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5 U.S. states won't oppose Honda fuel efficiency settlement

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This is stupid because it is the US government agency EPA that sets the estimated MPG for cars..not the automaker so the EPA should be sued not Honda.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Next time Honda will think twice before it shoots its mouth off. 50mpg highway? I think not.

-6 ( +1 / -6 )

This is just ridiculous. The EPA mileage will never ever be actual mileages for everyone.

Gas mileage is affected by how you drive, how you maintain your vehicle, road conditinos, whether you go through stop & go traffic, how much junk you keep in your vehicle etc. So when the EPA measures mileage for a vehicle, they just take it to a racing circuit and put 10 gallons in gas tank and see how much they can drive, no traffic, no signals to stop at, so their numbers are ALWAYS higher than what you get in real life, and this is true for ANY vehicle. You just use your common sense and assume that they will get less than the EPA mileage.

But of course there are always people & lawyers in American who are lookng for next victims. Funny how some of them even talk as if they are looking for justice when in reality they are just looking for easy money.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Ridiculous - the door has just been opened for EVERY car owner to sue EVERY manufacturer! What a waste, whilst lawers (who actually started this) build a new business line for themselves.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

This is so stupid. The Honda dealers should never have told the customers they would get 50 mpg.

Honda makes perfectly good, reliable, economical cars, which the vast majority of Honda owners are satisfied with.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Hide SuzukiMar. 02, 2012 - 07:54AM JST. So when the EPA measures mileage for a vehicle, they just take it to a racing circuit and put 10 gallons in gas tank and see how much they can drive, no traffic, no signals to stop at, so their numbers are ALWAYS higher than what you get in real life, and this is true for ANY vehicle.

This is incorrect. Vehicles are tested on dynamometers, or dynos, which are like giant treadmills for cars. The vehicle is held stationary while its wheels spin the dyno’s large rollers.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

How the tests are done are not important, rather that the test results have to be overseen, verified and approved by an independent body.

I could easily assemble a test PC that could boot up Windows 8 trial in a few seconds using SSD, overclocked processor and memory, a very good cooling system, and some tweaks in the startup processes. Would I be sent to trial and made to pay if anyone who reads my blog doesn't get the same results? Crazy system.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This all stemmed from the that one lady suing Honda right? Ridiculous. Only in America. Next, lets sue McDonalds because the pictures of their burgers don't look the same as what we receive to eat. It would have been nice though if the people suing decided to donate that money back to the tsunami victims. With that disaster and Japans current economy taking from them and tarnishing their reputation probably isn't the best thing to do.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Elvensilvan Mar. 02, 2012 - 09:52AM JST How the tests are done are not important, rather that the test results have to be overseen, verified and approved by an independent body.

How the test is done is important to get closer to real world use. If this ruling stands, then every manufacturer is in for a lawsuit. The real world gas milage is usually 15-25 percent less than the actual EPA rating. Here's why: the cars and trucks subjected to fuel economy testing are "driven" on a dyno without a full complement of passengers, cargo, and options aboard, all else being equal, the heavier a vehicle is, the more fuel an engine will need to burn in order to reach and maintain a set speed. Similarly, the vehicles are tested without the air conditioning and other electrical accessories in use, which also tends to put a greater load on the engine, and thus impacts the vehicle's fuel economy.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"driven" on a dyno without a full complement of passengers, cargo, and options aboard, all else being equal

Don't forget air resistance. If you're on a dynamo, there's is no air resistance.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So when the EPA measures mileage for a vehicle, they just take it to a racing circuit and put 10 gallons in gas tank and see how much they can drive, no traffic, no signals to stop at, so their numbers are ALWAYS higher than what you get in real life, and this is true for ANY vehicle. You just use your common sense and assume that they will get less than the EPA mileage.

If it is "true for ANY vehicle." Then how did Honda's numbers get so much higher than others? Also, before commenting on how the testing is done, perhaps reading up on the actual test is wise?

As a means of reflecting real world fuel economy more accurately, the EPA adds three new tests[34] that will combine with the current city and highway cycles to determine fuel economy of new vehicles, beginning with the 2008 model year.[35] A high speed/quick acceleration loops lasts 10 minutes, covers 8 miles (13 km), averages 48 mph (77 km/h) and reaches a top speed of 80 mph (130 km/h). Four stops are included, and brisk acceleration maximizes at a rate of 8.46 mph (13.62 km/h) per second. The engine begins warm and air conditioning is not used. Ambient temperature varies between 68 °F (20 °C) to 86 °F (30 °C). The air conditioning test raises ambient temperatures to 95 °F (35 °C), and the vehicle's climate control system is put to use. Lasting 9.9 minutes, the 3.6-mile (5.8 km) loop averages 22 mph (35 km/h) and maximizes at a rate of 54.8 mph (88.2 km/h). Five stops are included, idling occurs 19 percent of the time and acceleration of 5.1 mph/sec is achieved. Engine temperatures begin warm. Lastly, a cold temperature cycle uses the same parameters as the current city loop, except that ambient temperature is set to 20 °F (−7 °C).

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_economy_in_automobiles#EPA_testing_procedure:_2008_and_beyond)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If the Hondas really could get the stated millage, Honda could have proved it with a few dyno tests. The fact that Honda wants to settle makes me think they were being a bit deceptive.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

FadamorMar. 03, 2012 - 12:50AM JST. If it is "true for ANY vehicle." Then how did Honda's numbers get so much higher than others? Also, before commenting on how the testing is done, perhaps reading up on the actual test is wise?

darknutsMar. 03, 2012 - 01:15AM JST If the Hondas really could get the stated millage, Honda could have proved it with a few dyno tests. The fact that Honda wants to settle makes me think they were being a bit deceptive.

darknuts...what stated milage are you referring to?

Show me on the window sticker of the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid that saids EPA 50mpg or anywhere that saids this milage. This dumb women said she was getting 40-42mpg when it was new. So what is the problem?

2006 Honda Civic Hybid, combine EPA 42 mpg. Source: U.S. Goverment: Department of Energy

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/22643.shtml

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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