How to improve mileage of Honda City (current: 18 kmpl; goal: 23 kmpl)?

I have found a few aerodynamic means to improve your FE

Lower your front grille, and prevent the air from flowing under your car.And let the air flow freely. Normally the air entering the hood increases the drag due to the radiator.

Cover your rear wheels, this will help to reduce vortices formed due to open wheel and the drag will be reduced.

Use an undertray, to reduce the drag caused due to uneven surfaces.

These are a few mods, which I found while going through a few websites.

Krishna, it's 2 months since you last updated this thread.

Any improvement/achievement?

Dear friends 

I just stumbled upon this thread and congrats to all of you for posting such useful info. I am using Logan 1.4 petrol and get between 13-16 average in city like mumbai driving with ac on 50%. 

Recently I figured out that on a clean streatch with ac I got a milage of around 22. amaizing it was. 

Few of the rules I always follow while driving in city conditions

over inflate your tyres but not more than 10 percent of recomendations. I cant play with safety of my family.

Drive with a light right foot.

Never get into rat race it wont make too much of differnce in saving time whereas it will give you atleast 2 more than your normal kmpl

Keep your rev band between 1.5 to 2 k 

Try and drive like a truck driver. ie do not ignore anything on the road and anticipate reactions by other drivers on the road. This will almost eliminate chances of sudden breaking and acceleration. 

Some rule for Highway Driving

Leave early so as to plan avoiding peak hour traffic specially if you are planning pleasure trips.

No matter how fast you drive the average speed on Indian Highways can not be more than 60-70. I think those who drive faster than 80-90 get tired more than the person who drives at 70. let each of your highway trips be full of fun rather than tiring yourselves out.

Weather can be pleasant when in countryside. roll down your windows and drive at 60 for as long as you can enjoy it.

No matter whatever people might say you cant save more than 15-20 minutes driving recklessly fast on any stretch of 200-250 kms.

Even I am unable to follow these rules all the time but I am sure that I can manage 25-30 kmpl on highway with my car if determined and that too with no mods.

happy motoring

Sorry folks, for not posting on this thread for so long, but I am not really living up to my own standards, and the guilt prevents me to discuss it publicly

I am needing to do exactly what Rachit recommends. His suggestions are spot-on. But I am hampered by lack of technical help in getting those side-skirts and undertray made for myself. I did about 10 hrs. of tinsmithy in my engineering, and I am not inclined to do the entire undertray myself. I would need professional help, but I would need one workshop in DelhiNCR who would be interested in doing it for me.

Please let me know if  you know anyone who might help, as my local contacts are almost nil, And all I  know are some tighta$$ dealers who won't even show me a glimpse of the workshop, let alone offering to help on issues like this.

@Jagjot: That was an AMAZING AMAZING first post! Welcome to CW forums man! I know my vehicle is a bit outdated and old (70k km+ is quite something, and I can see my car value tanking on the CW evaluations periodically). So I have to struggle for stuff that you or Binoy can carry out daily, without regard to anything at all (I am talking about 22 kmpl) But don't worry I am constantly thinking of it, and will hit the next step of my mods soon, to be able to reach new heights in FE for the same buddhi Honda City.

i myself love honda city,but it was out of budget for us.I did have many used car offers but i was paranoid about used cars especially premium cars like honda city.but your posts and developments would definitely encourage people buy a used premium car only if they follow  your ways..good job..and yes dont call it buddhi..you are still taking the best out of it..so shes still the queen...;)

Hey Abhishek, Thanks for   your kind words!

As far as my relation with my car is concerned, it is something like Ashton Kutcher -Demi Moore. So even if buddhi, she packs quite a punch. I am not unhappy. I am not sure about Ashton though

I don't think that I'm ever going to read this entire thread. But assuming you still haven't got your 23 Kmpl target, I can throw a few things about fuel efficiency driving. But this is just for the heck of doing it, it is neither fun, nor relaxing. You have to constantly focus on the goal.

I often get 18-22 in my Linea MJD. Once I wanted to see how much I could stretch on real road, city (Bangalore inside) to city (Tindivanam) (I guess about 250 Km, half the distance good road and another half average, on a Sunday 10:30 AM as start time) and I could stretch upto 27.3 Kmpl. I was hardly 17 when I reached Hosur and that means that my pure highway would have been anywhere close to 30 Kmpl.

Tyre pressures 32 (front) and 30 (rear), single driver, AC on all the time at auto climate control at 26 degree outside temperature 38. No luggage. Average speed about 60 Kmph.

Technique. Never cross the speed of 80 Kmph. Always try to be above 60 Kmph. Never apply brake. And that needs a lot of calculations and looking ahead of what is coming. Throttling once in a while to overtake a vehicle is fine only if you don't have to immediately apply brake (because of something else ahead) after overtaking. When the vehicle is rolling freely, take the right feet away from throttle. This will deccelerate a little bit, say to 70-75 Kmph and abruptly and lightly tap again to pull till 80 and take the foot away again.

When you are forced to go slower, e.g. below 40, engage in a gear in which rpm will not be below 1100 or above 2000.

In my case I would have never achived that mileage without an instantaneous mileage indicator. Now, I get anywhere near 22 without sacrificing a little bit of fun. I know it is a diesel engine, but then it is a pretty heavy car too.

Hi Opendro, Thanks for sharing your experience. If you read the thread, you would have seen I got 24 once!

In the same thread I have commented that the 1.3 MJD is a gem of an engine, and Binoy with his Swift Dzire VDi could possibly easily get 35 kmpl in it on application of hypermiling techniques, if he got 22 effortlessly (he does, in fact).

You were using DFCO (deceleration fuel cut off) aggressively, and were very measured in your approach. Also probably you were keeping the RPM such that the engine does not come out of DFCO, and keeps below the radar so as not to invite the turbo to kick in. The anaemic power thus developed is enough to keep pushing the car at that speed all the time - Ideal situation indeed.

I have to start moving my lazy bum to get to the next step, or you newbies will push me to premature retirement, looks like - and my partner (Honda City) is a distinct disadvantage in a competition as skewed as this

Krishna thanks for 'restarting' and Opendro for the experience.

For new readers of the thread-the past 15 odd pages contain a 'spaghetti meat ball brain waves' on real hypermiling! The goal is to double(or even more)FE the 'regular' car would give. Like the long in tooth City here.

Cars like the Linea MJD and the Swift DDiS with their super efficient engines should be aiming at 40+kmpl to really cut it in this thread!!

I think good driving habits are more important than any extra fittments or modifications for better FE.

Following are some easy tips to enhance your cars fuel efficiency.

* Pre-empt traffic movement ahead.

* Try not to rev higher than 2500 rpm.

* Shift into the right gear at the right time.

* When going up an incline, avoid crawling up in fourth or fifth gear. Instead, shift down to third or second gear.

* Reduce excessive unnecessary weight inside the car.

* Even when purchasing a new car, if fuel efficiency is your concern, select the lightest car.

* Avoid idling for too long at traffic lights

* Avid changing lanes constantly.

* Avoid using air conditioning and keep use of electronics to a minimum.

* Ensure your tyres are inflated to the correct manufacturer recommended pressure.

* Tank up your car regularly and ensure there is always around ¾ of a tankful in your car.