So, its my first year at college up in Montana, our elevation is about high enough that i can give commercial aircraft high fives, and for some reason the cheapest gas (1.59) is 85.5 octane... so I have a 92 accord 2 door 5-speed.. and I have been getting shitty mileage up here, like 250miles or so to the tank...take good care of the car, new fuel filter, plugs, wires, cap, rotor... frankly it kinda makes me sad...

 

don't they have 87octane up there? how else have your driving habbits changed since you went out west? do you drive a lot on the highway, or around town?

 

this is a hella nerd response...

but you said the elevation is really high...so maybe the air itself has less oxygen...I know that at extreme elevations, oxygen partial pressure can drop from the usual 160mmHg at sea level to around 100mmHg...maybe that can play a part in your engine not burning as efficiently as it should because there just isn't as much oxygen to combust. I'd say, ask the people who live there...see if there's another honda around and see if they get lower than expected mileage too...

i would think that the ECU can sense [O2] and compensate...but iono...just an idea.

 

Check your tire pressure and reset your ecu, and JustOneMore
is right high elevations = less oxygen that might explain loss of mileage.

 

wow...that is sad mileage...i can hit 300 w/o the light on my AT...ya...def the montana elevation should hurt it...and the 85.5 octane is lower grade than normal...so u have less dense air (which btw is why u get slower times at a hotter/higher track) and worse gas...so both the 'chemicals' are worse than ur used to...i put chemicals in quotes cuz i'm not really thinking too much rite now...which is also why this reply is kinda vague...need more explanation?