even if it doesnt look as nice gives better mpg.
Maybe a air filter and change out that muffler for a lighter one, the OEM weights 35 pounds! Just a thought. :)
i must have a magic element, i have always gotten 20mpg. bad struts, rotted tires srill hitting 20mpg lol
Really? Do you drive like a grandma maybe? 20 seems to be average
@@StephenAldaco hahaha no, all city driving. i base it off of total amnt of fuel when i fill up and always reset the speedometer. i was writing down the miles and calculating the next fill up also. obviously not 100% accurate but should actually bring me in lower than actual
@@SuburbanBeard oh wow 🤩 that’s how I measure too. I feel like it’s accurate enough for most purposes
@@SuburbanBeard if you use the same pump every time and you pump on low setting, and stop pumping when it shuts off, it will be the most accurate.
@Suburban Beard do you have a link to your digital speedometer? I've seen it in your videos.
I'm currently using a smaller tire size, 205/70/16, would that affect my MPG? I'm roughly only getting 17 MPG with mixed driving, it sucks. My 2004 element is bone stock with 245k miles. Nothing inside the car besides a booster seat for my daughter, I changed the spark plugs, coilpack, air filter, 3k oil changes, nothing seems to help increase MPG. Do you think if I did a valve adjustment it would help increase my MPG?
Wow it definitely could especially if it’s never has one before. It may be a silly question but are your tires inflated all the way? I’ve heard of high mileage cars getting less mpg but that’s quite a bit. Do you have lots of hills where you live?
@@StephenAldaco tire pressure are all set to 33PSI. I'm planning on getting the appropriate size in a few weeks. The places I travel to don't have a lot of hills, I live in SGV so not many hills around here. Alot of stop and go traffic though.
@@MrKittxatans; do you hear any roaring that could be wheel bearing friction? I have never gotten less than 22mpg. And that was all city driving in the summer heat with the a/c running.
@@moremoney2 nope, all the bearings smooth
Ever figure it out?
All great tips. Btw… what kind of awning you got there?
This is an arb awning 4x8 love the thing! I kinda do wish I went longer tho like 8x8
Great Tips Stephen
Thank you Danny! Sometimes you gotta go back to the basics
I'm about to place a vicegrip in my engine bay on my fuel line...
there has been many tests that prove ac on windows up and vs ac off windows down and there is no noticeable difference. the best way to get the best fuel mileage on the highway is to drive in the vehicles sweet spot. using an obd2 reader and a program like torque will identify your engines load level. find where the load is the least and try to keep it there.
I don't think wheel weight matters as much as people think. It's not sprung weight. But the diameter of the wheel will affect MPG.
Great video!!! Thanks
I have a 2003 auto ex element with 182,000 miles. I live in upstate NY and where I live I l routinely finding myself cruising 80-95 mph just as a traffic keep up pace. Do you think I am Hirofumi my engine or transmission forcing the element to cruise these speeds? Being that the element is high mileage, what engine oil do u use? I’ve been using Mobil one 5w20 as my go to oil but lots of ppl who I know are auto mechanics tell me I should go at least 10w30. What do u think? Should I stick with the high mileage 5w20(manufacture specs)?
I stick with the recommend from the manufacturer there was alot of engineering going into to that thought at honda so I keep it at that usually.
5w20 was supposed ly meant for better mileage being thinner lighter. But if you get the wrong one that's made bad it'll most likely shear and break down too fast like pennzoil did during api sm period. My dad's van got 16 mpg. When he changed it with Castrol gtx he's like its getting 23 mpg even in vtec me behind the wheel but half qt of Lucas stabilizer original was used in the 03 04 3.5 liter so the Castrol didn't shear down from overheating
Now since 2018 when they put like 5% natural gas in it it felt different beside smelling like chicken gizzards or like a mild grease tank just cleaned out. My friend had to tell me that at advance both us being car guys so I figured that was due to hyundai gdi engines carboning up the intake valves
I believe that was api sn plus but when they switched to api sp around 2021 the specifications were updated to be better in all 5 or 6 categories shaping a pentagon or hexagon. I wonder if supertech is also since uncle tried stp 5w20 in a dodge Chrysler jeep v6 and driving an hour it went into a safety mode and 4wd temporarily unavailable while water oil and tranny Temps were past normal temps
Scotty said in 2013 Fuat an italian company who pulled out only after a few years in America before some people's time bought out Chrysler who acquired dodge and jeep so the quality went from bad to worse. I really wonder if a 5w30 will help to keep it cooler atleast to the transmission since the thicker oil would not transfer as much heat to the side of it acting more like a barrier idk 🤔 I did notice in a 4 cylinder dual vvt-i toyota camry rav4 tc 2ar-fe motor the last ¼ to ½ qt seem to be critical to the camshaft. Like I put ¼ qt 10w40 from a jug in summer and it started knocking on acceleration 5 minutes later when the viscosity modifiers of 10w40 kicked in so I added It was ¼ qt 5w-20 and it help the heads to not knock but 5w30 probably work too
Im getting around 29 and i need to do something to get an even 30. That 6th gear mod sounds sick.
How is this possible!
@@StephenAldaco good driving habits
@@StephenAldaco I've gotten 32 with pulse and glide and shutting off at red lights, but that gets tedious and my battery is on the weak side right now.
Cap af.
I was happy to get mine to 19mpg
i cant believe you found a 5 speed element. Ill trade you my green manual EX for your white 5 speed lmao
😜 no thanks I love my tan element hahaha
I get 25 mpg with all the stuff you said to remove still on the car except a roof box.
Really! Perhaps yours runs better than mine lol! What tires are you running?
@@StephenAldaco Toyo A/T III on 225/65r17 on some Focal X wheels. Heavier than stock. My previous element I also averaged 24-25 mpg. 🤷
I Rev the engine all the time with the cold air intake ans exhausts we have lol 😆
Probably still get better mileage than me lol
@@StephenAldaco What's up bro when we hanging out ?
dont just replace coils because you have 100k. coil packs arent meant to just be replaced. plugs are a wear item coil packs arnt. same with o2 sensor. unless you are throwing a cel and it calls out o2 or you find a cyl missing there is no reason to change them.
I agree with you on the coil packs, Phillip. I wouldn't replace them unless they were malfunctioning. But oxygen sensors do get lazy over time, and should be replaced at around 120k (as BMW recommends). My Civic saw a significant improvement (>5%) in miles per gallon after I replaced its O2 sensor.
How do you guys even check the avg mpg are you guessing I have a 2011
Its a 2005.I fill up the tank and use the trip meter then divide how many miles I drove by how much gas I fueled up.
Really wish I had a garage to store stuff😢
My box is huge but I leave it on always just a pain to take it on and off
Yeah I do the same with the khaki…how much Mpg do you loose?
I’m sure a ton I get about 315 on a full tank for freeway miles in town it’s way lower
lol hoping in to see about going back to stock now
So….in other words, all the things you did to your Element, do the opposite 😂
Exactly 😂😂😂😂. I had the same realization as I was filming this video LOL
Add 6th gear
Muahahha I just might
The transmission needs another gear. It’s just sad.
A lot of people add a 6th gear I’m thinking of doing that for my khaki 5 speed!
@@StephenAldaco Thank you so much, Stephen. I will look into it. Enjoy your weekend.
My AC died, I went from 18-19 mpg to 22-23 mpg 🤣
OMG, your gas is ultra expensive! I pay Like 3.23 more or less depending on the station.
Where do you live? I am in california
@@StephenAldaco LINY
Or, give up on good gas mileage and pull a 6x12 cargo trailer like i'm doing with my 2003...lol
Holy sh#@! Why is gas 5.2$ where you live?
California baby
This must be how to improve your gas mileage for dummies. Lol.
Ha I realized why my gas mileage was so low while filming this video 🙈
@@StephenAldaco I guess if someone starts with all that then there would definitely be an improvement if gotten rid of. Not sure how much different alloy wheels would make, but reducing the weight and putting on road tires could definitely. What mpg are you getting with that current gear?
Ставишь газовое оборудование , что я и сделал сейчас у меня газ + бензин и всё дешевле!
Now tell me something that I didn't know. Everything that you said pertains to all cars. Nothing here is "Element specific".
He said that within the first 10 seconds.
There aren't many cars with back seats that remove easily like the Element.