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I have Honda accord 2007 SE V6, and I've been owning it since 2021.

I love the car, it's very strong and reliable. The gas tank capacity in this car is around 53 liters, and the full tank makes me drive in winter around 400 kms inside the city, and > 600 kms in highways.

My issue is that in winter, especially in cold weather (below -15C, yes it reaches sometimes -40C where I live) the car barely reaches 300 kms in the city; I didn't test the difference on highways but it's similar to what it can reaches in summer so not a big difference on highways.

I know that in winter the cold wind affects negatively the combustion process in the engine and this should affect the millage, but is it ok that low??

What might be the issue? things to change.

The spark plugs were changed around 50k kms ago. I know that it's the time to change them, but even when they were new, I don't remember the millage difference was that big between the summer and winter.

Edit: I remote-start the car in winter and leave it for around 15 minutes to warmup before I start driving.

Minions
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2 Answers2

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There's nothing wrong with your car. Although there are other factors, the main reason your mileage has gone down is the 15 minutes of warming up your engine. Mileage is calculated by dividing the distance traveled by the amount of fuel used to travel that distance, idling for long periods of time decreases the distance traveled for the same amount of fuel.

If you want to improve your fuel consumption reduce your warm-up time, or better yet invest in an engine block heater. It may cost money to install, but an engine block heater will pay for itself by reducing your warm-up time.

GdD
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The issue is the formulation of gas. During the winter months, the gas companies formulate their fuels differently. Ultimately this causes a decrease in fuel mileage.

Pulling up the Google "AI Overview", when asked the question winter blend fuel vs summer blend fuel it states:

Winter blend fuel has a higher Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) and more butane than summer blend fuel. This makes it easier to start a car in cold weather, but it also reduces fuel economy. Summer blend fuel has a lower RVP and less butane, which makes it more fuel efficient but can increase emissions.

For anecdotal evidence, I have a 2018 Chevy Silverado with a 5.3L V8. During the warmer times of year, my gas mileage around town is in the 15.5-16.5 MPG depending on how I drive it. When the winter blend comes along, it drops to around 12.5-13.5 MPG. It is a stark enough difference it is noticed.

While this is definitely happening here in the States, I'm sure where you're at it is the same "issue".

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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