I have both a 2000 and a 2002 honda isight. I was wondering, this is my first time posting on this forum, If anyone has any ideas why the 2002 insight gets considerable better gas mileage than the 2000 insight. The 2000 insight has 42,000 miles and the 2002 insight has 63,000miles. Also, the 2000 insight had the IMA battery replaced prior to my purchasing it some 3 months ago along with the battery condition monitor. I was wondering if honda used a different battery to replace the older one and this could be causing a reduction in the gas mileage. Also, the 2002 has not had the BCM replaced, I was wondering if all BCM's in the 2002 are faulty as I have not had any problems with the battery yet and it is still under warranty until Sept. of 2012...is the defective BCM a honda recall both in the U.S. A. and Canada, as I am in Canada. Also, if the batteries do go, could someone tell me if it is wise to put in an aftermarket battery for the insight and if so where could the best battery be located and what type of battery is it . Also, I was noting a slight vibration in the gear shift when the 2000 insight is in third gear... are the manual transmissions fairly bullet proof or have they been known to provide problems (especially in 3rd.. no other gear has this slight vibration and the vibration is only felt when I put a slight bit of pressure on the gear shift in the downward direction. Finally, I need some tires for the car and was wondering what the best low resistance tire would be for the car and if Honda was still making the original OEM tire.. One more point, I was talking to Honda today and apparently the 2005 IMA battery is different than the 2002...does any one know if all IMA factory batteries for insights are interchangeable or only for certain years and what batteries are different and (different in a better way or just different..
Darrell
Last edited by ptcsdavis; 12-02-2011 at 06:41 PM.
Reason: forgot to ad something
I was wondering if honda used a different battery to replace the older one and this could be causing a reduction in the gas mileage.
Honda uses the same battery packs in all Insights. But replacement battery packs apparently use new old stock cells that have been sitting on the shelf for quite a while. The quality of replacement battery packs seems to vary. My second battery pack failed faster than my first or my third which is still going strong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
Also, the 2002 has not had the BCM replaced, I was wondering if all BCM's in the 2002 are faulty as I have not had any problems with the battery yet and it is still under warranty until Sept. of 2012...is the defective BCM a honda recall both in the U.S. A. and Canada, as I am in Canada.
I wasn't aware than any BCM version is considered defective or that any have been replaced under a recall. When Honda replaces a battery pack under warranty, the BCM and MCM are usually replaced with the current version if that version isn't already installed.
Honda has been updating the BCM and probably MCM logic as they have gathered real-world experience, the goal being to extend battery pack life which has been too short for many Insight owners. So battery pack assist and regen behaviors have changed with updated versions. Some people have experienced a greater fuel consumption rate as a result. This could explain the fuel consumption difference you're experiencing.
I've definitely noticed the difference in behavior. Compared with the original BCM version, the newer versions seem to be aggressive at keeping the average indicated battery pack charge level near 60% or so. So if the indicated charge level is higher, assist becomes more aggressive to lower the charge level. If the charge level is lower, regen becomes more aggressive, frequently in the background where it's not seen on the assist gauge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
Also, if the batteries do go, could someone tell me if it is wise to put in an aftermarket battery for the insight and if so where could the best battery be located and what type of battery is it .
If your car isn't under warranty, a BetterBattery seems to be a superior replacement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
Also, I was noting a slight vibration in the gear shift when the 2000 insight is in third gear... are the manual transmissions fairly bullet proof or have they been known to provide problems (especially in 3rd.. no other gear has this slight vibration and the vibration is only felt when I put a slight bit of pressure on the gear shift in the downward direction.
Insight manual transmissions are not bulletproof. They apparently have a design flaw that results in grinding when shifting into second gear for some people, but that wouldn't cause vibration.
The input shaft bearing also appears to be prone to premature wear, maybe due to the additional force that regen applies compared with in a non-hybrid car. This could cause vibration, but people seem to report noise rather than vibration.
Pushing down on the shifter while in gear can cause the shift forks in the transmission to rub against whatever they push when shifting the gears. It's not recommended to rest one's hand on the gear shifter except when shifting to avoid unnecessary wear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
Finally, I need some tires for the car and was wondering what the best low resistance tire would be for the car and if Honda was still making the original OEM tire.
The best tire for fuel efficiency is the OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE92 in the 165/65R14 size. It appears to be in short supply right now, so buy them ASAP. Check your local Firestone tire dealer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
One more point, I was talking to Honda today and apparently the 2005 IMA battery is different than the 2002...does any one know if all IMA factory batteries for insights are interchangeable or only for certain years and what batteries are different and (different in a better way or just different.
I've never heard of any substantive difference among the battery packs installed in various Insights. They're all interchangeable.
Most of your questions have been answered many times in this forum. Using the Google search field in the top left of the page could have led to answers for many of your questions.
I was wondering why Honda would have stated that there is a different battery pack for the 2005 insight versus 2002. What I hear you saying as well, is that the newer battery packs that are produced by honda are superior than the older ones, depending on shelf life... also where would one find a betterbattery.. and what type of life expectency can a person get out of the IMA battery... really,I am also hearing you say that the batteries for the insights don't really vary much in manufacturing, however, the battery can affect the fuel consumption.. aside from the potenza tire is there any other low resistance tire that is second to the oem produced by honda.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aisbell
Honda uses the same battery packs in all Insights. But replacement battery packs apparently use new old stock cells that have been sitting on the shelf for quite a while. The quality of replacement battery packs seems to vary. My second battery pack failed faster than my first or my third which is still going strong.
I wasn't aware than any BCM version is considered defective or that any have been replaced under a recall. When Honda replaces a battery pack under warranty, the BCM and MCM are usually replaced with the current version if that version isn't already installed.
Honda has been updating the BCM and probably MCM logic as they have gathered real-world experience, the goal being to extend battery pack life which has been too short for many Insight owners. So battery pack assist and regen behaviors have changed with updated versions. Some people have experienced a greater fuel consumption rate as a result. This could explain the fuel consumption difference you're experiencing.
I've definitely noticed the difference in behavior. Compared with the original BCM version, the newer versions seem to be aggressive at keeping the average indicated battery pack charge level near 60% or so. So if the indicated charge level is higher, assist becomes more aggressive to lower the charge level. If the charge level is lower, regen becomes more aggressive, frequently in the background where it's not seen on the assist gauge.
If your car isn't under warranty, a BetterBattery seems to be a superior replacement.
Insight manual transmissions are not bulletproof. They apparently have a design flaw that results in grinding when shifting into second gear for some people, but that wouldn't cause vibration.
The input shaft bearing also appears to be prone to premature wear, maybe due to the additional force that regen applies compared with in a non-hybrid car. This could cause vibration, but people seem to report noise rather than vibration.
Pushing down on the shifter while in gear can cause the shift forks in the transmission to rub against whatever they push when shifting the gears. It's not recommended to rest one's hand on the gear shifter except when shifting to avoid unnecessary wear.
The best tire for fuel efficiency is the OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE92 in the 165/65R14 size. It appears to be in short supply right now, so buy them ASAP. Check your local Firestone tire dealer.
I've never heard of any substantive difference among the battery packs installed in various Insights. They're all interchangeable.
Most of your questions have been answered many times in this forum. Using the Google search field in the top left of the page could have led to answers for many of your questions.
I was wondering why Honda would have stated that there is a different battery pack for the 2005 insight versus 2002.
Ignorance? Honda dealers know little about Insights.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
What I hear you saying as well, is that the newer battery packs that are produced by honda are superior than the older ones, depending on shelf life...
You misheard me. I know of no difference that would make a later battery pack superior to an earlier battery pack. Because the cells in an Insight battery pack haven't been manufactured in years, replacement packs seem to be failing sooner (anecdotally), maybe due to the cells aging.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
also where would one find a betterbattery..
In the Google search field that I mentioned in my previous response.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
and what type of life expectency can a person get out of the IMA battery... really,I am also hearing you say that the batteries for the insights don't really vary much in manufacturing, however, the battery can affect the fuel consumption..
This and many other issues that you have asked about have been discussed at length in this forum. Please do a little research yourself. It's not difficult.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ptcsdavis
aside from the potenza tire is there any other low resistance tire that is second to the oem produced by honda.
Honda has never produced tires to my knowledge.
Tire comparisons abound in this forum. I'm not going to attempt to summarize when you can read for yourself if you expend a little effort.
The Bridgestone Potenza RE92 P165/65R14 is the OEM tire for the Insight in North America. In Europe it came factory with the Bridgestone B391, a similarly spec'd tire with a different tread pattern, but has also been discontinued.
There is no tire known to us that has proven to be superior in real world testing as far as MPG goes. Any other tire has in fact proven to come with approximately a 6-10% mileage hit.
The BetterBattery is built with new cells, and it HAS proven in testing by its maker and by independent IC members to be superior to the OEM battery in every way measured. It has better thermal characteristics, voltage sags less under load, has higher capacity, and is cheaper to boot. There is literally no reason to get a battery from Honda anymore, except if its a warranty replacement.
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2001 Silver Canadian DM MT (has DRL and A/C std)
Mods:
CARD switch
John Wayland's Shoebox Sub
OBDIIC&C Gauge v0.02 (Beta Test Team Member)
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2000 and 2002 insights
