2000MT- 42mpg in Akron Ohio :( - Brrrrrrrrr

Joekingiam · 01-16-2009, 05:40 AM

Hey,
Anybody else getting that low of MPG around here? I drive about 65% city and I realize its do to the cold but it would warm me to know someone else is suffering like me.
Joe

**uhtrinity** · 01-16-2009, 08:22 AM

My winter mpg numbers take a pretty good dive also. This is mostly due to extra warmup idling time. The car also gets lower mpg on colder days for highway driving (45 - 65 mph). In the summer I can easily get 80+ mpg on these routes, in the winter it drops to 65 - 70 mpg. Usually I just give up up and take the interstate doing 75 mph and end up getting the same mileage.

Last winter I averaged 45 mpg due to all of this, but with plugin charging I have averaged just under 60 mpg so far this winter. So there was some improvement.

ikhoudvanu199 · 01-16-2009, 09:36 AM

yea my numbers suffer pretty hard in the winter too...between just driving in the colder weather, and the necessity of letting the car run to warm it up to combat ice and snow i usually see about a 10mpg drop in the winter

i keep wanting to make myself a radiator block, but never seem to get around to it

With Insight · 01-19-2009, 11:41 PM

Back in my early days with three winters in Montana I used pieces of cardboard to partially block radiator air flow to keep the engine and heater system at normal summer operating temperatures. By watching your temperature gauge carefully and keeping several sizes behind the seat back you should be able keep your Insight in a temperature range to help the fuel economy. I also manually shut of the engine at stops during the warm up period so I am at least moving during the warm up. I don't have any bright ideas to help on rolling resistance and drag when slogging through the snow. Occasional stops to knock out the built up snow and ice in the wheel wells helps to reduce the weight.

budomove · 01-19-2009, 11:50 PM

Mine suffers pretty hard in city traffic, my last 250 miles averaged in at about 49mpg. I still get 60-65mpg on rural county roads, but stop and go, and fast highway speed kill my mpg in the winter. Lean burn is much more difficult to engage and sustain as there is very narrow window in cold weather. I find that slower (35-45mph) consistent throttle driving in 3rd or 4th gear can often yield more lean burn potential situations than 55-65mph highway driving in the winter. I also run different (all season kumho) tires on HX rims for the winter which surely take away a solid 5 to 10mpg.

budomove · 01-19-2009, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uhtrinity

Last winter I averaged 45 mpg due to all of this, but with plugin charging I have averaged just under 60 mpg so far this winter.

Please explain what this means. You charge the pack by a plug in mod, and if so how does this increase mpg? ....or are you talking about a block heater?

**uhtrinity** · 01-20-2009, 09:28 AM

I have been running a parallel pack mod since last spring, and also plugin charge those packs. I don't have a garage and use a simple cardboard radiator block in the winter.

budomove · 01-20-2009, 10:30 AM

Wow, so it is not exactly the plug in recharge, but the added assist you get from having the extra voltage that comes along with the second pack that increases mpg then?

**uhtrinity** · 01-20-2009, 02:15 PM

Exactly, for in town driving I am at 50% assist most of the time which allows the car to use less fuel. Not bad for a 10 cent nightly charge (~1.6 - 2.0 Ah).

**Waynetc** · 01-26-2009, 07:39 PM

Joe - I drive to Akron (Fairlawn - Bath) area everyday....I hate to say it but I'm still pulling low 70's (but it's 90+ % highway). If I didn't have the radiator block, hot air mod. mima and FAS it would be much, much less. If you've got some of the mods, check the amount of slush etc around all the wheels - it can add a lot of drag.
Wayne