Getting 56mpg going 56mph

[Cobb]

Heres the video, no ac, 11pm at night and about 90 degrees out 100% humidity with cruse set.

YouTube - getting 56mpg, going 56mph honda 2010 insight

[jrlnc]

Cobb,

I have a few questions . . .

• Was your ECON ASSIST button turned on?
• Was it on "S" or "D"
• Did you have the windows rolled down?

That is still pretty good. Overall are you are surprised at how good the mpg on the Insight is?

I have been pleased with mine too.

[jraynor196]

That sounds about right. I've been hitting those numbers as well.

If you keep it around 55, you will get that mileage or better.

[Cobb]

I leave econ on unless its almost a 100 degrees out and thats only in stop n go to keep the ac on. I had it in econ, ac off, fan on level 3, radio but amp was not on in D. WIndows rolled up.

I have been very impressed with the fuel economy, however above average readings or tanks and routes are difficult to repeat. I drove the same route and speed with cruse on for 3 days. Only 1 way, 1 day did I hit 65mpg. The remainder of the trips drop that down. Seems when its muggy, about 90 degrees with 100% humditiy and no visible sun can I get killed fuel economy.

At least a few people I know with the new prius only get 48mpg.
My previous cars I can always repeat fuel economy, but it seems weather related with this car. Even then, behavior that should or would drop fuel economy on a previous car I own has little effect on this one.

I love the way it handles at all speeds. Just needs to be lowered an inch or so and a rear sway bar or 3.

Originally Posted by jrlnc

Cobb,

I have a few questions . . .

• Was your ECON ASSIST button turned on?
• Was it on "S" or "D"
• Did you have the windows rolled down?

That is still pretty good. Overall are you are surprised at how good the mpg on the Insight is?

I have been pleased with mine too.

[fatcat220]

The best mpg I've gotten so far is 53.76 mpg. This was measured using the miles driven / gas fill up technique. My other measured mpg have been 47.5 - 48.8 mpg, for 4 other fill ups. I've noticed that the instant milage indicator is about 3 mpg optomistic.

[HybridforCollege]

Mind sharing some tips?
The best I got was 45-46 mpg, that was when I was driving 70-75 mph on a freeway for a long time, like 50 miles.
Usually I am only at 43, can't figure out how other ppl with the Insight are getting like 60mpg

[Elucidus]

HfC - I averaged 48.8 on my last tank with 4 40 mile, 90% freeway trips. Eyeing the instant MPG bars helps a lot, I try to keep mine over 50 if at all possible.

One of the basic rules is to avoid stopping completely (traffic) if at all possible. I learned how to do this when I got my first stickshfit, to avoid starting from a dead stop in first. Crawling is actually much better than completely stopping. You'll find that in most jam-ups if you leave a decent gap in front of you you can keep moving even if every else is dead.

Secondly, don't be afraid to let the car lose a little speed going uphill - and don't be afraid to go a little faster going down the following descent. If you have a descent followed by a uphill grade, get some speed from the descent so you can carry as much of it as you can. These two tips should give you a pretty good boost.

[fatcat220]

Originally Posted by HybridforCollege

Mind sharing some tips?
The best I got was 45-46 mpg, that was when I was driving 70-75 mph on a freeway for a long time, like 50 miles.
Usually I am only at 43, can't figure out how other ppl with the Insight are getting like 60mpg

Definitely follow Elucidus tips.

Also I try to keep my accelerations very sedate - around 1500 - 2000 rpm. My driving includes a good mixture of freeway and around town driving. I'm very new to hypermiling. I used to ride bicycle a lot and I now drive my Insight in the same way. Basically maintain your momentum, plan your changes in momentum way ahead. If you see cars breaking or a light changing to red, get off the gas and try to coast as long as possible. Find one of the mpg feedback indicators that you like the best and use that to train yourself to drive more calmly. Remember that the MPG reading you see on the indicator is optimistic by about 3mpg, so do what you can to raise that up and keep it up. So in a nut shell this is what I've learned to do so far:

1. Turn on the ECON mode and drive in "D" (not "S"). Use the ECON indicators to learn and improve your mpg driving habits.

2. From a dead stop, I don't step on the accelerator right away. I use the car's tendency to move when I'm off the break to start my acceleration. Then I gently add to the acceleration after the car starts to move. My acceleration to my driving speed is slow and steady, keeping my RPMs below 2000 and closer to 1500.

3. Plan ahead. Don't look at just the car in front of you, look at it and several cars ahead. If you see a lot of brake lights, let of the gas and hopefully you won't have to come to a complete stop. Try to drive a steady speed while the rest of the traffic is starting and stopping. Plan on lights changing way ahead too. If the light is red, try to adjust your approach to hit it when it goes green.

3. Look at your tire pressure. Mine was at 30 psi from the dealer. I recently increased it to 40 psi. This makes for a harder ride, but it will reduce your rolling resistance. I need to check into this more to see balance ride and shaking the car against the benefit of better gas mileage.

4. Read up on hypermiling on line. I personally try to practice good mph techniques, but try not to PO the people off behind and around me. Being aware means behind and to the side as well as in front of you. If no one is behind you, you can coast more and adjust your speed to increase your mpg.

Mostly you need to relax and be aware of the traffic pattern. Also, if you’re driving 70 mph and could be driving 60 mph, you're wasting a lot of gas.

FYI, the mileage I reported was with my AC turned on. I live in the Dallas area and AC is not an option for me in the summer months! If I lived in L.A. with heavy traffic congestion and very aggressive freeway driving or a hilly location, I think that my mpg would be lower. So set reasonable mpg goals.

Hope this helps.

[Purplegate]

To add to fatcat220 set of tips, I would say :

- coast, coast, coast ! See the light signals ahead and try to manage your speed to avoid the red and stop, or coast as much as possible when you have to stop to it.

- On highway, find the "sweet spot" on the accell pedal. Reach and keep your desired speed and release gently the pressure to get to this spot. You keep the same speed (not decrease), but MID will show 5-10 more mpg for the same speed result. I find it easy to get between 63 & 67 mph.

I regularely achieve 56-58mpg average per tank (MID reading, ~-1.5 on real calculation, as proven by several I2 owner...). And there is some other peoples achieving similar mpg as seen on Fuelly.com like jraynor, Moviemike (finally welcome in the 50club Mike !! ) redtango and the mytical Greendriver, whom I hope somebody can track down to get him on the Insightcentral forum to get some tricks on how he drives !

[HybridforCollege]

Thanks,
I'll try to try all these tips.
Hope my mpg gets up to like 50.