sahtt

Me neither.

Ralleh, one thing worth noting that has not yet been discussed is that the angle of our windshields is unusually steep. This is due to several factors you can look up (safety being one of them). Aerodynamics have an exponential relationship in top speed etc. functions. With our unusually steep windshield, it is quite possible that cruising at "sports car" speeds of say 80-85 really degrades fuel mileage.

Another is that as you reach the peak of any engine's output capacity, fuel mileage tends to decrease slightly beyond just a linear relationship with the horsepower gained.

Whether it's due to excessive heat, higher compression, the tighter gearing used in most of the aforementioned, is not always consistent.

Overall, you ask a decent question. I've wondered the same thing when you see EPA estimates of 26mpg highway for a 2900 lbs 2.0 ltr 240hp/160tq honda and 29mpg highway for a 4400 lbs 4.6 ltr nearly 400hp/400+tq lexus barge.

The excellent aero's, gearing, and relatively little output in proportion to max output needed to sustain highway speeds of the c6 supports the above argument as well.

iDomN8U

Here is honda's except on the s2000:
At first sight of the S2000 you feel a connection. A connection to Honda's long heritage of racing success on the world's most demanding circuits, to the 70 Grand Prix victories in Formula 1 and the 65 victories in CART. That's because the S2000 wasn't just "inspired" by racing, it was fine-tuned by Honda's racing engineers on the high-speed straightaways, breathtaking sweepers and tight hairpins of Suzuka. You'll feel the S2000's racing pedigree the moment you slip behind the wheel. The gauges and controls are prominent and logically placed, creating an intuitive driver interface that's intimate, yet comfortable. High-bolstered perforated leather seats cradle and brace you for quick manoeuvres, while the audio system with speakers behind the headrest provides the ideal soundtrack for your drive. As the bright digital tach arcs rapidly clockwise, you get an advanced lesson in acceleration. And the harder you push the S2000, with its new Drive-by-Wire Throttle System™, the more you realize this car was built to respond.


Here is the except on the Insight:
The 2010 Honda Insight. Yes it's a hybrid. But beyond its ultra low emissions, fuel efficiency and fun-to-drive nature, its unique Eco Assist™ system with ECON mode can actually make you a more environmentally friendly driver. Moreover, the Insight represents another innovative step that we can all take towards a brighter future with blue skies for our children.

The Insight's unique ECO Assist™ technology modifies various vehicle systems to minimize your overall energy use and maximize your fuel efficiency – all at the push of the ECON button. Plus with the Eco Guide feedback system, the Insight actually encourages you to become a more fuel-efficient driver. The system monitors your immediate driving habits and shows you how efficiently you are accelerating, braking, or cruising by changing the speedometer background colour from blue to green. The Eco Guide also features a long term cumulative scoring system located in your Multi-Information Display that rewards you with green "leaves" as your driving performance improves overtime.

Maybe you thought you bought a Insight?

bradskee

When i drove to tuscon from san diego this last weekend i averaged 34.6 mpgs at a cruise controlled 70 mph the whole way. I was suprised and elated.

S2kracka

My S2k got way better fuel mileage than my Evo does. I used to get over 30 on the hwy and average mid-20's in mixed driving.

YELLOW JACKET

Face it. this car was designed with performance in mind, not economy. you could juggle gear ratios, but that could get costly. not sure what would be a good solution for your quest for better mileage. but if you find one, post it. i'm sure others with the same delima would like to know. good luck!

bluAP1s2k

the solution is simple, Don't worry about it, if you want good gas mileage get another car.

Sorry but this guy seems hung up on gearing even though other logical reasoning behind the poor gas mileage has been discussed.

It sounds to me, and I could be wrong, that he sees the car as inefficient simply because of the gas mileage. This is just not the type of efficiency honda had in mind when designing the S. They were focused on efficiency in terms of power output for a NA 2.0 L or 2.2L 4 cylinder engine.

The aerodynamics were sacrificed for safety because the engineers considered safety to be a higher priority than gas mileage.

In the end this question being asked is just simply a result of, the car wasn't built for that.

fatjoe10

OP: you got PM

DFWs2k

it's not simple to swap a 1st and 6th gear from one tranny to a different tranny (i'm talking about ap1 to ap2, not ap1 to ap1). the relationships between the gears are more complex than 1->2->3, etc. (AFAIK)

you would most likely end up spending so much time/money on that pursuit, that it would almost assuredly end up being cheaper to buy some custom tranny with the ratios you think you want.

the more "efficient" way of doing what you kind of want would be to have 2 differentials. one with normal final drive for normal driving, and one with a "lower" (say 3.10 instead of 4.10) final drive for long trips.

thebig33tuna

Hypothetical situation
You get 25mpg stock.
You swap tranny bits to get 30 mpg (unlikely)

Assuming gas prices are $2.50/gallon. After 25,000 miles, you'd save just over $400. That'd barely cover the cost of the Ap2 tranny, much less the effort you'd put into it.

This whole discussion has been beaten to death. If you do that much highway driving and care *that much* about gas mileage, get a beater car.

takeshi

I'd second this if you really want to see if lower RPM's help. I'm sure there's a point of diminishing returns though I don't know exactly where that would be. This approach also seems much more reasonable then going through a gear or transmission swap just to find out.

Using cruise control helps a lot too.

My thought exactly. Compare the S to other comparable cars and it is definitely one of the more fuel efficient options.