33MPG in San Francisco

[Willie Williford]

In Calif. going South always yields better mpg than traveling north. Going west usually shows better mileage than going east.
Speed is also the governing factor as with "Driving Style".
Rush hour traffic at a high rate in Calif. is at 70+.
This will also yield better mileage than no traffic at 70+.
Remember.......Assist is dependant on the "load" on an engine .
Way2Hand uses the correct method for "hill climbing"......In my opinion.

I proved that method on the "comparison run" with 3 other Insighters right after I installed the turbo back in 2003.
"My experience."
The same theory applies to the Gen 1 vs Gen 2 Insight
Willie

[Moviemike]

Tire pressures might explain the difference between those getting mpg's in the low 40's and those in the high 40's at freeway speeds.

I too shift into 'S' for hill climbing, though I wait for the asst to be used up and "chg" aka foreced regen to begin. The higher rpm seems to help make up for the difference.

[CraigCA]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Man. I wonder if CA uses a different formulation for their gas than the rest of the country?

I believe we do.

Wind resistance will kill mpg's if you go over 65-70.

[Moviemike]

All gas in Oregon is 10% ethanol. At the time of the change-over I was checking mpg with every tankful in my old car. With the change, my in-town mpg went down a little, but my highway mpg remained roughly the same.

In near-by Eugene there is a large manufactuer of "kettle chips." The oil used in the making of the chips has been diverted from the garbage to the making of ethanol that is added to gasoline purchased in Oregon.

[steve_b1]

This article is a little dated but my guess is the general nature of what gas is used where probably still holds true:
What is summer-blend gas? - By Sam Schechner - Slate Magazine

The local paper (SJ mercury news) reported that May 1 is the deadline for the summer blend switch-over (don't know if that's Bay Area Air Quality Mgmt District specific or CA general) so I'm looking forward to a mileage comparison soon.

[Moviemike]

That is good news. I always get better mpg with summer gas. A local station went up 6 cents a gal. yesterday. If the price increase was for the summer gas I wouldn't mind as much.

Thx for article link - I'll check it out.

[steve_b1]

Did the drive this weekend (Google maps version)- 36.9 mpg (as measured using "trip")

2010 LX, 3000miles, Econ mode, winter blend gas likely, tires ~40psi, 51.7 actual miles (Lincoln construction bypass + got off-track in GG Park), drove a brisk pace versus a fuel-efficient pace, started at Civic Center.